A lot goes into preparing for a big track meet, especially when it is Districts. Year round training is imperative to be a successful track and field athlete. Track takes rigor, commitment and dedication.

When training, athletes must focus on their diet, their calorie intake and the portions that they eat. Protein shakes help track athletes by providing those extra calories that their bodies need to function at the level of intensity and frequency that they are performing at. Eating foods such as salads is actually not as beneficial as one may think because eating salad leaves is like drinking water. However, if you add protein to your salad such as chicken, fish, or chick peas, then you’ll get more energy from your salad. Carb loading is also important on the night before a long meet. Carb loading is when you eat a big pasta dinner and stack up on starch in order to get long term energy that will carry you through a meet the next day.

Athletes also have to pay special attention to the amount of sleep they get each night. Sleep deprivation portrays an obvious issue, but a lot of people don’t realize that over sleeping can as well. Training can be extremely harsh on the body. Running reps back to back will strip the body of energy. A resting period of no less than six hours each night is imperative because your body needs to cycle through each stage of sleep at least six times to recuperate.

Think you have what it takes to go far as a track and field athlete?

Image courtesy of The Talon Times Staff.