Living in a bigger city like Prague surely has many plusses and offers loads of entertainment at anytime you wish. However, although the chaotic city life of Prague, for our runners it might not be ideal with all the buzz in the city center that one might find, the thousands of tourists and never-ending traffic and air pollution.  

Luckily, if you are living in Prague you have many opportunities where to escape for a nice run out of the rush but yet close to the city center. I asked my colleague Albert who has attended several Prague Marathons how and where to train in Prague. According to Albert, every person has a different style of preparation for a marathon. That depends on your type of body, the physique, time you dedicate to your training and which goals you wish to achieve.  

Albert’s 5 rules he follows every time he prepares for a marathon are:

1. Right nutrition: fundamental to program with a proper running program – certain foods need to be taken at different times of your schedule. You should put more protein in your diet as it helps rebuild your muscles after a long run. Few days before the marathon I always eat more carbohydrates like pasta, rice or porridge for breakfast. Last important element: don’t forget to drink water and stay hydrated.  

2. Plan a long run: Another important element. You will not manage your marathon unless you put in those km. Make sure you find time at least 2x per week as part of your preparation.  

3. Stretch/Yoga lessons after every session, one should stretch. Your whole performance improves. To me personally, yoga helps a lot not just to stretch my body but with my poster and breathing technique which improved my running a lot. I always make sure to attend at least one yoga class per week.

4.  Good sleep: It helps your body to restore its energy without sleeping properly it is difficult to maintain your body balance. Good sleep helps your muscles recover faster and avoid swelling and inflammation. 

5. Recovery day: from now and then give your body a full day of rest to recover from your sessions.  

Albert’s 5 favorite places where to run.

• Prague offers plenty of option where to train and run, but he picked all the main ones in the city center for those who live or work in central. If you want to run and enjoy some stunning views of Prague, Letna Park is a place to run. Set close to the Castle you have lovely views from the hill. 
• Stromovka Park: just a kilometer away from Letna park you will find the biggest park in Prague Stromovka. You can run for kilometers in complete peace with a feeling you are in a forest. 
• Petrin Hill: for those who like to run uphill the way up Petrin Hill is a killer and a good way to get into shape properly.  
• Riverside run: one of the classics for Prague. Running close to the river is a must for everybody. It starts from the trendy area of Náplavka and goes down all the way to Modřany and further. A classic route where you will meet tons of other running colleagues 
• Vitkov Park: located in Prague 3 here you will be able to discover one of the nicest parks close to central Prague but at the same time a nice place to remain focused

Article written in cooperation with www.gofit.io

Author: Veronika Gondova