We ask Bobby Levin of Fleet Feet and Megan DiGregorio of the Falls Road Running Store to give us tips and tricks to prep and recover from running a race.

Prep

TRAIN

• Start the training process three to five months before your race.

• Begin a “tapering period” during which you reduce the volume of your training mileage two to three weeks before the race to avoid injuries or burning out.

FUEL

• Have a balanced diet that aims to hit every part of the food pyramid. But especially concentrate on protein and carbs.

• Hydrate your body with electrolytes and plenty of water.

SLEEP

• Try to get at least seven to eight hours of sleep every night.

• In the two to three weeks before the race, try to get more sleep so your body is completely rested for race day.

FOCUS

• Visualize yourself crossing the finish line and completing the race to calm any pre-marathon nerves.

• Try light yoga to stretch out those muscles and relax your mind.

Recover

Move

• Keep moving around with a light jog or walk to avoid cramping up right after the race.

• Throw on a pair of recovery compression socks for optimal comfort after the race.

Refuel

• Don’t fight your cravings! Take in some calories within 30 to 45 minutes after completing the race.

• Rehydrating your body with water and electrolytes is crucial to ensuring proper recovery.

Unwind

• You might be hungrier than normal after the race, so feel free to indulge in satisfying meals.

• Try some light exercise to keep your body active but your muscles relaxed.

Rally

• Take a week off from running to allow your body to recover.

• Don’t rush back into long runs. Your body has to build itself back up to that point!

Before you fall into a turkey-induced food coma this Thanksgiving, throw on some sneakers and take part in one of the many races happening around town. Whether you decide to stroll or sprint, here are 10 ways to burn it off before you gobble it down.

What: KILTS & CRAIC
Distance: 5K or 1 mile run/walk
Details: Nov. 9. Maryland State Fairgrounds, 2200 York Rd., Timonium. 8 a.m. $45.

What: ACROSS THE BAY 10K
Distance: 10K run
Details: Nov. 9. 895 Oceanic Dr., Annapolis. 7 a.m.

What: THE COLOR RUN
Distance: 5K run/walk
Details: Nov. 15. Oriole Park at Camden Yards, 333 W. Camden St. 9 a.m. $45-55.

What: SYMPHONY OF LIGHTS DAZZLE DASH
Distance: 1.4 mile run/walk
Details: Nov. 15-16. Symphony Woods, Columbia. 5:30 p.m. $18-25.

What: LIGHTS ON THE BAY
Distance: 5K run
Details: Nov. 21. Sandy Point State Park, 1100 E. College Pkwy., Annapolis. 6:15 p.m. $14.

What: ZOO ZOOM 2014
Distance: 1 mile or 8K run/walk
Details: Nov. 23. The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, 1876 Mansion House Dr. 8:30 a.m. & 9:30 a.m. $20-45.

What: TURKEY TUMBLE FOR AUTISUM
Distance: 5K or 10K run
Details: Nov. 23. Patterson Park, 2601 E. Baltimore St. 9 a.m. & 10 a.m. $25-45.

What: Y OF CENTRAL MARYLAND TURKEY TROT
Distance: 5K run/walk
Details: Nov. 27. Multiple YMCA locations. 8:30 a.m. $30-42.

What: GOBBLE COBBLE TURKEY TROT
Distance: 7K run
Details: Nov. 27. Maryland Athletic Club, 655 S. President St. 8:30 a.m. $30-35.

What: NCR TRAIL MARATHON, RELAY & 8K
Distance: 8K and marathon run
Details: Nov. 29. Sparks Elementary School, 601 Belfast Rd., Sparks Glencoe. 8:30 a.m. & 8:45 a.m. $25-100.

“The truth is, I really don’t like running. I just like the way I feel when I’m done.

I am 48 years old. I have been running, basically, since I met my
wife a little more than 25 years ago. She was a runner, and if I wanted
to keep up with her, I had to run.

I’ve been doing the Baltimore Running Festival every year for the
past 10 years—since it began. I was already running marathons, so I
said, ‘Here I am in Baltimore, might as well run the Baltimore marathon
as well.’

I’m supposed to run five days a week. I know what I’ve got to do and I have training regimens to do it; I just don’t do it.

I’m definitely more of a morning runner. I run on the NCR trail and I
also run around the Loch Raven Reservoir to get some hill action. To
me, the whole key to finishing 26.2 miles is you’ve got to run three
20-mile races before the marathon date. If you don’t run three 20s, then
you’re not going to be prepared.

The marathon is a fantastic tour of the city. The best way to see any
city is running through the streets: You see neighborhoods. You see
offices. You see where people shop. You see where people drink coffee.
You see parts of the city that you can’t see from driving through it.
The thing I enjoy the most is running through Fort McHenry. I would just
say that is truly inspiring.

I would not run these races if not for the citizens of Baltimore.
Baltimore’s residents have gone from ‘I hate those blasted runners for
shutting down the city streets’ to ‘This is an inconvenience’ to ‘Well,
here come those crazy runners again. . . . We might as well cheer them
on!’ Their support is great and much appreciated.

I think my best finishing time was 4:45. I follow a pacer for the
first half, and then I slack off. I try to do a reverse-split, which is
where you go faster the second half than the first, but I’ve never been
able to do that because I get tired. I always have a great half
marathon, and then at mile 13, I’m like, ‘Oh God, I’ve still got to run
another 13 miles.’

The key is to start in your appointed time. If you’re a 10-minute
mile person, don’t start with the three-hour marathoners, because what’s
going to happen is they’re going to pull away and then you’re going to
have 2,000 people trying to pass you.

I guess the craziest thing I’ve seen are lots of people going to the
bathroom in bushes. The worst thing I’ve seen is when the organizers ran
out of water a couple years ago because someone stole the water during
the race. Somebody had driven behind the delivery truck and stolen all
of the water, so the people who were running slow, when they got to the
water stop, there was no water, and that really pissed a lot of us off.

I hate going by relay stations because you’re chugging along, and
then these guys bolt out like it’s a horse race and shoot by you, and
it’s very discouraging.

The worst part is when people double back on you. So, if I’m coming
down mile nine and they’re going past [in the other direction] at mile
13, they’re four miles ahead of me. It’s like, ‘Oh, crap.’

When I’m running, I’m really just thinking about the finish, thinking
about getting it over with and done. Eye on the prize. I get the
adrenaline rush toward the end, when you come down Eutaw Street, through
Camden Yards. That’s pretty neat because you’re running along the
cobblestone, you can see the finish, everyone’s screaming and yelling
and cheering, and you’re almost done.

My first thought when I finish is, ‘Where’s the beer?’ I’ll tell you
why, because when I finish, the water’s been sitting out there for six
hours, the Gatorade’s been sitting out there for six hours, it’s a hot
day, and the only thing cold is the beer. The best beer I’ve ever had in
my life was after finishing a race.

The best feeling I’ve ever had, personally, in my life is the first
time I finished a marathon. There’s no feeling quite like that. I’ve
spent hundreds of hours preparing for this, and now I’m done. But the
flip side is that I’m exhausted. I go home and take a nap.

I get stiffer and stiffer after all the long runs. You get old, your
body starts to ache, but when you see 70- and 80-year-olds crossing the
finish line, I think, ‘Well if they can do it, I can do it.’”