Race day is like the grand finale of all your training efforts – the culmination of early morning runs, carb-loading rituals, and meticulous gear preparations. However, amidst the excitement and adrenaline rush, it’s easy to stumble upon common pitfalls that can turn your race daydream into a comedy of errors. From forgetting your lucky socks to starting off too fast like a hare in a hurry, we’ve all been there. Fear not, fellow racers!
In this post, we’ll be sprinting into the finish line knowing we’ve done everything we can to be successful on race day.
We’ve all been there. We did something that took away from our performance and we’re kicking ourselves for making that mistake.
I’ve been there! Heck, just last week, I made a “rookie” mistake when our mile race was delayed for almost an hour. It happens.
Today’s post is going to be looking at how we can get rid of those silly mistakes so that we don’t have any post-race regrets.
The Training
During training leading up to a race – any race, not just our peak race – if we aren’t doing some work at race pace, we’re definitely missing out. When we’re training for half or full marathons, we do tempos. When we’re trying to race a 5k, we have to do pace work at 5k pace. It’s not the only paces we should run, but it’s definitely something we need to hit in order to be successful on race day.
The Warmup
Timing the warmup correctly is key to running well during the race. Work backward from when the race is supposed to start. Factor in time for easy running, drills, strides, changing shoes & clothes, and add in an extra 3-5 minutes give or take for bathroom trip(s). If you get it right, you go from one thing to the next without any guessing or downtime, your body is prepped and ready to go, and you will be at your most optimal level of readiness going to the start line.
Last week at my mile, I had this figured out, and then it all came crashing down. A 40-50 minute delay isn’t ideal, especially after you’ve already warmed up. Instead of resetting and then heading out for some more jogging, I didn’t. And it showed when I was stiff and lethargic when I got to the start line.
Instead, focus on what you can control and as I always told my runners: ABM. Always Be Moving before a race starts.
The Race
I posted on social this week about my Adrenaline race in 2011 – also the day I met my wife (fun fact)- where I was pulled out to the front of the race, presumably because that’s where I thought I belonged, only to fade to 15th by the end of the 5k.
In fairness, the fitter you are, the less the downfall if something like this happens to you. But if you’re in “eh shape” the slip can be much more significant. Going out 15 seconds faster than you should for the first mile can wreak havoc for your last mile.
The Gear
If there is one thing I have learned the hard way from experience, it’s don’t wear anything new or different on race day. Way back in the olden days, I wore a pair of racing flats like I had done hundreds of times before. But never for a 10-mile race and never on a hot, steamy day in May down Broad Street.
Let’s just say it did not end well. At all. After 8 miles, a blister the size of a silver dollar formed on the bottom of my foot, and not only did it derail my race, but it also set me back about 2 weeks’ worth of training.
Make sure you’ve done your training in the gear you want to race in. Test it out in different scenarios and situations, like rainy days, which is most likely when blisters will form.
When you don’t know where or when a blister might show up, it’s good to get some Vasoline and coat the potential problem areas.
Be sure to wear the shoes you want to race in, as well as the clothing you want to sport on race day. You might find that a particular pair of shorts rubs once they get sweaty. That’s a sign that they aren’t great for race day.
Training Times
Are you used to training in the morning? A night race might be difficult for you. The same can be said if you usually run after work, but then have to get up early for a race.
In my case, last week, I didn’t warm up until 6:45 pm. Sometime after my warmup, but before my race, my watch reminded me of the quality of day I had and to get some rest to recover for tomorrow. Not exactly the reminder I’m looking for a few minutes before I’m supposed to race.
It’s not always possible, but it helps to have some of your training done at or near race time so you can get a sense of how your body will react at different times of the day.
Summary
No matter what race you are training for, there are things you can do to prepare for the best possible outcome. Have you tested out your gear before your race? Hopefully, you have, because if not, you leave yourself open to potential disasters.
Experience definitely helps when it comes to avoiding mistakes, but so does listening to what others have done and making some changes to your training and preparation.
As you’ve read above, the things you do in the days and weeks leading up to your race can help you eliminate or mitigate the amount of mistakes you make, which will help you have a better race experience.
Do you have questions or feedback? I’d be happy to help! What about future topics? Leave a comment or fill out the questionnaire and I’ll get back to you.
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