It’s race day. Three months of training have flown by. You’ve gotten up early. You’ve run in the cold. You’ve run in the rain. Maybe you had a little injury pop up. You got through all of the ups and downs that a runner experiences while training and today is the day. Today is going to be YOUR day. No matter what the race distance or how experienced you are, every runner has those race day nerves. Why else do you think there are so many porta-potties near the Start Line? There are some things that runners can do to help take some of the stress out of race day. Here are 6 tips to help make your big day a winner.
Practice Your Routines
The best way to be ready for race day is to practice race day. Most races are held in the mornings. Are you a morning runner? If not, it might be a good idea to try and get into the habit of waking up, eating a little something and then going out for a run. Once getting up and running first thing in the morning becomes your normal routine, you will feel far more comfortable on race morning. You can figure out when you need to eat before your run and more importantly, you can nail down that all important bathroom schedule.
Lay Out Your Gear
Have you ever been ready to head out for a run, but can’t find your sunglasses or Airpods? After 10 minutes of looking, you realize that you left your sunglasses at work and your Airpods are dead in the water. Not the ideal way to start your run. The same holds true for race day. Your mind will probably be thinking about fueling strategies and pace plans. The last thing that you need is to worry about gear. Get in the habit of laying out your gear the night before. Try it for your weekend long runs or an early morning run before work. Lay out everything that you are going to wear or carry on the bedroom floor. Don’t toss it in a pile like your kid’s toy box. Place everything in order just as you are going to put it on in the morning. If you have warm clothes to wear while you warm up, lay those out too. Gather everything you need for your race while you are relaxed and not thinking about anything else.
Visit the Race Location Ahead of Time
If you are traveling to a destination race, this might not always be possible. Or, for a race like the Boston Marathon, it’s probably very difficult to head out to Hopkington the Sunday before Marathon Monday. But, if you can, take a drive to the start area. Scout out the places to park. Take a walk from your parking spot to the starting area. Every step counts and on race morning, every minute counts. Most races will have some sort of pre race instructions on their website or social media accounts. Determine where the gear check is going to be located and if there are any tents available to shield runners from the weather. Most importantly, figure out where those porta-potties are going to be set up. It may sound funny, but every runner knows how critical those things are on race morning. Having a rough idea of how long it will take you to navigate the race grounds will give you a better idea of what time you will need to leave your house or hotel. Finally, if you are lucky enough to live close to your race’s location, go for a run on the course itself. This might not be entirely possible if the race takes place on city streets, but if you can, run the course. If anything, it helps you to visualize the race itself. Which leads to the next point.
Visualize the Race
Chances are, you didn’t sign up for this race the day before. You’ve been planning this day for weeks. In some of your runs leading up to the big race, visualize your race. Before you get started on your long run, close your eyes for a minute. Picture the starting corral. Hear the race announcer giving those last minute instructions. Feel the energy of those other runners around you. Then as you start your run, see yourself running on the course. Ease into your long run pace and see yourself passing other runners. When you need water or some fuel during this long run, pretend it’s an aid station and you are grabbing a cup from a volunteer. Are you the type of runner who needs to stop to fuel or will you coast through the aid station and toss your cup into the garage and you float on by? As you near the end of your run, start to think about those last few minutes of the race. Depending on the distance, you may really need to dig down deep in order to finish strong. Can you see those final turns as you enter the home stretch? Are there a few other runners who may have started a bit bit too quickly that you are about to pass? Can you hear the race announcer in the distance calling out the names of runners as they cross the finish line? As you finish up your long run, see yourself crossing that Finish Line and getting your medal from a volunteer.
Participate in an activity to help you relax
The day before a race can leave a lot of questions in a runner’s mind. Am I ready for this race? Did I log enough miles? Will my fueling strategy hold up? It’s very easy to get caught up thinking too much about the race. To ease your mind, plan an activity for the day before that you find relaxing. Try taking a walk with your kids (Just not too long!). This could be reading a book or watching your favorite movie. Whatever it is, make sure that the activity you pick helps you to forget about the race. You’ve run plenty of miles and have prepared the best that you can. If your training didn’t go exactly as planned, there’s nothing that you can do about it the day before a race. Just let yourself enjoy the moments and reflect on all of the good things that come with being a runner.
Race Day
It’s finally race morning. You’ve done all of the things listed here and you are ready to give this your best effort. Don’t allow anything to ruin this moment. If it’s raining or cold, so what? Embrace the challenge. You can’t change the weather. As you walk to the starting corrals, smile at the other runners. You’ve all had a similar journey and are in this day together. Once you’re in the corral and the race is about to start, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Just like you did during your training run, visualize your race. Now take one more deep breath, lift your shoulders up and let them drop down as your exhale. Open your eyes and smile. It’s race day and you are here to do something that you enjoy. You are surrounded by your fellow runners and right now, there’s nowhere else that you’d rather be.
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