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As temperatures are cooling, race season is heating up! Everything you do within training is preparing to be “race ready”. Here are a few areas I receive lots questions about & some helpful hints to get you to the finish line.
Follow a Plan
If you’re a beginner, covering the distance & remaining injury free will be your #1 priority. If an intermediate or seasoned racer, you’ll continue to focus on remaining healthy while integrating speed work & variations of conditioning. Bottom line, you need a plan to stay consistent & make progress towards your goal.
Ensure you’ve set enough time for training to be successful. For example - if running a half marathon I suggest training for 12 weeks (which includes a 1 week taper). Follow the 10% rule to the best of your ability & avoid increasing mileage more than 10% week over week. Select “free consult” in the menu of this page to chat on a custom run plan.
Strength Training
Depending on your race distance & fitness goals, a general recommendation I make is 2-3 days of strength training per week. Strength training will help get you to the finish line happy & healthy. Focus on specificity to support injury prevention. Key areas may include: balance, hip stability, glute & quad engagement, core strength, etc.
Should you run and then lift, or lift and then run? That depends. What is your priority? If your priority is covering a new distance or conquering a PR, run first. If your priority is pre-hab with a history of injuries or gaining muscle and this is a “fun run” for you, lift first. Another approach is to split training sessions, run in the morning & lift at lunch or in the evening (or vise versa!).
Race Before “THE” Race
Schedule a shorter race within your training plan to test the waters. For example, if you’re running a half marathon, schedule a 10K race within your training program. This is your opportunity to try everything out. Including…
Breakfast - What will you have for breakfast? How many hours before ‘go time’?
Bib Placement - Where will your bib (number) be pinned while running? Test it out on a shorter distance, is it comfortable? Bonus points if you wear the exact outfit you want to wear on race day, sunglasses down to the socks & underwear. Seriously.
Start Line - We all (and I mean ALL) get too excited, nervous… you name it at the start line. There will be tons of runners in bright colors, jumping up and down while surrounded by loud music and chatter. The gun goes off and everyone zips out of the gate WAY too fast. This is a problem because you don’t want to overextend & sacrifice the performance you’ve worked so hard for later into the race. In this exact moment, race with your head… not your heart. Do not pay attention to anyone else’s pace but your own. Breath, relax and monitor your pace closely at the start. Begin slower than you think you need to. Practice this.
Fuel & Hydration - Will you run with water on you, or grab from water stations? Will you use fuel? If so, where will you have it? Pro tip - open your fuel before you get going (unless it’s a gel). You don’t want to be thinking about how to open a pack of gummies or waffles while running.
Shoes Shoes Shoes
First things first, make sure you’re in the right shoes. Visit a local running store who you trust & perhaps have equipment to assist in their analysis. You’ll want to have someone watch your foot strike, or in other words how your foot makes contact with the ground. Does your ankle fall in, or out? This will help you select a shoe that supports your natural running form and how much cushion you may or may not want. This should be completed early into training, or before training begins. You don’t want to try anything new as race day approaches.
Experts say to replace shoes every 300-500 miles (4-6 months for those running ~20 miles/ week). When running higher mileage, I recommend rotating two pairs of shoes. Why? Allows for the foam to fully return to it’s full shape, giving you… more cushion to run on, reducing injury & elongates the life of your shoes.
What about the fancy socks, do I need those? I do believe sock selection can make a big difference on race day. You want to be comfortable & keep your feet dry. Yes, you sweat from your feet too. Find a couple pairs of moisture wicking socks to have in rotation & wear throughout training to make sure you’ve found a set that works for you. My favorite are Lululemon training socks (not sponsored), but you can also find a pair of sweat wicking socks on Amazon for less $ that my work just as well for you.
Carb Loading
So what’s the deal with carb-o-loading, and is that right for me?
Carbohydrate loading (aka carb-loading or carbo-loading) is when someone eats a high-carb diet the day or days leading up to an athletic event & typically during a taper.
Why? Once consumed carbs are converted into glycogen (stored form of glucose, or sugar!). Glycogen stored in your muscles is the most easily accessible energy source during exercise. When your body needs to keep going, having these energy stores full at the beginning of an endurance event is to your advantage.
So is it right for me? I’ll create a whole separate article on carb loading for future & will link here soon, but for now… the average person should only consider carb loading if expecting to be competing for 90 minutes or longer (link). This means in general, you shouldn’t need to carb load for a 5K or a 10K… but may consider carb loading for a half marathon & certainly work it in for full 26.2 mile marathon.
If you DO decided to carb load, practice this in training before long runs. Take inventory of what you had for carb loading, timing of the meals, restroom breaks, how you felt during the training run & make adjustments as necessary. Do NOT try anything new on race day.
Fueling During Race
As mentioned above, the body’s primary & most accessible source of energy is carbs. Once your body has used all readily available carbohydrates, it begins searching for energy from other sources. The problem here is converting protein or fat into energy is much harder for the body to do & takes much longer. During a race, ain’t nobody got time for that.
Cool Cass, I’ll just eat more carbs the night before. Not so fast… think of your body like a pool. A pool can only be filled with so much water, and your body can only hold so many carbs at a time. If you consume more than you need at a time extra carbs are converted into fat. You’ll also feel sluggish & slow on race day… thanksgiving dinner anyone?
Once carbs are fully depleted, this is a runner feels like they’ve “hit the wall” and gas tank is running on empty. This is why we fuel. We also start to fuel before the gas tank is empty. Everyone’s body is different & you’ll have to take some time during longer training runs for “trial & error” on how you feel when taking fuel, which fuel is best for you, etc.
There are tons of fuel options out there, and you’ll want to test the one you want to use on race day during training runs. I personally do not have a sensitive stomach in the “day-to-day” but during marathon-like-distances I’ve experienced an upset stomach. Over the years have become very picky about what I’ll eat or drink during a race.
Why is that? During an endurance activity like a marathon the sympathetic nervous system is working overtime to send oxygen & blood to the muscles that are working so hard to propel you forward. This means, the digestive system is taking a backseat & your body isn’t focused here. Meaning, we need very easily digestible fuel that our body can pull for energy quickly. This is also something to be tested in training for what we can (and can’t!) eat during longer distances, aka the long runs in training.
My personal favorites are Honey Stinger gummies & waffles. Again, not sponsored… but, I like them because they’re the most natural I’ve found, options with & without caffeine. I also stick to these instead of gels, which have given me an upset stomach. You can roll with theses, dried fruit and any other source of simple carbohydrates. Whatever you choose, it’s individual to you! I have friends who use gels, some use dried apricots, others jelly beans. Whatever you do. Test in training.
Taper Time!
A “taper” is known as the low intensity period before race day. This is when we focus on decreasing mileage & lighten up with strength training. Goal is to maintain the hard-earned physical adaptions you’ve earned in the months leading up to the race, while giving your body ample rest in order to give your “all” on race day.
What should I do during taper? The week before a race reduce strength training to body weight, pre-hab and mobility sessions. Avoid any heavy lifting. You’ll still run, a little. This is not a total “rest and relax” time, instead we want to reduce weekly mileage by ~50% and take these runs easy. If you get an itch and you’re used to moving 5 days a week… run for 3 days and go for a brisk walk for 2 days. What we certainly want to avoid is trying anything new during the taper. This isn’t the time to pick up basketball, or hop into a cycling class for the first time in forever thinking it’s low impact. Stick to the plan and honor the taper.
How long should I taper? This will vary athlete to athlete, your schedule & goals. A general range and typical taper for a 5K-10K distance is ~1 week, half marathon 1-2 weeks and full marathon ~2 weeks.
Day & Night Before
Stop stressing. Easier said than done, I know… take this time to prepare. Have you seen the course? If not, take a drive and see if you can cruise the route, or look up a YouTube video of the route (larger races will typically have these). Review the map for elevation changes & turns. Know where the water stations will be if you plan to use them.
Make a list and set your gear out the night before so everything is ready the moment you open your eyes. Last thing we need to do is scramble for where our running socks are! When I say lay out everything… I mean everything:
Bib & Pins
Shoes
Clothes - Socks, Underware, Sports Bra, Shorts, Tank Top
Inclimate Weather Items
Old Jacket & Gloves - if the day will start cold & warm up, wear an old jacket to the race & leave at the start line (they’re typically donated)
Trash Bag - if rainy, cut a hole in the bottom of the bag for your head and place over body to stay dry at the start line (promise, you won’t be the only one)
Body Glide
Deodorant
Sunscreen
Hair Ties
Water Bottle
Race Fuel
Foam Roller (if you roll in the a.m.)
Breakfast & Coffee
If you plan to use headphones, make sure those suckers are charged & ready to go. I’ve run a few too many marathons listening to people’s feet.
Once everything’s set out, do your best to get off your feet. Defer chores, errands, exploring a new city as a tourist and anything else until after the race. Set a timer for when you want to be going to bed & hold yourself accountable. If you’re excited and can’t sleep, know you’re still resting your body & staying off your feet.
HAVE FUN!
The whole reason we’re doing this in the first place is for an adventure & to have a good time! Know you’ve put in all the hard work with your training plan. Time to get out there and run with hundreds or thousands of your new best friends. Smile, you’ve got this.
