Ready… set… go! Tips for planning your race day strategy
Oct1420083:19 p.m.
Congratulations! You've made it through your training schedule to race week. This is one of the toughest weeks of your entire schedule. Your body is physically ready for the race, but now, during your taper period, is when all of the doubt creeps in! Did I do enough long runs? Did I get enough mileage during the week? Did I pick the right race pace?
The best thing you can do for yourself right now is get all of the details ready for race Sunday…Here are a few pre-race tips to keep you organized and get you prepared for the big day!
- Don't do anything new this week. No new workouts, no new foods, no new shoes. Stick with what you know and are used to doing.
- Get plenty of rest. It's pretty much a given that the night before the marathon won't be a good night sleep, so make sure every other night this week you get to bed early.
- Drink lots of water. Make sure you stay hydrated all week.
- Keep running. It will help keep your mind and body relaxed. Don't overdue it…just a few miles during the week and maybe 2-3 miles at race pace a few days before the race.
- Get to the expo to pick up your race packet early. Don't spend too much time the night before on your feet and walking around.
- Set your race gear out the night before. Pin your number on your shorts, put your timing chip on, get your warm up clothes ready to go.
- Eat breakfast the morning of the race. Your stomach may not feel like eating breakfast but it is essential to your performance. Try to do everything as you would any other morning.
- During the race, stick to your plan. If you've picked a pace to run at during the race, stick to it, no matter how good you feel the first few miles of the race. Adrenaline takes over at the start line and is likely to make you start out a little faster than you had planned. Run with a pace group if that helps keep your pace consistent.
- After the race, drink more water, eat more calories. Your body has been through a lot and getting post-race fluids and calories in immediately following the race will enhance your recovery.
- Keep moving. It will be very tempting to take root on the couch after the race, however, some gentle stretching and moving around (like walking) will help keep your muscles from tightening up.
Good luck and enjoy the Nationwide Better Health Columbus Marathon!
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