Race Week
June 9, 2009
Even typing these words gave me a little shot of adrenaline - It’s race week, the time when the excitement begins!!
We are now approx 6 days out from the Bellin 10K Run, are you ready? If you took more than a second to answer this with a definite YES, then you better read on. Here are a few race week tips to ensure that you will run a better Bellin.
1) Remove any doubt! - Trust your training, you have put the time and miles in to get you to the start line healthy. You have physically prepared, now its time to get your mind right - think positive!
2) Do your Homework! - This is usually my biggest recommendation! Think ahead and prepare for race morning today. If you haven’t already, pick up a copy of the registration booklet. Yes, you should have registered already - but history shows we all wait for the forcast! The booklet will provide information on weekend events such as:
- Thursday night Free Runners Clinic with Bill Rodgers and Joan Samuelson
- Friday Night Expo and Kids fun and run events (race packet pick-up)
- Friday Night Spaghetti Dinner
- Course maps
- Saturday Morning Schedule!!
Prepare for race day morning today, there is no need to burn off extra energy getting “excited/frustrated” over little things that we can fix right now.
Review the course, take a little drive to mentally prepare. Use the course map to identify mile markers, important land marks and to get a rough feel for the terrain. eg. slight upward climb on Webster, big downhill on Greene ave, left turn onto East River Drive… Where are the water stations, where is the misting machine, where is the finish line etc.
Choose what you will wear to run, make sure it is washed and ready. Pick up your race packet on Friday, pin your bib number to your shirt and attach your timing chip to your shoes right away so you dont need to waste time on race morning.
Choose what you will eat and do your grocery shopping.
There will be over 15,000 people trying to park downtown, look ahead to find road closures and suggested parking lots or choose to take a remote parking shuttle.
Where do you go when you get there? Do you need to get a Corporate Challenge team picture taken? Are you meeting friends? (where?) Which park are you in? Where is the Start Line? What wave # are you in, and where are they being staged? Where are you going to put your “stuff”???
There are lots of little things to think about on race morning that can destroy you mentally if they seem to pop up out of nowhere. Remember to allow extra time to hydrate, warm-up and stretch out, and of course to visit the porta potties…
3) Nutrition - tried and true is the key! Don’t start experimenting with new foods in an attempt to prepare for the race. My biggest tips are to eat normally while avoiding foods that are difficult for your system to digest. I would reccomend sticking to lean protein sources like chicken and fish, foods that are lower in fat (as fats take longer to empty your system) and foods that are lower in fiber. Yep, you want a smooth, clean operating system come race day.
Start hydrating today!! If you start thinking about getting your fluids in on friday or saturday morning it is way too late!! Try to get in a minimum of 8 glasses of fluids each day, make sure you drink enough during and after training to ensure recovery and now would be a great time to substitute that can of soda or the extra cup of coffee with a clean glass of water!
Race Breakfast - don’t try anything new on raceday, go back to the post on Fuel to see what you should or shouldn’t be eating!
4) Post Race - Don’t forget about what will happen after the event. Where are post race events? Where will you meet up with friends/family? Will you need clothes?
This is part of the excitement of Race Week, daydream a little, pray for good weather, think ahead so that you don’t get to caught up in the littel things that could ruin a great experience. Plan to have FUN, there is nothing like the feeling of moving with 15,000 other runners towards a common finish line…
Stay tuned for more race week updates…
