By: The Mizuno Shoe Guy
Congratulations! You have decided to enter your first road race and it’s coming up. Chances are you are nervous and apprehensive about it. Good. You should be. Regardless of the distance, tackling your first race is a significant undertaking.
But, assuming you have done the necessary training for the race, you should do just fine. Still, the logistics of preparing to run a race are almost as important as the miles you ran in the weeks leading up to it.
Actually, you need to begin your preparations for your first race the day before the big day. Here’s when you should take care of the many race details so that on race morning you can just concentrate on the task before you.
Here’s what you’ll need to do the day before your very first road race:
- Run or not? Many newbies wonder whether they should run the day before their first race or just rest. There’s no single answer for every runner, but a short, shake out run of no longer than 30 minutes will help ease the tension. If you choose to run, go slowly, run relaxed and don’t obsess about the race tomorrow. Run a few 100-meter repeats at your expected race pace. If you decide not to run, no problem.
- Race details. Most major races and all marathons allow you to pick up your pre-registered race packet (your number, T-shirt and goodie bag) the day before the race. Do so, even if there is packet pick up at the race site the next morning. If you haven’t already registered, do so now. Get this out of the way as early as you can. (Some races—other than marathons—have race day registration but it’s a hassle.)
- Rest and relax. Take a chill pill, put your feet up and watch a college basketball game or a movie. Or read a trashy novel. Avoid all physical work, especially mowing the lawn, housework or moving furniture. You deserve a break. If you go to one of your kid’s soccer games, make sure you bring a chair, plop it in the shade and drink liberally from a water bottle.
- Focus. You probably have been thinking about this race – your first – for a long time. Now is the time to mentally visualize your race plan, time goals or merely what a thrill it’ll be to finish.
- Get organized. Check the shoes you will race in tomorrow and make certain they are in good shape. Don’t worry about lightweight racing shoes for your first effort. Your training shoes will do just fine. Also make sure you have everything else you’ll need for the race tomorrow in one spot. That is, gather your race shorts and shirt, socks, sunglasses and hat. Tomorrow morning, you don’t want to be scrambling around looking for something.
- Stay hydrated. You don’t have to drink water (or a sports drink) constantly but drink a glass or two every hour or so. Avoid alcohol.
- Eat a nutritious, healthy dinner. Don’t eat anything out of the ordinary that might cause indigestion. But, don’t overeat. Stick with a familiar meal. If you have heard of carbohydrate-loading, should do you it for your first race? It isn’t necessary for a 5-K or 10-K, but spaghetti always works.
- Get a good night’s sleep. Go to bed at a normal time. This isn’t the night to go partying.
WHAT TO WEAR:
- Lightweight shorts and top unless it’s particularly cold. Wear the same comfortable running bottoms and top which you have worn on many training runs. Don’t wear anything new on race morning.
- Don’t overdress. One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is they wear too much during a race – and overheat. Don’t make that same mistake. Unless it’s below 50 degrees, don’t even consider wearing tights or a long-sleeve T-shirt. Even if it’s a little chilly the morning of the race, wear a singlet (or T-shirt), shorts and maybe a hat. Toss in a sports bra if you’re a woman. But you don’t need much else. If there is a chill, you might wear a T-shirt over your racing singlet, but toss it to a friend before the race starts. If it’s warmer than 65-70 degrees, wear as little as possible. Many men run without a shirt and many women run in only a sports bra. Either is acceptable.
- A hat or visor. If it’s sunny, some protection from the sun will help. If it’s cold, a wool or baseball hat is a must as well as light gloves.
- Sunglasses. If you’re used to wearing them on your training runs, wear them during the race.
WHAT TO DO ON RACE MORNING:
- Check the weather. Right after getting up, check the weather outside to see what the temperature feels like and whether there’s any precipitation in the area. Also, check a local weather forecast for what to expect.
- Get there early. Make sure you get to the starting area of the race at least 45 minutes before the start time. Leave yourself plenty of time to park and get acclimated to the excitement of the race.
- Directions. If you don’t know the area, get good directions. If there’s any doubt, do a Map Quest search. Leave with plenty of time to get there and leave yourself plenty of time to park.
- The essentials: Your running shoes and socks, singlet/top, race number (and computer timing chip), pins for the number, shorts, running watch and visor or hat. Optional equipment would include sunglasses, lubricant (such as Vaseline or Body Glide) and gloves. If it’s chilly, warmup pants (or tights), a sweatshirt and a jacket are necessary to change into after the race.
- An energy bar or banana. If you haven’t eaten anything at home, grab a bite of an energy bar or a banana.
- A water bottle. Always carry a water bottle with chilled water or sports drink to sip before the race.
- Toilet paper. Sometimes the Port-a-jons run out. Always be prepared for that possibility. Also, line up early enough to avoid the lines.
- Warm up. Experienced racers will do an extensive warm up of sprints so they can bolt off the starting line. That isn’t you. But, go for a short jog to warm up your running muscles and get in the flow. Join a group of other runners warming up, but don’t do too much.
- Support. Ask a family member or close friend to go to the race with you for your own personal cheering section. You’d be surprised how a little cheering will go a long way to getting you through the last mile or two. Plus, it will give you a positive glow after you finish to be congratulated by someone who cares.
- Line up. Depending on the size of the race, runners will line up at the start as early as 30 minutes before the scheduled start. But, at most races, you don’t have get in the starting grid until 10-15 minutes before the start. Follow what the other runners are doing if you are unsure where to go, where to stand or when to go to the starting line. Take care of any final bathroom needs before you go to the starting area. Once in the starting grid, you can continue to jog in place or stretch to stay warm.
- Where to line up. In road races, the fastest runners line up closest to the starting line. In most races, this is done on an honors basis. But, in some larger races, there are expected pace signs that can give you an indication of where to start. If you know what your expected per mile pace is (for example, nine minutes per mile pace), you can start in that area. If you have no idea and/or are in this race just to finish, line up in the back of the pack so as not to interfere with any of the other runners.
- How to start. Slowly. At the start of any race, most of the runners blast off the starting line at their race pace–or faster. That isn’t you. If you get too caught up in the excitement of the start and begin the race at a pace faster than you can sustain, you will run out of gas early and struggle to finish. If you have an idea of what your race pace is, start as much as 1-2 minutes per mile slower for the first mile. After you’ve settled in and the field has thinned out, then you can increase your pace.
Good luck!