Running Road Races Tips

Race Preparation

It is important to get enough sleep the days prior to a race, and regular sleeping habits are important not only for the race - too little sleep can lead to injuries or illness, eventually. If you have good sleeping habits but don't sleep enough just the day prior to a race, don't worry, it won't make much difference for your performance. It is also important to be well hydrated before a race. Clearly, this is more important in a marathon than in a 5K, but a runner should always be well hydrated before running. I suggest getting up 4-5 hours before the race, and maybe do some easy jogging, followed by your regular breakfast and lots of water. You can stop drinking about 1 hour before the race. New foods should not be tested close to a race, because it could upset your stomach. The same thing as with sleep applies here - be consistent.

If you want to taper for best race performance, start doing that about 2-3 weeks ahead if you are running a marathon, 1 week for 5 - 10 or 15 kilometer races. Tapering is important for marathoners, but even runner who compete in shorter races should taper prior to the really important races. Decrease both mileage and amount of intensity workouts gradually to about 75% of your previous training. Maintain your speed on your workouts though, just make less of them. For a marathon, you can do 75%, 60%, 30% of your regular weekly mileage for the 3 weeks you are tapering.

Start a slow warm-up 40-50 minutes or so before the race, and run for about 10-15 minutes. Then do some stretching and jog a little again. Relax and go to the bathroom well ahead of the race. 10-15 minutes or so before the race , do some 1min- 30 s minutes repeats with full recovery, gradually shorter and shorter. You want to be all warmed up and ready 5 minutes before the race starts. For a marathon, a the warm-up doesn't need to be longer than 5-10 minutes.

Race Tactics

Besides racing for the obvious goal of placing well and/or getting a new PR , it can be useful to try new tactics in a competitive situation. For example, if you always start out fast and lose speed later in the race, you may want to do the opposite. Maybe then you will pass runners in a later phase of the race, and you will know yourself better in a race situation and what tactics works best for you. Usually, if you are looking for a fast time, the best tactics is to run at an even pace, and it can be very handy to hang on to someone you think is just a little better than yourself. Be smart though; I've seen a lot of guys who go out too hard, with runners they know are a lot better than themselves. What happens is they fade significantly or "hit the wall", and then they feel discouraged. I think it is to your advantage to be able to run as fast at the end as at the beginning of the race.

There can be a lot of weird thoughts going on in your head during a race. Sometimes it can happen that you don't care at all about the result, you just want it to end. Afterwards, you regret you didn't tried harder. Or, it could be that you are very positive and know exactly when to do your move in order to win the race, and it worked. Recognizing these changes in mental states can be very useful. If you pay attention to your thoughts and feelings when you race, you may be able to use them to your advantage. You can train your mind just as you train your body. Developing the ability to use your mind to your advantage can lead to your big breakthrough. You can do it, if it is important to you.