10 days to go to my very first half-marathon race!
Oh, the misery of anticipation and the final few days of training!
Tips, please!
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12 comments:
Taper, my friend!
Coach Terry (planet3rry) always has me taper. In fact, I usually rest 2-3 days solid before each race. Get some rest, man!
For peace of mind, prepare your power bars, gels, etc. way ahead of time. Coach recommended that to me. If nothing else, you avoid last minute trips to the store... and it gives you a "running outlet" to occupy your time and mind.
And another fabulous suggestion was to prepare an after-race bag: dry shirt, tons o' water, candy treat, etc. to make the post-race time easier.
I know that you are going to do wonderfully!!!!
Waiting for the race can be tough, and when tapering you tend to feel like you are not running enough. Use the time to get plenty of rest and eat well.
Like Susan said, get your stuff laid out ahead of time. For my last marathon - since we had to line up so long before the race start, I took a throw away bag to the starting area (there were garbage cans there) so I could drink my last drink, eat an energy bar, and even a magazine to read.
Also, as Susan suggested, have a post race bag checked in to pick up after the race. They say not to put any valuables in there, but I usually include car keys, cell phone, camera and a little cash along with a dry shirt and other treats you may want.
Don't do anything during the race you have not done during your training (eat anything new, wear anything new, etc). New clothes can cause chafing and new food could give you problems. Just stick with what you did in training and you will do just fine :-)
I think Susan and Chris covered it. The only other things I can think of is have a good carb rich dinner the night before (you may want to test some different things out over the next 10 days).
And even though you'll probably feel like a kid on Christmas Eve and have a heard time falling asleep, plan your bedtime and stick to it - even if you're not tired.
Close your eyes and try to to sleep. I call it resting, and eventually you will fall asleep - but the resting really helps.
Good Luck!
One more item on Maddy's resting comment. Since you may be nervous about the race the night before, make sure you get a good night's sleep 2 nights before the race. Even if you don't sleep lots, you will still be ok. :-)
These ladies are so smart. I don't have much to add. Just come out of the chute slow and try to keep a steady pace. Also, hydrate during the race. Personally, I would go with a little fluid often -vs- a lot of fluid at one time. I started with water and switched to gatorade after about mile 8 when I began to feel a little fatigued.
Most importantly - enjoy yourself!!!!
I've been doing my practice runs with water and my favorite, Carb Boom. A thick syrup like energy goo @ 100 calories that washes down easily with water. I do one at 45 minutes and again at an hour and a half. It has worked so far!
Thanks for the advice!
My friends are all calling me now and giving me the countdown to the race now!
All the very best for your race. The only half I ever ran was the Fdip WWH last year and for half of my course I was running into a headwind gusting 35 - 40 mph - I kid you not. The only advice I gave myself was 'praise the Lord and pass the ammunition'.
Wow - not this is what I call support!
Thanks, everyone!
Gordon, after that run, you must have needed to "wind" down (very bad indeed!)
My training schedule has a scheduled 10 mile run on Saturday (actually Sunday, but I am volunteering for a jeep trail repair party on Sunday), Then everything tapers from there. 5 miles on Monday, 4 miles on Tuesday, and 3 miles Wednesday. Rest days on Thursday and Friday. Saturday, 6/23, is the big day.
I do have a support staff coming to cheer me on, as well as to document. They can store my pre- and post - race items.
Thanks everyone! You are a grand group of people. I appreciate every one of you!
BTW - 9 days to go!
Oh jeez - that means 9 days til my fated 5K race. Eek! I only have a few training sessions left! We'll be tapering together.
Charles, Remember the course you are running is mostly downhill. Don't start too fast, you will really want to do that on a downhill race. To add to the other taper advice....water and lots of it. Get hydrated the days before the race.
Can I just add good luck? You've got all the advice you need except .. enjoy it!
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