The Big Race

Race day is the most important and stressful day in the life of a runner. Racing is what separates the recreational runner from the serious competitor. This is where the months of mileage and hard work come together for five kilometers of all-out effort. Many runners, however, make mistakes on race day which affect their performance negatively and many of these runners have no idea what these mistakes are. It can take many years of experience and racing before a runner can finally smooth out a race day routine that works.

The first mistake many runners make on race day is not allowing their bodies enough time to wake up in the morning before their race. You cannot expect to do well in a race if you wake up an hour before the gun sound at the start. By giving yourself about three hours to wake up and warm-up for the race, you give your head time to think about the task at hand. You also give your breakfast an adequate time to digest and fuel your performance.

Selecting what to eat the day of the "big race" can make or break your performance. It is always best to try out foods in your training and see what works best for you, so you are not trying something new on race day which could possibly upset your stomach. I prefer to stick with a five-hundred calorie meal about two hours before race time. Preferably a high carbohydrate meal such as cereal with little sugar and two slices of toast with a cup of green tea. This meal will be easy to digest and will not bog me down during the race by upsetting my stomach. The caffeine in the tea will wake me and bring my heart rate up. Do not forget to keep drinking water on the way to the race, as this will keep you hydrated and feeling good. It is also possible to drink too much water before the race. I have experienced this before, as an amateur runner I thought that I could compensate for not staying hydrated in the days before the race by taking in lots of fluids the day of the race. This just led to cramps and a bad performance overall.

Arrive at the race site at least one and a half hours before the scheduled race time. The first thing you will want to do is obtain a racing bib at the registration desk and a course map. A racing bib is the number you wear on your chest during the race. Race officials rip the bottom tag off when you finish, so they know where you placed overall. Many careless runners will not look at the map carefully and have no idea where they are going. After putting on your racing bib head out on a warm-up and cover the entire course. Keep the pace slow and watch out for points on the course where you can surge and pass competitors. Especially make note of the hills on the course and how you plan to attack them. This extensive warm-up will loosen your muscles and bring your heart rate up. By keeping your heart rate up you are making sure that you are able to go all out when you need to.

Any experienced competitor knows that the lines for the bathroom ten minutes before the race are out the door. After you finish covering the course, you should go to the bathroom because the lines will not be as long thirty minutes before the race. This is the time when you start getting anxious and nervous. A smart runner will envision his goal and think positive thoughts that will get him going at the start to a great finish. Many runners like to stretch before they race and to some it is a very helpful tool. I believe that an extensive warm-up is the key to a great performance, the time you would take for stretching I use for making sure I'm