Blogger: Monica

Hello For The Love of Oats Readers! This is Monica from Run, Eat, Repeat.

I love running and eating and want to share my passion with my readers.

I am training for a half marathon right now, but my first race was a 10K. I had been running for about a year and really wanted to run a race, but was very intimidated. I thought I would be the last one tragically crawling to the finish line or I would just stick out as someone who shouldn’t be there! Luckily, I decided to just go for it and the rest is R.E.R history. I know your first road race- no matter the distance; can be very scary so here are some tips and suggestions from my experience…

Training – So, you’ve decided to bite the bullet and sign up for a 5K/10k/Half – that’s great! If you’re signed up you should already have (or do it soon) a training plan to get you to the finish line. There are many great training plans online for every distance from a 5K to an Ultra Marathon. For my first race I just randomly picked a plan and used it as a rough guide (meaning I didn’t stick to it exactly). A race should not be a march to your death, so training is very important. You want to make sure you can confidently cover the distance you signed up for. Most reputable online training programs will get you to the finish line with no problem and your race day adrenaline will help a lot too!

A. Try to train in similar conditions to the race. If your schedule permits, do some of the longer runs outside and at the same time of day as the race.

B. Rest Up! Rest days/cross training days are an important part of training. They give your body time to recover and they help prevent overuse injuries.

C. Fuel your body. If you are running a race think of yourself as an athlete and fuel yourself accordingly. Give your body adequate fuel and it will carry you on your runs happily.

Race Day –

A. Don’t try anything new – Eat the same thing on race day that you ate before training runs. Where the same clothes/shoes that you trained in. Run the same pace you did in training (unless you are trying for a time goal). You don’t want to risk an upset stomach, rash or blister – your body will thank you for keeping you same routine.

B. Get there early. Race day traffic and parking can be brutal & on top of that you’re nervous! Make sure you know exactly where you are going before hand and leave with plenty of time to park and get to the start. Depending on the size of your race, hundreds or thousands of people are trying to get to the exact same place as you, at the exact same time.

C. Go to the bathroom. This is probably some of the best advice I can give you. If you don’t have to go – try. I stop drinking a half an hour before the race to make sure I don’t have to go to the bathroom during the race (this isn’t a perfect plan, but it helps with shorter distance races).

D. Once at the starting line warm up and stretch out. Now you just have to wait for the gun to go off & run!!!

E. Remember to have fun! Running a race is fun and exciting. Enjoy the new course, the friends and strangers cheering for you and the fellow runners around you… This is what you’ve worked hard for – smile, wave and run!!!

If you have any questions feel free to stop by Run,Eat,Repeat and ask away or email me.