That\u2019s the basic formula for success regardless of the race distance. What if your plan is to have no plan? Well, that\u2019s a plan as well; just run to enjoy the day.<\/p>\n
Whatever your plan may be, whether to PR, qualify for Boston, finish strong or just have fun \u2013 don\u2019t forget the basics.<\/p>\n
1) Nothing new on race day \u2013 that includes 24 hours before start time. If you haven\u2019t eaten it, drank it, worn it, or done it \u2013 then don\u2019t start now. Conversely if you\u2019re used to a glass of wine or whatever the night before your long run, then by all means \u2013 \u2018nothing new\u2019 works both ways.<\/p>\n
2) Start slow \u2013 the excitement at the start of any race, heck, almost any<\/em> event is palpable. The excitement generated by hundreds or thousands of runners starting out as a group on their individual journey creates it\u2019s own energy field and participants feast on that. Therefore almost always your first mile is faster than goal pace \u2013 and of course you\u2019re thinking, \u201cI feel great!\u201d <\/em>Well of course you do you ninny! You trained for 26.2\/13.1\/3.1 so mile 1 is a piece of cake! In the words of the comedian Killer Beaz,\u00a0 \u201cSave up!\u201d Check your pace with the mile 1 marker \u2013 yes, you may have a GPS, but your official <\/em>time comes from the race\u2026.match it.<\/p>\n 3) Thank the volunteers \u2013 without volunteers there is no race. This should go without saying, please\u00a0stay \u2018present\u2019 enough IN the race enough to thank them\u2026please<\/em>. P.S. headphone\u00a0 wearers; turn DOWN your volume. 1) you don\u2019t want tinnitus 2) Others don\u2019t want to hear your music 3) how are you going to monitor your breathing and 4) Most important! <\/em>How will you hear directions, an emergency vehicle or a warning of a lunatic driver? Police and volunteers are there to help, but if you can\u2019t hear a shouted warning\u2026..don\u2019t be that guy!<\/em><\/p>\n 4) A few notes \u2013 carbo-loading is a myth. East smart all week, let your body adapt and absorb. Your taper will make it seem like a lot of food anyway. Don\u2019t try to hydrate in 12 hours \u2013 drink a little more (water) <\/em>each day. Arrive early \u2013 parking can be challenging at best when you\u2019re NOT in a hurry. If it\u2019s cold wear an outer layer of something old, cheap and warm that you can toss when your body temp goes up. If it\u2019s wet add a trash-bag with a hole for your head. If you run in a rain jacket you\u2019ll get just as wet from sweat, so embrace the weather.<\/p>\n 5) Lastly (speaking of unplugged) Tune in! <\/em>High 5 a kid, encourage a struggling runner, congratulate a powerful one. If you\u2019re struggling be gracious when you receive encouragement. Most bad patches are just that \u2013 temporary. An encouraging word can \u2018snap\u2019 you back. More importantly enjoy the sights and sounds of racing \u2013 heck you\u2019re going to be in that mile for 7 to 11 minutes, might as well enjoy. As Jimmy Buffet said, \u201cGo fast enough to get there, but slow enough to see.\u201d<\/p>\n Have 3 goals: 1) An out of body, everything clicked, all systems were go Perfect Day goal. 2) Realistic, this is what I expect\/hope I can do based on my experience and training. 3) Just get the damn medal! <\/em>Things happen, if the wheels come off the wagon\u00a0or it\u2019s just not your day yet you still dig deep and finish then you earned<\/em> that medal! Maybe more so than if you ran that \u2018perfect\u2019 race. Never belittle your accomplishments\u2026.and always remember that:<\/p>\n You don\u2019t have to win to be a winner \u2013 when you finish; you win.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" That\u2019s the basic formula for success regardless of the race distance. What if your plan is to have no plan? Well, that\u2019s a plan as well; just run to enjoy the day. Whatever your plan may be, whether to PR, qualify for Boston, finish strong or just have fun \u2013 don\u2019t forget the basics. 1)…<\/p>\n