In a little over a week I’ll be running in a local half-marathon. I have been training for it for some time and even though I don’t currently feel fully prepared, I am getting pretty excited for it. Since I first became interested in fitness and weight loss, I have enjoyed running in races. Between the energetic throng of fellow runners and cheering spectators, it is pretty easy to be overcome with the thrill of the event. For a few short hours, the months of preparation seem worth it.
If you have never participated in a race of any kind, I highly recommend giving it a try. It is an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in fitness or for those that are simply willing to push themselves toward new challenges.
Why Train For a Race?
Well Defined Goal – When setting about to achieve anything of value, you first need a well defined goal. Aiming for something vague doesn’t give you the laser beam sense of focus that training for a particular event does. If this is your first race, then I’d suggest your goal should be to finish the race. After you have some experience under your belt, try focusing on finishing in a certain amount of time. This was the approach I took last year when I was training for my first marathon – just finish.
Strict Deadline – Having a definitive and unchangeable time line will also help you maintain determination throughout your training. If you aren’t ready by the time race day arrives, then you aren’t ready. No postponing or rescheduling. The race won’t wait for any excuses.
Demands Commitment – Similarly, training for a race for the first time will demand commitment of you. This isn’t like a school project that you can delay preparing for until the week before. If you are really pushing yourself by participating in an event that you’ve never done before then you will most likely have to train for weeks or months in advance. Last year, in preparation for the marathon that I mentioned, I spent 3 months running religiously according to my training plan. This is something that you won’t be able to fake.
Sense of Accomplishment – Finally, training for and finishing a race is something that you will always be able to look back on and be proud of. You may get a medal or a t-shirt, but the best thing about these races for me are the memories of knowing that I had what it took to complete them. Chances are that once you first taste this sense of accomplishment, you will only want to push yourself toward more challenging goals. Be prepared for the life change…
How to Train For Your First Race
Sign Up – Obviously, the first step toward preparing yourself is to fully commit. The best way to do this is to simply put your money where your mouth is. Sign up for the race. Put your name on the dotted line and tell others what you did. Whenever I cross this line, the race becomes much more real to me. You now have only two options: success or failure.
Research an appropriate training plan – For first time racers, this is essential. You should never blindly attempt a new event without fully preparing yourself. If you attempt it without the necessary training it could possibly result in overexertion and injury. If you are looking for a training program, I highly recommend anything from Hal Higdon. He is a true professional in the area of running.
Prepare Mentally – Do you know the layout of the course? Are there any hills? Where will the water stations be located? If the race is longer than a 10K, how do you plan on refueling? These are essential questions that you need to be fully prepared for. Going into an event ignorant of these things will add to your stress level and will definitely hurt your performance. A few times, I have driven through the course a couple of days before the race just so I would be more prepared for it.
Stick With It - Training will be the hardest part of the whole event. There will be some days when you simply won’t want to run. You may be tempted to skip a run or quit altogether. I really encourage you just to stick with it. As I’ve said before, simply putting on your shoes and taking the first step is the biggest thing you can do to make your run a success. Trust your training program. Trust what your body is capable of and stick with it.
What To Do On Race Day
Be Fully Rested – You will definitely want to go into your race rested. Get a good night’s sleep the day before. If you plan on doing any workouts at all, keep them light so you will be fresh and full of energy on race day. Eat a filling but healthy dinner the night before. Many people have strict beliefs about exactly what you should be eating the week before a race but don’t try anything that you think may upset your stomach or make you feel overly bloated.
Eat Something – The morning of your race, try to remain calm and relaxed. Be sure to eat some breakfast with plenty of carbs and protein. My favorite race day breakfast food is simple peanut butter toast. It’s easy on the stomach and contains enough calories to get me up and moving. You really don’t want to head to the starting line without some form of breakfast in your stomach.
Don’t Try Anything New – This is a pretty important point. I had been doing my training runs with several different types of energy bars. However, on race day, all they had at the food and water stops were running gels. I sucked them back of course, but I really don’t think my body performed optimally because I really wasn’t used to consuming so many calories of gel. My stomach did give me some problems on my marathon day and I blame this on a number of factors. However, a simple rule is to train like you will run on race day. Don’t try anything new during the main event.
Enjoy Yourself - If you’ve successfully completed all your training and have mentally and nutritionally prepared yourself, then relax. Let the excitement of the event soak in. Have fun! The actual race day comes and goes so fast, if you don’t take time to let the experience sink in you may miss it. Don’t be overly concerned about anything except getting out there and doing the best you can. Take one step at a time and you’ll have a blast.
(photo by qivn)
