First Race this weekend....any advice

[dragitoff]

Some of you on here know my times and story. I've got my first race this weekend. I honestly don't have any aspirations of overall winner or anything, but this is a local race and I've looked at the times and compared them to my training times. I honestly could medal in my age group though with a good run. I was seeking any last minute advice or tips. Here's a really brief overview of my running life....

Been running for about 10 months. Just started running on the road about a month ago. Current best 5k time (non-treadmill) is 24:34. Most daily runs, I average about 26-27 minutes. I run 5k a min. of 5 times per week.

Personally, I don't stretch before running. I stretch afterwards. I know people believe both ways on that. I also drink about 80-100 ounces of water daily. I usually drink Gatorade pre-workout fuel before racing and post-workout fuel afterwards. I'm not a caffeine drinker.

I appreciate any tips anyone could pass my way. Seems like the biggest thing I've read is start slow and pace yourself for the end of the race. I typically run my first mile self timing (this is a chip-timed race this weekend) and speed up according to that first mile pace.

When I'm shooting for a solid time, I almost always leave alot in the tank to sprint the final 1/4 mile or so.

 

[FireDancer]

Everyone is different but I go out fast and then settle into my normal pace. I'm not talking about a dead sprint but I am usually about 10-20 seconds faster in my first mile than the other two with the middle mile being the slowest.

I have found that going out at my normal pace doesn't net me any time at the end while going out fast nets me some time at the beginning and it doesn't hurt my pace later in the race. Having a Garmin or some other GPS watch has helped me tremendously.

You really won't know what works for you until you do some experimenting. Good luck.

 

[dragitoff]

I usually start off either way too slow and have to pick the pace up or my first mile is my fastest. I've tried it both ways. I don't think it has helped or hurt my overall time, but I could see if I was substantially lower in my first mile (like 1 minute or more) and possibly tiring at the end. I posted this in my journal, but Sunday, I was out of town in Atlanta on business and the hotel I was at had a rooftop track. When I walked out there to run, I noticed a young woman moving pretty fast.

Needless to say, the male ego in me didn't want to let her pass me so I ran a little faster than my normal pace and finished the first mile about :30 better than my usual pace. The second mile she slowed (thank God) as did I, but I kicked it up the 3rd mile and actually lapped her a few times. The final lap (took 10.5 laps for 1 mile), I sprinted as fast as I could and did the lap in 1/2 the time I normally did a lap. I ended up finishing with my best time to date, beating my previous best by 1:10!

 

[pensgirl10]

Needless to say, the male ego in me didn't want to let her pass me

Aha, I knew it!

 

[dragitoff]

Aha, I knew it!

Was that you?

 

[pensgirl10]

You said she was going fast so, no. I don't qualify on "young" either unless you're 80.

 

[dragitoff]

Anyone else have any advice for a 1st time racer? I've done the math and I'm trying to finish around 24:00 or better. That means I'd have to average a 7:44mm and this would be my best finish by :34.

My biggest concern is the course is very narrow. They're using chip timing, but I'm still concerned about traffic jams. I'm also a little concerned that about 1/2 a mile of this course is trail running with loose rocks and a decent drop at one point. So far, my best run on this particular course was 25:44.

Am I shooting for too good of a time and setting myself up for possibly getting too tired and having a really poor time?

 

[SAHDad]

One thing you should consider (for any race, not just your first) is to have A, B and C goals.

The "A" goal is for a day where everthing goes just right - you feel relaxed and loose at the start, you hit your stride easily, the weather is pefect, there is no congestion along the route - in short, everything just clicks.

The B" goal is where things are okay, but not perfect. You may hit a PR, you may not, but it's a time range where you are satisfied with the performance on that day, and on that course.

The "C" goal is for a day where things just go wrong. You wake up, feel congested, your laces break right before the start, you trip and slide down a hill in a trail race, etc. Sometimes, the C goal is really just to finish (and I say this as someone who has settled for just finishing in some races - time goals completely blown.) Some days, the race mojo just isn't there, and nothing is going to change that. (In the same vein, some days, running feels like a lot more effort, even though you aren't going as fast or as hard. Doesn't have to be a reason for it - that's just the way it is sometimes.)

 

[dragitoff]

One thing you should consider (for any race, not just your first) is to have A, B and C goals.

The "A" goal is for a day where everthing goes just right - you feel relaxed and loose at the start, you hit your stride easily, the weather is pefect, there is no congestion along the route - in short, everything just clicks.

The B" goal is where things are okay, but not perfect. You may hit a PR, you may not, but it's a time range where you are satisfied with the performance on that day, and on that course.

The "C" goal is for a day where things just go wrong. You wake up, feel congested, your laces break right before the start, you trip and slide down a hill in a trail race, etc. Sometimes, the C goal is really just to finish (and I say this as someone who has settled for just finishing in some races - time goals completely blown.) Some days, the race mojo just isn't there, and nothing is going to change that. (In the same vein, some days, running feels like a lot more effort, even though you aren't going as fast or as hard. Doesn't have to be a reason for it - that's just the way it is sometimes.)

That's great advice! I'll list my A,B, C goals here since I'm the kind of person that pushes myself harder if I know people are going to ask me followups.....

A-Medal in my age group. Finish with a time of 24:00 or less, which would be a new PR

B-Finish with a time under 26:00 and in the top 10 of my age group

C-Finish under 30:00

In all goals, have a great time and get experience since this is my first race!

 

[dragitoff]

For a short race like a 5k, do most of you stretch before? I normally only stretch after my morning 5k runs. I've read experts on both sides of the arguments. Just curious.

 

[FireDancer]

For a short race like a 5k, do most of you stretch before? I normally only stretch after my morning 5k runs. I've read experts on both sides of the arguments. Just curious.

I do a quick warm up jog so the muscles aren't cold and stretch before. You will hear from people who don't but I have not pulled anything in a race since I started doing this so while it is only anecdotal I will keep it up.

 

[UGAFan0829]

I don't have any advice to offer, just wanted to say that I definitely admire your abilities. Those are some awesome times that you are turning and to be able to run that much each week is awesome!!! Congrats!

 

[dragitoff]

I do a quick warm up jog so the muscles aren't cold and stretch before. You will hear from people who don't but I have not pulled anything in a race since I started doing this so while it is only anecdotal I will keep it up.

I will definitely stretch beforehand since I know I'll be pushing it a little harder than I normally would during an easy daily run. It's supposed to be in the lo 40's Saturday morning, which is good for me since I run at 5am and it's been that cold the past couple of mornings. My body is really used to that temp.

 

[dragitoff]

I don't have any advice to offer, just wanted to say that I definitely admire your abilities. Those are some awesome times that you are turning and to be able to run that much each week is awesome!!! Congrats!

Thank you. I started running as a method to lose weight. I lost 50lbs, but I've fallen in love with running. I'm still 205, but I like to eat, so running gives me the opportunity to eat, but still remain healthy. It's a new way of life for me. I'd personally like to drop a little more weight so I'm not carrying so much around (and save my knees..lol), but I feel so much better at 205 than 255!

 

[rubato]

I agree to warm up a lot and stretch before you start the race. Also, be really hydrated so you don't have to drink during the race (would only say that about a 5k, and only if you were really pushing for a time). I think your expectations are attainable, but only if everything works out perfectly. I think you will probably feel really amped up race morning,and probably push yourself harder than you have during training. I ran one this summer with a time of 22:03, and for a 41 year old female, that's pretty darn good. But, I never ran that in training. So, there's every chance that you could meet your goal, but, with not having run on the uneven surface, please don't hurt yourself in order to make that time.

 

[jmasgat]

So looking back to my first race and thinking about it, here's what I would say.

1) Forget about not being nervous. It will happen. Good news is, you can use the adrenaline to run.

2) Don't be afraid to run fast. Sounds silly, but I know that I have looked at my watch and panicked on occasion. You won't know how good/fast you can race until you try. And since you are running a 5k, it wouldn't be the end of the world if went out (even mile splits) trying to get your A goal and faded.

3) Having said all that, don't try to put too much pressure on yourself. You will be learning a lot from this race.....where to put yourself at the start line, how to get into a groove, the need to tie your shoes and go to the portajohn before the race!

As a point of reference, my first race was a 5k. I wanted to finish under 30, which I thought was doable. I came in at 27:20 and was thrilled. Since then, I have worked down to a PR of 23:20. Sounds like you can get there. Just try to enjoy this first experience. As a first race, it's an automatic PR!

Good luck,

Maura