My first 10k

As a distance runner, I have to say that taper and carb loading are concepts for longer races than a 10K. Don't worry about them, though it might be a good idea to take a rest day the day before your race. What you do about resistance training depends on what you have been doing. If your resistance training is the heavy effort, make yourself sore the next day kind, either skip it or back off to something that doesn't feel like resistance training to you. If your resistance training is maintenance style that you can do every day, you can keep that kind of routine. I do the latter; when racing locally, I'll still do my push-ups and pull-ups in the morning.

Nutrition: Don't try anything new the 2 days before the race. Stick with foods you usually eat, so you know how your body will react. The last thing you want is to have intestinal cramps indicating an immediate need for a rest room 3 miles into a 10K race. For something as short as a 10K, don't worry about in-race refueling. It's not long enough to be necessary.

Managing the race: Be mentally prepared for the fact that the field is going to pull you out of the start faster than you've trained. That's okay, and really what most runners plan on. For a first 10K, assuming you want to run the full distance, be mentally prepared to force yourself to slow down somewhere between mile 2 and mile 5 in order to be able to finish the race running. If your plan is run/walk intervals, stick to the plan. A first race is not the time to get creative on race day. If you trained with a hydration belt, wear the same belt to run. If you didn't train with a hydration belt, don't add one for race day. The idea is to manage water in-race the same as you did while training.

Post-race recovery: After you cross the finish line, don't immediately stop and do nothing. Walk around slowly. Cheer runners who cross the line after you. Do your normal post-run stretching. After that, when you're feeling somewhat normal, go look for the post-race food. You'll think better about what is nutritious and fits with your weight management goals if you take the time for a walking cool down and stretches before you hit the post-race food.

Next day: Play it by ear. You may or may not be sore. Depending on your conditioning, it may or may not be necessary to take a rest day after the race; if you don't run, be sure to do some gentle walking. Active recovery is superior to sedentary recovery, but let your body tell you how much activity it will tolerate. Certainly by 2 days later you should be able to do easy runs like what you did before the race. Don't try to do speed work until any post-race soreness has faded.