Race Advice re: "water stations"

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  • Silent_Soliloquy
    Silent_Soliloquy Posts: 237 Member
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    @WickedPineapple ... my friend and i were discussing how uncertain the temps will be. We could be in shorts, could be in full baselayer.

    ...If we are in the same corral we should fist bump.

    I live in Fort Wayne so its been hard to get outside, but I've been doing it as possible. I've Logged 4 10k's and a handful of 5k's outside this year. Some of them in -20 windchills which was brutal.
  • StephSuter2508
    StephSuter2508 Posts: 31 Member
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    I have run 10k, 16k, 21k and 42k races. I find for 10k I don't need water but when I do the Great South Run which is 16k I need water and sometimes energy gels.

    I will take water at the 5k and 10k stations on my way round, but I don't stop, I grab the water as I run past, drink as I run then they have points where you drop your water bottle on the floor and they collect,

    In training I take water with me as it takes practice to drink whilst running,

    As for food, I find I vomit if I eat just before or during a run, so I use energy gels BUT you have to have them during training to see how your body reacts to them as they are a big hit of sugar and sometimes caffein, I usually have a gel at the halfway point on a 16km run

    The wall is different for everyone, hitting the wall is simply reaching a point where you cant run anymore. When I started running I hit the wall at 12km, but with training I found I could keep going and I can now run 21k without stopping, my record for non stop running is 24.5km, at that point I switch to jog / walk
  • solieco1
    solieco1 Posts: 1,559 Member
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    For me, getting behind on fluid is impossible to catch up. Walking the water stops to have a quick drink is unlikely to significantly affect your time. On the other hand, being trashed the last 5k will.
  • dmkoenig
    dmkoenig Posts: 299 Member
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    Sounds like you are well in control. That time of year for an 80-90 minute event you shouldn't have to be too concerned with heavy hydration. Take it when your body is asking for it, no need to force. It's easy to get caught up in the race excitement and go out too hard, so if you focus on taking the first 5K on the easy side and get into a comfortable cadence you'll be in good shape. Picking off people in the last half will be plenty incentive to increase your pace and race well if you have something left in the tank. Good luck and have fun!
  • WickedPineapple
    WickedPineapple Posts: 701 Member
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    Silent_Soliloquy wrote: »
    @WickedPineapple ... my friend and i were discussing how uncertain the temps will be. We could be in shorts, could be in full baselayer.

    ...If we are in the same corral we should fist bump.

    I live in Fort Wayne so its been hard to get outside, but I've been doing it as possible. I've Logged 4 10k's and a handful of 5k's outside this year. Some of them in -20 windchills which was brutal.

    I have zero expectations for the weather. It could be 25 or 85 degrees, snowing or thunder storming. Our weather is usually weird, but it's been even weirder than normal this year. Luckily I have all the cold running gear from the last time winter overstayed it's welcome.

    If you're running a 10k in 55 minutes, I doubt we'd be in event adjacent corrals (I'm slow). :)

    Good luck!
  • Silent_Soliloquy
    Silent_Soliloquy Posts: 237 Member
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    Full disclosure, i dont even know what a corral actually is ... like physically.

    If i have to start way back, does the time getting me up to the official start count against me ? Im inagining that could be 3 minutes or so ?
  • solieco1
    solieco1 Posts: 1,559 Member
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    Silent_Soliloquy wrote: »
    Full disclosure, i dont even know what a corral actually is ... like physically.

    If i have to start way back, does the time getting me up to the official start count against me ? Im inagining that could be 3 minutes or so ?

    No, your individual time will start when you cross the timing mat. Try to pace yourself as accurately as you can though. Too slow and you have to get around a huge crowd and too fast and you end up making others go around you.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    edited February 2019
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    Silent_Soliloquy wrote: »
    Full disclosure, i dont even know what a corral actually is ... like physically.

    If i have to start way back, does the time getting me up to the official start count against me ? Im inagining that could be 3 minutes or so ?

    Usually corrals are marked with signs within the starting line area. You just line up in the area for your corral and then start in waves.

    The majority of races I've run in that have corral start times have a "gun time" and a "chip time." The gun time is when the first wave starts, the actual start of the race. But your official time is your chip time, when the timing strip on your race bib (or a little plastic thing attached to your shoelaces) crosses the actual start line. That way the time doesn't count against you, everyone is timed from the same spot no matter when they actually begin the race.

    I was in corral 4 for a marathon last weekend and we probably started 8-9 minutes after the first group started.
  • Silent_Soliloquy
    Silent_Soliloquy Posts: 237 Member
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    Thank you all so much. Im a hyper-planner so the unknown is killer for me.

    So, lessons learned:

    Go easy on the first 5k, so you dont crash hard. (Ill shoot for something like a 27 min first 5k. My rest days are 30 minute 5k's right now.)

    Wait for the last 5k to really extend the stride and start flirting with lactic acid build up.

    Have some sports drink or water if it sounds good, but dont overthink it. It's okay not to drink at a station.

    Dont plan on actually stopping at the rest stations, if you have to stop, get out of the way past one first.


    I guess the rest, ill just have to take in the experience and do my best.
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
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    Depending on the weather, you can actually treat all of the water stations as optional for a 15k. Assuming that you'll finish in something around 70 minutes, I might plan on hitting one at the 35ish minute mark in case you want to have a gel right afterwards but for the most part if you feel good, keep moving. The gel isn't even necessary since the race should be over right around the time you'll be hitting the end of your energy stores.

    Even if you stop, you don't really stop. Just slow down to a walk, shotgun the cup, throw it away in a receptacle, and get moving again.

    With your pacing over 5 miles, I imagine that you can finish in 9:15 min/miles worst case, <9:00 min/miles without much of a stretch, and 8:45 as your aggressive target. Pace for just under 9 for the first 10k but gradually amp it up over the last 3k to 4k if you feel like you have the legs left to go. Give the last 1k everything you've got left in the tank either way.

    For reference, my 5K PR is 7:45 min/miles, 10K PR is 8:20 min/miles, and at race pace I can generally knock out 8 miles in about 8:45 min/miles.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
    edited February 2019
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    Silent_Soliloquy wrote: »

    Ran a 5k at lunch today ... but man so slippery and cold ... check out the roads!

    Today is my recovery day so not a huge deal but it can be really hard on the hamstrings and stuff.

    pbigorr7lcii.jpg

    It looks very Fort Wayne-ish. I grew up there!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    My advice, as someone who get super nervous and piles the pressure on myself to PB every race, is to try and tone down the overthinking and planned splits for the race. It's the biggest way to lose the enjoyment of the race.

    If you're not planning to run the full distance before the race, then you're automatically getting a PB, and if you are, it should be way slower than you'd race it, so again, automatic PB :drinker:
  • Vladimirnapkin
    Vladimirnapkin Posts: 299 Member
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    The funny thing about gels and water in races of this length is that while you might get thirsty (dry mouth, etc), any water you take in won't actually get into your system before you finish! Have water before the race, do what you do in training, with respect to breakfast, and pace it carefully. I find it very helpful to set a "do not exceed" pace for the first mile or two, and then race by feel. It is infinitely more fun to be catching people in the last miles than being passed.

    Also, the first time you run a new distance the odds are good it won't be reflective of your true ability. These things take practice. Have fun!

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