Runners - tips for your first race
BerryH
Posts: 4,698 Member
Beginners, what questions do you have about your first race? Experienced runners, what do you wish you'd known before your first race?
In today's blog I jotted down a few ideas of things I really wish someone had told me before my first race:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/BerryH/view/20-things-i-wish-i-d-known-before-my-first-race-266231
20 things I wish I’d known before my first race
Race season is now firmly underway. If you’re a new runner following a programme like Couch to 5K (C25), chances are you’re considering your first race this summer. Go for it, nothing is more inspirational or motivational than taking part in an event with lots of other runners!
To ensure you cross that finishing line with a big smile on your face and eager to enter the next race, rather than purple in the face and swearing “never again”, I’ve put together some tips I wish I’d known before my first ever race. Hope they help!
1. Make sure you can run (or run/walk, walk, hop, space-hopper bounce or however you intend to do it) the race distance. Sounds obvious, but many training programmes, including the sainted C25K, work by time and not by distance. If you’re a more stately runner like me, you might find, say, a 5K takes you 40 minutes plus, not 30 or less. Map out a route of the distance using a program like MapMyRun or drive it using your car’s odometer to make sure you go the full distance during training.
2. Prepare for the terrain of the course. The race information should give you some information, if not check it out using Google Maps or similar. Running on flat pavement won’t prepare you for a hilly off-roader, and the treadmill will never, ever fully prepare you for running outside.
3. If you’re in the market for new shoes, get them at least two weeks beforehand. Though you should never need to “wear in” running shoes, you need to make sure they’re right for you and any niggles are sorted.
4. Do your last long run at least a week before your race. Leave a couple of days of no running before the race itself so your legs are at their most energetic.
5. Bearing in mind point 4, if you do get itchy feet the day before, have a short jog to assure yourself your legs still work.
6. Don’t wear, do, eat or drink anything new the day before or on race day. Do at least one training run in exactly the kit you will be wearing on race day.
7. You don’t need to carbo load or eat anything special before a race up to 10K. Have something for dinner you know sits well with your stomach, and eat relatively early so you don’t have indigestion and a bad night’s sleep.
8. Lay out all the kit you need the night before so you don’t have a panic in the morning. Double-check you have the race directions and your number to hand.
9. Leave about an hour earlier than you think you need to get there. Big races attract a lot of traffic, public transport can be unreliable, the car park can be a long way from the start and you don’t want to be running just to get to the start line.
10. Join the toilet queue as soon as you get there. Even if you think you don’t need to go, you will once the excitement kicks in.
11. Be realistic about your start position. Don’t go right at the front unless you’re in with a chance of winning it – that extra few seconds of official timing won’t be worth being jostled to the back and how demoralising that can feel.
12. Most 5Ks and many 10Ks will not provide water stops. If you’re used to having water for that duration, practice taking it with you in a hand-held bottle or hydration belt.
13. If you normally run early before breakfast and the race starts mid-morning, as they often do, practice having breakfast a couple of hours beforehand. Porridge/oatmeal is a good start for many people. If it’s a really long time after breakfast, take something to have an hour beforehand, like an energy bar or a banana.
14. Your race number goes on the front. Use at least three safety pins to secure it from the mid-chest down and make sure it doesn’t rub your arms as you swing them.
15. If you’re worried about being slow, choose a mass-participation race for your first, like Race For Life or Race For The Cure. Sub-200 participants can often mean it’s hard-core.
16. Chances are you won’t be last, whatever you fear. There can easily be thousands of people at a race, what are the chances of being that one individual right at the back? See if the race site publishes last year’s results to reassure yourself.
17. When the race starts, try not to get carried away and go much faster than your training runs. Try to hold yourself back to your regular steady pace - you can always speed up in the second half and save yourself some energy for a sprint finish.
18. If there are cameras en route, smile, wave, and make sure your number isn’t covered.
19. You might feel like collapsing after you cross the finish line, but please don’t. Walk around for a bit until you get your breath back and do your normal stretch routine.
20. Have a snack within half an hour of finishing then treat yourself to a nice meal, relaxing shower or bath, tell all your friends and bask in the glory. Congratulate yourself on a job well done. Your first race time will always be a Personal Best (PB)!
Bonus: 21. Start searching for the next race you can’t wait to enter! Congratulations, you're now a racer!
This was a follow up to "20 things I wish I’d known about running when I started". Chances are it'll be another year until the next "20 things" blog!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/BerryH/view/20-things-i-wish-i-d-known-about-running-when-i-started-103936
In today's blog I jotted down a few ideas of things I really wish someone had told me before my first race:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/BerryH/view/20-things-i-wish-i-d-known-before-my-first-race-266231
20 things I wish I’d known before my first race
Race season is now firmly underway. If you’re a new runner following a programme like Couch to 5K (C25), chances are you’re considering your first race this summer. Go for it, nothing is more inspirational or motivational than taking part in an event with lots of other runners!
To ensure you cross that finishing line with a big smile on your face and eager to enter the next race, rather than purple in the face and swearing “never again”, I’ve put together some tips I wish I’d known before my first ever race. Hope they help!
1. Make sure you can run (or run/walk, walk, hop, space-hopper bounce or however you intend to do it) the race distance. Sounds obvious, but many training programmes, including the sainted C25K, work by time and not by distance. If you’re a more stately runner like me, you might find, say, a 5K takes you 40 minutes plus, not 30 or less. Map out a route of the distance using a program like MapMyRun or drive it using your car’s odometer to make sure you go the full distance during training.
2. Prepare for the terrain of the course. The race information should give you some information, if not check it out using Google Maps or similar. Running on flat pavement won’t prepare you for a hilly off-roader, and the treadmill will never, ever fully prepare you for running outside.
3. If you’re in the market for new shoes, get them at least two weeks beforehand. Though you should never need to “wear in” running shoes, you need to make sure they’re right for you and any niggles are sorted.
4. Do your last long run at least a week before your race. Leave a couple of days of no running before the race itself so your legs are at their most energetic.
5. Bearing in mind point 4, if you do get itchy feet the day before, have a short jog to assure yourself your legs still work.
6. Don’t wear, do, eat or drink anything new the day before or on race day. Do at least one training run in exactly the kit you will be wearing on race day.
7. You don’t need to carbo load or eat anything special before a race up to 10K. Have something for dinner you know sits well with your stomach, and eat relatively early so you don’t have indigestion and a bad night’s sleep.
8. Lay out all the kit you need the night before so you don’t have a panic in the morning. Double-check you have the race directions and your number to hand.
9. Leave about an hour earlier than you think you need to get there. Big races attract a lot of traffic, public transport can be unreliable, the car park can be a long way from the start and you don’t want to be running just to get to the start line.
10. Join the toilet queue as soon as you get there. Even if you think you don’t need to go, you will once the excitement kicks in.
11. Be realistic about your start position. Don’t go right at the front unless you’re in with a chance of winning it – that extra few seconds of official timing won’t be worth being jostled to the back and how demoralising that can feel.
12. Most 5Ks and many 10Ks will not provide water stops. If you’re used to having water for that duration, practice taking it with you in a hand-held bottle or hydration belt.
13. If you normally run early before breakfast and the race starts mid-morning, as they often do, practice having breakfast a couple of hours beforehand. Porridge/oatmeal is a good start for many people. If it’s a really long time after breakfast, take something to have an hour beforehand, like an energy bar or a banana.
14. Your race number goes on the front. Use at least three safety pins to secure it from the mid-chest down and make sure it doesn’t rub your arms as you swing them.
15. If you’re worried about being slow, choose a mass-participation race for your first, like Race For Life or Race For The Cure. Sub-200 participants can often mean it’s hard-core.
16. Chances are you won’t be last, whatever you fear. There can easily be thousands of people at a race, what are the chances of being that one individual right at the back? See if the race site publishes last year’s results to reassure yourself.
17. When the race starts, try not to get carried away and go much faster than your training runs. Try to hold yourself back to your regular steady pace - you can always speed up in the second half and save yourself some energy for a sprint finish.
18. If there are cameras en route, smile, wave, and make sure your number isn’t covered.
19. You might feel like collapsing after you cross the finish line, but please don’t. Walk around for a bit until you get your breath back and do your normal stretch routine.
20. Have a snack within half an hour of finishing then treat yourself to a nice meal, relaxing shower or bath, tell all your friends and bask in the glory. Congratulate yourself on a job well done. Your first race time will always be a Personal Best (PB)!
Bonus: 21. Start searching for the next race you can’t wait to enter! Congratulations, you're now a racer!
This was a follow up to "20 things I wish I’d known about running when I started". Chances are it'll be another year until the next "20 things" blog!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/BerryH/view/20-things-i-wish-i-d-known-about-running-when-i-started-103936
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Replies
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Thanks for the tips!0
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Great post Berry.0
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Bump - s.b. required reading for new runners & a good refresher for those of us who've been around the block a couple of times.0
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A guy on my favorite running board penned a similar post years ago. It's still a good read and he says a lot of the same things you mention, Berry, plus a few other gems:
http://www.runningahead.com/forums/topic/ff8ccd5258d54087a6f79e59a81ff8780 -
These are WONDERFUL tips!
I ran my first race, a 15K last weekend... Funny thing, not having read any "tips" like these, I actually followed these to a T somehow and placed in the top 10 female finishers :bigsmile: (albeit, there were only 30ish female participants who finished the 15K, I was a very happy lady... about 150 for the 5K)
*a good nights rest, gear already laid out, a breakfast of steal cut oats and early to the event area were keys to my success.
ALSO, two other things that I believe REALLY helped me was to have my music ready to go and within the first few miles I found another racer to pace with... this was tremendously helpful and motivated me to keep going... and not slow down!0 -
Thank you so much that was a great read. I did my first 5k this year I did go with Race for a Cure. it was funny how simple the saftey pin tip is but i so wish i would have known that before I started my number kept flapping in the breeze lol
I havent picked the next but will definetly train to run/ jog the next. I walked the last but was still able to do it under 40mins so I feel I can step it up a bit.0 -
Great tips, Berry. Here's a few more that are fresh in my mind after a 14km "mass participation" race on Sunday (over 20,000 people!)
21. Read the race info to see if they have a baggage drop option. If so, think about whether you need to use it. I queued longer to drop my bag than for the toilet at my race last weekend. Having said that, I'm glad I did, because it was chilly when I left home at 6am so I needed an extra layer to keep warm before the race started.
22. Wave and smile and say "thank you" to the volunteers as you go by. They have got up at the crack of dawn to stand around by the side of a cold or wet or hot or windy road, just to help you out.
23. Don't be worried about taking walk breaks. You'll see people walking at all stages of a big race, so if you need to walk for a while to finish the distance - it doesn't matter. There were 12 money prices at my race, so that meant the other 19,988 of us were in it for the fun, not the glory or the money!
24. If you like music to run by, try having your headset in one ear only. This makes it easier to soak up the atmosphere around you and enjoy the ambience, the cheers and any along-the-way entertainment.0 -
Great tips! Bump!0
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Love the ones about the TP and the watch! It also reminded me that you should check whether MP3 players are allowed if you're used to running with one. They're not always permitted, but you seldom need the distraction when racing.A guy on my favorite running board penned a similar post years ago. It's still a good read and he says a lot of the same things you mention, Berry, plus a few other gems:
http://www.runningahead.com/forums/topic/ff8ccd5258d54087a6f79e59a81ff8780 -
That is so completely brilliant, congratulations!I ran my first race, a 15K last weekend... Funny thing, not having read any "tips" like these, I actually followed these to a T somehow and placed in the top 10 female finishers :bigsmile: (albeit, there were only 30ish female participants who finished the 15K, I was a very happy lady... about 150 for the 5K)
*a good nights rest, gear already laid out, a breakfast of steal cut oats and early to the event area were keys to my success.
ALSO, two other things that I believe REALLY helped me was to have my music ready to go and within the first few miles I found another racer to pace with... this was tremendously helpful and motivated me to keep going... and not slow down!
Good tip about pacing. If you can't find anyone going at the same speed, finding someone to catch is always a great target!0 -
The number one flummoxes a lot of peopleThank you so much that was a great read. I did my first 5k this year I did go with Race for a Cure. it was funny how simple the saftey pin tip is but i so wish i would have known that before I started my number kept flapping in the breeze lol
I havent picked the next but will definetly train to run/ jog the next. I walked the last but was still able to do it under 40mins so I feel I can step it up a bit.
Oh you can definitely do it, and you'll smash your PB I'm sure :happy:0 -
Love, love, love these, thanks!Great tips, Berry. Here's a few more that are fresh in my mind after a 14km "mass participation" race on Sunday (over 20,000 people!)
21. Read the race info to see if they have a baggage drop option. If so, think about whether you need to use it. I queued longer to drop my bag than for the toilet at my race last weekend. Having said that, I'm glad I did, because it was chilly when I left home at 6am so I needed an extra layer to keep warm before the race started.
22. Wave and smile and say "thank you" to the volunteers as you go by. They have got up at the crack of dawn to stand around by the side of a cold or wet or hot or windy road, just to help you out.
23. Don't be worried about taking walk breaks. You'll see people walking at all stages of a big race, so if you need to walk for a while to finish the distance - it doesn't matter. There were 12 money prices at my race, so that meant the other 19,988 of us were in it for the fun, not the glory or the money!
24. If you like music to run by, try having your headset in one ear only. This makes it easier to soak up the atmosphere around you and enjoy the ambience, the cheers and any along-the-way entertainment.
I do always make a point of thanking the race marshals and as I'm not racing much this season I'm going to volunteer for some local races. Good tip for those of you who are injured but still want to participate!
One thing to add about taking walk breaks is move to the side (the left is traditional) before you slow down to avoid a pile-up behind you!0 -
Thanks!0
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great post thank you, my first ever was a 10k last july, I went off too quickly despite knowing that I shouldnt and I injured my calf.... live and learn! Happy running everyone 0
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Thank you SO much for sharing this!! I have had to cancel my first 5k race, a park run in Leicester 3 times already due to circumstances beyond my control and have printed this post off!!
There were so many things I hadn't taken into consideration...I will be just happy,happy,happy to finish a 5k :-)0 -
These seems like some good tips and my first run this sat0
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Thanks for posting this - bumping to read properly later on0
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I think a big fear most, if not all, first timers have is finishing poorly (or last).
Pick a 5K, 10K, half, whatever program (especially one with speed work: Runner's World SmartCoach, for one) and stick to it and I guarantee you won't finish last or even in the bottom third.
Also anyone planning on running or running a lot: GET FITTED. Proper fitting shoes will help prevent I N J U R Y and nothing puts the kibosh more on best laid plans than plantar fasciitis or IT band crapola
Embrace hills.0 -
Excellent, thank you! I've done one 5k for Race For Life, but have signed up for a more serious 10k....!0
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bump! my first race is in November--The Zombie 5k. I've begun training now and this is definitely helpful because i'm just starting out. Thanks a lot!0
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Looks like some reat info here. Thanks!0
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Great ideas, thanks!I think a big fear most, if not all, first timers have is finishing poorly (or last).
Pick a 5K, 10K, half, whatever program (especially one with speed work: Runner's World SmartCoach, for one) and stick to it and I guarantee you won't finish last or even in the bottom third.
Also anyone planning on running or running a lot: GET FITTED. Proper fitting shoes will help prevent I N J U R Y and nothing puts the kibosh more on best laid plans than plantar fasciitis or IT band crapola
Embrace hills.0 -
I should probably add:
Don't drink tequila until 4am the night before a race. Just because it's your birthday, that doesn't mean it doesn't count!
I DID come last in that race :blushing:0 -
All wonderful tips.
If you have a loved one snapping pics at the finish line, definitely make sure you smile. You do not want to see how pained you look at the end of a race if you're not smiling. I take it one step further and wear my brightest red lipstick. :happy:
If you're wearing a jacket and might have to take it off during the race, consider pinning your bib to your pants' leg instead.0 -
Berry, you always give great advice! My first 5k I came in at 47:18 but I had never really trained before. I love you say to smile at the finish line, on my finish line photo my tongue is sticking out....what a sight!
Thanks Berry!!!!!0 -
For me, rule #1, and I only have one,
FINISH!0 -
Just did my first race yesterday morning.
Good stuff.0 -
Thanks for that, very useful advice. I have my first race on 1st July and am always happy to accept any tips.0
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Great tips!! I have ran (ok...maybe not 'ran'...) several 5Ks and one 10K and your tips are to a T!
Races are so addicting that after my first one, I couldn't stop myself from signing up for the next one and the next one...
One major tip that I'd love to give for anyone considering doing their 1st race:
Sign up for a race where EVERYONE who finishes receives a medal! That is the best feeling and will be great motivation to keep at it until the finish line (even if you do end up DFL 'dead f-ing last' lol)
I am not a fast runner at all and will always walk during a portion of the race. However, the race bling reminds me that even if I am not one of the top 3 finishers in my age group or overall, I still managed to accomplish something I could not have done 2+ years ago.
Good luck and have fun!0 -
Tip: If you're not sure whether you're running or jogging: go faster.
More tips (in no particular order):- Track your shoe miles. Running shoes don't last forever. Running in old, worn out shoes (especially racing) is as bad as running in ill fitting shoes.
- Bring your own recovery, just in case. It always seems odd to me that venue provided post race fare is basically stuff that would work better as pre-race (bananas, granola bars, oranges, pretzels, ect) than post race (PROTEIN!). So I always pack a Gatorade G3 or almond butter or. . anything with a sitck-to your-riib-itiveness.
- If you trained for this race and ran without compromise, expect to be SORE. Rule of thumb for first timers is one day of rest-recovery for every mile of race distance. Also in this vein, for you people looking for scale victories, be prepared to see an upward spike as body retains a bit while repairing itself. The more you run, the less drastic this effect will be after the next time
0 - Track your shoe miles. Running shoes don't last forever. Running in old, worn out shoes (especially racing) is as bad as running in ill fitting shoes.
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