What To Do the Week Before Running a Race
s a runner you have probably have spent a grueling 8-16 weeks training for your race. Depending on the distance of your race, this will determine the number of weeks you needed to prepare for your event. The shorter the race the fewer number of weeks is needed to devote to your training, whereas a runner preparing to run a marathon may spend as long as 4-6 months training for his/her event.
One very common concern for runners, especially those who have never raced in an event or who have yet to race a particular distance, is what to do to prepare for their race the week leading up to the pinnacle of their training.
I will preface by saying, it is very common to have some nerves and doubts leading up to your big event. But as I frequently tell my runners, know that you have done all you can do to prepare for your race. Trying to cram in too many runs prior to your big day, may leave you fatigued, or worse, injured. No amount of running the week of your race will prepare you for your race. Your goal is to arrive on the starting line with the freshest legs possible. No matter how experienced a runner is, even if you have raced the distance before, it is very common to question your training during this time. You may find yourself asking, “Did I do all I could in my training to prepare for this race? Did I do enough hill work, speed work and long runs? What do I do if it rains, sleets, snows or the temperature is too hot? What if I start out too fast?” The list can go on and on.
As I like to tell my new runners, ‘you have done your homework; all you have to do now is take the test.’ In other words, trust your training. You cannot make up for lost runs. You must accept where you are and use it as feedback following your race, after all this is what racing is all about–learning how your body responds to the stress of training. Just understand that every race is unique and as my former running coach Lee used to tell me, “You are only as good as you are on that particular day, at that particular time, on that particular course, under those particular circumstances.” So now that you have done your training, what are some steps you can take in the week leading up to your race to make it the best experience for you.
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