TRAIN on top: Volume 4.1 pre-race: Running

Before I jump into the meat of today’s post (mmmmm, steak. says the vegetarian.) I would LOVE IT if you would hop on over and check out my highlight at Model Per4mance! I have been working with Model Per4mance and their amazing team of coaches for a couple months now, and I have nothing to say but awesome words about them! This week I was highlighted as ATHLETE OF THE WEEK! Check it out HERE!

Do you ever have a time when you’re trying so hard to obtain something – whether it be a job, an internship, a business deal, a car, a personal record, or (c’mon people – we’re being honest here) a relationship? You apply, you search, you dig, you train, you knock, but it seems there is no answer in sight?

Let me tell you – I know a little something about that. My specific line of thought at the moment is with training, and more specifically, with teams. The very first team (non school/university related) I remember applying to was Bear Naked‘s endurance team. They have a handful of athletes scattered across the nation that race under the Bear Naked name, and in return, the athletes get to have teammates, swag like no other, and lets not forget, the simple association with an awesome company! When I applied for Team Bear Naked, I remember feeling so confident that I’d get it! Annnnd? No dice. I would like to say it was only because Minneapolis wasn’t one of the “hub cities” that they were recruiting athletes from – it wasn’t an option on their little drop down menu – but truth be told, I probably just wasn’t the right fit! There are hundreds of qualified athletes out there, and of the select group they chose, I just wasn’t one of them.

There was definitely a solid life lesson pulled out of that let-down. (Thinking back on it.. hahaha oh man, did I really cry? I’d like to think I’ve grown a little since then. ) No.. there were TWO solidlifelesssons. As follows:

1. ♪ You can’t always get what you want. ♪ (sing it with me!)
2. When it rains, it pours.

I don’t feel like I need to go into too much detail about #1, as it is pretty self explanatory, and something that everyone learns (or should learn) at some point. #2 can be applied to various sectors of life, (going after one guy for months, breaks your heart, and suddenly you have 3 guys trying to hollller. or something along those lines…) but here’s what I have experienced lately that really drives the message home:

• Joined the University of MN Triathlon Team
• Started working with Model Per4mance
• Signed on with Peace Coffee Racing
• Was offered a spot with the Nuun-Blueseventy tri project
• Was given a preliminary offer with Team Aquaphor

And hopefully the rain will keep falling, because this kinda rain.. I can dig, ya dig? It’s kind of like the saying “When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.” I would like to extend that to “but when life gives you a bottle of Grey Goose… drink up.” Now if only there were a way I could get Martha Stewart to sign on and sponsor me…

Pre-race whaaat!?

You heard that right – it’s time to pull out the racing shoes and see what I’ve got! Not only have I been doing practically zero speed work this winter (did 8 Yasso’s on Monday… that’s about it), but I have not raced since the Victory Memorial 10K/5K double header back in September (RACE REPORT!), AND this is a distance I’ve never raced before! It should be an interesting race to say the least.

Gearing up for the Victory Memorial 10K with my guys

Preparing for Race Day!

It’s not uncommon for runners to have certain “pre-race rituals” that they stick to every. single. time. There was a period of time during my 2nd year of cross country where I was convinced that candy corn was my “magic” pre-race fuel.. I had raced ONCE really well after eating candy corn, and thought “that must be it!” That misconception was quickly erased a few meets later when I got out-kicked in the chute.  What you do for a 10K will likely be different than your pre-race plan for a marathon, but there are definitely some guidelines I adhere to before the big day.

How to ensure a smooth start on Race Day:

1. Packet Pickup. If possible, get it ahead of time. Scan your chip to make sure you’re racing under your own name, get your chip on your shoe, get pins on your bib, look at the course map, look at the race-day schedule. These are little things you don’t want to be worrying about in the morning.
2. Outfit. Lay it out the night before. In fact, lay out a couple options and bring a short sleeve or long sleeve alternative should conditions change on race morning. Some people can’t deal with cold, I know personally I don’t race well if I’m too hot. It’s a personal thing and it takes experience racing to figure out, but it definitely won’t hurt to be prepared. Included in this “outfit” would be ensuring your number is with/on your clothes, your watch, your garmin (aka Gomer… awww – throwback!), etc.
3. Fuel. Raise your hand if you’ve been to a pasta party the night before a marathon. Or a cross country meet. Or any race. And how did that work for ya? I can’t tell you what is going to be ideal for your body, but for me, I typically do any sort of “carbo loading” two days prior to race day, or the week leading up to it, but not the night before. And “carbo loading” might be a bit of a misconception – I just make sure I’m eating well, eating balanced, probably up my carb ratio a bit, and up my overall calories a bit. The day before the race I stick to my regular diet and regular foods. Don’t need any surprises or emergency pit-stops.
4. Sleep. I can’t emphasize this one enough! One of the best best best tips my mom passed on from her many years of marathoning was MAKE SURE you’re sleeping well the whole WEEK leading up to the race! Many people have trouble sleeping the night before a race because they feel like they need to. “If I don’t sleep, I’m going to be so tired tomorrow and crash and burn!” If you have a solid week of sleep behind you, you will feel 20x less stressed come night-before, and you’ll know that if you’re a little short on sleep, it’s not a biggie. If you’re going to take any “vitamins” (cough*tylenol pm*couch) as I tend to do, make sure you know how they affect you and how long they last in your system.
5. Have 1 or 0 plans. There are races I do where I just wing it – whatever happens happens, and I’m going to have a good time no matter what. There are also races I do where I know I want to see that 1-mile split clock and it damn well better read 6:20. Or 6:40. Or 7:15. Depending on my race. Both of these scenarios are 100% fine, but what I think is key was that I decide before the race if I’m gonna go or just go. You follow? There have been a few races where I was kicking myself (possibly literally in the last 400 yards…) because I went out thinking I just wanted to have fun, and then half way through I changed my mind and wanted to race. And my time obviously reflected that because half of my race was waisted dinkin’ around. You do what you wanna, but I’m just sayin… I like to have a plan.

Ragnar Race Bible

And there you have it… my top 5 tips for starting out race day smoothly! As always, you can find this and all other TRAIN on Top volumes under the TRAIN on Top tab at the top of the page!  There are so many more things that could be included in this list. Uh oh.. sounds like READER QUESTION time! Feel free to answer any or all!

1. What is a tip you would add to my pre-race-prep list?
2. Do you have any funny pre-race rituals?
3. Are you part of any kind of team?

No Friday Confessionals today kids… got a power point to power through that is supposed to be going with my [due Tuesday] speech on Steroids in Dietary Supplements that I am supposed to be working on right now. Expect an addition to the RUN hard Race Reports after tomorrow! Over n’ out.

-E