April 2002

Previous Issues

This is a new addition to our website - Runner's Corner!  Each month we'll offer a new article by Kitty Consolo, Ph.D.   Kitty is a veteran runner and exercise physiologist.  She has been running and racing since 1975, and has won over 400 road races ranging from the mile to the marathon and went to the first women's Olympic marathon trails in 1984. Kitty has a PR of 2:42.46 for the marathon and 35:02 for the 10km,  She now enjoys shorter races and masters running.

Enjoy, and please let us know your thoughts about the Runner's Corner!

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Race Day Preparation

     Spring has officially arrived and many of you will now seriously start your racing season.  In January, I wrote about training properly.  However, sometimes runners make mistakes race day and hurt their performance, yet they attribute these to training and then change an already successful training program.  This article will help you avoid race day mistakes and to run the best race you can for the current training you have.

Pack well--plan ahead

     On the day before, lay out the clothes and shoes you plan to race in.  These should be items that you have run in before and feel good to you, this is not the time to try out new equipment.  Pack extra pins, sunscreen, sunglasses, anti-chafing substance, basic first aid items, change of clothes, extra clothes for bad weather, towel, plastic bag for wet clothes and a plastic water bottle and your own water.

Plan to Arrive early

Look at a map and be sure you have good directions.  Plan to arrive at least 30 minutes, but preferably an hour, ahead of time.  This allows you time to find parking, use the restroom and allows for delays in registration and travel.  It also allows you time to examine to course and plan strategy and pace.

Warm-up

     I cannot stress this enough.  Regardless of the distance, the body performs better if you're sweating at the starting line.  Time your warm-up so that you finish close to when the race begins.  I suggest you also do 4-6 100 yd strides with each one increasing in pace until you get to the pace you hope to run the race in.  By arriving sweating at the starting line, you allow oxygen to leave the blood faster and get into the muscle cells sooner.  A warmer body temperature also thins the blood, helping circulation.  Failing to be warmed up taxes your body more the first mile and costs you time later.

Set a time range

     Pace is everything, although it takes practice and experience to determine what pace to set.  The more even pace you set (allowing for changes in terrain), the better chance you have of running faster and feeling stronger.

     Your first mile should be within 10 seconds of the pace you wish to average.  This becomes critical in long races, for example, a 10 second mistake in the marathon results in 5 minutes at the end.  However if you are not on pace in the first mile, do not panic.  Gradually increase your pace.  Don't throw in sudden surges as you will put yourself into oxygen debt.  If you went out too fast, slow down and settle into a relaxed pace.

To avoid undue anxiety and disappointment, while you are warming up, ask yourself, what would be the slowest and fastest time you think you would be capable of today given how you feel at this moment.  Be sure to adjust for weather, it if is suddenly hot and you are not heat trained, you may need to allow for up to 30 seconds per mile slower.  Same thing if it is very windy or raining.  Also allow slowing for a hilly course and if your training did not go well this week.  Now go to the first mile with these time ranges in mind and adjust your pace on how you feel.  Keep in mind that the longer the race, the more comfortable and relaxed you need to feel in the first 3/4 of the race.

Get Water Before you Feel Thirsty

     The longer you race, the more dehydration becomes your opponent.  This is because even if you hydrate properly, one's sweat-rate exceed one's ability to absorb water and get it to needed tissues.  Thus, there will always be some dehydration which will affect your performance.  Stop at those early stops and drink before you feel thirsty, this prevents a good degree of dehydration which can lead to serious heat illness, and even death!

Be positively objective with Your performance

Get in fluids and carbohydrates immediately after your race.  Cool down and stretch and reflect on your race.  Did you make any mistakes race day such as pacing or not getting fluids?  If so, log them in your book for next time, but don't judge yourself or be angry.  I like the quote, "There are no mistakes in life, only lessons to learn. "  Learn from each race.

If you performed well, note this as well as see if you need to make any training adjustments.  If you have trouble being objective with yourself, get a friend or a coach to analyze your performance and help you improve.

Good luck at the races!