Run-Down Forums

[mlewis73]

Was wondering how folks get ready for "short" races. I'm running a 3-mile race on roads/trails late on Monday afternoon. This will be the first time I've really approached a run as a race, and it is guaranteed to be fast since only 10 of us (out of 450 students) were picked to run (based on our training times... naturally my training time is about middle-of-the-pack in a cluster of 4 folks with close times).

I've never raced before, but if this is anything like the high school races I watched years ago my thought is that everyone's going to start off at pretty much a sprint. Is this really a good strategy? Should I let adrenaline take charge and just hang on as long as I can, then settle back? Or should I let some folks go off the front and hope that steady pacing on my part will allow me to catch them?

Given the time of the race, what would be a good diet for the night prior through the hours before the race? I've considered a peanut butter sandwich for lunch--4.5 hours prior to the race. That usually won't hold me over, so had considered a PowerBar around 1:30 to provide extra calories. Don't want to eat too much... or eat the wrong thing. My stomach can be pretty sensitive, so would be interested in keeping things as bland as possible... maybe even taking in lots of liquid calories in the morning (Boost or Ensure) and skipping the PB for lunch.

Anything else I should know?

It is funny that a fellow can be so nervous about running... I'm really worked up about this!! My goals are to set a PB and to keep excitement from making me do something stupid and not doing well.

Thank you for your replies,
Mike

[Micah Ward]

Hey Mike, this should be fun. I would recommend having a normal size supper the night before the race but keep it to bland types of food that won't upset your stomach. On race day eat a normal breakfast but for the rest of the day eat just enough to keep you from feeling hungry. You want to feel light at the start of the race. And besides, you won't collapse from hunger in a three miler.

Be careful at the start not to start off too fast. With that small of a field and with everyone being fast to start with you will be tempted to go out too hard and burn everything up before the halfway point. One rule of thumb in a race situation is to start off feeling like you are going too slow. With adrenaline pumping, if you feel like you are running comfortable then you are probably going to fast. Start conservatively for about the first mile then you can pick it up if need be for the rest of the race. What you don't want to do is to scorch that first mile and then spend the last two just trying to survive.

Another strategy is to key off the others and react to how they are running. But if you do that just be careful not to be pulled along to too fast of a start.

Good luck and let us know how it goes as soon as you can!
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[Dan]

[quote]One rule of thumb in a race situation is to start off feeling like you are going too slow.[/quote]
Can't say I've ever experienced that.

Dan
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[graeme]

I like to start out as conservatively as possible, without going below the pace for my goal time or losing touch with anyone I'm hoping to beat. Having said that I usually wind up going out way too fast.

If you just go with the pack, even if it's a fast start, everyone's in the same boat and the one that's fitter or more determined will win. But if you don't go out too fast, and run a smarter race, you could beat people that are fitter than you. To do that well, you'll have to be able to judge your pace and know what you're capable of, or just go by feel. Like Micah said, it should feel easy at the beginning, but you'll have to make a conscious effort to work harder in the middle just to maintain pace. When I run even splits for races like this I usually feel like I'm speeding up, when I'm really just putting in more effort to maintain the pace.

I won't give you any advice on eating before the race because I have yet to find a pre race routine that consistently works for me.

[mlewis73]

This all sounds like good advice. Will feel things out for the first mile... let the ones who are much faster go ahead and will try to keep enough willpower on hand to carry me over the top the last mile or so of the run.

This is gonna be fun...



Thanks,
Mike