Race Week Do(s) & Don’t(s)

I think we all countdown to our important favorite races. We all know that I have personally been counting down to the Palos Half (aka: Southwest Half Marathon in Palos, IL) since early this week. Apparently, I’m not the only one so I thought this would be a good time to go through a few tips for our upcoming race week.

If you haven’t registered and would like to join the excitement , please register HERE now because the race is almost at capacity! This is a premier running event on the Southside of Chicago and if you live in the southern suburbs then you are surely to know ten one or two people racing on May 6th in Palos. Come run with us.

Entering the weekend before the race, my legs are dead and very tired. This is a good thing because by cutting back my mileage next week I will be fresh and a bit antsy on the start line. You want to be antsy, to feel as if you haven’t ran/done enough “this week” when you get up race morning. This is GOOD and means you are fresh and ready to bust out a fast pace!

RACE WEEK

DO	*DON’T*
Drink lots of fluids – water!	Drink a lot of alcohol
Get plenty of sleep	Stay up late watching the Twilight Zone TV
Cut back your mileage/workouts	Stairmaster, Run 40 miles & Bike Hickory Creek (The Hills!)
Swim & focus on lower intensity activities that keep the blood moving	Drown because you are trying to swim 20 miles to make up for “not” running
Run a few easy miles	Take the entire week off
Eat some good carbs (whole wheat pasta with veggies & lean protein, non-spicy marinara if you have a sensitive tummy!)	Stuff yourself at a pasta dinner the night before the race and use the excuse you are “carb loading”
Stretch & Ice	Use heat for sore muscles
Visualize the race & the finish clock with *YOUR* time	Sell yourself short or be afraid of race pace
Plan to take more fuel than you “think” you need to the race	Try a new type of fuel or hydration on race day
Charge your iPod & GPS watch	Forget your iPod & GPS Watch
Plan for post-race recovery	Assume that the race will have what *YOU* need to recover. I always have my Post Workout Recovery Drink in my checked bag along with a bagel, banana & water.
Have a confident, positive attitude	Freak out or feel as if you didn’t do enough

For me, my race week plan will include: SAT (4/28) – 10 mile run at an easy pace, SUN – Bike, MON – Swim, TUE – 2-3 miles with fast turnover, WED – easy 6 miles, THUR rest, FRI – easy 3 miles, SAT- Rest, SUN – RACE.

I have to keep it very low key the week before a race so that I’m fresh. I have arrived on the start line ready to race mentally many a times and then quickly realized that my body was not recovered enough to hit the times. What do you do for race week; anything special? Do you have any race week tips? Help us out!

Happy Running & Racing, Amanda – TooTallFritz