Spring racing season is upon us! Whether you are gearing up for the Chattanooga Marathon or have a St. Patrick’s Day race on the horizon, check out these tips every runner should adopt before pinning on their bib.
Best of luck on your 5K, half marathon, or full marathon from Chattanooga’s favorite running store – Front Runner Athletics! Share your pre and post race thoughts with us by tagging @FrontRunnerAthletics on Facebook and @ChattanoogaRun on Instagram!
Wear Gear You Trust
While we would love to see you at Front Runner getting new gear, race day is not the day to buy it for. Stick to wearing clothing that wicks and that you have already trusted during your training runs. Lay out the entire outfit the night before, including all the small accessories, down to the ponytail hair band, so you are confident you will be comfortable racing. Knowing exactly what your race gear is will help you envision the race while increasing your chance of getting more quality shut eye the night before your big day!
Nutrition. Nutrition. Nutrition.
Besides keeping a water bottle at arms reach at all times several days before the race, make sure you are also aware of what else you are putting in your body. Remember, everyone’s nutritional needs are different so there is no one meal or calorie intake that is perfect. A good rule of thumb, however, is to stick to consuming carbs and avoid acidic foods. Avoid changing your diet too much before the race should decrease your risk of getting an upset stomach.
Have a Race Day Plan
From knowing where to park (we all know Chattanooga can be complicated sometimes!) to reviewing the race route, create a race day plan that takes the guessing out of your race day experience. Here are a few things we suggest having a plan for: Time to set alarm(s), pace per each mile plan, position in race corral, bathroom plan (plan on a line on race morning!), and stretches/warm up plan.
Review Post Race Thoughts
Hopefully you kept a journal or maybe even posted to social media about your thoughts on your last race. Do you wish you had gone out slower? Did you stop at the water/nutrition stops? How early did you arrive before race start – Was it early enough? What did you eat the night before and morning of the race?
If you didn’t keep a journal of your post race thoughts, considering writing down pre race and post race thoughts. Having fresh memories on paper will increase your chances of a better race in the future!
