How to Study for a Race
July 29, 2023
What do you mean study for a race, don’t you just show up and run? Yes, but not quite. There are 2 sides to a race. Physical training and mental training. Physical training is the easy in your face training; following a program, hours and hours of kilometers/miles, all in an effort to get your body ready for race day. Mental training is a little harder to see sometimes. Studying a race for me involves checking over every detail of a race website…usually multiple times. The race website is the best source of up-to-date information regarding your race. It is your go to for almost any question you could have about the event.
So, what is important to look for and study?
Pre-event: What, where, and when are pre-race festivities happening? Pre-race festivities may include an expo with hundreds of booths set up selling everything from shoes to the latest tech on the market or it may just be picking up your bib and timing chip at a local run shop. The point is that one could take half a day and the other half an hour. Planning for your package pick up is an important part of your plan. Do you really want to be walking around an expo for hours and hours the day before your race? Is there a pre-race dinner, when and where is this happening? All things that are of different levels of importance for each athlete. If you are the type of athlete who likes to have a calm quiet dinner the night before, sitting in a hall with 500+ people for a plate of spaghetti and meatballs may not be for you. Your answer to these questions may also differ from race to race. You may just be
Race morning: Where do you park, is there food and water available, is there a bag/security check, where are the port-a-potties, is there an athlete’s village, are spectators allowed to remain with athletes or are they separated? All things to study to make your morning as stress free as you can.
The event itself: Are there are multiple distances happening at the event? Start times, cutoff times, route maps, aid station location, fuel and hydration available, port-a-potty locations, are there photographers on course? All things to study to make your race as stress free as you can.
Post-race: Where do you meet your friends and family and how far away is it, is there food and hydration available, do you get a medal at the finish, when are the awards handed out, is there a meal after the event, can you get extra tickets for friends and family? Yes, your race is over at this point, but still things to study to make your post-race as stress free as you can.
Results: is there live timing for friends and family to track or is it posted the day after the event? What company is doing the timing and what is their website?
Accommodations/Travel: If you are traveling from out of town there are usually partner hotels that offer discounts for athletes. If you are unfamiliar with the area, what is the closest airport to fly to?
Social Media links: Stay in touch with the goings on directly from the race itself. Instagram, Twitter and Facebook are all used by many organizations to reach a wider audience. Give them a follow or join an athlete group on one of the platforms and start meeting people with the same questions as you.
Each race will have their own way of informing athletes of the details of their individual event. It is up to the athlete to study the information that they are given to prepare for the event. Just like college, some people will study the information multiple times and others will barely look for it. A race is already stressful enough, by studying the information given to you, you will be able to reduce the stress in your life surrounding your race. Take the time and you will be better prepared for your race when the time comes.
Coach Dave.
