Every year our town comes together for a wonderful race in support of Uxbridge Cottage Hospital. This event draws out quite a number of runners, from a collection of seasoned veterans and many new faces braving the race for the first time!
Even for the most practiced runners the weeks and days leading up to the race can be stressful with all the hope and hard work that you’ve invested in your goals, you want to do your best!
Arriving at the starting line, whether it be for the 5K, 10K, or Half Marathon race, you want to be feeling calm, healthy, and ready to run your best. Here are just a few reminders to help keep you on track in the critical week, days, and hours before that starting gun fires, and to help for a safe and speedy recovery after you cross the finish line.
1 Week before the race:
- Stop stressing: This race is not just about your time, and fitness goals, this event is a happily attended community event! People of all fitness levels with a broad range of abilities will be in attendance. You will be surrounded by like-minded individuals looking out for one another, get caught up in the camaraderie and positivity! Look for NRG 4 Life staff for a pre-race warm-up and a few encouraging words before you set off.
- Check out the route beforehand: Click here to see the route of Uxbridge’s run for the diamond. Study the map, take a drive, or where applicable take a walk around the route to get a great feel for race day! *Make special note of the starting line, that’s the most important part!
- Eat what works for you: Its best to stick to what you know in this case, and what has worked best for your stomach in the past. (Think, fuel and power foods but no drastic digestive changes)
A few days before the race:
- Don’t do anything new: Race week isn’t the time to try new shoes, food, drinks, gear, or anything else you haven’t used on several workouts. Stick with what works for you!
- Get off your feet: In the days before the race, try and stay off your feet and away from strenuous activities. Relax, and leave the lawn mowing, or long sightseeing trips till after your race!
- Graze, don’t chow down: Rather than devouring a gigantic bowl of pasta the night before the race, which could upset your stomach, try eating carbs in small increments throughout the day before the race.
- Keep track of that Bib: The night before the race, lay out your clothes, and if you have your bib, fasten it on. That’s the one thing you need at the starting line. Don’t show up without it!
Race day:
- Limit your sipping: You definitely need to stay hydrated the day of the race but don’t overfill your stomach with water/hydration drinks etc! 30 minutes before the start of the race, sip if your mouth is dry. If your feeling particularly athletic, just swish it around and spit it out! Your best bet is to keep hydrated throughout the day, aim for half your body weight in ounces. Example: If you weight 200lbs – aim for 100 ounces of water. 160 lbs – aim for 80 ounces. (over the course of the day!)
- Arrive Early: Get to the race at least one hour before the start so you’ll have time to pick up your number (if you don’t already have it), use the washroom, and warm up.
- Identify yourself: Put your name, address, cell phone #, bib # and email address clearly on your race bib, or find a non-invasive way to carry this ID information.
- Bring a trash bag: Yepp, for real! This will save you from sitting on the wet grass to stretch, and can act as a rain poncho if it starts to drizzle pre-race!
- Don’t overdress: It will probably be cool in the morning/at the start of the race but avoid wearing more clothing than you will need. Dress for 15-20 degrees warmer than it is outside. To stay warm at the start you will want to bring clothes you can throw off after your warm up.
- Set (at least) 2 goals: Goal number 1, should be for the ‘perfect race day’. Goal number 2, is your back up goal, in case it is incredibly windy, rainy, or it is just not your body’s day. If something arises that makes goal # 1 impossible halfway through your race, you are going to want goal # 2 to encourage you to keep going!
- Fix it sooner, not later: If your shoelace is getting untied, or you start to chafe early in the race, take care of it before it becomes a real problem later in the race.
- Line up early: You don’t want to be rushing to the starting line, so don’t wait for the last call to get there.
- Start Slow, and stay even: Run the first 10 % of the race slower than you normally would, with the idea that you’ll finish strong. Don’t try to “bank” time by going out faster than your goal pace. If you do that, you risk burning out early. Try to keep an even pace throughout the race, and save your extra energy for the final stretch to the finish.
After the race:
- Keep moving: Get your medal and keep walking for at least 10 minutes to fend off stiffness and gradually bring your heart rate back to its resting state. Be sure to do some post-race recovery stretches to stretch out your legs, back and hips. We recommend booking in for one of our Yoga classes or coming in to use our stretching space for a little light work, foam rolling etc. Click here to book into a class or check out the space you can use after the race!
- Refuel: There are usually snacks at the finish line, but what the race provides may not sit well with you. To recover quickly, bring a snack with a combination of protein to rebuild muscles and healthy carbs to re-stock your energy stores. Consume it within 30 minutes of finishing the race.
- Get warm/Stay warm: Change out of the sweaty clothes you ran in, and into dry clothes as soon as possible. Your core temperature will start to drop pretty fast, despite feeling warm and tired, so keep your temperature up to help with muscle soreness/stiffness.
- The next day, get going: As sore as you might feel the day after the race it is important to do some sort of non-impact activity like swimming, cycling, yoga, light Pilates, or working out on an elliptical. Check out our classes running for the days following the race and book in now to secure your spot and hold you accountable to keep going!