Race Preparation

OK, so it's showtime, here. You can't just piddle through the week and show up to run Sunday morning. Well, you can, but it would be, um, dumb. This is not a 5K. So, here's a bit of a guide...

Preparing this week:
Get familiar with the course - it makes a difference. You've all seen how much better runs go in familiar territory. Go to the race website and print out several copies of the map. Put one in your car, one on your desk at work, one on the nightstand, or on the fridge.

Drive the course - I even tend to stop at the bottom of hills, get out, and walk or jog up them, so I know in my head what it feels like. When you near the top, think about how it's going to be to beat it and not let it wear you down.

Visualize - After driving it, pick up one of those maps every now and then, and run the race in your head (at high speed - please don't sit at work staring at a map for three hours). Run chunks of it in your head. Feel the rhythm of the stretches that will require more effort, and the ones where you'll be able to recover. I promise you this will be a huge benefit to you.

Segment the Course - Break the course into manageable chunks of two to three miles each. Getting through each chunk will be an accomplishment, and it'll be easier than going at all 13 miles at once.

Plan Nutrition - Part of knowing the course is knowing when you'll take your nutrition. What I do is work backwards - I want my last Gu 3 miles out from the finish, and I want them every 30-40 minutes. Water stops are at every even-numbered mile. So, I know I'll Gu at miles 10 and 6. Figure out how many you'll need, and go buy them now - RunTex sells out of everything but "Your Nephew's Dirty Diaper" flavored gel before races. You can also get gels at bike shops, REI, and Academy. You also need to know how you're going to carry what you need to carry.

Have your outfit ready.
You've all run in a variety of conditions. Now, just accept that the weather will be what it will be. That acceptance will give you another big advantage over people that are agonizing about the weather all this week. It might be 29, windy and cold. Fine - what will you wear? Find those pieces, lay them out now.

It might be 65 and humid. Fine - what will you wear?

The rule is to dress for 20 degrees warmer than the temperature. You should know by now what you like. Now is also not the time to try new shorts, socks, jogbras, or some shirts. That's a sure entry to that popular game show, “What’s Gonna Chafe?”

Remember, up to 40% of body heat is lost through your head, most of the rest through your extremities. Plus, blood flow is redirected by your body to keep your organs and brain warm. So, hat and gloves are the most crucial things in cold weather.

In case of rain, have something disposable, or a trash bag with holes for the arms and head. It's nice to be dry while standing around at the start line, then you can rip it off when you get moving.

Got Bodyglide? Bandaids?

Thursday and Friday:
Hydrate. Get a couple of liters of water in you a day, depending on your size. Use some ElectroMix or something similar - available at Central Market, Whole Foods, RunTex, or bike shops.

Friday night:
This is actually your best night to get your carbs. Have a reasonable-sized plate of pasta, not too late in the evening. And get to bed at a reasonable hour. You can forego the clubs for one damned night.

Saturday:
Stay off your feet. This is not the time for a hike, lawn work, walking at the race expo for four hours like I did in Chicago trying to decide if I should buy and wear new clothes for the marathon when I know not to do that (I didn't).

Oh, and don’t forget to pick up your race packet.

Eat early - eat at 5:30 or 6, be done by 7 or 7:30. Why? Because you want to be able to sleep, and you want the food to digest, so that it'll be usable in the race, but yet not filling up your lower intestines demanding immediate release at mile five. Having to pee is fairly common, but you do not want to have to go #2, losing time while your legs cramp up in a cold, nasty porta-potty. And if you try to hold it, your core will tighten up, expending more energy and messing with your mechanics.

Don't drink too late - you want to be able to sleep without getting up constantly through the night.

Get everything together Saturday night, not Sunday morning:

• Pin your race bib to your shirt or shorts. If you are slightly OCD like some coaches, this could take you half an hour to get it perfectly straight. It has to be straight. It just does.
• Put your gels, electrolyte capsules, whatever you're taking on the course, in whatever you're taking them in.
• Pack your drop bag with your pre and post-race stuff.
• Make sure you have what you need for breakfast.

Figure out your morning schedule - work it backwards:

• The race is at 7am.
• You need to be parked and out of the car at 6am AT THE LATEST.
• Maybe it'll take you 30 minutes to get there, so you need to leave your place at 5:30.
• You want to use the restroom (#2) before you leave. Give yourself time (because you never know) - so, on the pot by 5:15.
• You need to allow at least an hour for your breakfast to digest, so you need to be eating at 4:15.
• Set your alarm for 4:15 (you'll eat first). Yeah, this is insane. But so is running 13 miles, so... what the hell?
• Set multiple alarms. Use your alarm clock, your phone, yuor running watch. Get a friend to call you. Leave nothing to chance.

Race morning:

• GET THE HELL UP. No snooze button. This is when being nervous is a good thing, because it'll wake you up.
• Eat first, and have a glass of water, and coffee, if you need it.
• If you've done things right, you have an hour to check the weather, put on your laid-out clothes, make sure your bib number really is straight, and relax. I always turn on News 8, not so much for the crappy reporting, but to check the weather. On the other hand, one morning, the weatherperson’s first words were, “Wow, it is really unpleasantly hot and humid out there.”

At the race:

• DO NOT BE LATE. Period. Non-neogtiable, no excuses. You need to park, pick up your chip, drop your bag (if there's a bag drop), not be overly frazzled, and be ready for a warm-up at 6:15. I have to say, as a group, we’re lousy about this, for our long runs, and the races so far. Well, now it’s showtime, and whether we’ve developed good punctual habits or not, it’s time to get our crap together. BE ON TIME.
• Don't guzzle water. If you've hydrated well, and had some when you got up, you'll be fine with what you get on the course. Drink too much, and you'll have to pee.
• Still, hit the porta-potty after the warmup.

Get to the start line by 6:50. Find your friends. Then... relax. Soak up this moment. Look around at all the people that are about to do something pretty cool. You're one of them. You're probably also better trained and better prepared than most.

This is a lot of stuff, I know. But again, you're running 13.1 miles, asking a lot of your body. You've all worked so hard, you deserve nothing less from yourself than to be as knowledgeable and prepared and mindful as you can possibly be going into this. You're all going to do great.

Tomorrow: The Race Plan. Really, I promise. It's already written. I'm artificially creating suspense, like in a Bruckheimer movie.