After weeks or even months of training, it all comes down to your goal race! It’s normal to feel a bit nervous, but you should just trust the training you’ve done and try to enjoy the race. Those pre-race jitters, though? You can help calm them a bit by preparing and organizing yourself thoroughly for race day. Here are some tips that’ll help you get ready in the last couple of weeks before your race.
Study the course
Look on the race website or in the brochures for the race so you have an understanding of what the course entails in terms of the actually direction of the race and the elevations. If you are able to, drive the route before race day to familiarize yourself with it.
Check the weather
A few days before the race, start checking the forecast so you can start deciding what you will wear for the race. If it looks like it will be cold the morning of, plan to have an old sweatshirt, a garbage bag, or even a ratty blanket that you can have at the race start that you can ditch once you warm up from running.
Test different foods and beverages
In the weeks leading up to race day, experiment with your food and hydration so you can be sure you don’t eat anything that’ll bother your stomach on race day. If you plan on drinking an electrolyte beverage, check the race website to see what type will be offered on the course if that’s what you plan on consuming, and train using it to ensure you like how it tastes and that it agrees with you. Avoid eating foods you are unfamiliar with the night before and the morning of your race.
Get plenty of rest
The week before the race is not one you want to have tons of plans and activity. You might be so nervous the night before the race that you may not sleep much, so focus on getting plenty of rest in week leading up to it. Try to stay off your feet (especially the day prior) so you feel fresh for your run.
Lay out all of your running gear
Most races start at the crack of dawn. You might be tired or nervous that morning and rather than rush around in a panicgetting your things together, gather and lay out every item you’ll need for the race the day before. That includes every item of gear you are wearing, packing your bag if you’re checking one, and pinning your bib onto your top (after all, you don’t want to discover at the last minute you don’t have any safety pins in your race kit to do this!).
