My sister in-law
recently asked me for some race tips because she is thinking of running a half
marathon. As I started to put my “tips” together I realized it was
actually quite of bit of information and I decided I would put it out there for
anyone who is in her same shoes and might need some candid information.
Note: I am not a fantastic runner, especially not
by most runners’ standards. My fastest marathon
was at a steady 11 minute mile pace.
Which is not fast. And I by no means look like a marathon runner.
But I am. I have run 8 marathons with another in the works this October
and I have several half marathons and other races under my feet as well.
And with that experience
comes my recommendations for those who are thinking of trying their feet
hand at a race. These may not be "official" tips, but they
are things I have learned in my 10 years of running. And boy have I learned it.
1 - Buy a good pair of running shoes. Running
shoes should be replaced every 300 miles and if they are not, they can easily
cause injury. Buy a new pair! I recommend getting ½ size
larger than you usually wear to avoid your toes rubbing on your shoes, which
could lead to lost toe nails. Try on several pair. Do a little jog in the store, on the
tile. It makes a difference. You don’t want to buy uncomfortable shoes,
especially when you will be wearing them for many, many miles.
2 - Know what you are getting yourself into. Start with a
shorter race and work your way up. A 5k and a 10k are great
starters. I did start with a half marathon as I was not at all into
running when I started and I allowed my sister to convince me to do one,
against my better judgment (at the time).
I definitely stick by this sentiment for anyone thinking of running a
full marathon. I really
recommend that you run a half marathon first, and if you can’t imagine yourself
running another 13.1 miles after the 13.1 you just completed, stick with half
marathons. But if you feel like you
could do that all over again, you are a glutton for punishment you can
run a full marathon.
3 - Run a fun/good race. Some races are much better than others. There
are a lot of factors: organization, entertainment, course difficulty, etc. These
factors make a HUGE difference. If your race is boring or extra hard
because it is all uphill or you really
don’t know when the next water table/restroom will be you just might finish the
race and never want to do it again because of the lack of awesome you could
have experienced…or maybe they didn’t give out finishers medals. Seriously. Do
not run a race that doesn’t give out finishers medals. They are
lame.
I love Disney races,
they are well planned and just fun (pricy, but worth it). The Rock
n’ Roll series is pretty great as well, they have some great entertainment
during the race. The St. George Marathon was voted the most organized
marathon by Runner’s World in 2010, and it is a pretty great race (and
beautiful to boot!). Ask people who have
run the race if they recommend it and decide from there.
4 - Plan your training. I will look at the date of the race and work
backwards on my training schedule. You should be running short runs 3-5 days a
week and a long run once a week. The short run’s mileage should add
up to the distance of the long run. For example, if your long run is
8 miles, you should run four 2 mile short runs. Also add in some
cross training/strength training on the days you aren’t running, or in addition
to your short run. Each long run day you will want to increase your
mileage by 1-2 miles depending on the time you have before your race. Don’t
run the full race distance as the long run the week before your race, do half
the distance, but be sure to run at least 11 miles prior to your half marathon,
and at least 18 (but please try to
get in about 22) before a full marathon. And it may go without saying,
but please train. It is easy to put off
long runs, or even short runs, but this will make a huge difference. If you don’t train, your body will not be
prepared and you can get injured and/or have a horrible experience. I’ve had my
fair share of well/not well trained-for races.
I will take the well trained races any day.
Here are a couple of great
plans to follow for half marathon training: http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51131/Half-Marathon-Novice-1-Training-Program http://www.fitsugar.com/Half-Marathon-Training-Schedule-Beginners-2845222
5 - Train your stomach. Your body needs to know what you will take in before/ during your
runs. If you eat something your body isn’t used to, especially on a
long run, you will find your body will get angry, and you will need to find a restroom
fast. Not to mention you’ll be
uncomfortable which makes for a miserable run. I usually try different
foods before/during my short runs. My
classic go-to is a banana and a piece of wheat bread with peanut butter or
oatmeal with a banana and then I stick to that before most/all runs so when I
do my long run, my body handles it well. If you are doing long, long
runs, pack some items with you to help re-fuel during the miles. Most races have things like orange wedges or
half bananas for the runners, so get your body ready for them just in case you
want them during the race.
6 - Make sure to fuel your body. Water and Powerade are
important, but make sure you include more fuel, like Gu or Gu Chomps (the
chomps are much more easy for me to stomach because the texture is much better)
or Clif-type bars. These help you to maintain
the energy you need to run. You need this. Train with
this. Don’t try Gu or Clif bar for the
first time during the race, see #5.
Also, a new flavor may not bode well and you might gag/puke as some are
not good if you don’t know what to expect.
No lies.
7 - Don’t do anything new before a long run. Don’t buy a
new sports bra or clothes in general. Don’t
wear socks you haven’t worn running before. Don’t eat something
different. Nothing new (I don’t even recommend you trimming your toe
nails right before. Do it a day or two
before your long run). New things could
cause a myriad of unpleasant consequences you don’t want to have to deal with
when running 10 miles plus. Better to try the new thing out on a 2
-4 mile run so you know if you should kick it or keep it for your next long
run/race.
8 - Pain killers. After a while you start to
feel the burn of tired/sore muscles. To avoid this, I take a pain
killer with my pre-race meal. I like Excedrin because it has
acetaminophen, aspirin and caffeine. But I am also a huge fan of
ibuprofen as it has an anti-inflammatory.
9 - Plan to avoid bowel distress. On a too-much-information
note, when running many miles, you will get some bowel distress (usually
regardless of your prep from number 5). It happens to all of
us. I take an anti-diarrheal with my pre-run meal as well to help
avoid bowel distress. Trying to find a usable bathroom while in
distress is awful and uncomfortable. And I have seen waaay too many
marathoners who haven’t, uh, made it to the toilet, and you can see/smell the
results their entire run. Awful.
I’ve had many people
tell me that this is the best tip I have given them…and has helped them with
their running the most as they could focus on running and not on what else
their body was doing. Just don’t take
too much anti-diarrheal, being constipated during a race is also unpleasant.
10 - Miscellaneous.
·
Lubricate your feet or any place that might rub: your thighs,
where your bra touches under your armpit, etc.
This will help against chaffing, which makes for an uncomfortable
race. I love the Chamois Butt’r. It is pricy up front, but will last a long
time.
·
Get a running belt to carry chapstick, gum, tissues (your nose
will run too). Don’t have it be too
bulky or it will bounce and just be super annoying.
·
Check the race course and other details before the race. You want to be prepared for hills (do some
decent hill training), where the water stops are and other expectations like
cut off times etc. We usually train to only have water every 2-3 miles during
our long runs as that is the general distance between water stops/restrooms on
a race.
11 - Focus on the accomplishment ahead of you. This is
what got me through training and some of my hardest races (The Goofy Race and a
Half Challenge). And it is for this reason that I have signed up for all of my
races following the first one I ran in 2003. There truly is a
runner’s high, and it is at its peak for me when I cross that finish line and
know what I just accomplished. I cry every time. Every
time.
I need this to keep me
going during the race sometimes too.
During the aforementioned Goofy Race and a Half Challenge, I was
struggling big-time. And I saw a man standing on the side of the race with his
three medals around his neck and I started bawling. BAWLING. Because THAT was what I was doing
this for - to know that I accomplished what I set out to do. I was NOT going to quit. I’m getting emotional just typing this
because I love that feeling so much. It
makes it all worth it to me.
12 - You will be sore. The morning after a race is death.
Your legs and muscles you-didn’t-think-had-anything-to-do-with-running
will ache. Going downstairs, stepping off curbs or picking up anything that
falls to the floor will be a chore. Lowering
yourself into a sitting position will be miserable. I personally love Tiger Balm on sore muscles,
I feel like they aren’t as sore, or that they feel better faster when I rub it
on my muscles. I also advise that even
though you have sore muscles, don’t just sit.
Move around a little so your muscles don’t stay stiff. After my longest race I walked all day around
Disney World, and although getting on and off rides was a nightmare, ultimately
all the walking helped my muscles recover faster because they didn’t stay stiff
and stationary.
I hope these tips
help. I definitely have a love-hate
relationship with running. But the love
always seems to out-do the hate, that is why I keep running.
