You've logged the miles, you've done the crostraining, you're a few
days away from race day, BUT, do you have everything
covered? I've outlined below a 'proposed' race week itinerary that
should have you good to go on race day. Read on!
Monday-
-
Identify your race day wardrobe.
Make
sure whatever you choose is something you're comfortable running in.
Plan for the weather conditions! Take a look at the extended forecast
and plan accordingly! You may want to bring a few different options.
Try
to make sure your wardrobe includes the RUN CLUB shirt so we
can readily identify you on the course! I will be getting QUALITY
glamour shots and possibly video footage on race day! Your 13.1 miles of
glory will be immortalized forever!
-
Nail down your travel plans.
You want to plan on getting to the race start
AT LEAST 30-45 minutes in advance of the actual start. Figure out how you're getting to the start of the half marathon NOW! Don't wait until later this week.
Arriving
well in advance of the start of your race will give you time to use the
restroom, warmup, and make your way to the start. For those driving in
on race morning, allow PLENTY of time! It will likely take time to find
parking if you're driving over.
Tuesday-
-
Scout the course.
Check out the
Golden Gate Half Marathon interactive course map. We've covered a reasonable portion of the course. Be advised there is some climbing associated with this race. Specifically, there is about 1,000 feet of ascent and descent.
-Join me, Coach Toby, or Coach Leslie for our FINAL Tuesday night run of the season! We
hope you decide to join us for one last Tuesday night maintenance run.
As per usual, we'll host casual team dinners following the run if you
want to talk about the race, ask questions, etc.
-
Lube if necessary.
Some
of you have complained about blisters on your toes/feet and chafing
during the course of our training. Well, there's a handy product out
there called 'Body Glide' that you can apply to your feet, thighs,
underarms, or any other area where you encounter friction based
irritation that will help reduce/eliminate this. It may be time to
invest in some. Alternatively, you can use Vaseline, but it can be a bit
on the greasy side.
Gentlemen,
if you have experienced chafing of the nipples (my apologies if this
grosses some of you out), stick a band-aid on both nipples and you
should be good to go.
Wednesday-
-
Schedule a sports massage.
Some
of you may have some residual soreness/tightness that has been
bothering you these past few weeks. Now is the time to be a bit
self-indulgent. In addition, to taking an extra day off and/or cutting a
workout short, indulge in a nice sports massage to help knock out those
last few kinks. I'd recommend scheduling one for
Thursday or
Friday, ideally.
Once again,
PSOAS Massage & Bodywork always gives us
10% off, so take advantage of this discount and get some work done!
-
Nail down race nutrition items.
I
introduced you to GUs this season and hopefully you managed to identify
the items that work best for you. Remember that you should be consuming
one of the aforementioned items approximately every 45-60 minutes
during the race to keep yourself performing at a high level.
Water
and/or an electrolyte beverage will be provided about every mile or so.
Try to coordinate consumption of GUs (or whatever you're using) in
conjunction with the water stops. Just a reminder that any product you
bring should be washed down with WATER, NOT an electrolyte beverage.
Thursday-
-Join
me for an 'easy' speed workout @ 6:30PM at the Marina Green Monkey Bars
followed by happy hour at Monaghan's (3243 Pierce Street).
I'll host a lighter, easier speed workout on Thursday night that will likely entail some simple fartlek drills.
Following
the workouts, I'm hosting a casual happy hour at Monaghan's. I will have
shirts on site and I am happy to answer any questions you may have
regarding the race!
-Focus on complex carbs.
OK,
we're a few days from the race and now is the time to start making
some adjustments to your diet to help insure you're properly fueled for
race day. Think whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread, whole wheat
bagels, organic fruits/vegetables, etc.
Some folks
only 'carboload' the day/night before an endurance event, but the
reality is that carboloading this late in the game won't give you much
bang for the buck. If you start a few days prior, your are insuring that
your glycogen stores (primary fuel source) are topped off. This doesn't
mean eat carbs EXCLUSIVELY!
But, if your diet
normally doesn't include much of the aforementioned, make a conscious
effort to include more at this juncture.
-Hydrate properly.
One way you can identify whether or not
you are properly hydrated is by looking at the color/quantity of your
urine. In short, 'clear' and 'copious' is what you're looking for,
respectively. You should start making a conscious effort in making sure
this is what you're seeing in the days leading up to the race.
Friday-
-Get a good night's sleep.
Given
the early start time we have on Sunday and some pre-race nerves, it's
not unlikely that you may not get a ton of sleep the night before the
race. Ultimately, this isn't a big deal and has not proven to have a
significant impact on race day performance by and large.
So,
don't sweat it too much. BUT, try to make a conscious effort to get a
solid night's sleep on Friday. Make it a quiet evening of quality,
complex carbs, rest, and relaxation!
Saturday-
-Get your race bib at the Expo!
You MUST get your bib and shirt at the expo which takes place at Herbst Pavilion at Fort Mason Center on Saturday from 10AM-6PM. I will be at the expo should you have any last minute questions/concerns.
-Eat dinner early.
Given
the early start time on Sunday morning-7AM, I'd encourage you to target
5PM or 5:30PM to get your final meal of the day. Again, you probably
want to focus on complex carbs for this meal and try to stay away from
anything that is spicy or markedly different from anything you would
normally eat.
If you have a particularly sensitive stomach, you may want to plan on bringing your own food for this meal.
-Lay out your outfit for race morning.
I'd
STRONGLY encourage all of you to lay out all the items you need for
race morning on a chair or on the floor next to your bed before you go
to bed. This includes your shirt, your hat, shorts, shoes, gels, socks,
race bib, etc. Have everything laid out so that when you get up in the
morning, you won't have to even think about it, you can just put
everything on and you're good to go.
-Set your alarm clock, set your alarm on your cell phone, and request a wake up call from a friend or two (if they're willing).
This
three pronged approach virtually GUARANTEES you will be up in the
morning on time! You should plan on being near the race start area
AT LEAST 30-45 MINUTES PRIOR TO START!
Sunday-
-ARRIVE AT THE START AREA AT LEAST 30-45 MIN. PRIOR TO THE RACE!
I'd
STRONGLY encourage all of you to arrive at least 30-45 min. early. This
gives you time to warmup, use the bathroom, change clothes, get your
race bib (if necessary) and get positioned near the start.
THERE
WILL BE NO FORMAL WARMUP PRIOR TO THE RACE. BUT, we will 'informally'
congregate at the bottom of Fort Mason Hill near Aquatic Park.
I am leading the 1:45 pace group, but will swing BACK to hopefully catch all of you coming through the finish once I am done.
I will do
my level best to catch all of you on race day, but I need your help!
There will be over 5,000 people running! If you wear your Run Club shirt, you will be making my job MUCH EASIER!
Look
for me in my Run Club shirt and my boombot! That's right....I
will be playing power songs for the entire 13.1 miles! I will be
looking for all of you for 'glamour shots' with my camera after mile 2!
-Pace Accordingly!
OK, so
you're probably going to feel pretty amped when the gun goes off, but
please HOLD BACK and PACE ACCORDINGLY! You 'should' have a solid handle
at this juncture on what you can maintain for 13.1 miles. Focus on
running at your comfortable, conversational pace. There will be mile
markers along the course.
If you run 10 min. pace,
your watch should reflect roughly 10:00 at the one mile mark, 20:00 at
the two mile mark, and so one. RESIST the urge to go out fast. If
anything run a bit SLOWER the first few miles (10:10-10:15) and EASE
into your comfortable, conversational pace. I want to make sure you have
something left in the tank those last few miles!
-Take water/sports drink at every opportunity.
Even
if you aren't necessarily feeling thirsty, TAKE IT ANYWAY! Some of you
may have heard of 'hyponatremia' which is often associated with taking
in too much water. Let me emphasize that 'hyponatremia' is MOST
PREVALENT in marathons where elapsed time on the road exceeds 4-5 hours.
So, this means that there is virtually zero chance of this being an
issue for any of you.
-How to handle water stops/stations on race day-
There
will be several of these along the course. Typically, there are several
tables laid out. DO NOT GO TO THE FIRST TABLE YOU SEE! Let the other
runners slow down and bump into each other to get their water and
electrolyte drink. Try to go to the LAST TABLE you see at the water
station to avoid slowing down or possibly stumbling. Certainly you can
walk through the water stations if you like.
-How to drink water and/or electrolyte drink on the run-
When
you get your cup of water or electrolyte drink, pinch the top of the
cup closed and fold one of the corners over so you effectively have a
small, narrow 'spout'. Pour carefully into your mouth. If you don't want
to walk through water stops/stations, this is the best way I know of to
drink while running.
-Take a GU every 45-60 minutes.
Make
sure you get some simple carbohydrates (GUs or some other form of
simple carbs) in your system every 45-60 min. This will help you
continue to perform at a high level. Make sure to wash any nutrition
product down with WATER not an electrolyte drink.
-Be mentally tough!
You've
done the work. You've endured the long runs. You've tapered. You know
how to fuel/hydrate properly. Remind yourself of all the hard work and
preparation you've done those last few miles when you might be feeling a
bit tired. YOU CAN DO THIS!!! YOU ARE READY FOR GLORY!
-Expedite race recovery.
As
quickly as possible, get a quality combination of carbohydrates/protein
in your system (remember 4 carbs: 1 protein is OPTIMAL for recovery.
Chocolate Milk has this ratio.) I'd also encourage you to walk around
for a few minutes to help increase circulation and help flush the lactic
acid out of your system. If you have a stick or foam roller handy,
spend some quality time with it!
