Race Lessons from the Shamrock 8K

Well. My second race of the year has come and gone... and it rocked. The weather was beautiful, the crowd was energized and elated, and I had friends by my side! With every race, we learn something. Something about ourselves, our routine or our preparation and allows us to see the areas where we are in need of improvement. This race was no exception; great prep, a solid start and a few changes from my usual running routine helped get me into the mental and physical state to push hard to the finish.

Here is a recap of those all-important items:


PRE RACE:

THE OUTFIT: I planned a trip to Nike the day before the race to pick up some spring training items... it was SO TEMPTING to buy something green to wear at the race the following day however I'M SO GLAD I DIDN'T

Someone once told me, "nothing new on race day" and they were right of course. We've all (me included) put on a fancy new shirt or socks only to have them blister and chaff us during the race. I resisted and went with an old standby. I wanted to feel fast so I opted for a tee shirt, sleeves, shorts, gloves and headband.

LESSON: Good choice. No chaff and I felt fast

MEAL: 1-Slice Whole Grain Toast, Peanut Butter. 1-Banana. Water.
LESSON: This was a good amount of food to eat ~2 Hours Prior. Light and easy yet not too filling

START: I live about 2 miles from the start and decided to run there to warm up.
LESSON: Warm up! I couldn't help but notice how great my muscles felt as I ran through the start shoot. Warm and ready to push forward, I was able to start out fast than normal with the help of a good warm up.

RACE: I see it constantly: headphones. I'm guilty too, I started wearing them during training and for a while, used them during my races. It felt good to listen to music and it helped the time pass.

LESSON: WRONG. I thought it felt good to listen to music and help the time pass... its not. During a race, I need to push.. push my body and push my mind. This takes a level of focus and concentration found in a place without music... a place without distraction. During the 8K I didn't listen to anything but myself- this allowed me to have the dialog I needed to push though the hard moments and reward myself in other moments... it felt amazing.

FINISH and LESSON: As the shoot neared, I felt the feeling every runner or walker seeks. The reason we enter races if the first place... to feel the benefits of hard work. I was greeted warmly by a hug from a friend and the satisfaction of knowing I ran hard and left it all out on the course. 7:37 min/mile average. I'll take it!