Half Marathon Race Day Tips to Improve Your Day
More and more people, even in their mature years, are taking up running as a lifestyle. As a result, there are increasingly more events promoting this physical activity, ranging from trail running and obstacle races to half marathons, marathons, and even ultra marathons where recreational runners can go for up to 6 hours without stopping. It's truly impressive! The discipline that poses the biggest challenge for most recreational runners is definitely the half marathon. Just as with any goal you want to achieve, the first thing that's necessary is a well-prepared plan that you will follow Assuming you've followed the entire plan, prepared well, and finally, the race day has arrived! Today, we're writing to you about the details that matter on race day, which many overlook but can significantly affect your feeling during the run and completely change your overall impression.
Today, we're writing to you about the details that matter on race day, which many overlook but can significantly affect your feeling during the run and completely change your overall impression.
Best race day tips
Ask any experienced runner for their best race day tips and it almost always includes “don’t start too fast” and “don’t try anything new on race day”.
While those two tips are critically important, they skip over a whole host of other mistakes which we’ve all had to learn the hard way and thus maybe block out, not relaying them to you.
These running tips apply whether you’re running a 5K, 10K, half marathon, marathon or more!
Unless you prefer to learn things the hard way, here are 4 mistakes to avoid for a great race and almost all of these tips have an additional article that dives in to detail.
Find the one you’re most concerned about and get all the tips to have your best marathon morning.
Mistake 1: Big Pre-race Dinner
Let’s start with what we do the night before the race, which can derail us.
Over eating means all that food can make you feel sluggish in the morning or impair sleep as your body works to digest things it’s unaccustomed too.
Carbohydrate loading, also known as carb loading, is a well-known strategy used by athletes to maximize their energy stores before a marathon.
Best food for carb loading: fruits such as bananas, oranges, white rice, grapes, vegetables such as potatoes, squash, sweet potatoes and whole grains.
Carb loading offers several benefits for runners and athletes preparing for an endurance event such as a marathon. Let’s look at some of the top ones:
Enhanced endurance: By maximizing glycogen stores, you provide your muscles with a more abundant and easily accessible fuel source, resulting in prolonged endurance during exercise.
Delayed fatigue: Adequate glycogen stores can delay the onset of fatigue, allowing you to maintain a higher intensity for a more extended period.
Improved performance: With sufficient glycogen, your muscles can work harder and perform better, leading to improved overall performance.
Optimal recovery: Carb loading not only benefits your performance during the event but also aids in the recovery process afterward.
Mistake 2: Complicated Layers
Next up is what to remember on race morning: throw away clothes.
Don’t waste energy shivering while waiting at the start line. Always bring a few layers that you can discard in the donation piles as the race countdown begins.
Now that you have clothes you can toss at the start line, consider how you’ll feel as you warm up during the race.
Avoid tying anything around your waist; the extra material will become frustrating as the miles progress and fatigue sets in.
Pick up inexpensive gloves and a long-sleeve shirt. The few dollars spent are worth the added comfot.
Garbage bags are also an easy way to stay warm and repel water if it’s raining!
Double-check anything with zippers to ensure they won’t rub or bother you on race day.
Mistake 3: Underestimating Chafing
While a little anti-chafing skin lubricant on your thighs may suffice on normal days, on race day, it’s time to apply it generously.
Your gait and stride often change later in the race due to increased fatigue.Clothing may also become more saturated with sweat than usual.
These two factors make it crucial to lubricate areas such as toes, heels, legs, underarms, around the waistband, and for men, nipples.
Male runners often find it necessary to wear band-aids for additional protection (an awkward band-aid is far better than a bloody shirt).
Mistake 4: Skipping Electrolytes
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. We’ve all heard the never ending stories about how performance declines with dehydration, but equally important is keeping electrolytes balanced.
A few important reasons to pay attention to electrolytes for runners (beyond these general items):
1. Balanced electrolytes prevent muscle cramping, fatigue and decreased performance
2. Salt tablets (salty foods) only provide 2 of the 5 that you need to stay balanced
3. You can’t replace what you’ve lost all at once, which is why it’s best to consume them during and post exercise
4. Runners trots are also though to be caused by an imbalance of electrolytes (don’t over do the sugary sports drinks that could cause issues too)
5. Muscle cramps while running is one way your body tries to alert you to a balance issue
Conclusion: Marathon Race Day Tips
We’re confident that if you follow these tips, your running experience will be much better, and you’ll have a more enjoyable time throughout the entire race.
The feeling of crossing the finish line is what boosts runners’ confidence and positively impacts other areas of life. We wish you, by following these tips, to have a grand entrance into the finish line!
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