April 28, 2024

Racing? Here are your race prep basics.

April 15, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Get Fit Quick Tip:

4 Racing Basics

There are a few racing basics important to keep in mind heading into your race day. Here are 4 to commit to memory:

 

Embrace your nerves. Many athletes experience pre-race nerves. Nerves mean the event is important to you and you want to do your best. Nerves happen with uncertainty or with the unknown. Accept your anxiety simply as part of the process. Instead of allowing nerves to paralyze you, enable them to empower you.

Master the art of letting-it-go. You’re distracted by someone along the race course? Let it go. Your pre-race ritual was interrupted? Let it go. Another athlete cut you off at the hydration station? Let it go. Focus on your race, your miles.

Stick to your race plan. Never try anything new on race day. Only do what you’ve practiced in training. Stick to your pre-race meal plan. Your clothing. Your hydration schedule. Your pace.

Visualize your finish daily. Every night before going to sleep, visualize in full detail finishing your race strong. During your race when miles become tough, play back the well rehearsed mental picture of your strong finish. You’ll be able to change your emotional/mental state mid-race and reset your resolve to keep moving forward.

 

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Are you having FUN?

August 14, 2015 By Leave a Comment

YES, your fitness should be FUN!

Laugh, run, play, act silly. Why? Because it’s FUN and having fun is motivating! If you’re not enjoying your workout (at least most of the time), change it!

Put the FUN back in your workouts: Join #HealthyWayMag Fitness Chat on Twitter every Monday at 5pm(Pacific)/8pm(Eastern)!

Simply log onto your Twitter account and follow @HealthyWayMag to participate. Questions for discussion will be posted as Question 1, “Q1″, Question 2, “Q2″ and so on. Contribute your answer and experience via answers to Question 1 noted as “A1″, answer to Question 2 as “A2″ and so on.

Interact with others, chat, exchange ideas, training tips and have fun!

 

Monday August 17, 2015 #HealthyWayMag Fitness Chat Sponsored by Swagtastic Virtual Race:

A virtual race is an organized event held online. The benefits? Participants can join in from all over the country, and you race on your own time and schedule. Join Swagtastic Virtual Race and run or walk to benefit Medals4Mettle, and you’ll receive a swag bag filled with over 20 health, fitness and endurance products! Choose from 5K, 10K, half marathon or marathon and complete your miles between October 9, 2015 and October 12, 2015. Self-track your time and your miles. Virtual races are a great way to connect with fellow fitness enthusiasts, put a goal to your workouts and support a non-profit group all at the same time. Join in the fun on Twitter, @SwagtasticRace. Registration is OPEN!

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Race Day Success for Runners By Nicole Bryan

November 24, 2013 By Leave a Comment

RUNHEALTHY code is good through 12/11/13 to save $2 on RunnerBox, TriBox or Gluten Free Box. Order yours HERE! This article is sponsored by RunnerBox: RunnerBox is your opportunity to sample new products and gear without investing in a large supply. Runnerbox combines convenience and cool- they offer a subscription box full of great running, triathlon and fitness products! Delivered right to your door, you’ll explore and learn about new products to make your fitness better. They make it easy and cost-efficient to find new products to love! Treat yourself with a subscription, or gift a friend with a one time GiftBox. www.therunnerbox.com

 

Keys to Race Day Success for Runners By Nicole Bryan

Nothing new on race day. If you haven’t trained with it, don’t use it on race day. And yes, this also applies to the race event shirt. Nothing new refers to foods, hydration schedule, clothing and technique. That’s what your training is for, to practice your race day ideas. By the time race day rolls around, you should have a solid tried and true clothing choice, pre, during and post-calorie choice, hydration specifics (how, what and when details.) Take notes during your training to keep track of what works for you and what doesn’t. No guess-work on race day.

Don’t go out too fast. The adrenaline at the start of a race is powerful. When the gun goes off it seems all athletes bolt out of the corrals leaving their timing goals along the way side, then feeling drained a few miles in. However, sticking to your trained race pace is what will serve you best. So while letting other runners pass you left and right is a challenge for the ego, doing so means you’ll have energy at the end of the race to finish strongly and maybe even ahead of pace. Shooting for a negative-split is always an effective motivation tool to stick to pace in the early miles.

Don’t miss hydration. Water stations are often packed with runners darting here and dashing there. Sometimes we feel great and are spot on our pace, leaving us with the false sense that “missing this one hydration stop won’t make a difference.” But in reality, it will! Racing is a cumulative event, which means early and often hydration is key in longer events. So, stick to your hydration schedule even if it means a slight delay or jockey of position to make it happen. Memorize water station locations along the course and plan ahead by changing your position about 100 yards before to easily allow access to support offered.

Immediate attention. Things happen during a race, especially long distance runs. An athlete never knows what the day will bring, so becoming an artist at being resourceful immediately is essential. For example, if you’re shoe doesn’t feel right, don’t run the next 3 miles trying to work through it. Stop immediately and fix it. Otherwise you’re risking compounding the situation which will lead to further discomfort and interrupting your race, and maybe even injury.

Conserve your energy. Bottom line is, technique counts. Being mindful of form during the race is just as important as during your training miles. Paying attention to how your body is working will insure your muscles are working at full-energy. When you begin to fatigue, do your posture check and your body scan. Reset your posture, adjust your form, go back to basics and then power on efficiently.

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5 Tips to Better Racing by Kristie Cranford, CPT

May 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Knowing how to race is just as important as logging all your training. There are specific actions to take, and just as important, specific actions to avoid before you toe the line. Here are your 5 expert tips to better racing:

Do train within your ability

If you truly want to exceed in racing, do train within your ability.  Find the race distance and estimated time that fits within your current or achievable ability.  Training for a pace you cannot realistically achieve can lead to burnout and injury.  Training for a distance your life schedule does not allow time for can lead to burnout and unnecessary stress.  You want to enjoy the training process, not stress about it.  Set yourself up for success, not failure.

Don’t do anything new race day

Experiment with food, drink, clothing, shoes, and everything well before race day.  Have it all down to a science.  You want to be a practiced well-oiled machine race day and not risk digestive, energy or clothing issues.

Don’t start out too fast

Don’t burst out of the gate with all you have, once that energy is expelled you will never get it back.  On the back end of the race you’ll come up short with the extra energy burned during an over exuberant start.

Do pick the right race for you

If you have a specific goal in mind, find a race that will help you to reach your goal.  Find one with an optimal course and entrant size to assist you.  A race that is too crowded or has a lot of elevation challenges may be a fun race, but may put too many odds against you.

Do allow for rest between races

Allow your body recovery time between races.  Your body gets stronger and repairs at rest and recovery.  Too much racing will lead to declining performance, burnout and injury.

This article is written by Kristie Cranford, CPT. A wife, mother, multiple cancer survivor and competitive athlete, Kristie is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer as well as a Certified Running/Triathlon Coach for PRS FIT. Living in Las Vegas, she is 2012 Coolibar sponsored athlete, 2013 Training Peaks Ambassador and Raw Elements Sunscreen Ambassador. Contact information: Email: CoachKristieLV@yahoo.com, http://www.coachkristie.com, www.prsfit.com.

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Why Race? Written By Hope Epton

April 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment

This article is sponsored by RecoFit.
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Why Race? Written by Hope Epton
 
If you have been on the Internet, you are bound to have seen advertisements for an array of races, in many distances, all over the world. You may also wonder, why would you race? Why would you pay money to do something you can otherwise for free? It’s all about the PLACES.

 

 

Progress
Race events often allow us to measure how far we’ve come in a particular sport. While we train, we push ourselves, but on race day, there is likely more adrenaline, the crowd, the cheers, we will go harder than usual. If the course is certified, it may give you a better idea of your race pace, and a more accurate reading of your overall time and pace.

Lifestyle
There is something to be said for the thrill of race day, coupled with the continued motivation of a packed race schedule. Typically, smaller local 5k’s and sprint triathlons are organized to benefit charities or causes, which may add more of an interest. Signing up for a few races a year, will likely keep you motivated to keep moving all year long, even after the season change and the weather becomes challenging.

Activity
Plain and simple, it’s something to do that is healthy and fun. Some events are even family friendly with additions of shorter distances such as tot trots, and one mile runs for kids. It’s an activity that you can look forward to doing, and make a great time of it. Some events may become traditions for the family to participate in, year after year.

Community
What better way to meet like-minded people than to sign up for a race? The event itself will provide positive reinforcement, a place to cheer and be cheered on. You may even find a local club, which organizes additional activities, meet-ups, training clinics and support.

Experience
There is something to be said for experiencing something new. The race experience is full of emotions; nerves, excitement, and thrill of the unknown, even if you’ve done races previously. It can also be a useful way to gauge how effective your training has be, and areas you need to improve.

Swag
Yes, the most selfish and materialistic reason to race, the swag. A typical race will not only give you a free t-shirt, but a finishers medal as well. These collectibles can be yours to show off, craft into something special, or donate to other programs.

Regardless of your motivation to race, it’s about all about the places you go, the people you meet and the memories you make.
 
This article is written by Hope Epton. Hope is an ACSM Certified Health Fitness Specialist.

You will never succeed, if you never try! Check out Hope’s blog: http://SportyMom.me, her Facebook Page: http://facebook.com/SportyMomme, follow her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SportyMomme, on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/SportyMomme, and Instagram: SportyMomme.

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