On Sunday, November 21st, some of the runners in our Fall Running Group will be doing their first half marathon.
This post is dedicated to you.
Dear runners,
Congratulations! I know, you haven’t even completed yet, but anyone who’s trained for any sport knows that the PREPARATION that leads to the big day is what no one sees but what is responsible for creating the race day.
This fall, we’ve endured the following together…runs in the rain, runs that were shorter than planned, runs that were longer than intended, HILLS, running in the dark, running HILLS in the rain AND the dark. You should be rewarded for just showing up!
For those of you doing your first ever Half Marathon, this weekend is the culmination of lots of work and a little anxiety perhaps. Here are a few tips that might make the day go favorably:
1. Rest this week. No fast or hard workouts this week. You want to have fresh legs. Go to bed early so you can get extra sleep, especially two nights before- you might be too nervous the night before to sleep very well. Don’t panic if that happens, stay horizontal and practice step number 2
2. Visualize your ideal race day. Since you’ll be running less this week, spend time with your eyes closed imaging all the sensations you’ll experience having the best run you’ve ever had. Before my full marathon, many years ago, I rehearsed the course in my mind, in detail repeatedly, along with telling myself how great I felt, how light my legs were and how easy it was (etc etc). I really works!
3. This leads to having a PLAN for your race day, that you can practice visualizing. I suggest choosing either to start slow and run a faster second half, if you don’t care too much what your time is, OR, plan to run the whole race at a steady pace. The Running Room has race bracelets with even splits so you can stay on track throughout your run. This will likely produce the best time result. Plan to arrive early.
4. Keep a positive attitude even when curve balls come your way (like my recent Haney to Harrison Relay experience…my runner was spotted less than 10 minutes out and I had to use the Port-a-Potty and the line up was crazy….so I just ran. And it worked out fine!) Breathe and enjoy race energy.
Good luck everyone!
Can’t wait to hear about how it goes.
Send me finisher photos PLEASE!
Sue Shalanski
BScPT & running enthusiast
P.S. Wanna join our next Half Marathon training group– we’ll be preparing for the Whistler Half Marathon on June 4th, 2011
Click here.
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