Control the Controllables on your Runs
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
When I think of the term “dress rehearsal,” my mind immediately goes back to my childhood dance recital years. I remember showing up wearing my leotards, my dance shoes, sometimes a full face of makeup, and running through each number we would be performing for friends and family. As a young girl, I remember these felt like they took forever. We would be there for hours, going over each number in detail and redoing entrances and formations and exits. But when it was time for the actual performance? We [usually] nailed it.
If we do dress rehearsals for dance recitals, game run-throughs in sports, practice performances and speeches (the list goes on), why wouldn’t we do the same in running?
In running, there are so many things that are out of your control. No matter how hard you train, no matter how perfect your splits, no matter how good you feel going into race day, there are many scenarios that can go awry and there’s honestly nothing you can do about it. The weather can take a turn—it can be too hot, too cold, unexpected wind and rain, you name it.
The spectators can be a little off—there have been many races that I’ve showed up for and if the weather is off, the spectators can be light or low energy. You may come down with an unexpected stomach issue or cold. You may get a terrible night’s sleep the day or days before.
You may have had to walk a little further that you planned if traveling in a new city, especially if you are with friends and family who don’t understand the concept of resting your legs before a big race—we have all been there.
While there are many uncontrollable factors that go into race day, there are so many things you can do as a runner on your long runs to take out some of the guess work and potential comedy of errors that could happen on race day. Whenever I am starting the real build with my clients who are training for a big race, I strongly encourage them to begin to incorporate some important steps in their routines to ensure some quality control on the day of the event.
Do a Shorter Race and Test Out Your Pace
First and foremost, I encourage runners to sign up for a shorter race about a month to a month and a half before race day to treat as an organized “dress rehearsal” for the real thing. For instance, for Boston runners, I advise them to find a half marathon or similar distance to run in late February or March leading up to the race in April. This gives runners a chance to test out their pace with pacing groups or other runners, potentially have some spectators to give that real “race day” vibe, water stops and porta-potty access on the course, and honestly just to change up the run route to avoid boredom. This typically helps build runner confidence with their goal race pace and their race day fueling plan, etc.
I also encourage runners to try to mimic a race day climate as much as possible. For instance, I am currently training a runner who lives in Connecticut but is running the Miami Marathon at the end of January. Obviously there is a huge climate discrepancy between the Northeast and Southern Florida, which makes training challenging. In order to mimic a warm weather run, I had this client step into the sauna at his gym for 15-20 min before his runs, and then do some long runs on the treadmill so that instead of going for every long run in 20 and 30 degrees an then running in 70 to 80 degrees in Miami, we are at least closing some of that temperature gap. This also allows my runner to run in similar clothing and test out warm weather fueling strategies in a temperature-controlled environment—we will touch on fueling and clothing later!
Similarly, I also encourage runners to find a way to mimic the course as much as possible in addition to the climate. I am training several runners who live in Chicago and are running Boston in April. Chicago is an extremely flat city, and training on hills that mimic the rolling hills of Boston is challenging. I encourage runners to do their hill work on the treadmill if possible, and if the treadmill isn’t an option, we really prioritize strength training as a way to build up the muscles needed to power up the hills.
Your Fit Check
What about clothing? We often talk about breaking in race day shoes, but we don’t pay enough attention to the rest of race day attire. By the way - breaking in race day shoes on a long run and a few medium-length runs is a must! Even if you are running in a similar style shoe to what you train in every day, don’t ever run in a brand new shoe! That is a blister waiting to happen!
When it comes to the rest of the outfit, I am scarred by my experience at the Berlin Marathon of 2017. Berlin is notoriously ideal running conditions—sunny and moderate temperatures—but when I ran this race, the weather took a last minute turn and was cold and rainy. I wore a top I brought as an emergency top but forgot to cut an inner tag off—which subsequently rubbed my skin raw during the race - so much so that I was bleeding and it was all I could think about.
So that being said, take all of your apparel for a test drive! If you’re training in cold weather and running in warm weather, go for an indoor run to test your warm weather gear. Make sure you cut off all tags and check stitches and weird linings that could bug you on race day!
What’s your Fuel Plan?
And last but certainly not least—check your fueling on every run! This includes your fueling in the day leading up to the race, your hydration, your pre-run breakfast, your carbs right before the run, your fueling and water during the race, and the timing of it all. Test your carb-loading in the day before the race—add in some extra healthy carbs at meals and snack time. Add some extra electrolytes and make sure you’re drinking plenty of water. The morning of, try to mimic race day as much as you can. Get up extra early so you have time to have a big breakfast, coffee, water, and use the restroom. Then make sure you have a small carb-laden snack 30-40 minutes before your run—think a banana and 1/2 bagel with peanut butter. During your run, try to bring a portable water bottle and on longer runs, try to stop at a store and get a Gatorade to add in some electrolytes. Test out your gels or gummies every four miles. All of this is super important and will prevent any unexpected digestion issues on race day—not to mention nailing your fueling strategy will help you feel strong and fast on race day!
While running leaves a lot up to chance—the weather, your health, the crowds—training for your goal pace and mileage is not the only thing you need to work on to make sure you are running your best race. While pace is important - spending the entirety of the race cursing at a rogue tag or bleeding through your sneakers thanks to a blister or going on a scenic porta-potty tour (or even worse: DNF’ing due to these issues) is not on any runners’ bingo card. Training healthy and putting in the work on every aspect will pay dividends on the literal long run. Treat every long run like a dress rehearsal and you’ll feel way more in control on race day.
Xo