It’s race day and this is your first 5K race or one of your first races. You are nervous, right? You have doubts. You start asking yourself, “Can I do this?” “Did I train enough?” Am I going to suck air and have to walk?” It is warm or windy, “How will this affect me?” How fast or what pace should I start at?” “Will I have to go to the bathroom before?” The more you think about it, the more nervous you get.
Does this sound familiar? If yes, you are normal so RELAX. You CAN run your best 5K based on your current fitness level if you prepare and race smart. Here are some strategies to help you race your best whether you followed your training plan religiously or slacked off a bit. Either way, you will finish. I promise.
1. Pre-Race
The Day Before
This is a shorter race so no special focus the day or evening before the race. You don’t need to eat more carbs or drink more water. I would encourage you to not over drink and definitely not over eat especially later in the day/evening. You may go for a walk or a short easy 2-3 mile jog if you want.
The Morning Of
Wake up at least 2 -3 hours before the race. If you feel you need to get something in your stomach do it immediately when you wake up. You don’t have to feel pressure to eat or eat a lot. It is a 5K and not a real long event so you have plenty of energy stored to get through a 5K with no issues.
What have you done in training for your early morning runs that have worked for you? Stick with that. What to eat? Well, something that digests well. I personally like one or two sport gels with a little caffeine with 8 – 12 oz of water about 2-3 hours before the race. That’s it until the gun. That works for me. Maybe you need a half a bagel or a banana. Maybe 12 oz of sports drink works for you. When in doubt, for a 5K, I encourage you to eat less and drink less. We overanalyze this too much especially for a 5K.
I see people over drinking all the time. If you are going to eat or drink the morning of, I would do it hours before the race. If you consume carbs too close to race time you risk a blood sugar drop and not enough time for it to stabilize. The last thing you want is to be standing at start line yawning and feeling sluggish. Improper fueling can do this to you.
You Have Arrived
Get to the event early. Settle in. Get your bib on and make sure everything is place, your clothing and shoes fit right. Double tie your shoes as you don’t want to have to stop to tie your shoes. In fact, before you leave your house, make sure you have everything and you are prepared. It is even nice to have things ready the night before. Being prepared will take some pressure off you and ease your nerves. You don’t want to feel rushed and panicked because this will create even more anxiety.
Warm Up Including The 2 Minutes of Magic Technique
It is about 30 minutes before the gun. I get it, you are nervous. Well, let’s burn off some of that energy. It is time to go for a jog. Think 8-10 minutes. You may say, “I don’t want to get tired or burned out before the race?” Trust me, you WILL perform better if you do a warm up jog. You need to wake up your cardiovascular system so race pace is not such a shock to the system.
A 5K race is pretty darn strenuous and your HR may reach close to max by the end of the race if going all out. Toward the end of your 8-10 minute jog, pick up the pace to what you feel is going to be your 5K race pace. I call this “2 Minutes Of Magic”. You will be seeing this technique in articles to come. This little technique not only gets your legs moving faster and your heart beating faster but it also installs some confidence on what your race pace will be. Hold this pace about 2 minutes and then jog it out another minute. If gasping after these 2 minutes, you know darn well that pace is too fast. This little 2 minute drill is so valuable to your race performance. It primes your cardiovascular system for the intense event ahead. It also give you a little bit of an idea of how fast you should start the race based on how you feel at end of the 2 minute jog. If you have a GPS watch, check your pacing regularly during this 2 minute strut so you have some sense of what pace you are running and how you are feeling. This will give you some confidence going into the race and what pace you are capable of or can feel confident with.
5-10 Minutes Before
Walk it out a few minutes or jog a bit if you can. If not, no big deal. You are warmed up. You are ready. Don’t feel pressure to stretch right before. Active, dynamic movements are fine but overstretching is not good before the race. You have done your jog, you are good to go. Make sure your shoes and sport watch are ready and wait for the gun. Be sure you are lined up based on your pacing. Please do not be in the front row with seasoned racers if you are 10 minute per mile racer. It simply is not safe and it actually may set you up for a poor race. See below.
2. The Race – Mile 1 and 2
Ready, set, go! Get out, keep moving and stay with those around you (assuming you are not in the front). Be safe and be alert of those running around you so you don’t get tangled and risk falling. If you are going to follow only one bit of advice from me in this whole article, follow this. DO NOT START TOO FAST! I will repeat, DO NOT START TOO FAST!
As many times I have told athletes or friends this, it still happens. It will likely happen to you in one of your first 2-3 races and likely your first one. It just will. I will tell you with 100% certainty, if you start way too fast, you simply cannot run your best time. You do not have a strong enough aerobic base and foundation to recover from the oxygen debt you will encounter early in a race if running too hard. This means the hurt simply won’t go away.
A high mileage seasoned racer can regroup from a fast start, not you. So, think of the first ½ mile as an extension of your warm up. Say what, “I have already finished my warm up!” I hear you but think about it. You have so much nervous energy and are so pumped and feel so good that you will want to fly out of the gate. Then a few minutes later you will say, “Oh crap.”
Consciously think about holding back 25% and you will likely be still be going plenty fast. Trust me here. It is hard to control but you must. At ½ mile, you should still be feeling good and not sucking air. At mile 1, you should still feel strong and finding your pace and holding it. Between mile 1 and 2, you will be feeling it no doubt. This is ok. Now you are at the 2 mile mark. Gut check. Here is what is facing you. Which of the 4 options below would you prefer? Which is ideal?
- “I pushed too hard and am hurting real bad, feel sick, my legs are burning….. I don’t know if I can finish the last mile. I should have listened to Todd and started slower. What is wrong with me?”
- “I am straining really hard and likely started too fast but I think I can hold on and at least get to the finish line even though I know I need to slow down now because this is hurting really bad.”
- “I am working hard and breathing hard. My legs are tired. My stomach feels a bit crummy but I think I can do this. I think holding back a bit early on has helped me. Todd you are a genius. I see a couple people ahead that I am going to try to run down. I have something left, I think?? I am holding pace. With ½ mile left, I passed those 2 racers mainly because they appeared to be slowing down while I was holding pace. I see 2 more racers 20 yards ahead. Can I catch them? I am now really working hard and hurting more but know I only have ½ mile left. I indeed caught these other 2 racers just by holding my current pace and feel great about that. I am now very fried, legs burning, stomach hurts and so tired. I now see the finish line about 40 yards ahead and one person about 5 yards ahead. I don’t want to but I sprint the last 40 yards. Well, it doesn’t feel like a sprint but my legs are going a bit faster. I lunge ahead of the person ahead of me right at the finish line.”
- “What the heck? Todd you are an idiot. I have run way too slow these first 2 miles and have energy left and feel like I can sprint the last mile. I pick up the pace and run the last 1.1 miles strong passing runner after runner and sprinting into the finish line with a smile after running that last mile about 60 seconds faster than the pace of my first 2 miles. I am tired but never thought I would feel this good at the finish line.”
DO NOT START TOO FAST!
Well, if you chose options 3 and 4, you are correct. These will be your best race times. You will also feel SO much better about your race because you finished stronger and actually passed some runners. You will feel more accomplished. You will just feel great. With options 1 and 2, you will say you finished but you may feel a bit frustrated because you are really hurting and had to walk at times and slow down and saw other runners passing you. Your time was a few minutes slower than you wanted. You won’t feel quite as good about your race.
Smart racing strategy and knowing your limits can make the racing experience much more enjoyable.
3. Post Race
You did it. You finished your first 5K race. Congratulations. Maybe you feel good and reached your goal. Maybe you didn’t reach your goal time but feel good because you finished. Maybe you are disappointed. It’s over! Be happy and relieved. You are no longer nervous. Whew!
This is your first 5k race and you now have a PR (personal record). Record it. It is real. Now you have a time goal for your next 5K race. Go get it. You know what you need to do. Maybe train a bit more consistently. Add some miles to your weekly schedule. Listen to your body and stay healthy.
You have also learned a lot about yourself running this race that will make your stronger mentally and physically going forward. This will carry over to your training and the next 5K race. You have accomplished a lot. Get ready, because more 5K PRs are coming.
