Coopah Recommends: Our Top Tips For Race Week!
In this series of ‘Coopah Recommends’ blogs, we are going to share our top recommendations for the most common questions we get asked by our community of runners, and this blog is all about Our Top Tips for Race Week.
The hard work has been done.
The miles have started to reduce, the intensity has dropped, and now you are only a few more days away until your race!
We totally understand that the nerves might be starting to kick in, so we wanted to share our Top Tips for Race Week & Race Day and hopefully it will help you to put those worries aside and get excited for your race.
Race Week
Keep it easy!
Now is not the time to be cramming in last minute long runs or hard speed workouts, anything you do now will not have a positive impact on race day, so instead just focus on short, easy runs and stretching & mobility.
Carbs, carbs, carbs!
As you have realised by now, training & running a marathon is hungry work, and carbs have probably become your best friend! It is very easy to get carried away with the idea of carb loading, but unfortunately this doesn’t just mean eating a mountain of pasta for every meal of the week! The key with carb loading is making small, subtle changes to your diet by increasing the amount of carbohydrates you are consuming and decreasing the amount of fat & protein, so that you don’t drastically increase your calories (which is what can make you feel sluggish & bloated) We have a whole range of blogs focused on nutrition, carb loading & race day fuelling which you can find here.
Get race day ready
You have been training hard for months, and invested a lot of time (and probably money) into this day, so it is important that you don’t leave anything to last minute which could potentially ruin it! Hopefully by this point you have arranged your travel to race day, and maybe even accommodation. But here some other things you can do on the days leading up to the race to ensure it runs smoothly
Read through all of the pre race info and make sure you know what time you are starting, what time you need to arrive and where the bag drop is
If you are driving make sure you know if there are any road closures & where you can park your car. If you are travelling by train/underground make sure you know what station you need to get to and how to get to the start zone from there.
If you are staying in a new area before the race, it may be worth doing a ‘recce’ to the start area the day before, that way you can work out timings and make a back up plan.
If you have friends or family coming to watch, make a plan of where they are going to spectate, and also where you are going to meet after the race. Then just let them deal with the logistics, you don’t need that added stress!
Race Day
DO NOT TRY ANYTHING NEW
This may seem obvious, but this is your reminder to NOT TRY ANYTHING NEW ON RACE DAY! Now is not the time to be testing out the new trainers you got from the race expo, or the new gels you never got round to trying… save that for your next race!
Don’t change your goal on the start line
It can be really easy to get carried away at the start of the race, but its so important to remember what you trained for and your original goal! Don’t be tempted to go out a lot quicker than you planned, it may feel okay for the first few miles but chances are you will pay for it in the second half of the race. Run the race you trained for, and save that new goal for another race.
Soak it all up!
You have been preparing for this day for a long time, so remember to enjoy it. As you head to the start line you will be surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands, of other runners who are all there for the same reason - to run! Everyone will have different reasons to run and have different goals, and thinking like that can really help to put it in perspective. It is totally normal to feel nervous, and try to remember that nerves are not a bad thing, it just means you care! And we promise, once you cross that start line all of your nerves will disappear!
Good luck, you’ve got this!
If you are already thinking about your next goal, and need some more guidance for your next marathon, we are here to help!
A fully personalised training plan built around your availability and goals
Unlimited coaching support 24/7
Streaks and incentives to keep you motivated
Access to our community of other runners, physios and mental health experts to give you support and advice up to the day.
Track your progress and your weekly/monthly mileage