6 of the Best Ways to Prepare for Your Upcoming Spring Races!
Since so many of you are training for upcoming races, I wanted to share some top tips on training for a race and how to avoid burnout, fatigue, and injury!
Let’s dive in, shall we?
First of all, if you are training for a race – CONGRATS! Whether it is a 5k or a ultra marathon, putting money down and signing up for a race (whatever length of race) takes courage! I remember signing up for my first half marathon and my full marathon. After processing the payment online, I remember thinking, ‘What did I just get myself into?’ haha. So, if you are feeling that way, it is normal! But, be excited, because racing and having a race to train for makes running so much more fun and satisfying!
So, let’s say that you just signed up for that 5k or half marathon or full marathon. What do you do next?
I’m glad you asked.
Let’s break this down step by step.
1. Get a solid training plan. You are going to not want to do this on a whim, especially if you signed up for a longer race (half marathon or especially marathon!) Make sure to find a training plan that fits YOUR needs and YOUR level. So many training plans are boxy and not specific for you. Make sure to do some digging and find something that fits your needs and fitness level. I trained myself for my first half marathon and looking back, I should have gotten a solid training plan and followed it to a T. I ended up coming off that half marathon (even though I did well) burnout and injured with major shin splints. Find a training plan you love and do it!
2. Do the work and trust the process. Sometimes it is hard for me to trust the process of training with running. I often see a 3 mile or 4 mile run on the plan and think “really? That’s it, I could go way longer that that.” But, that mileage amount on the plan is there for a purpose. Follow the plan. Also, don’t be afraid of running long distances. I remember seeing my 20 mile run on my training plan for my marathon last fall and thinking, ‘O MY WORD. How am I even going to do that?’ (especially since, at the time my long run was around 5 miles..) The awesome part is, that when you do the work and run the miles, your muscles, cardiovascular system, and tendons are adapting to the stress of training and will be ready for that run. Trust the process.
3. Listen to your body and don’t run through pain. JUST as important as it is to run the miles and do the work of the training plan, it is EQUALLY important to not run through an injury. DO NOT RUN THROUGH AN INJURY. It will only make it WORSE. I did this with my shin splints and paid the price by being injured WAYYY longer than I needed to be. If something hurts enough to change your stride or make you limp. STOP. Wait a day or two and see what happens on your next run. (If you want more injury recovery tips, comment ‘INJURY,’ and I will send you to a blog post I wrote on that.)
4. Similar to trusting the process, enjoy the journey. Even if you have big time goals or want to BQ or want to get that 5k at sub- 30, remember to enjoy the process. You may or may not hit your goal and you don’t want to be devastated if you don’t. Enjoy each run > it is a gift and fight for your goals, but don’t obsess over them.
5. Rest days are part of the training plan – take them. Every good training plan, will at least include 1 day of total rest. Use that day to let your body recover from hard workouts/runs! These days help our bodies to repair and rebuild sore/torn muscles. Rest days are not a lazy day, they are part of the training! Don’t skip them!
6. Lastly, when it comes to race day, make sure to CELEBRATE! Celebrate your work, your dedication and consistency. think of the race as a final victory lap in your training. The race was really hundreds of miles, the final 3.1, 6.2, 13.1 or 26.2 is just celebration! Whether you hit your goal or not, celebrate the hard work, take a week or two off (especially if you are running a big race) and recovery well!
I hope these tips help you as your prepare for upcoming spring and summer racing!
If you have any questions, make sure to comment, below in this thread or PM me!
Happy racing!