During the cross country season I had run 6 days a week consistently and did speed workouts, easy days, and honestly just whatever the coach said.  The week of the half-marathon I didn’t do squat.  Laziness and over-confidence kept me from performing at my best and it hurt at the finish line. (see picture)

When signing up for a road race, don’t forget that this is a race like any other.  Race to get a new PR, or to meet a goal of your own.  Remember to train for the race you are running; when I trained for the Zeitgeist Half Marathon I ran under thirty minutes for a week… not something I would recommend.

Training for a long race, or a fast race is hard work.  Here is a quote from Sir Roger Bannister fitting for this:

“The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win.”

I would just like to change the word ‘win’ to ‘meet goals’.  Running is not about winning all the time, but it is about self-improvement.

If you have never run a race unattached, take some initiative and sign up for one!  Find a fun run or a race for a cause you support, you will enjoy it (with the proper training).

The Race

By Dee H. Groberg

“Quit! Give up! You’re beaten!”
They shout at me, and plead
“There’s just too much against you now.
This time you can’t succeed.”
And as I start to hang my head
In front of failure’s face
My downward fall is broken by
The memory of a race.
And hope refills my weakened will
As I recall that scene
For, just the thought of that short race
Rejuvenates my being.

A children’s race, young boys, young men
Now, I remember well,
Excitement, sure! But also fear,
It wasn’t hard to tell.

They all lined up so full of hope
Each thought to win that race,
Or, tie for first, if not that,
At least take second place.

And fathers watched from off the side
Each cheering for his son.
And each boy hoped to show his dad,
that he would be the one.

The whistle blew, and off they went
Young hearts and hopes afire
To win, to be the hero there
Was each young boy’s desire.

And one boy in particular,
Whose dad was in the crowd,
Was running near the head and thought:
“My dad will be so proud!”

But as they speeded down the field
Across a shallow dip
The little boy who thought to win,
Lost his step and slipped.

Trying hard to catch himself,
His hands flew out to brace
And ‘mid the laughter of the crowd
He fell flat on his face.

So, down he fell, and with him hope
- he couldn’t win it now -
Embarrassed, sad, he only wished
To disappear somehow.

But, as he fell, his dad stood up,
And showed his anxious face,
Which to the boy so clearly said:
“Get up and win the race.”

He quickly rose, no damage done,
- behind a bit, that’s all -
And ran with all his mind and might
To make up for his fall.

So, anxious to restore himself
- to catch up and to win -
His mind went faster than his legs;
He slipped and fell again!

He wished, then, he had quit before
With only one disgrace.
“I’m hopeless as a runner now;
I shouldn’t try to race.

But, in the laughing crowd he searched
And found his father’s face.
That steady look that said again!
“Get up and win the race.”

So, up he jumped, to try again
- ten yards behind the last -
“If I’m to gain those yards,” he thought
‘I’ve got to move real fast.”

Exceeding everything he had
He gained back eight or ten,
But trying so, to catch the lead,
He slipped and fell again!

Defeat! He lay there silently
- a tear dropped from his eye -
“There is no sense in running more;
Three strikes, I’m out, why try?”

The will to rise had disappeared
All hope had fled away
So far behind; so error prone
A loser all the way.

“I’ve lost, so what’s the use,” he thought
“I’ll live with my disgrace.”
But, then he thought about his dad,
Who, soon, he’d have to face.

“Get up!” an echo sounded low,
“Get up, and take your place
You were not meant for failure here,
Get up, and win the race.”

With borrowed will, “Get up,” it said
“You haven’t lost at all.
For winning is no more than this;
To rise each time you fall.”

So, up he rose to run once more,
And with a new commit
He resolved that win, or lose,
At least he wouldn’t quit.

So far behind the others now
- the most he’d ever been -
Still, he gave it all he had,
And ran as though to win.

Three times he’d fallen stumbling.
Three times he’d rose again.
Too far behind to hope to win
He still ran to the end.

They cheered the winning runner,
As he crossed the line first place,
Head high, and proud, and happy.
No falling, no disgrace.

But, when the fallen youngster
Crossed the line last place,
The crowd gave him the greater cheer
For finishing the race.

Even though he came in last.
With head bowed head low, unproud,
You would have thought he won the race
To listen to the crowd.

And to his dad, he sadly said,
“I didn’t do so well.”
“To me, you won!” his father said,
“You rose each time you fell.”

And now when things seem dark and hard,
And difficult to face.
The memory of that little boy
Helps me to win my race.

For all of life is like that race
With ups and downs and all,
And all you have to do to win,
Is rise each time you fall.

• Get at least nine hours of sleep two nights in a row! Two good nights rest makes quite a difference versus one night of rest.
• Eat healthy the day before.  Have complex carbohydrates for dinner, and stay away from soft drinks.
• Go on an easy run.  It doesn’t have to be long or hard, 30 minutes will be just fine.
• Plan out your race!  Planning your race the day before means it will be fresh in your mind.  Think about the plan as you lay in bed.  Think about it when you wake up the day of, and then stick to it during the race.
• Start hydrating a little extra.  If you hydrate a little bit extra the day before, you know you will have plenty of water starting off on the day of the event.
• Pack a ‘race pack’.  Having everything you need in a pack that you can grab is nifty.  If something comes up and you need to be ready in 20 minutes, have no fear!  You already packed a bag with your spikes, socks, race clothes, water, and a snack.  Throwing in your ‘lucky’ items would be a good idea too, because then you will be sure to have them if they are a must.

Whitney M. Young Jr said it best:

“It is better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one than to have an opportunity and not be prepared.”

This article on two-a-days goes through the benefits of running twice and when you should start your new training.

My personal opinion is that it can’t hurt to run twice a day, but if you are on low mileage maybe only run two-a-days on 2-3 days of the week.

Part of training is building muscles and stamina, but an equally important part is building mental toughness. Mental toughness will allow you to train harder and to race faster. Here are some questions to determine how mentally tough you are:

Do you always have enough energy left at the end of the race for a really strong kick–stronger than those around you? It could be that you will always have enough energy to do a fast sprint at the end. However, I believe that if you normally have that much energy, you could probably run faster for the rest of the race and get a better overall time. I certainly believe this is the case if you are always passing people at the end of the race. If this happens, try a different strategy. Go out a bit faster and pass people at the beginning. Find someone who is normally faster than you and stick with them. You may surprise yourself. If you have a weak kick at the end, at least you know you’ve left it all on the course.

When you go running on your own, do you find yourself running more or less than the goal you set out with? Running on your own can be mentally demanding. There is no one to distract you. There is no one with whom you can compete–only yourself. Usually you’ll have a goal of how long or far you want to run. Meet that goal! If you can, go a little further. Sometimes I will force myself to run a certain distance by heading in a straight line away from my house and not turning around until I’ve completed half of my goal. If I’m tired on the way back, I have to learn to face my doubts and negative thoughts and go all the way, after all, there is no short cut.

Have you developed ways to eliminate negative thoughts? Many runners allow negative thoughts to destroy them. This is evident when a “good” runner has a terrible race. A truly good runner can run well even when he or she doesn’t feel well. One way I maintain positive thoughts is by singing positive songs in my mind. Another good way I’ve maintained positive thoughts is by designating points on the course that are mine. For instance, for one race I found a turn out of which I decided I would accelerate. During the race, we hit that point and since I knew it was my turn, I gained an advantage over my opponent. A final way to find positive thoughts is to watch inspirational movies. Two that I recommend are Gattica and Rudy, but try to find your own.

Do you slow down when someone passes you? One strategy I use during races is to speed up when I’m passing. It can really destroy the mind of your opponent. But don’t get on the wrong side of that tactic! Know your strategy and stick to it. If someone passes you unexpectedly, either speed up or maintain your speed, but don’t slow down.

Do you find yourself looking back at the end of a race? Believe me, I’ve looked back and I know exactly what it means: “I don’t want to go any faster and I won’t go any faster unless someone is going to pass me.” Boston knew what they were talking about–don’t look back! Leave everything on the course. Don’t be lazy. Go as fast as you can so that the person that might be behind you gives up.

The Tour de France is in full swing. Michael Barry, a professional cyclist, wrote in a New York Times piece that:

Everybody in the Tour de France will suffer; the winner will probably be the one who is prepared to suffer the most.

The same is true for distance racing. Don’t think that it’s just a runner’s stamina that got him/her first place; it was also his/her mind.

• To stretch more successfully, go on a 5-10 minute easy warm up.  This causes the muscles to literally warm up, making them easier to stretch.
• When you stretch, you should go to the furthest that you can without overextending the muscle.  Hold that position for 20-60 seconds.
• Stretch both sides of the body the same amount, not doing so can hurt your form and cause injuries that you are trying to prevent.
• Do NOT bounce when stretching.  This often causes overextending of the muscle and can cause injury.

If you currently have poor flexibility, don’t worry!  Adding stretches to your running routine makes you a more flexible person over time.

Stretching after your workout is another important thing to do.  After a workout your muscles are warmest.  They will take the stretches easier and it will feel great!  Post-workout stretching reduces soreness later.

Add stretching to your routine.  Some great stretches for runners can be found on this webpage.

Stretch you Curious Runners.

Nick Symmonds shot past competition to take first in the 2008 Olympic Track & Field Trials at Eugene,

Oregon.  Symmonds ran the 800 in a time of 1:44.10, the second fastest 800 time ever run in the United States.

“It’s one thing to say that I have the potential to do it. It’s another thing to do it on the night everyone else is trying to.”

-Nick Symmonds

Something I admire about Nick is that he knows you cannot truly win unless you have to compete.  I have known many runners who win races but do not run their hardest.  They don’t set personal bests, they don’t feel tired after the race, but they get first place and are satisfied.

Run your hardest every race, don’t settle for what you know you can do.  Remain curious.

The article explains where to get shoes, what kind of shoes to get, and how your shoes affect you.  A point of the article that needs to be repeated is go to a specialty running store.  Store clerks at specialty running shops most often are runners themselves, and know exactly what you need.  Answer their questions honestly and you will get the shoe perfect for you.

My favorite place to shop for shoes in my area (Boise, Idaho) is Bandanna Running and Walking.  Everybody in the store is friendly and knows a lot about running.  They allow me to take a test run of any shoes I try on.    Bandanna even gives discounts if you run for your high school.

Find a shop in your area that you feel welcome and the people know what they are doing.  You might meet a new person to run with, or hear about races you would normally not hear about, but most importantly you will get a good pair of shoes.

1. Plan your race ahead of time. Planning your race out in your head (even better on paper!) is a helpful way to keep you on track.  Knowing when to speed up and when to attack makes it so that you can focus on form and breathing.  Having a race plan also gives you confidence in what you do during the race.
2. Tell yourself that you can do it. When you tell yourself that you are not tired and can speed up, then you are more likely to speed up.  Focusing on the negative things means you are not focused on the important things.  If you find yourself thinking negatively, snap yourself back on track!  Relax and set your mind on breathing and form.  Breathing and form are the best things to focus on during a race because they help you stay calm and help you run more efficiently.
3. Bargain with yourself. Tell yourself that when you get to that certain turn or rock or tree that you will give yourself a break.  Split your race up into sections and tell yourself what you will do during the next section.  During a 5k your might say “I have 2 more miles to go.  I can run a mile really fast, so I will run this next mile hard and see how it goes.”  Giving deals to yourself will help you push your body.
4. Focus! Keeping your mind on the task at hand is the most important thing you can do as an athlete.  Do not let your mind wander, and when you catch yourself wandering away from the race, slap your mind into shape!  Focus not only on your breathing and form, but on your pace and your place in the race.  If you have goals set, which I highly recommend, think of those goals and push yourself to meet and break them.

These tips should be used at your practices as well as races.  You would not race without practicing your running, do not go into a race without mentally exercising too.

“Once you’re beat mentally, you might as well not even go to the starting line.”

- Todd Williams

This quote is very much true.  Any racer who does not have the will to win, will not win.

Go give yourself a mental sweat.

This advice resulted in me starting hard and setting a quick pace.  I had hit the one mile mark when I thought I had done only a half mile!  Hitting that mark early made me think that I could go faster, and faster.  Which I did.  Increasing my speed throughout the race helped me achieve my race goal.  When I started passing people near the end it helped me remain curious of my running potential.

My school’s coach has always told the cross country team to “Go ballistic at the finish.”  Some runners think this means ‘when you can see the finish line, start sprinting.’  Personally, I believe it means during the last third of a race pick it up.

Finishing the last third of the race fastest, while all of your competators slow down, helps you to feel faster.  Feeling faster helps you go faster.  The end of the race is the most important part, and if you run it well you will feel great.

The article Finish Strong in Every Race from Runner’s World lays out a helpful training routine so that you can dig deep at the end of the race.

Explode and go ballistic before you see the finish line!  Push yourself and remain curious of what you can do in the last third of the race.