S3|E1 - Early Season Racing Success
This time of year, the energy on the start line is thick enough, you could cut it with a knife. When the energy of the moment hits it’s apex we engage our fight or flight response. Which means, we can throw our habits and good behaviors right out the window. This means staying in the moment and being present to what’s important to your success on race day. I find that runners won’t simply forget the basics on course but they will flip the script on everything that day because they are focused on something that won’t be revealed until the race is over. I figured that with Cross Country starting up again - I’d give you guys a run down of what I encourage my athletes to do when it comes to racing and developing good habits. Here are 3 key areas to focus on as the season gets off the ground:
1) Pre-Race Nutrition
2) Pre-Race Warm Up
3) Progressing your effort in a race
Pre-Race Nutrition
You can see a nutrition deep dive in this early post.
Here’s a quick overview
2-3 Hours Prior to the Race
Preload with 16-32 oz of electrolytes (400-600mg of sodium). Sip this, don’t chug it! Chugging will increase your urge to pee!
Consumer 250-400 Calories of simple carbs, protein, or fat. Avoid high fiber things like salads on race days
60-90 Minutes Prior to the Race
If you couldn’t eat in class or get up 3 hours prior to the race, you will want to shift the majority of your fueling to simple carbs. This could look like a hawaiin roll with jelly and a little peanut butter. It could be basic buttered/ cinnamon toast with fruit.
Hydrate with 8-16ozs of water w/ electrolytes. If you struggle with getting in solid calories before a race consider the Skratch High-Carb or Maurten 320 which has between 300 and 400 calories per serving.
Less than 30-40 Minutes
At this point, you’re about to start the race - feeling hungry now is not ideal. Your only resource here is liquid calories or very simple carbohydrates like fruit snacks, chews, or a gel.
Continue sipping on a water bottle - even if it’s hot avoid the urge to chug water and drink more than one mouthful every couple minutes. Even just putting water in your mouth can help you feel more hydrated.
Pre-Race Warm Up
This is often overlooked when it comes to setting yourself up for success - especially on hot days. To get your body acclimated to the heat, slowly warm up and get your body ready to perform. This warm-up will inform you what kind of effort is realistic on the day. If it is very hot - talk to your parents about getting some ice in baggies to put in your jersey during warm up to help keep your core temp down and keep you cool!
PEAK Warm-Up Protocol
10:00 Easy Warm up Run
Mix in 5x :20 striders @ race effort, :40 float jog
5:00 easy jog
- - Break for a gel, change into shoes and uni
PEAK Dynamic Warm Up (Race)
Butt Kicks, High Knees
Karaoke (D+B)
A Skip, B-Skip
Double Leg Pogo (D+B)
Lateral Lunge (D+B)
Forward Lunge w/ Opener
Heel Taps, Knee to Chest
3-5x 60m Progressive Strides
Progression of Effort
“The only thing you need to focus on in a race is where your attention is, focusing on time is not known or relevant until the race is over” - Shannon Thompson
When the season begins the first couple of races should be focused solely on progressing your effort and finding your personal line and limit. It can feel like you’re in a weird science experiment the first couple of races because you’re not sure if you have “more” to give to if you blow up - what went wrong, and it can lead to so many questions!
The Progressive Method
This is nothing new but requires you to be engaged and present to what’s going on. Early in the season there is one guarantee - the field is going to GO OUT FAST but it likely won’t STAY FAST. So the best thing you can do is be inside yourself and your effort. The focus in the first 3rd of your race is to be at a “comfy steady” effort, letting the hooligans slow down and hit the wall. The middle 3rd should be focused on being competitive and moving up in the field and either maintaining your effort, or progressing slightly. When you get to the final 3rd you’ve entered the “critical phase” where you need to focus on making competitive moves and flirting with your best effort. This is about timing the kick and emptying the tank.
End Results
If you made a mistake or felt like you left something on the table - I’ll make you an offer. Download the document below and send me and e-mail after your race. I’ll give you my honest feedback and input on your race. This is the only “fast-track” to better results, being insightful into your preparation, mistakes, and feelings. You can e-mail here: andrew@lifelongendurance.com
