Segment 1: Early Season Race Strategy
Runners, to your marks!
That first race of the season rides that shaky line between hope and hopelessness. For some athletes, they simply can’t wait for race day to test their fitness against the competition; the other half just wants it to be over so they can know how it went. I believe that if more athletes went in with an objective, a plan, and a positive mindset - we’d see a whole lot more hope on the start line!
Use all the information you have
You already have the tools you need to create a great race strategy. First and foremost, the thing you’re reading this on - your phone, is one of your biggest assets. You can get on Strava and find someone who raced this course last year. That person could be a teammate, a rival, or simply a random person with an open profile. You can also cruise over to Milesplit and see the course map and get an idea of what you’re up against - is it loops? Does it look hilly? Is It all grass? Is it all concrete and pavement? Does it go in the woods? How many creeks will you cross? If you want to really nerd out, you can try and map it.
Rule #1 - Have a Strategy
There are a staggering number of athletes who toe the start-line and rely completely on HOPE. It’s the worst strategy and it shows that they are overwhelmed, under-prepared, and haven’t fully engaged in racing. Hope is not a strategy. You can “hope you PR”, “hope you don’t finish last”, or “hope you beat your teammate or rival”. None of these are rooted in confidence and are often rooted in the hope that other people have a bad day, and that you magically have a good day. Be Engaged.
When you toe the line with a strategy, and have a compelling reason to race hard and have a plan to execute - you show up with a job to do - A mission. When something is important to you, you are more likely to take a greater role in ensuring your success. We created a resource linked below that will help you understand your objectives, your race plan, and a pacing plan.
Know your opponent(s)
Knowing who you’re racing is only one part, knowing how to manage your emotions is another opponent. When you look at the roster, you’ll likely see a few names from last track season you were near and raced against - for the first few races of the season - using other athletes is a good gauge of progress. You can choose to line up or find your opponent early on in the race and stick with them. You will know pretty quickly if the pace is too hot, or too slow. Remember Rule #1 - Have a strategy and stick to it, other people are simply gauges and may not be your best tool when it comes to racing.
Objectives & Execution
In the guide below - you should set objectives that you want to execute - answering: “What do I want to walk away from today accomplishing?”. The trap many athletes fall into is the trap of always looking at their PR and letting that cloud their ability to set realistic goals every race, as well as shifting their perspective on progress. Your PR is a personal record and while it’s a huge achievement, it’s not a worthy exercise to toe the line every race looking to best that best-ever performance. So if we’re truly focused on improving and getting better - each race needs to have a main objective or objectives that work towards your greater goal. These can look like mental objectives, physical objectives or daily practices.
Examples:
I want to hit Mile 2 feeling strong.
I am going to practice slowing down my breathing at the start line.
I am going to finish my hydration before I hit the line.
I am going to tell myself to “stay in it” when it gets tough
I am going to accelerate after the hill and turn my legs over
I am going to do my full warm-up, last week was rough with only a 5:00 jog
They don’t always have to be accomplished within the race but can set you up to have a successful race. The objectives are small accomplishments and small wins, stack enough wins and you get closer and closer to your goals.
The Guide
The download below is a race strategy sheet designed to walk you through a pre-race plan. Set 3 objectives, work out a race day narrative you want to execute, and a place to do some planning for time. I have completed a version of the sheet for you, so you can see an example of what has helped athletes plan their races. A simple tool that produces big results!
What’s coming your way next week?
Next week we dive into pre-race nutrition. Talking about how to handle upset stomachs, under and over-fueling. We talk all about the what and how when it comes to fueling and racing in the heat. A majority of your race day success in the heat goes back to how you prepared, how you hydrated, and how you fueled. See you Wednesday! ~Coach Andrew
