The returning runner
Act 16 – Your first race!
I had gotten through 2 miles ok but now I was starting to limp. I didn’t feel pain from an injury - the pain I felt was from the continual battle between my right hamstring and quads. The quads fought to extent my leg while my hammy’s involuntarily balked. Ok, maintain, shorten the stride. I got through my first 5k in 25 years. My “Corporate Challenge” teammates thought I was a hero for averaging 8:40 or so per mile. I thought about it… My hammy’s weren’t flinching from any actual, current, pain but an involuntary habit developed over years (decades). Stay the course, I thought. Stick with the plan. Run as much as possible on grass and trails and take it easy on the downhills. It will get better and it has!
Back in July I suggested that you start looking for a 5k race to do 4-6 months out. Well, it is hard to believe, but it’s been 4+ months! The first question you are probably asking is, “how do I know if I’m ready?”. I have a couple of formulas that seem to predict pretty well whether you can get through a race without major problems:
· You can do a single workout which is 2/3 of your target race distance without too much problem.
Or,
· Your weekly mileage is twice your race distance.
The next question is “what do I do leading up to and during the race?”. Some basic stuff for a 5k:
- Taper back on training a little bit – back off on your mileage the last few days.
- Race morning eat some light carbs– I just have single piece of toast about 1.5-2 hrs before. Others like a small bowl of oatmeal, possibly mixed with banana.
- Stay appropriately hydrated with electrolyte drinks, considering the temperature.
- Dress appropriately. If the weather is cool, most people overdress. Remember you will be working your muscles and your body will be generating heat.
- During the race, hold yourself back the first mile! If you are doing your first race or first race after a long injury, I suggest doing the first mile at your regular training pace. Your best races will be those where your second half is faster than your first. So… let the teenagers sprint ahead! Cruise the first mile. Then, if you are feeling good, dial it up and progressively press harder through the last two miles.
- You may find symptoms of your injury returning during the race. A limp can either be a response to pain or a habit. I had limped for 25 years before returning to races. My first couple of 5ks, I developed a mild limp the last mile or so. I think this limp was more a habit than a response to real pain. If you start to have a limp during the event, consider whether you are experiencing pain, are you further injuring yourself, are you limping enough to cause problems with other areas of your body? I elected to keep on running and, I think in the long run, this helped me to break the limping habit.
- After the run, celebrate a good breakfast or brunch with friends!
- After celebrating, geek out and record your run time and pace in excel, plan your next race, and strategize on how you are going to go just a little bit faster next time ;O)
Photo: Me! Running in one of my first races after getting back into it (an orienteering event near Lake Tahoe).