Race Prep
Fall is finally here in the South. The weather is perfect for running and the local race calendar reflects this. There are literally dozens of events to choose from over the next few months, primarily 5K’s. As you might be able to tell from my blog, I don’t race much, though. I mean I don’t run in organized runs too much. My speed is not exactly called racing! I’d like to run these “official” races more often, but there are many reasons why I don’t race anymore than I do:
1. Cost. With multiple race choices each weekend, one could easily spend over $100 per month on entry fees.
2. Time. Soccer games, cross country meets. Attending the kid’s functions usually takes precedence over my run schedule.
3. Injuries. Racing increases my likelihood of injury. I have hurt my foot a few times during races. Maybe I push too hard on race day. Also, being injured has kept me from entering some runs.
4. Longer range planning. Sometimes an organized run doesn’t fit well with my self-imposed training schedule. If I have a half marathon or full marathon scheduled, and I need to run do 15 mile run on a Saturday morning, then, to me, it doesn’t make sense to run a 5K that causes me to miss that. Sometimes a shorter race is smart, though. More on that in a minute.
Fall/Winter Schedule
Having said all that, I am currently registered for two races and have two more to which I’ve mentally committed but not shelled out the entry fees. My first race of the fall is the Ray Tanner Home Run 12K on October 15th. I have wanted to run this one for a couple of years now, but there has always been a soccer conflict. No conflict this year, so I’m in. The second race officially on the schedule is the Governor’s Cup Half Marathon on November 5th.
The other two races are the Harbison 50K Trail Run in January and the Columbia Marathon in March.
Race Prep
Even if my speed and race results show that I have a long way to go to vie for an age-group medal, I still take race preparation seriously. Here are a couple of things I do before my bigger races:
1. Scout the course. If the course is local, I can usually work out a time to run it. If the course is away, requiring an overnight stay, I’ll drive it the day before on the way in.  Maybe it doesn’t help much, but I like to know when the hills are coming.
2. Run a “scrimmage” race 2-3 weeks out. High school football teams play 1/2 game scrimmages before the season starts. I try to do the same thing with a shorter race a few weeks before a big race.  That is the purpose of the 12K run – to see how my training is coming along for the half marathon. My goal for the Governor’s Cup is to beat 1:45, which is an 8:00/mile pace. In the Ray Tanner Home Run, I’ll shoot to beat the 8:00/mile pace by a few seconds. If I can do it, I’ll know I’m on track. If not, I may need to adjust my Governor’s Cup goal.
Hope you’ve found time to sign up for a race this fall. If not, there is still time!
POFIFOTO!
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