Using Races as Training Runs

What’s the point of entering a race if you’re not going to ‘race’ it? It’s a good point – travelling to and taking part in races can be expensive and time consuming. Why not just go out and run around by yourself if you’re not going to use the competitive field and chip timing to help test yourself and see what you can do?

There are quite a few reasons to do races without actually running full pelt to get the best time you’re capable of.

Running for fun

The most obvious reason is the enjoyment – a lot of people like running in a race environment with lots of other runners around them and a crowd offering cheers. It’s also the only chance you’d get to run around some cities free from traffic, which can be an appealing proposition.

Running a race without the pressure of a time goal is a good way to train for the non-running aspects of racing. Each time you pin a number to your vest and line up at a start is a chance to practice your race day preparations for the times when the time does matter to you.

What will you eat for breakfast? How long beforehand will you eat it? What kit will you wear? It can all be tested.

On race day I go into autopilot mode, switching on the kettle, putting on my gear and eating and drinking a, by now, well-rehearsed combination.

Practice makes perfect

Everything from getting out of bed to standing at the start should become familiar and each time I go through that routine, it becomes more automatic leaving less room for error. It feels more comforting helping to eradicate pre-race nerves. Nerves are fuelled by unfamiliar situations, fear of forgetting something and fear of the unknown, so the more you race hopefully the less nervous and more confident you’ll become.

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It’s not just a case of practicing what you do in the hours before your start, but what you do on the course too. If you’ve never run with hundreds of other competitors around you it can be a claustrophobic experience that first time. There’s lots to be learnt, including practicing your pacing when over-enthusiastic runners around you are darting off at the start and those who positioned too far forward are now making you run round them.

What will you eat during a race? How do you drink from a paper cup while running – and more importantly – how do you avoid trips and falls when runners are darting in front of you to grab a drink and then dropping their bottle on the ground? How too will you deal with the unexpected or the unfortunate?

Tech rehearsal

GPS watches and mile markers can’t always be trusted, and the more you race the more you’ll come to realise this. At Frankfurt marathon, the tall buildings interfered with mine and Liz’s watches and converting the KM markers into miles to figure out our pace was too much of a puzzle. So instead we relied on our legs to tell us that we were doing 9 minute miles the whole way and they proved bang on.

If you’re incorporating races into your training, there are two more important goals you need to set yourself: don’t get injured and don’t leave your legs too tired to train the following week. Because if they’re part of your training it’s important that they help rather than hinder your progress towards your goal race.

Pic credit: Simon Lamb