So, you have just decided to sign up for the Endeavor Health Naperville Half Marathon, 10K or 5K and we only have 2 months until race day! You will need to be efficient with the time you have remaining. Here are some tips:
Assess your current fitness. Based on how much you are currently running, determine your goal race distance and a realistic goal pace. Don’t ramp up your mileage too fast though. If you are already a runner, 10% increase per week is about right. If you are a beginner or experienced and the “10% rule” doesn’t get you to a weekend 10-12 mile run 2-3 weeks before the race, consider switching to the 5K race and run/walking it if necessary.
Focus on your key workouts. The most important run each week (particularly for the half marathon) is your weekend long run. Make sure you focus on that run and make it a quality workout. Get plenty of rest beforehand, eat high quality food the night before and the morning of the run. If you get busy and have to skip workouts, don’t skip this long run.
Customize your training route. Since you have limited time, it’s very important to do your remaining training on surfaces and terrain that are similar to goal race terrain. Find out if your race is hilly or flat, asphalt or crushed gravel, planned during hot or cold temperatures, morning or evening, and train under conditions as similar as possible to your goal race. If you can’t do all of your training under race conditions, at least do your long runs that way. If possible, run part or all of your long run on the actual race course (traffic permitting of course) or run them on similar surfaces (primarily asphalt with some hills for the Naperville races). Be prepared for a variety of weather and temperature conditions since the Naperville races are in October and it could be cool or warm on race day.
Practice your meals. Dinner the night before your long run and your morning pre-run food should be exactly what you plan to eat before your race to make sure it will not upset your stomach and/or cause unplanned bathroom visits. Make sure the meals fuel your muscles sufficiently for the long run effort with a balanced mix of carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats. Use the last few long runs to experiment with quantity, type and timing of food to determine what works best for you.
Practice your hydration. Similarly, your fluid intake the day before and morning of your long run should mimic your race day hydration. As a rule for race day (and long run practice days), two hours before the run, drink between 17 and 20 ounces of water. About 10 minutes before you head out to run, drink another 10 to 12 ounces. During the long run or the race, drink approximately 7-10 ounces of fluid every 10-20 minutes, adjust this as necessary based on your own “sweat rate.” For half marathon long runs, consider replacing half of the water with an equal amount of electrolyte drink. (Gatorade, Powerade, etc.) Mix the water and electrolyte drink for convenience and digestibility. Here again, mimic the quantities and frequencies of fueling and hydration that you will use on race day. Pay attention to the location of the water stops in your goal race and the type and location of nutrition (sports drinks, gels, etc.) that will be provided during your race. This information should be on the race website and on the course map.
Practice with the specific brands of nutrition prior to the race to make sure they agree with your stomach. If you are running the Endeavor Health Naperville Half Marathon, there are 6 aid stations approximately at miles 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 that will offer water and Gatorade Endurance formula. The Half Marathon will also offer CLIF gels (assorted flavors) at mile 7. The Endeavor Health Naperville 10K will offer water and Gatorade Endurance formula at aid stations at miles 2 and 4. For the Endeavor Health Naperville 5K there is one aid station offering water and Gatorade Endurance formula at mile 2. You can check out the aid stations, maps and other course details for the Naperville Races here: Races | Naperville 13.1. You can scroll down to see the 10K and 5K information.
Choose your race attire. For long runs, wear the outfit you plan to wear during the race: shorts/tights, tops/jog bra, socks and shoes. Also practice with hat/headband, sunglasses, smart watch, face mask and/or hydration belt/pack if you are planning on using any of these in the race. I recommend using a fairly new (but broken in) pair of shoes for the half marathon, 10K or 5K race. A common strategy is to wear a new pair of shoes for one or two of your shorter mid-week runs, then use them for one or two of your longest runs and then wear them for the race. This will give you shoes that are broken in but still with plenty of cushion and life. Make sure you wash any new clothing and practice with all of the race day clothing to ensure you know how to combat chafing and blisters with your chosen outfit. Bodyglide is a great product to combat chafing, but you will need to practice with the race day clothing to determine where and in what quantity to apply the Bodyglide.
Get your timing right. Mimic the time of day of the race for your long runs. If you are currently running in the afternoons, now is the time to switch your long runs to a race time start (7 a.m. for the Endeavor Health Naperville Races).
Practice your pacing. If you are going for a specific goal time for the half marathon, 10K or 5K, practice your race pace for at least the final few miles of some or all of your long runs. Also, practice even or negative splits (running the second half of the long run faster than the first half.) This type of pacing will help maximize your performance and not burn glycogen reserves too early in the run. If this is your first half marathon or 5K, you should not have a goal time and instead focus on finishing comfortably with an even pace.
Go virtual. If you are concerned about crowds, physically can’t make it to the starting line on race day due to travel or other issues, or don’t like getting up for a 7am race, Naperville Half Marathon, 10K and 5K has a virtual racing option that can be run anytime in October.
Practicing these tips will help you maximize the remaining time before your race and help ensure success on race day.
Laurie Lasseter
Marathoner
ACE Certified Personal Trainer
RRCA Certified Running Coach
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