Preparing for a track race

[Ben Blaukopf]

I've got a mile race [1] on a Sunday - it's nothing that serious but I'd still like to put in a good
performance. I know how to prepare myself for a 20K, but am a bit puzzled about this one.

Normally I'd

Eat three hours before the race Drink lucozade energy an hour before, and then nothing until the
race except a little water immediately before if I feel thirsty Warm up over 2-3K with some strides

How should I change that, if at all, for this much shorter event. Also, what is the maximum training
I can do in the next few days without hurting performance too much? I'd normally do

Thu - 2Kslow/5Kbrisk/2K slow Fri - not run Sat - 10K steady Sun - 25K+ slow

I'm like if possible to keep that pretty similar, except do Sunday's run after the race, and maybe
shorten it a bit.

TIA,

Ben

[Lyndon]

Ben wrote:

>I've got a mile race [1] on a Sunday - it's nothing that serious but I'd still like to put in a
>good performance. I know how to prepare myself for a 20K, but am a bit puzzled about this one.
>
>Normally I'd
>
>Eat three hours before the race Drink lucozade energy an hour before, and then nothing until the
>race except a little water immediately before if I feel thirsty Warm up over 2-3K with some strides

Nothing different here, except your strides should get close to race pace, so you are ready to take
off at that pace from the gun. If you have high school or college runners in your mile race, they
will take off at a suicidal pace for the whole first lap; They will slow down significantly on lap
2. Be prepared for this.

If you're new to track races, try to understand the schedule of events ahead of time. You have to be
able to work in your warmup when the race director will allow you to warm up. This is not
necessarily at the most convenient time for you.
>
>How should I change that, if at all, for this much shorter event. Also, what is the maximum
>training I can do in the next few days without hurting performance too much? I'd normally do
>
>Thu - 2Kslow/5Kbrisk/2K slow Fri - not run Sat - 10K steady Sun - 25K+ slow
>
First, if your mile as an all-out performance race, you should have your not run day on Saturday, or
at least don't do more than 2-3 miles at a slow (not anything like tempo) pace. Don't try to do any
"training" within 5 days of a hard race, or your legs will be dead on race day. Today (Thursday)
you'll be best off just doing a warmup, followed by some strides and 200's or 300's at your goal
pace for Sunday. Nothing that will tear you down.

Also, if your mile is an all-out race, you probably won't feel like doing all of 25K later in the
day. Don't make any decisions about this until 2-3 hours after your track race: If you really gave
it your all, you might not feel like doing anything.

>I'm like if possible to keep that pretty similar, except do Sunday's run after the race, and maybe
>shorten it a bit.
>
>TIA,
>
>Ben
>
>
Lyndon "Speed Kills...It kills those that don't have it!" --US Olympic Track Coach Brooks Johnson

[Rick++]

Something to get stoned on to relieve the monotony of 400 laps? :-)

[Rick++]

Sorry, I meant 50 laps.

[Ben Blaukopf]

"Lyndon" <airlyndon@aol.comnospam> wrote in message
news:20040219124219.06694.00000003@mb-m05.aol.com...
> Ben wrote:
>
> >I've got a mile race [1] on a Sunday - it's nothing that serious but I'd still like to put in a
> >good performance. I know how to prepare myself for a 20K, but am a bit puzzled about this one.
> >
> >Normally I'd
> >
> >Eat three hours before the race Drink lucozade energy an hour before, and then nothing until the
> >race except a little water immediately before if I feel thirsty Warm up over 2-3K with some
> >strides
>
> Nothing different here, except your strides should get close to race pace,
so
> you are ready to take off at that pace from the gun. If you have high
school
> or college runners in your mile race, they will take off at a suicidal
pace for
> the whole first lap; They will slow down significantly on lap 2. Be
prepared
> for this.

It's basically my club versus the university (college to you). I'm prepared for the fact that if
their top guys turn up (which is unlikely) they might be 40 seconds quicker than me, so I'll be
pacing myself - thanks for the warning though. In fact, it's an 800/1200/1600 relay, with me on the
last leg, so it might all be over by then anyway.

> >Thu - 2Kslow/5Kbrisk/2K slow Fri - not run Sat - 10K steady Sun - 25K+ slow
> >
> First, if your mile as an all-out performance race, you should have your
not
> run day on Saturday, or at least don't do more than 2-3 miles at a slow
(not
> anything like tempo) pace. Don't try to do any "training" within 5 days of
a
> hard race, or your legs will be dead on race day. Today (Thursday) you'll
be
> best off just doing a warmup, followed by some strides and 200's or 300's
at
> your goal pace for Sunday. Nothing that will tear you down.

You're a few hours ahead of me, so I was tucked up in bed when you wrote that, but Thursday's run
actually turned into about 2K of "brisk", followed by deciding I hadn't really recovered from
Sunday's 20K race yet, and going home at a slow pace.

I don't care if I'm a few seconds slower than best, so I think I'll do a 10K run on Sat, but make it
slower than mp, and do it as early as possible to give myself maximum recovery.

>
> Also, if your mile is an all-out race, you probably won't feel like doing
all
> of 25K later in the day. Don't make any decisions about this until 2-3
hours
> after your track race: If you really gave it your all, you might not feel
like
> doing anything.

Righto. I suspect that I won't be that dead, unless it's a race all the way to the line, simply
because I don't know how hard I can push over short distances.

Ben

[Miss Anne Throp]

It's only a mile Buttercup. You're spending more time talking about it, than you will actually doing
it. Just keep turning left.