How to Prep for a 10-Mile Race
Tips to help my wife and brother-in-law prep for tonight's 10 mile summer race
This is a post for my wife and brother in law who are running a summer 10 miler later today. I, unfortunately, am not because I've been dealing with a hamstring strain that just isn't cooperating.
Step 1. Decide to race. Whether it’s week of or something you’ve planned for a while, the first step is making that decision
Good. That step is taken care of.
Now it’s focusing on the training that you can get done. Summer running is always more difficult than any other time of the year because of how much effort and energy it takes to train.
Summer training is obviously more difficult because for the most part, it’s hot as hell out and that in itself makes training way more challenging.
For most people you won’t be able to run the full race distance during training so you want to focus on getting as close as you can to 10 miles for long runs. Will every run be really good? No - but the idea that you get as close as you can so that the race goes by as smoothly as possible.
The 10 mile distance is far enough that you need to do serious training, but not far enough that you need to do some major sacrifices to reach the distance.
Some of your runs will need to be done at race pace, but for the majority of training, easy paces are where it’s at. Race pace for 10 miles isn't particularly fast, but it's still good to get some miles at your target race pace.
You'll definitely want to pick the right gear for a 10 mile race. It's long enough that blisters are a definite possibility, so you might want to consider vaseline over troubled (hot) areas that you've found during training.
If you're going to do sunscreen when you run, keep it below your eyes because if you've ever had sunscreen in your eyes, you know how much it burns. Instead, opt for a hat to block the sun and keep your eyes protected.
At the end of the day, a 10 mile race doesn't have to be a race - it can just be a good hard effort where you test yourself over 10 miles. Sometimes, the goal of a race isn't necessarily to run as fast as possible and instead it can be for just accomplishing a new race distance.
Since it's a summer race, you'll definitely want to hydrate throughout the day and if needed, during the race. No shame in taking it easy and listening to your body because we all know that summer hits a little bit different.
Need tips on food? I’d suggest not eating three to four hours prior to the race and make your heaviest meal in the morning. Sip on water and electrolytes throughout the day to make sure you stay hydrated.
Whether you're in the thick of training or you've just kicked off training, having races on your calendar is a great way to prep for future races and just have a little bit of fun with training.
Have questions? Reply to the email and I’ll get back to you.
If you liked reading this post, give it a like or a share. [It really boosts my fragile self-esteem]
Want to support my writing and don’t know how to help? Share this post!
Friday’s Action Plan:
Use summer races to keep training fun and experiment with different race-day strategies.
What Has My Attention:
Quote of the Week:
Excitement starts the race, but discipline carries you to the finish line.
New Blog Alert:
The Comprehensive Guide to Summer Cross Country Training
Thanks for reading until the end. You can certainly get a hold of me in any number of ways, but if you have a comment about this post, click below.
You can find me on social media or check out my most popular links including using me as your running coach.
Did you really just love this post? Awesome and thank you. Go ahead and share it!
