Why You Should Race Even When You’re Not in Tip-Top Shape
Hey Friends! Happy Monday. I’m still riding the high of my rest day yesterday after 19 straight days of running and 3 hard workouts last week. Phew, that was hard! But I got stronger and faster so it was worth it!
Today’s post is on a topic that has been on my mind for a few months now and after my own recent experience racing the Surf City Half not in tip-top shape it came back to the forefront of my brain and I wanted to touch on it here.
The thing that got me thinking about this topic in the first place was a post I saw on Facebook a few months ago. I’m in a few running related groups on Facebook and in one of the groups a member posted a question saying that they had an upcoming race that they were signed up for but their training hadn’t been “perfect” and they weren’t sure if they should do the race because of the lack of a perfect training cycle. Now, let me know you, no training cycle ever goes perfectly! Not one! You will have a “failed” workout at some point, there will be a day that you have to cut a run short because of time constraints, you may even get sick and have to take a few days off. But none of that means that you shouldn’t run your race. Even if you aren’t in your tip-top shape there are so many ways you can benefit from racing.
Of course this excludes any cases where you really weren’t able to train for the distance (like a marathon) or when you are sick or injured on race day, but if you are healthy don’t let the fear of not running a personal best or running the race you want to run stop you from making it to the starting line!
In my case – I ran the Surf City Half earlier this month on 7 weeks of running and only 4 weeks of structured workouts (after taking a 2 week break following CIM). I signed up for the race knowing that I wouldn’t be in top form and I wasn’t expecting to PR… although I thought that on a good day it could happen… and I didn’t. I did however, learn some valuable lessons, got a gauge of where my fitness was currently at, and had a fun morning racing in Huntington Beach, CA.
So why race even when you’re not in tip-top shape?
It takes the pressure off of your goal races
I may only be speaking for myself here but if I only have one race on my calendar I put wayy too much pressure on that one day, that one race. Having less important races along the way to your goal races will take the pressure off your goal race because it isn’t the only time you’ll be racing during your training cycle, it gives you little goals along the way to the big goal and if you’re having positive racing experiences along the way the day of your big race won’t be as scary.
It’s good practice for that A race you have on your schedule
On the morning of an A race you want to feel confident and sure of yourself. If you’ve run some races leading up to the A race you can figure out what morning routine works best for you. How far ahead should you drink your coffee? What can you stomach to eat before the race? When will you go to the bathroom? What will you wear to the starting line? If you can work out all the kinks in races that are less important to you then you will be rocking and rolling on the morning of your goal race.
You get in a high quality workout
Have you ever noticed that it’s much harder to push yourself in a workout than it is in a race. Running a race in the middle of training can be a great workout, the adrenaline and excitement will push you to a better performance than you could have done solo.
It can be a good indicator of where your fitness is
When you’re at the beginning of a training cycle (or in the middle of one) it can be hard to pinpoint what your level of fitness is. Workouts can be used as a fitness indicator but I’ve found that races are the best predictor because, like I said in the previous point, it’s easier to lay it all out there in a race than in a workout. Getting an indicator of your fitness helps you or your coach better prescribe your workout paces and can be a good motivation – whether you are ahead or behind where you thought you were fitness-wise knowing the outcome can encourage you to keep going with your training. This was the case for me at Surf City, while I didn’t run a PR I did run my 2nd fastest half AND it was 1 1/2 minutes faster than my “tester” half at the beginning of my training cycle for CIM. That gave me a big motivational boost for this season because I know I’m starting from a fitter place than I started last season and last season ended on a pretty high note. 😉
You can practice your mental training
Being strong mentally is imperative to racing well, and if you practice your mental training “tricks” in racing situations they will become easier and easier to draw on in future races. So take advantage of each race you run to practice your positive self-talk, mantras, and mental training tricks.
Races are Fun!
Races connect you to other runners in a way that social media can’t. You’re reminded of why you love running and that other people love it as well. I love the experience of the expo, the post run celebrations and cheering on other runners after I’ve finished.
Where do you fall on this topic? Do you love racing and do it often? Or are you a “race avoider” and only sign up for 1 or 2 big races a year?