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The Big Race

Race day is the most important and stressful day in the life of a runner. Racing is what separates the recreational runner from the serious competitor. This is where the months of mileage and hard work come together for five kilometers of all-out effort. Many runners, however, make mistakes on race day which affect their performance negatively and many of these runners have no idea what these mistakes are. It can take many years of experience and racing before a runner can finally smooth out a race day routine that works.
The first mistake many runners make on race day is not allowing their bodies enough time to wake up in the morning before their race. You cannot expect to do well in a race if you wake up an hour before the gun sound at the start. By giving yourself about three hours to wake up and warm-up for the race, you give your head time to think about the task at hand. You also give your breakfast an adequate time to digest and fuel your performance.
Selecting what to eat the day of the "big race" can make or break your performance. It is always best to try out foods in your training and see what works best for you, so you are not trying something new on race day which could possibly upset your stomach. I prefer to stick with a five-hundred calorie meal about two hours before race time. Preferably a high carbohydrate meal such as cereal with little sugar and two slices of toast with a cup of green tea. This meal will be easy to digest and will not bog me down during the race by upsetting my stomach. The caffeine in the tea will wake me and bring my heart rate up. Do not forget to keep drinking water on the way to the race, as this will keep you hydrated and feeling good. It is also possible to drink too much water before the race. I have experienced this before, as an amateur runner I thought that I could compensate for not staying hydrated in the days before the race by taking in lots of fluids the day of the race. This...

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