On Running: the Day Before a Race

I love the day before a race.  It's a day of both rest and excitement.  For me, the pre-race nerves don't really set in until the morning of, so the day before a race is just pleasant anticipation.

In the months leading up to a race, many Saturday mornings are sacrificed to long runs.  But on the day before a race, the whole morning is yours again.  There are no more miles to log--if you run at all that day (this time we didn't) it's only a mile or two (and it's only at an excruciatingly slow pace). You don't want to strain yourself, so you take it easy.  Food is fuel, so you eat well and liberally.  You play out the race in your mind and it is straightforward.  The next day it won't feel so effortless . . .  But luckily, the pain of past races is dulled by the effects of time and memory and for that day before the race, it's still your race to imagine--an easy stride, ideal splits, a strong finish--they all feel very tenable.  You put in the training.  Your spirits are high.

This last Sunday, I ran the Santa Cruz Half Marathon.  I'd covered this distance before--I'd already run three half marathons and one of them was the exact same race two years earlier--but it was also my first race in almost that time (two years).  So come Sunday morning, I was sick with nerves.  On Saturday though . . . I was still enthusiasm, the race was only speculation and the day was all mine.

Below are some photos from the day before our race:

The day started off with some buckwheat (not the dog) waffles.  Then it was down to the Boardwalk to pickup our race packets and take Buckwheat (the dog) for a short stroll along West Cliff.  The morning was foggy and things were calm.  We watched the surfers watch the waves at Cowell's and then turned around to seek out more food (fuel!).  

Back at home, I laid out my race gear and checked the charge on my electronics (because one time I showed up to a race certain that my iPod was charged, only to find it was effectively dead).  I browsed the internet and looked up the splits for my goal time.  I unfurled on the couch and watched a few shows.  I tidied up the condo and futzed around with my half-marathon playlist. 

For dinner we loaded our plates with carbs (whole wheat spaghetti and garlic bread) and once we ate those, we went back for seconds.  After dinner we went up into the hills to watch the sunset and then on the way home, we stopped for dessert.  Really, it was a perfect way to spend the day before a race . . .  

. . . the race itself, wasn't so perfect.  I went out too fast and then raced too conservatively because I was afraid of dying out before the finish.  I set a personal best (1:46:44) but I fell short of my goal time (01:45:00).  My stride wasn't easy, my splits were off and my finish wasn't as strong as I'd hoped.  But hey, there's always next time!

(I should add that there was a lot that went really well during the race and while I was disappointed that I didn't hit my goal, I was also happy to have run the race so successfully.  Most runners are primarily racing against themselves--or at least that's how I feel about it--and in that sense, I was a winner.  But now that it's done and my legs aren't feeling weak, I'm itching to break 1:45:00.  So despite my "win", I kind of can't wait for my next day before a race!)