I am training for my first ever half-marathon May 20th and am super nervous and super excited!
I know I could learn more about running and even if you’ve been running awhile, you never really know it all. So I decided to have some guest posters on the blog to help me (and maybe you) out!
Check out the other posts so far:
Long-Distance Planning
Long-Distance Fuel
Cross-Training
This post is from another friend, Brian Keiser, I met on Dailymile, a great place to log your training miles AND meet other runners.
He has a zillion blogs, but his running blog Journey of a Runner fits the theme of this post. He also heads up Running Around Nebraska, a blog AND facebook page with local races. Super handy for someone like me…who lives in Nebraska!
Besides running marathons, he is also a graduate student, dad, husband, Christian, and entertaining to follow on Twitter. Enjoy his tips on how to behave in a way that won’t annoy people at a race!
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- Show up on time. Find your spot in the corral and don’t wait until the last minute and push through the masses to get there
- Be realistic where you line up in the corral. For example, you line up with the three hour pacing group but realistically you can run a four hour marathon on a perfect day. You end up getting in the way of the faster runners, and ultimately, start to feel like you are not fast enough. Line up where you are comfortable or even farther back.
- Don’t high five other runners or try and psych each other up. Behavior like this uses critical energy that you will need in the race. Celebrate later.
- Be respectful of other runners’ personal space. A marathon is big deal for some runners so don’t take offense if a friend doesn’t want to chat it up before the race. You can chat later.
- Do not urinate in public. There are portable toilets for this reason.
- Be prepared for the race. Don’t ask someone if you can borrow a GU, because they need them. If they offer one to you, then you can accept it.
- Pay attention during the national anthem. Stop talking, take your head phones out, and listen and reflect. Your freedom to run these races came with a sacrifice. Respect it.
- Passing. When you pass other runners, look back to make sure you are in the clear to pass. Don’t cut them off because they could trip over you or you could trip over them. Plus, runners have to alter their stride and adjust to you suddenly entering their path.
- Leave your headphones at home. I know there is a highly contested battle going on about whether or not headphones should be allowed, so leave them home if you can run without them. If you need to wear them, turn the volume down. This allows you to hear other runners around you. It is a safety thing. Plus, you can’t qualify for Boston while jamming out to U2 or Nicki Minaj!
- Spitting. If you have to spit, look around first. The last thing another runner wants is to be spit on.
- Leave the things you drop behind. If you drop a GU, a glove, or an iPod, do not stop and pick it up in front of other runners. Accidents happen because of this. If you must pick it up, pull off to the side and wait for runners to pass.
- Thank the volunteers and police officers that block traffic and provide water and food for you. They make the race happen
- Encourage other runners to keep going if they are having a tough time. If someone gets hurt, tell the nearest volunteer. We are all part of the same running family so treat each other well.
- If someone has a great race, but you did better than them, don’t steal their excitement by telling them how you did. Congratulate them, because you both did great.
- If someone has a bad race, and is down about how they finished, don’t say, “What happened? You ran so well last year.” You may get punched for that comment. Tell them they did a good job and give them their space.
- Become a cheerleader. If you have time to cheer on other runners and friends, do so. It means the world to runners to have support from their friends. It encourages them to finish strong.
- Throw away your post-race trash. You are not above other people just because you finish the race and may be tired.
- Don’t urinate in public. Again, there are portable toilets available for that.
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Apparently there are people that urinate in public at these races…another tip..watch out for those people!!
Well wish me luck on my second 9-miler!! Oh and I’m running around that big lake that I got lost at last time…so pray that I have a newfound sense of direction. My old sense of direction is awful.
Any other race-day tips for a newbie runner like me?
Are you an ipod runner? I tend to run with an ipod, but didn’t at my 10K race.
*More running posts here.*
