Embedded Files
Parent - Runner Race Prep Guide *
The goal of this guide is for parents and athletes to gain an understanding of the preparation leading up to a few days before our typical weekend meets. The information included should be used as a guide only as this is not a universal approach. Everyone needs to determine what works best for their individual needs as there are always exceptions for prepping. For new runners this may take a few meets through trial and error. Take the time to figure it out and learn what works best. If you have any questions please e-mail Coach Rinard at jrinard@firerunning.com.
Pre – Meet: 2 - Days Out
Pre-meet starts two days before the actual event. That is the time when sleep is critical. Your body needs the rest on a Thursday more so than a Friday for a Saturday meet. This is good news if you are one to get pre-race jitters and have trouble sleeping the night before a meet. Try to get homework taken care early so that you can maximize your rest time. If you work try to schedule around this day so that you are not up on your feet the whole time.
Two days prior to a meet is a good time to focus on making good food choices. Cut back on your fats and proteins a bit here and start focusing more on your energy foods (carbohydrates). You will need protein to rebuild muscle that was broken down from a workout but you will need carbs to fuel your energy stores. Fluid intake is always very important. Try to make certain that you are drinking plenty of water, juice or sports drinks later in the week. Stay away from soda. The carbonation will only harm your performance.
The main focus is to rest though. Everyone has busy schedules and your body will need to recover. This is especially true since most hard workouts occur two days before a major race. We will typically have a day off from official practice before all meets.
Make sure you also know when to meet and where the meet will take place.
Pre – Meet: 1 - Day Out
All the work you’ve done during the week (or lack thereof) can’t be undone with one day prior to a meet. Don’t think by doing a super training day on a Friday before an invitational will make you faster. That is why we are taking Fridays off from practices and recommending only a light run to stretch out or a focus on recovery. You will want to maintain excellent fluid intake ALL-DAY when you are a day away from competition. Stay away from soda and definitely no energy drinks (ever). You may also want to avoid milk and orange juice the day before a race if you have any stomach issues with it. Use your best judgment. Try to experiment with different drinks the day before so that you learn what your body can handle.
Food-wise you really need to focus on the carbs. Pastas, breads, rice and other starches are very helpful but you do not need to do any serious “carb-loading”. Avoid overeating or ingesting foods that will take a long time to digest the day before a race as your body may not process it in time. Eat things that you know will be digested easily and eat appropriate portions. If your body is using energy trying to assimilate food it can’t put that energy into helping your performance. We want you eating clean so avoid the junk food. Pizza or cheesesteaks the night before is likely going to wreck many performances. While it works for some it is typically best to save the comfort foods for your post celebration recovery.
The day before if you know the course put on some music that you like and do some mental imagery of the race. Formulate a plan. “I want to make a move here”, “I have to remember that hill comes up at mile 2”, “I remember last time the footing was really good here so I can fly!” Run the race in your head. Picture everything…the trees, the grass and the course. Hear the sounds of your footfalls and your teammates cheering for you. Get yourself in the proper frame of mind for what you want to do. Always set a goal prior to the race. If you don’t you will have no internal motivation that will stir you along. Make sure the goal is a realistic one. Talk to coach about it ahead of time. We want you to have a successful and fun race.
Sleep is still important but your meal is vital. Make sure your meet bag packed that night so it’s one less thing you have to worry about in the morning. Have your uniform set, extra clothes and shoes ready to go. Pack extra spikes if you will be racing in them.
Meet Day! The morning
When race day is here make sure that you eat something for breakfast. You can’t
perform without fuel. Give your body a chance to do what it can. Set your alarm early enough so that you are not rushing around in the morning. You may be nervous already so why compound it by not eating? Again know your body. Some like to have oatmeal on race morning. Some may like eggs or pancakes but for others that may just kind of sit in the gut all day and slow your performance. Drink some water or sports drink in the morning and bring some with you to the race. Do whatever you need to do in the morning to feel comfortable. If you need to shower (even though you will sweat in a few hours) do it. Teach your body the routine, so that when the race starts, it will not be a shock to your system.
Meet Day! Arrival at the course
When you arrive at the meet take the bathroom time when you can get it. When
more and more teams show up that time will be limited. Locate your group and stay together as a team. The older runners can teach our less experienced runners facets of the course from experience. Never walk into any competition without some sort of plan laid out ahead of time. The plan is subject to change when situations arise but it is much better to adapt a pre-made plan than to formulate a new one on the fly. Do not take a nap. XC meets go by quickly. If you nap so close after waking in the morning your body will shut down and you will become lethargic. Have a bite to eat as well. You should safely be able to eat light things such as a bagel or granola bar up to 90 minutes before the start. Again, know your body. Some of you may be able to eat 30 minutes before a race while others may need a few hours. Be smart and get in tune with what works best for you.
Meet Day! Warm-Up time
Meet days are basically just practices with uniforms. The routine that you follow during the week should be implemented before your races just with a bit more intensity. You and your teammates should go for a 10-15 minute jog of varying intensity about 35 minutes before the start. This will get your heart pumping and warm you up. Go to the restroom now if you need to. Do not wait until the bitter end in case there is a line or some other unforeseen delay. Perform a good set of static stretches to limber you up and allow your body to achieve full range of motion. Hit some leg drills and other dynamic stretches to stay warm and keep your heart rate somewhat elevated At about 5 minutes prior to the race start a set of 2-4 TEAM strides should be done. Wish your teammates good luck and get focused. Run the race to the best of your ability and enjoy yourself out there!
Meet Scoring
Scoring in XC is similar to golf in that the lowest score wins. There are 7 members to a cross country team. The team’s score is the sum of the places of the first 5 runners. Scorers 6 and 7 are known as displacers. They do not contribute to the sum of points but can help to add points to the competitor’s teams. Ties are broken by the lower placing 6th runner from each team.
Meet Day! Postrace
Once you complete your race journey don’t fall down, lay down or sit down. Do some light static stretching and work to bring your heart rate down slowly. Get a drink and eat something. It is important to fuel your body within 45-60 minutes of finishing a hard effort. This does not mean candy! Eat a bagel, muffin, granola bar, fruit, etc. This will start the recovery process immediately. Do a good set of stretches. Be prepared to discuss the race with your coach….the good, the bad and the ugly. Each practice and each race should be a learning experience. If you want to excel in this sport you have to understand the race as a whole, learn from your mistakes and remember your successes. The goal is to continue overall improvement across the season and your high school XC career.
Meet Day! Recovery
Once you make it home give your body time to recover. Make sure that you eat lunch and dinner. Now the proteins become more important than the carbohydrates. The proteins will help you recover and aid in rebuilding muscle tissue to make you stronger. Meats, chicken, fish, tofu, beans and vegetables served with potatoes (for a bit of carbs) should all be considered for the menu. After the meet is over continue to avoid soda as it is still a diuretic. Maintain your liquid intake with water, juice or sports drinks.
Start keeping a meet journal to track your progress. It is helpful to keep a running log day by day but at least meet by meet. This should summarize not only your time and place, but also what the course was like and how you felt along the way. This will help you to locate trends on what things make you feel good, and what things you need to avoid.
Meet Day + 1
The day after your performance you should maintain your fluid intake. Keep eating those
proteins and even introduce a few fats. Enjoy eating a treat or two as you’ve earned that right. It is important though to get out there and run long early in the season. It will make your tapering days that much more worthwhile. Sunday’s after meets should include a 30-60 minute easy paced run or walking, biking, swimming (for our newbie runners) to help with the recovery. This will continue until about ¾ of the season is over. Then you can start cutting back to 20-40 minutes. These efforts will aid in removing lactic acid and keep you focused. Once you get into a routine stay with it. Dropping out of your routine only makes things more difficult to return and find that drive.
Summary
Try to remember the following:
sleep is important 2 nights before competition
carbohydrates before races, proteins after
water, juice and sports drinks (50-50 to 70-30 dilution) will help you stay hydrated
soda is a diuretic and can have adverse effects on your performance
eat things that will agree with your system
make sure to eat breakfast on meet day
bananas, apples, bagels, granola snacks are good pre-meet foods
eat something after you warm-down to get the recovery process going as soon as possible!
warm-up and warm-down as a team
if you have a routine that you use keep doing it! Learn what works best for you.
set realistic goals and talk about them with your teammates or coach
discuss positives and negatives of each race with coach
running is a lifelong sport, have fun and enjoy yourself out there!
don’t fret about a poor performance or be afraid to fail. You will never learn how far your body will let you go unless you give it a chance. Test it out at races.
* This guide has been updated to fit our team needs but credit to Coach Derocco from the Nisky School District in New York for creating the original document and outline of this guide obtained online.
Page updated
Report abuse