6 tips to keep you relaxed for race day

Though most of us have tried running at some point in our lives, not everyone has signed up for a road race or fun run. The days leading up to a race — not to mention the morning of — can make a first-timer quite nervous. Some longtime runners still get anxious before a race.

Here are six tips to keep you relaxed for race day.

1. Learn the route beforehand

In the days leading up to any race, it’s helpful to not only familiarize yourself with a map of the race, but also walk or run the route yourself. A map will help you with general directions, but if you want to know where the hardest parts of the route are, you need to experience it firsthand. Doing so will help determine when to push yourself and when to save energy during the race.

Learning the route before the race will keep you calm the day of because you’ve already seen everything the route is going to throw at you. No surprises will be coming your way on race day.

2. Eat smart

Don’t eat a giant plate of pasta the day before the race. Unless you’re consistently eating large amounts of carbohydrates in one sitting, your body will have to make some major adjustments to this new increase in food consumption. You may experience a stomachache the night before the race and cramping during the run.

Instead, eat smaller portions of carbs over the entire day before the race. Do this and you’ll meet race day with a fully fueled body that won’t cramp up or ache.

3. Arrive early

Get to the race early so you aren’t panicking when trying to find the information booths, bathrooms, vendors and race start. Locating all these important landmarks is much easier when not blocked by crowds of people. Once you’ve established where everything is, do some warm-up exercises or just relax before the race begins.

4. Stay hydrated

It’s important to stay hydrated leading up to the race, but avoid taking big swigs of water or sports drinks in the 30 minutes before the start of the race. Drinking too much may lead to cramps early on, which will make it difficult to stay focused when running.

Small sips over a longer period of time will keep you cramp-free.

5. Don’t dress too warm

When you arrive for the event, it will be early and probably chilly, which will make the morning anything but comfortable. But keep in mind that once the race starts, you’ll quickly heat up from all the movement and work your body is doing. If you’re wearing too many garments during the race, you’ll end up stripping off the layers and having to carry them — or tossing them aside without a promise of getting them back.

As a rule of thumb, dress for weather 20 degrees warmer than it is outside.

6. Check your pace

As tempting as it is to blow everyone out of the water during the start of the race, stay reserved in your running pace. For the first 10 percent of the race, run slower than you normally would while keeping in mind you’ll finish the race strong. Go too hard or “chase” the fastest runners during the start and you won’t have any gas in the tank for the second half of the race.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in June 2019 and updated in June 2023.