Okay, so either you made the commitment yourself by signing up for the 5k run or got persuaded by some friends to do it as a group thing. Now the time has come to do the race. If you've never been at a 5k running event before, it can be overwhelming. Some events can have well over a 1000 people running plus the spectators, people overseeing the event, and the volunteers helping out. You will be in a sea of people and probably not sure what to do. I'm here to help you understand what to do before, during and after the race.

I'm assuming you have been training as you lead up to the race, but there is one thing you should at least do; run a full 5k (3.1 miles) a couple of times. Mainly so you'll know what the distance is like and how you will have to pace yourself in the actual race.

The day before the race:
Check the weather and prepare. Races are rarely canceled due to weather. It takes so much planning and coordination that it's difficult to reschedule such a thing. So, plan on dealing with the elements. Hot, cold, rain, or wind. Actually, unless it's cold, running in the rain ain't bad. It keeps you cool. You'll need a hat with a brim to keep the rain your of your eyes. The toughest thing to plan for is if it's a little chilly but it will be sunny and warming as the race unfolds. You may start off cold but once you get warmed up, you need to shed some clothing. Think about wearing a sweat shirt with a long or short sleeve t-shirt underneath. When you start getting hot you can strip off the sweatshirt and tie it around your waist.

Keys:
There are certain things that point to our increasingly complicated life. Cell phones, daily planners, PDAs, answering machines, and your key ring. Nobody carries just two keys, one for your car and one for your house. Instead we have key rings that have a dozen keys on them. I bet there is even one your ring that isn't even useful anymore. And there's usually some personalized key ring or fob and maybe a few extra items that aren't even keys. The reason I'm pointing this out is that unless you have someone at the race who is going to hold it for you, you're going to have to run with it. Think about bringing an extra car key you can tie into your shoe laces (an old runners trick) or detach your car key and leave the rest of the keys in your car. Make sure they are out of sight.

The morning of the race:
What you eat before a race is a personal preference. For shorter events like a 5k I don't eat anything. It will be over in 30 minutes. But for long events or to at least get a little energy, I like light “bready” things like toast, pancakes, waffles (with little or no syrup). Eat these items at least an hour before the race. Not because of the old wives tale of eating before swimming, but because it takes more than 45 minutes before it gets into your system where you can benefit from the energy boost.

Water water everywhere:
You need to make sure you are adequately hydrated *before* the race. Yes they often have water stations on the course but if you are desperately thirsty during the race it's too late. Drink just enough to be satisfied but not enough to be bloated.

At the race:
As soon as you arrive, get your packet. Every race has a race packet that contains your number, safety pins, t-shirt, sometimes a race chip, and a bunch of goodies and advertising from the sponsors of the race. Most races you can pick the packet up the day of the run. Usually the table starts handing out packets about an hour or so before start time. Get the packet as soon as you can to beat the rush. At some races that are really big, you can (or may have to) pick up the packet a day or two before the race.    more >>