What Not to Do at a Race

I ran in the Army 10-miler yesterday. I have a few observations that I'd like to share with you. I want you to know several things you shouldn't do at a road race. Just because everyone else is doing it, doesn't mean you should.

1. Static stretch before running. Evidence shows that static stretching before exercise will actually impede your performance and reduce elasticity. Instead, do some dynamic stretches or some mobility drills to get warmed up. I also recommend jogging slowly for 10 minutes, and then finish with 6-10 20-second sprints. Those seem to work for me.

2. Static stretch improperly before running. This is even worse. I saw plenty of people "stretching" their quads while yanking their thighs. Your thighs should be together when you hold the traditional quadricep stretch. Doing the quad stretch before a race is bad enough; doing it incorrectly is just plain stupid.

3. Wear an iPOD. This is a road race. This is not a training run.

4. Wear a large fuel belt for such a short distance. I saw some runners with four bottles of fluid around thier waist. I saw one guy with a granola bar, a bottle of juice, and a gel. It's 10 miles, folks. It's not a multi-day expedition. These runners lost more time with all that weight around their belt than they gained by being properly fueled and hydrated.

5. Overestimate your ability as a runner. There are no waves in running races. Everybody starts in one mass. When there are 30,000 runners like yesterday, that's one big mass. Don't go to the front if you run 9:00-10:00 per mile. Allow the fast runners to go up front. Placing yourself at the front when you know you're not a fast runner only blocks the faster runners behind you. You hurt their performance by becoming an obstacle. I had to go around dozens of people. I probably ran more than 10 miles.

6. Wait until the race starts to urinate. People were using the Don Jon's 1/4 mile into the race. Didn't they realize they needed to piss 1/4 mile earlier? Don't wait until the last minute.

7. Rely on the race organizers to provide breakfast for you. While there were boxes and boxes of bananas, and plenty of bottled water, the other post-race food was atrocious: 400-calorie muffins with tons of sugar and HFCS (high fructose corn syrup); bagels with similar ingredients; Kashi granola bars (acceptable); cookies; and soda. I can't believe I was the only runner who actually brought something to eat after the race. I wonder what these people drink or eat after they run at home. If you're going to race, bring your own nutrition. It'll be much healthier than anything they serve at the race.

8. Have casual conversation while you run. If you can talk, you're not running very hard. As the run progressed, I heard less and less talking.

9. Sign up for a 10-mile run if you can't run more than two. Some people simply didn't belong here. I think you should prove that you've completed a 10k before you can run a 10-mile race (16k). Likewise, I wish marathon organizers would require runners to prove that they've completed a half-marathon.

Follow these guidelines, and you'll be healtheir, you'll go faster, you'll save yourself hardship, and you won't slow down other runners.

Kevin