For many of you, the 10k you did this past weekend was your first race. A little different than the easy Saturday runs, wasn't it? Of course, it's great practice for whichever race you're training for, even if your goal isn't a time or place finish.
Most of us tend to go out too fast or get impatient with our fellow racers. As you know by now, there's some race day etiquette that makes everyone's experience safer and more fun.
A few tips:
1) Use the bathroom at home or in your hotel room. Race day jitters and early morning starts mean crowded (high-traffic) porta-johns at the start and beginning of the race. Try timing your meals and digestion of your pre-race meals so you can comfortably start the race.
2) Unless you are going for first place, know that it's ok if you get stuck near some slowpokes at the start. And, it's ok to be a slowpoke at the start. The satisfaction of shoving past someone at the start does not even compare to the feeling of passing that same person who sprinted out of the gates, in the home stretch.
3) If you're doing walk/run intervals, then sometimes you'll be slower than the herd and sometimes you'll be faster. It's like driving, people: slower runners/walkers stay to the right. Pass courteously on the left. Follow this simple rule, and there will be no road rage.
4) A word about drinking problems: most of us have them. Which is why most of us slow down to a walk to drink water or sports drinks on the course. Of course there are a few tricks, like folding the rim of the cup in half towards your mouth, but mostly it's slowing down enough to keep the water in your mouth and avoid swallowing air. And you'll be pulling off to the right to do this, right? (See Tip #3)
5) After finishing water, toss the cup to the side of the road, or the designated area. Same goes for gel packs, which get slippery. Keep the running route safe and trash-free.
6) Encourage fellow runners. Remember how it felt when someone said your name or cheered you on? Be that person for another runner.
