How much do you usually pay to enter a race? If it is a 5 km around the park fun run, my bet is that it costs you a whole lot less than if it is a fully blown marathon or longer. But that is all kind of reasonable when you consider what is involved.

Now I don’t object to the cost of races, because I know what is involved in their organisation. This sort of thing doesn’t come for free. But I do still try to get my money’s worth.
Practically everyone in a race will pay exactly the same entry fee for their involvement. If the race is a marathon, some of those people will take over 7 hours to finish while others will be across the line, warmed down, and into the rigor mortise stage of their recovery well under 3 hours. When you look at it this way, the winners get a lot less of a run for their money than the back of the pack finishers. Per hour, an elite runner’s entry fee is much higher than for the last placed finisher. As we run faster with progressively more effective training, we too, will experience this drop off in marathon “value”. Where we used to train for six months for an event that lasted 7 or 6 or 5 hours, we are now finishing in only 4 or 3 or less. We have less time to enjoy the journey before the finish line and much of it is done at a blistering pace (if we are running well). What a rip off…the better we run, the less time we get to enjoy it in a race.
There is a solution, though, and I am calling it Good Value Racing.

As we get faster in our racing, and we spend less time in a race, it is up to us to ensure that the time we do spend racing is good value. While before we might have had many hours to have a “good time” on the race course, we now have to try and have an “excellent” time for the shorter duration. So the pressure is on to think up ways to cram more enjoyment into our limited race time. How about these for suggestions:

1. Make a point of remembering the faces of the people who start near you. Then keep a look out for them as the race progresses. Watch the changes as time goes on. Often the best groomed starters are the most ragged looking finishers. Make a point of looking the same throughout…even if it means hobbling your good looks at the start.

2. Play with some of your fellow competitors, practicing new aggressive or defensive techniques. Anything is worth a try as long as it doesn’t go too far outside of your race plan and is not unfair.

3. Make a point of acknowledging the fans cheering from the sideline. All they need is a smile. And the benefit for you is that if you crack a smile, you will probably feel better as well.

4. Really be conscious 100 % as you run. If you are trying to disassociate with the run at that point, make your distracting thoughts so vivid that they really feel real. Imagining you are sleeping on the beach will be so much more effective if you can feel the sand, hear the ocean and smell the pina colada in your hand. If you are trying to focus on the race, then the same applies. Feel every muscle, listen to your breathing, count your footsteps, and calculate your splits if you still have the mental capacity. Don’t just drift along.

5. Remember you are there because you chose to be, so swing on what you are hoping to carry away from the race. If you are racing for your own self esteem, then go to it. Feel more confident as the kilometres progress. If it is for the glory, then lap up the crowd’s applause. If you do it for the camaraderie, then relate with the people around you. A few words or a smile can start many mid-race relationships.

6. Always focus on the positive. No matter what is happening or how you are feeling, just starting a road race is an amazing experience. Work from there. If nothing else goes right, then remember that there are statistically few people who have the courage to expose themselves to a road race (despite what race numbers tell you), and you are one of them. You should be proud

7. After the finish line, try everything offered to you. If you can drink it or eat it, give it a shot. If there is an expo of running gear at the finish line, do the rounds. You never know what you might find out. And you never know who you will meet.

8. As soon as you are able, and warmed down, head back to the finish line. One of my favourite post race times is watching others finish. The variety of emotions always keeps me interested. The extremes of elation and exhaustion, coupled with relief and pain, really show us what people are like. Just watching the faces of a few hundred people crossing the line is enough to make a day of it for me. I will clap and cheer for anyone who crosses the line, because I know the course they have just run and so we have at least that in common. Everyone deserves applause as they cross the line and I love to be there to give it.

Remember, there is a limit to how often you race and some of us end up training for months leading up to just one race. We spend good money on travel, race fees and gear and then race for a relatively short period of time. It is up to us to make that period really great.
These are just a few suggestions for making the most out of race day. I’m sure you can think of more and I’d like to hear them. Tell me your ideas about Good Value Racing.

Tom O’Leary is an Australian author and runner, currently living in Tsukuba Japan
He recomends a carefully balanced mix of work, rest and play in order for runners to achieve their goals.
If you enjoyed this article there are plenty more at http://www.runningmonkeys.com

Tags: marathon, racing, run, Running, speed, training

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