The hard work for your race is already done. In the last seven days you can't get much fitter, but you can still make yourself slower: by training too hard, eating something new, sleeping badly or arriving late at the start. Race week is about protecting the fitness you have built.
With the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon on 18 October and the Kochi Spice Coast Marathon on 25 October, thousands of runners across India are entering race week now. Here is a simple day-by-day plan you can follow for a 10K, half or full marathon.
The short answer
Run less, but keep a little speed. Eat familiar food. Sleep more. Plan race morning on paper before Saturday night. And don't try anything new on race day: no new shoes, no new gel, no new breakfast.
Day by day: your race week
Monday to Wednesday: cut back, stay sharp
Run roughly your usual days, but make each run shorter and easy. On one day, add a few short stretches at your goal race pace with easy jogging in between. This reminds your legs what race pace feels like without tiring them.
Skip: long runs, hard intervals, new gym routines and heavy leg workouts.
Thursday: check your kit and your race details
Lay out everything you will wear and carry. Every item should be something you have trained in. Then open the official event website and confirm your bib collection dates, venue, start time and wave. Save your e-ticket or confirmation on your phone so you are not searching for an email at the counter.
Tip: if bib collection is a day before the race, book your travel around it now.
Friday: rest, or a very easy run
Many runners sleep badly the night before a race because of nerves. That's normal, which is why many runners treat Friday as the night that counts and go to bed early. Keep the day calm and your meals simple.
Skip: long walks around a new city, late dinners and parties.
Saturday: shake out and set up
A short, easy jog loosens the legs. Then pin your bib to your vest, charge your watch and phone, and pack your bag. Write down three times: when you wake up, when you leave, and when you need to be at the start. Big city races often close roads early, so check the organiser's travel advice.
Dinner: an early, familiar meal with plenty of carbohydrates, such as rice, roti or idli. Not too spicy, not too heavy.
Sunday: race day
Eat the breakfast you have tested before long training runs, a few hours before the start. Arrive early enough for the toilet queue and a short warm-up. Start slower than you feel you should. The first kilometres always feel easy on race day, and that is exactly when most runners go out too fast.
Good for: finishing strong instead of hanging on for the last 5K.
Food and water: keep it boring
Race week is not the time to start a new diet. In the last two or three days, many runners add a little more carbohydrate to normal meals and cut back on very oily, fibre-heavy or spicy food that could upset the stomach. Drink water through the day and watch that your urine stays pale, but don't force litres down the night before.
On the course, use what you have tried in training. If you have never taken a gel or an electrolyte drink, race day is not the day to find out how your stomach reacts. If you have a medical condition or take regular medication, check your race plan with your doctor.
Three mistakes to avoid
1. Panic training. Missed a week of training earlier? You can't make it up now. An extra hard session will only leave you tired at the start line.
2. Buying new shoes at the expo. Expos are fun, but new shoes, socks or shorts can cause blisters and rubbing over 21K. Buy them for your next training block instead.
3. Chasing someone else's pace. Run your own plan. Choose a sensible target time based on your recent training, and adjust it on the day for heat and humidity.
Race week is a test of patience, not fitness. You earned your place on that start line over many early mornings. Now trust that work, rest your legs, keep things simple and let race day be the reward.Amit Daga, Founder and CEO, Feet and Pedals®
After the finish line
Walk for a few minutes, drink something and eat within an hour or so. Take a few easy days before running hard again. Then pick your next goal while the motivation is high. December and January are full of races, and many of them fill up early.
Whatever race you are running, always confirm the date, start time and venue on the official event website. Organisers do sometimes change schedules.
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