Ed Kornoelje, DO
Sports Medicine | University of Michigan Health-West
We are about six weeks out from the SHE RUNS race weekend. Here are six things to keep in mind in the final weeks of training:
- You are where you are. One of the beautiful things about spring races—weather is usually better than those winter training runs, but it’s not yet summer hot. Not so beautiful—that winter weather can make training a little difficult. If you are where you expected to be and feeling good—green light for continuing the strong training. A little behind? Adjust your goals—maybe a PR is not in the cards, or a shorter distance may be what you need.
- Watch the weather starting 10 days out from the race. As noted above, spring weather is generally pretty good running weather (OK, at least the temp), but it can be warmer or cooler than expected—don’t be surprised on race day.
- Assess your shoes. 300-500 miles per pair is recommended. If you will be getting close to that range by race day, now is the time to break out the pair you will run the race in—NOT the week before the race!
- Practice fueling. There will be fuel in the course (GU products), but you may find that you prefer another brand of fuel. Try a few different types now so that you know what to use race day.
- Take advantage of the meetups and panels (and everything else SHE RUNS has to offer). There are great events every couple of weeks (or more) leading up to the races—see the SHE RUNS website for more info.
- Relax! There is still time for things to come together. Trust the process and utilize resources as needed. If you have a medical concern, find the U of M Health-West Sports Med team at www.uofmhealthwest.org or by calling 616-252-7778. We want to help you succeed!