Dam to Dam Advice

With Dam to Dam a few days away I thought I would write up some "words of wisdom".  Well, that may be an overstatement, let's just go with advice that has worked for me and athletes I've trained.

This Week
- you've trained for this race so now it's time to taper, no big runs this week
- cut your training volume down by 50%
- depending on experience, include a few short, high intensity runs
- calorie intake should be lower since training volume is lower

Days Leading Up to the Race
- Thursday should be your last run - make it easy
- If you are going to "carb-load", do it Thursday night, not Friday night
- Friday meals should be on the lighter side
- limit or avoid foods high in fiber and foods high in fat
- begin to carry around a bottle of water and casually sip on water
- keep active on Friday
- the most important night of sleep is Thursday night
- no alcohol leading up to race

Race Day
- eat breakfast 2-3 hours before the race
- don't stray from what you've been doing in training - I can't emphasize this enough
- carry water/sport drink with you on way to race and sip casually
- be sure to go to bathroom before the race

The Race
- race YOUR race, not your competitors
- remember, you trained for this race, now it's time to showcase your training
- be sure to consistently take in water - drink before you're thirsty
- thank the volunteers - they're there for you
- leave it all out on the course, don't hold anything back at the end
- enjoy yourself!