HEALTH - ACE YOUR RACE

Whether it's a charity walk, 5K, or full-on marathon, experts and avid runners share their best advice for feeling confident, comfortable, and proud on the big day.

- CAITLIN CARLSON

IF YOU'RE READING THIS, you've likely been training for some sort of race. Congrats! That's the hard part! A mentor once told me that the race itself is simply a parade in honor of all the work you put in to get there. I've run more 5Ks, half marathons, and marathons than I can count, and I can attest that this is a good mindset. Of course, things will still be challenging when it's go time. To help make them a little less so, I spoke with coaches, psychologists, and experienced runners to gather their top tips for newbies and seasoned racers. Run through their advice-you're almost there!

Set More Than One Goal

Runners often go into a race with a target finish time, and if they don't hit it, they consider the whole endeavor a failure, says Carla Meijen, PhD, a sports psychologist and the author of Endurance Performance in Sport. Avoid putting this pressure on yourself by having a few goals instead of just one. "You can set a dream goal, for when the conditions on race day are ideal; a happy goal, for when the conditions are less than perfect; and an OK goal, which would be the bare minimum if things don't go to plan," she explains. For example, your dream goal could be to run a 5K in under 25 minutes, your happy goal could be to complete the race in less than 30 minutes, and your OK goal could be to simply cross the finish line.

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