Getting ready for an upcoming race takes both mental and physical preparation. From a physical standpoint, depending on the events and distance you have to run, your body needs a certain amount of preparation, rest, and of course, nutrition. 

The day before your race, you should not run a hard workout, but a light jog to get your muscles moving. Combine this with stretching as well to help with injury prevention. It is also a good decision to ice any part of the body that is slightly injured or recovering from a previous injury considering the intensity that you will be running at the following day. Just as it is important to get some movement in, it is important to also rest and not overwork your body. This means to not be running insane distances with continuous speed, but to slightly move your legs around the day instead. A good night’s sleep is also necessary with around eight hours of sleep. This is not just for the night before, but for the week leading up to the race as you need consistent rest for your body to be in its best shape to run. My coach used to recommend light toe taps while we were constantly sitting in classes when we had a meet in the afternoon or night. Nutrition is just as important in order to make sure your body is fueled with the right nutrients. It is recommended that you consume foods high in carbohydrates and low in fats prior to your race. You should also look to not eat for two to three hours before your actual race time to allow digestion to take place in order to avoid any stomach discomfort from occurring while you are running. Hydration is also key to preparing your body for a race. You should be drinking enough water the day of the race leading up to it along with days prior as it will better set up your body’s physicality. 

The second half of the preparation is done mentally. Many racers experience slight nerves when it’s close to their time to race, such as myself. I would start to feel slightly worried about the event and my finishing time even before I would get onto the track. Taking deep breaths and the support of your teammates cheering you on from the moment you step onto the track has helped me better focus on how I run my race. From the moment the gun goes off, all the nerves I carried with me vanish.  Once you cross that finish line, no matter what the time you get is, it is important to be proud of yourself for just completing your event. It is not about the race you ran, but what you learn from the race that matters. I always take each race as a learning experience and tweak the method I run in order to potentially run better in the next track meet. 

Running in a meet is intimidating and takes a toll on you both mentally and physically. No matter the amount of times you have run in a meet, there will always be a series of steps to follow to prepare yourself for the experience you will have. Take each race as a lesson and learn from it to improve yourself both physically and mentally in order to allow yourself to be put in the best position for your next race.