Running in Races – Getting Fit

Races

 

November 5, 2016 Hickory Cove Trail Race 5K

November 5, 2016
Hickory Cove Trail Race 5K

 

Running in races helps you set goals and, for me, gives motivation to keep training. Races are also nice for tracking progress, if you run the same race more than once. Having run more than 50 races in 4 years, I have had great races, and I have had some really hard races. Both experiences have made me a stronger runner.

When you train for races and run in them regularly, you will find that you have peaks and valleys in your training and in your racing. You can train your body to be in peak performance for a race, and then on race day, the weather is different than you expected.

This will affect your performance, if it is a significant change in the weather. I run better and faster in cold, dry air. I run slower in hot, humid weather. I train and plan my races accordingly. The coldest race I ever ran in was 18 degrees with slight moisture in the air. I ran a fast race and got a personal record in that half-marathon. Then, I ran in a race this summer that was very hot and humid, I finished 3 minutes slower than my best 5K time because of the weather differences.

You will also experience peaks and valleys in your training, both in endurance and speed. You will find that you can train and hit your goal, and then you will usually have to re-group and work through some tough runs before you see improvement again. This is just a physiological response from your body, and you need to use your mind to help you through the hard training runs.

This summer has been particularly hot and humid. My training times have not been as good as the winter and spring times, but they are considerably better than last summer’s training times. This way, I can see that there is improvement. Because of my faithfulness to my training plan this summer, I will likely see improvements this fall and winter.

 

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About Tami

Tami Fox is a homeschool mom of 6, who in age from 26 to 11. She and her husband have homeschooled for 17 years and have graduated three of their children from their homeschool. They are currently homeschooling 3 boys who are in grades 11, 9, and 6. They use hands-on learning and unit studies to ignite the fire of learning in their children. Tami is a homeschool author and conference speaker. You can contact her by email at Tami@TamiFox.com. Buy her book, Giving Your Children Wings at https://tamifox.net/giving-your-children-wings/.

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