| So you've signed up for your first 5K. Here are a | | | | eliminate. Most 5K races are held early in the morning |
| few tips to help you run a good race. | | | | to begin with. For many people, pasta cannot sit well |
| Go easy the last week heading up to the race. As | | | | in the stomach. Eating a big pasta dinner the night |
| you gain more experience as a runner, you will know | | | | before your race might cause you to want to run |
| intimately the importance of decelerating your training | | | | off course into a Porto O Potty. |
| during the week, or weeks prior to race day. This, | | | | Before the race, you will probably have to pick up |
| by the way, is called the taper. The taper is most | | | | your race kit, which comes with a bib and time |
| commonly applied to marathons and longer distances. | | | | tracking foot pod, along with some goodies such as a |
| However, since this is your first 5K, you should do a | | | | tee shirt and energy gel. In general, it is not a good |
| small taper by running twenty to thirty minutes, two | | | | idea to wear the race tee shirt, as cool as it may |
| to three times during the final week. Schedule one | | | | look. The reason being, they are generally made out |
| day of rest before the race. | | | | of cotton, which traps sweat and heat - not a very |
| Although it is generally accepted that you should carb | | | | good combination when running. However, if the tee |
| load with a large pasta dinner the night before an | | | | shirt is made out of polyester, it should be fine to |
| athletic event, you should not do this for your first | | | | wear during the race as it will be more breathable |
| 5K. If you do, make sure you get up early to | | | | and wick away your sweat. |