Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k: What to Expect on Race Day

YMCA 10k Training Team Head Coach Dan Blankenship knows what you'll encounter at the 10k – and how to best prepare for the big day.

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What to Expect on Race Day
2013 Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k

DO NOW

• Drive the course sometime between now and race day.  Scope out the area so you are familiar with it and look for places to park.  Eliminate the stress.

DO AT THE ANTHEM HEALTH AND FITNESS EXPO

• Shuttle Bus: Don't want to deal with parking? Take a shuttle on race day! WINN Transportation will offer two separate shuttle pick-up locations: City Stadium and The Diamond. Anyone wishing to take advantage of the shuttle service on race day MUST purchase a ticket at the Expo during packet pick up hours. A limited number of tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The cost is $5 per person round trip. The shuttle will drop off at Adams and Canal Street (5 blocks from Monroe Park, site of the Post Race Festival)

THE NIGHT BEFORE

• Food: Eat carbs (but only a fist full), review night before checklist, hydrate, rest and relax, and watch the weather report!
• Night Before Check List:

o   Pin race bib on your race day shirt  (we use the “B” chip so your race chip is built into your race bib)
o   Get race bag ready and attach bag tag if you plan to use the Amica Insurance Bag Check. Be sure to include the following:
o   Body Glide
o   Running watch (fully charged)
o   Sunglasses
o   Money (a few dollars for emergency)
o   Pouch for Car Keys/Money
o   Change of Clothes (if needed)

• Lay out clothes you are going to wear

o   Shirt
o   Socks
o   Underwear
o   Jacket (if weather permits)
o   Pants
o   Hat

• Check the weather report
• Lay out Car Keys! (You don’t want to be looking for them the morning of the race.)
• Towel for Car
• Bagel (1/2)
• Bottled water (to sip on as you are driving to the race…sip only)

* GO TO BED EARLY the night before:  I recommend going to bed early Thursday night prior to race day since you may have trouble sleeping the night before the race!

RACE DAY TIPS

• Eat something but don’t try something new.
• Check the weather again; don’t overdress
• Leave home early race day: there will be over 80,000 people converging on downtown Richmond this weekend so leave early so that you can find parking – another tactic to avoid possible stress on race day.
• Bike Valet: New this year, we will offer a FREE Bike Valet service. Instead of trying to find parking, ride your bike to the event. Bike Valet will be offered in the VCU parking deck at the corner of Laurel and Grace Streets (directly across from Chipotle & Panera), only a quick walk to the start and from the finish festival in Monroe Park. Bike Valet service will be available from 7 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 13th for registered 10k participants. Participants will be able to check their bike and a bag, using their detachable bag check tag on their bib number
• Amica Insurance Bag Check: If you want to check in personal items on race day, be sure to do so in Monroe Park at the Amica Insurance Bag Check. This is a safe place to leave your personal items. Just tear the tag off your bib and attach it to your bag for easy identification upon pick up after the race.
• Porta-A-Johns: There will be plenty of Port-A-Johns in Monroe Park and at the start of the race.  Don’t worry if the lines look long; they move pretty fast.
• Pin your race number to the front of your shirt, not the back. (Do this the night before.)
• Corrals: start making your way to your corral wave about 20 minutes before the start.  Remember, you can always move back in your wave, but you cannot move up.  Security personnel will be there to control who gets in to the corrals.
• Stretch & try to relax in the Corral.
• Shoe laces: check your shoe laces before you enter your corral – double knot them if possible.
• Start in the back of your Corral (especially for first timers):  The folks at the front of your corral usually start out too fast so stay close to the midpoint or back of the corral to avoid being forced to run faster than you intended.
• Walk breaks: If you take walk breaks, stay to one side of the road, preferably to your right.  Don’t stop suddenly. Remember, there are a lot of people behind you and you don’t want a collision.
• Pace yourself: The biggest mistake that I see from new runners is starting out too fast in the first mile.  You will be excited and it is normal to be over enthusiastic.  Once you cross the start line, try to settle into your normal training pace, or run even slower.  You want to save your strength for the final mile kick.
• Don’t zig-zag in and out if you are boxed in during the first half mile: Be patient.  You will soon find an opening as the crowd starts to thin out – then make your move, but not too fast.
• Water stops: Watch for the crowds at the water stop.  People tend to “bunch up” at the front of the water stops so I suggest going to the end of the line for water or finding a gap where it makes sense to slow down to get water.  Remember to keep moving through the water stops.  Again, you don’t want to stop completely since there is probably someone behind you and you don’t want a collision.  Pick up your water and move over out of the way if you need to stop to drink water or Sports drink.
• Focus on sleep: Researchers have found that getting extra sleep over an extended period of time boosts speed and reaction time. If you can't manage eight to 10 hours per night this week, like experts recommend, try to catch a 20-minute nap during the day; even a quick shot of shut-eye can give your performance a boost.  I would highly recommend getting a good night’s sleep on Thursday since you might have trouble sleeping Friday night because of excitement of race day.
• HAVE FUN!  Enjoy all the festivities of the day.   It does not matter if you set a personal record race day, if you were part of the 10K Training Team, be proud of what you accomplished over the past 10 weeks.  You just completed one of the top programs in the country.  Congratulations!