Distance runners spend many hours training assiduously for competition, yet on race day they can often make mistakes that sabotage their performance. This article addresses five common race-day mistakes: (1) failure to bring proper equipment to the race; (2) failure to eat an appropriate race-day meal; (3) failure to hydrate properly; (4) failure to warm up properly; and (5) failure to maintain a proper pace.
Runners who make a race-day mistake and fail to recognize the cause of their poor performance may alter an otherwise successful training program to their detriment. Sometimes it is the coach, rather than the runner, who misses a race-day mistake and then incorrectly ...