Traveling? Make It Like Home
Daily Tip #7
If you’re traveling from out of town to the NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE, you face an extra challenge. Perhaps needless to say, New York City has attractions outside the road-racing scene, and you’ll be tempted to take advantage of your stay. If running a race that reflects your true potential is one of your goals, promise yourself that after you’ve run your optimal performance you’ll deserve a day and a night on the town—but that before then, you’re going to make the Big Apple as much like home as possible.
If it fits your schedule, try to arrive in time to visit the expo and pick up your race packet on Thurday or Friday (10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. both days) rather than wait until the day before the race. Better to enjoy the expo at your leisure than to rush through it feeling like you’d rather not be on your feet. (Remember, there’s no race-day packet pickup; the final hours are Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)
Meals are another temptation to the traveler. Before trying a new, exotic cuisine in the days just before your big race, consider the habits of the always-strong Italian marathon teams: To make their meal plans as dependable as their race plans, they don’t just bring their own pasta with them; they bring their own pasta-makers! Gelindo Bordin made his own dinners from scratch before his victories at both the Boston and Olympic marathons. The magic wasn’t in the pasta, but in its familiarity. You may have very different tastes—we know a man who swears by his pre-race chocolate-peanut butter-banana-soymilk smoothie—but you should try to be as consistent as Bordin with your pre-race meals. (When it comes to food, you could do worse than to trust the Italians.)
Sleep can be difficult on the night before a big race even if you’re in your own bed, and, it turns out, that’s okay (see Tip #4). It’s the few days before that last night that can make a difference, and if you’re in a hotel room, you may feel thrown off your usual pattern. Try to give yourself time to relax in the evenings. Do your easy tapering workouts in the morning—around race-time, if possible, to establish a rhythm—and get back to your room with time to spare on Friday and Saturday nights. (If you’ve been shopping, make your significant other carry the bags around town. If you’re both running, shop on Sunday!)
Your race will be over between about 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. on Sunday. That leaves you time to recover, see many sights, and still have a great night in New York. As you plan your trip and your stay, think of how much nicer it will be to celebrate under the Bright Lights than to drown your sorrows after a lost opportunity.
The pasta’s pretty good in Little Italy, by the way.
