How close to a race do you do your last run?

There are numerous theories about how close to run before a race. Some people like to take the previous day off. Others take the days off beforehand and then run the day right before the race.

Since I run every day, my window of opportunity is slightly different. I measure the time out in hours instead of days.

There have been training cycles where I seem to run better by giving myself a full 24 hours of rest before a race. While during other training cycles, I have run less than 12 hours before the race.

Strange as it may sound, I have found instances where both work and both don’t work. Granted there are many factors beyond when this last run happens that can affect my races like training work load and intensity of workouts. There are also life stressors that can have a major impact.

Typically, my last run before a race will be roughly 18 hours out. Most of the time, this is nothing more than a short 4 mile shake out run with some strides tacked on to the end.

Four miles is just enough to get me warmed up and flowing. The strides help remind my legs that I hope to run fast on the next day.

I follow this same four mile routine whether I am running a 5k or a Marathon. Keeping the same routine, I feel has a calming effect as part of my preparation.

Everyone person is different so over time each runner needs sort out what works best for them.

 

Sharing one thought at time,

The Cool Down Runner