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Home / Race Day/Week Plans From Our Running Greats
Race Day/Week Plans From Our Running Greats
27 June, 2022
Running legends Benita and Pat share their best tips for all of us heading towards the start line of #GCM22. Do make sure you scroll down to the checklist and quick video for some invaluable advice to get you to the start line and be ready to have your best race.
Our Experts
Webinar
For the full view of our full webinar with Benita and Pat click here:
Race week and race day checklists below.
The NEW Polar Pacer series of running watches
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Race Week Plan – Checklist
Know what you’ll be wearing
Have a clear nutrition plan
Marathon – carbohydrate load 2.5 days ahead
Relax and enjoy!
Plan your logistics
Don’t train too hard
Or buy new shoes
Or miss meals!
Get to the start line feeling fresh
Training volume will be down 50-60%
Don’t have a training error and be sore!
Get as much sleep as you can
Don’t entertain negative thoughts
Lock in what your diet will be
Increase carbohydrates
Organise what you will wear
Address any fears and anxiety
Plan some fun (non leg taxing) things to do
Don’t overdo runs, careful about your training volume in the final week/s
Don’t go sightseeing
Don’t go for long training runs
Stay off your legs
Make dining bookings ahead of time
Race Day Plan – Checklist
Have a plan, stick to it
Know your target pace, plan it into your watch
Keep warm before the race
Review your nutrition plan
Marathon – plan be fresh enough to race the final 10K in the marathon
Be mindful that when it gets hard, that’s when you need to be tough
Stay positive, even if your pace drops
Be confident
Hydration and nutrition are critical
Have a tried / tested breakfast
Don’t go out too fast! (21/42 km especially the first 10K)
Don’t think about your plan all week
Don’t get ready too early and burn energy trying to keep warm
Don’t get to the race late
Do make sure you know your pace
Do ensure you have a hydration plan if you race requires it
Do be as relaxed as possible, use your nerves to help you
Consume normal servings of food
Lock in what you’ll be eating
Have a clear plan on how you’ll get to the start line
Allow more than enough time to comfortably get there
Lock in where the toilets are
Plan time for your normal warm up
Pack and prepare everything you need the night before
Make your name more visual on your race number
If feeling worried, tap into the feelings you’ll get once the gun has gone off (not before)
Don’t over hydrate
Don’t play around with your diet in the last week
Don’t entertain negative thoughts
Don’t run ahead of your race pace / target heart rate (especially too early)
Do lock in a realistic pace
Do arrive with PLENTY of time to spare
Do visualise yourself achieving your goal
General Advice
Manage nerves positively
Don’t think about running all the time
Catch up with friends
Plan some ways to relax
Gone out too hard? Run slow for a period until your heart rate gets back down.
Take a gel
Happier = Better Result
Don’t beat yourself up
The marathon is a mental game
Don’t let ‘nerves’ get the best of you. Tap into the feeling you’ll get when the gun goes off.
Have faith in your preparation
Food, keep it simple: pancakes, simple vegetables, potatoes
If going out for dinner, make sure you book an earlier eating time, and book in advance!
Check the weather, if it’s hotter and you are doing a longer race grab a hat
Check what you pickup at aid stations
Don’t go out too fast!
Conserve energy, relax!
Use a mantra to help keep you happy in challenging times, smile!
Appreciate being in a race in a beautiful place
Enjoy!
Running Pace
If you still want to do a bit of work on your pace strategy for race day, check out our handy running pace calculator halfway down the page:
Polar’s race pace feature
One of the great features that comes with Polar running watches is “race pace”. This is a simple tool that allows you to plug in your target time and distance. Your pacing goals are then automatically created giving you a simple dashboard to glance at during your run to track your pace and how much distance you have left to cover.
This helps you to not fall into the trap of starting out too hard, but also helps you stick to your plan throughout the run so you can just focus on the running and what’s ahead of you. You can also set up a fueling plan and hydration reminders as well.
Check out the top four essentials you must be tracking during your runs:
Who is Polar?
For the past four decades, we have spent every day in search of undeniable truths about the human body. Why?
Because we are pioneers. Since 1977 we’ve been building wearable devices to help improve people’s personal guides for their fitness, sport and health.
Because we’re passionate. We simply want to help people understand their body better, improve their happiness, and live a happier life. We do this through our running watches, heart rate monitors, ecosystem (Polar Flow) and content.
We’ve worked with our experts to help support the Village Roadshow Theme Parks Gold Coast Marathon to help bring you the best content to support your running journey.
Registration records for the 2025 ASICS Gold Coast Marathon
For the first time in its 45-year history the 2025 ASICS Gold Coast Marathon and China Airlines Half Marathon have sold out with the event taking more registrations in the first four days of opening than ever before.
Entries open with revised race schedule for 2025 ASICS Gold Coast Marathon
Entry for the 2025 ASICS Gold Coast Marathon will open today Monday 2 December with a revised race schedule that will see the 42.195km signature race become the sole event on Sunday of the 5-6 July race weekend.
How do I choose the right race distance at GCM?
So, you’re thinking about signing up for a race. The most important first step for success, whether you are signing up for the first time, or chasing a PB … is to ensure you’ve selected the race distance that’s right for you. Did you know that 90% of runners experience an injury or setback in the lead-up to a race? The most common cause? Training errors. Often, runners take on a workload that’s too intense or a distance they’re unprepared for, leading to injuries or burnout. Panic training—doing too much too soon or cramming closer to race day—can be especially risky.
RUNNERS. TAG YOUR PHOTOS WITH #GCM25