Give Yourself Some Extra Time
Mud Run venues are notoriously crowded; you will likely have to wait a while to park, pick up your race packet and check your gear. Sometimes venues are so ill-equipped to handle the volume of traffic that they receive that people may wait to park for more than an hour. So try to get there two hours early and find ways to get there that don't involve a car. If you have extra time, check out the obstacles you will have to tackle, take a few pictures, and if you're really antsy, you can try to run in an earlier wave.
Warm-Up
Did you know that when your body is sufficiently warmed-up you can greatly improve your performance? If you are trying to put forth your best effort in your upcoming mud run, then pay careful attention to your warm-up routine. Just what does it take to get sufficiently warmed-up? Most exercise scientists claim that twelve minutes is enough time to get blood to flow through the veins and get all of your capillaries opened up (two things that are essential to put forth your peak performance). So spend at least that much time before the race doing some moderate intensity exercises that will target major muscles groups.
Position Yourself Well
In very big mud races, as many as 1000 people may begin in each wave, and the majority will begin at a pace that they cannot keep for very long. So should you go with the crowd? It depends on whether you are aiming for a competitive time. If so, you pretty much have to sprint with the crowd so that you don't have to wait in line for your turn to do the obstacles.
If completing the course with your fastest time possible is not on your to-do-list for the race, then start towards the back of the starting line and don't try to keep up with the short-lived sprint. If you feel nervous about the course or about the first obstacle, then this game plan is ideal for you because you won't be around the competitive folks when it comes time for you to do the first obstacle. You can feel a little more relaxed knowing that people behind you aren't in a hurry.
Maintain a Positive Mindset
Half of the battle when it comes to many obstacles is the mental blocks that you will encounter. Races don't disclose the specific obstacles on the course, so that you have that "uh oh, I didn't know I was going to have to do that!" feeling when you first spot an obstacle. Our survival instincts kick in and tell us not to get near the fire, get shocked or climb 50 feet up on a tower. All of these intrinsic, natural and healthy fears can trigger that panicked feeling in your gut as you approach an obstacle. But instead of letting yourself wallow in this fear, use the time as you are approaching the obstacle to watch how other people are completing it successfully (or unsuccessfully as the case may be).
Mud Run venues are notoriously crowded; you will likely have to wait a while to park, pick up your race packet and check your gear. Sometimes venues are so ill-equipped to handle the volume of traffic that they receive that people may wait to park for more than an hour. So try to get there two hours early and find ways to get there that don't involve a car. If you have extra time, check out the obstacles you will have to tackle, take a few pictures, and if you're really antsy, you can try to run in an earlier wave.
Warm-Up
Did you know that when your body is sufficiently warmed-up you can greatly improve your performance? If you are trying to put forth your best effort in your upcoming mud run, then pay careful attention to your warm-up routine. Just what does it take to get sufficiently warmed-up? Most exercise scientists claim that twelve minutes is enough time to get blood to flow through the veins and get all of your capillaries opened up (two things that are essential to put forth your peak performance). So spend at least that much time before the race doing some moderate intensity exercises that will target major muscles groups.
Position Yourself Well
In very big mud races, as many as 1000 people may begin in each wave, and the majority will begin at a pace that they cannot keep for very long. So should you go with the crowd? It depends on whether you are aiming for a competitive time. If so, you pretty much have to sprint with the crowd so that you don't have to wait in line for your turn to do the obstacles.
If completing the course with your fastest time possible is not on your to-do-list for the race, then start towards the back of the starting line and don't try to keep up with the short-lived sprint. If you feel nervous about the course or about the first obstacle, then this game plan is ideal for you because you won't be around the competitive folks when it comes time for you to do the first obstacle. You can feel a little more relaxed knowing that people behind you aren't in a hurry.
Maintain a Positive Mindset
Half of the battle when it comes to many obstacles is the mental blocks that you will encounter. Races don't disclose the specific obstacles on the course, so that you have that "uh oh, I didn't know I was going to have to do that!" feeling when you first spot an obstacle. Our survival instincts kick in and tell us not to get near the fire, get shocked or climb 50 feet up on a tower. All of these intrinsic, natural and healthy fears can trigger that panicked feeling in your gut as you approach an obstacle. But instead of letting yourself wallow in this fear, use the time as you are approaching the obstacle to watch how other people are completing it successfully (or unsuccessfully as the case may be).
About the Author:
Want to hear more strategies to prepare you cream the competition at an obstacle course race? Visit this site for more Mud Run Tips. You can also visit the Mud Running List at this link.
0 comments:
Post a Comment