Hello! I started my day with a very easy run to see how my legs are feeling. I mentioned this in my race recap, but I felt like ‘lead legs’ during the race. Surprisingly I’m okay today, but I think I’m going to take a full week off to really give myself some time to recharge.
Breakfast – I paired my usual eggs with Avocad-toast!
Running – Okay. I am super not ‘type A’. And I haven’t been training according to a half marathon / marathon plan lately. If it wasn’t for the fact that I love running I’d probably spend all my time watching reality TV and eating fro-yo. Chillin.
But, I know that a lot of runners are super numbers driven. And many are competitive either with themselves or other random strangers at a race. Some of you even might yell “suck it nerd!” to me as you pass me at a race. I’m not worried about it.
I don’t know what the heck I’m doing here, but it doesn’t look like running.
(Thank you Shane for these pics of me and SR near the finish line of the OC Marathon!!!)
The point is, I got this idea a long time ago but never did it because I am the worst. But this Race Review form is a great way to review how you did at a race and learn from it.
It’s important to NOT be a jerk to yourself after a race (or anytime!), but use the good and bad facts to make yourself better.
Your goal may be to…
“PR in FUN!”, beat your previous time, run without stopping, qualify for the Boston Marathon, not fall, complete a new distance…
Use these questions to review YOUR RACE. And remember YOU ARE AWESOME for running in the first place. Boom.
Race Review Form
After you’ve recovered physically and mentally from the race fill out this paper and use it to prepare for your next race.
Race Review form – for any distance. <- Link to form to fill out.
Race Review
Race: ___________________________________________________
Distance: ________________________________________________
Date: ______________
Race Goal: _______________________________________________
Race Result: ______________________________________________
Training –
Did you complete your training program according to the plan? Any setbacks?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
What would you repeat in training next time?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
What would you change?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Race Day –
How was the weather (compared to where you trained)?
__________________________________________________________
How was the course (compared to where you trained)?
__________________________________________________________
Were there any race day mishaps?
__________________________________________________________
Other notes:
__________________________________________________________
What did you do on race day that WORKED?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
What would you do DIFFERENTLY?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
What did you LEARN?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Question: What have you learned about yourself / the world / science / health lately? Share with the class!
Great pictures and perfect breakfast! I found your post from Pinterest! I’m also gonna pin this post on my Pinterest board my followers will love it. Thanks for sharing!
This is such a wonderful idea! Without any sort of proper training for running, I didn’t know where to start on considering how/where to improve. Thanks for sharing!
i haven’t ran a half marathon in a little over a year now, but i think this form would be very helpful for my next race. i was disappointed with my performance during my last half and i kinda beat myself up over it, but really, it was a good lesson for me. i was able to recognize that i hadn’t trained as well as i could have, so hopefully next time i’ll be a little smarter and improve my performance. 🙂
I love the form! I am all about improving my runs and my races so this is totally awesome! I can’t wait to fill it out for a race in June!
Great way to assess your performance and make improvements for next time. Thanks for sharing!
I think that’s great you’re taking a week off. I have done that before when I really felt like I needed it, and ended up losing weight during that week, and upping my running speed when I got back to working out. Weird, but definitely a sign that my body might have been getting too much cardio.
This is awesome. I love the idea of really breaking down your performance.
I have learned that I have poor running form. (Heel strike city) thanks to marathonfoto.
Love that you took the time to create the race review form. It is a great way to journal the thoughts and record the things we did to look at in the future… Although i have learned that sometimes though there is no rhyme or reason why I do well in some races and not in others.
This is a terrific form. Love it and will definitely use it. What does go ham mean?
I was watching ESPN with my husband and they said, “to save your knees when you run, make sure to engage your glutes.”
You’d think that happens automatically, but it doesn’t. Don’t forget to squeeze!
Good reminder!
So well-timed! I ran my third half this weekend and it wiped me. I was in pain after half a mile and got surprised by it turning into a trail run at mile 9. I was super bummed after crossing the finish because I had been hoping to break 2 hours, and instead ran at a pace even slower than both of my full marathons! But then this random guy came up to me afterwards and thanked me for “pacing” him during the race, so I guess my pain was good for someone!
Sounds like you did pretty good – and were consistent with pace. Trail runs are a totally different animal – take that into account too!
Oh how wonderful! I just finished a half last weekend. I didn’t go HAM on it, but wanted to see how I felt after some structured pacing (more like a steady state run, rather than a tempo). I’ve been wondering how to organize my thoughts and how I felt from head to toe, since the pace was about 10 seconds faster than MP. This form definitely helps out!
Glad it helps! Sounds like you are doing awesome!!
My only goal when I race is to finish. I always say that to myself and inevitibly I end up getting competitive and trying to beat my time. I play a game during races “pass the next guy.” I count how many people I am passing. It’s stupid, but that’s the type A in me I guess. Form is good idea especially for those with specific race goals! A whole week off? Holly wow! I would get a little crazy if I didn’t workout for a week.
I am probably going to get crazy 🙂 but I think I need it.
I’m cracking up at the ‘don’t fall’ goal – just ran the 10 mile Mountain Goat in Syracuse, NY on Sunday and fell running downhill at about mile three. It was mortifying… but I picked myself up, brushed the gravel off my face, hands and knee and carried on. It was painful, but I finished! I had torn a hole in my capris and had dried blood all over my leg and jacket! So, after I got my medal and free beer I made my way to the medical tent. I’ll be sure to add ‘Don’t fall’ to my goals for each race from now on!! Oh, and I still beat my time goal – so while I might be hobbling around for a few days, at least I’m doing it with a smile on my face!!
You are badass!!!
That form is AWESOME. Thanks so much for posting it. I ran my first marathon Sunday, and it’s been kinda crazy trying to collect my thoughts–I love the organized questions!
I learned that there are dolphins in the military! (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/05/opinion/let-slip-the-dolphins-of-war.html)
I have so many mixed feelings about commando-dolphins…
I am totally going to read that article!! Congratulations on your marathon!!!
This is such a great idea! I do think about what I thought I did well/what I would have done differently after a race, but I’ve never thought of documenting it like this. Thanks for sharing!
Of course! Hope it helps 🙂
You’re very welcome… but please, less evidence that I focused more on you than skinny… Eeeek! Sorry SR. Busted!The second picture actually looks like she’s mumbling to you “suck it nerd!”
Busted! Just kidding. I think SR is trying to become a ninja anyway and fly under the radar 🙂
This form comes with perfect timing. I ran Broad Street in Philly on Sunday and did not beat my time from last year, and I’m super bummed about it. Lately I’ve been beating myself up after races – it’s not good!!! I’m taking the next few weeks to just do whatever the hell I want – run, cross train, rest, whatever – before I start training for a half marathon on September. GOTTA RECHARGE!
Stay positive! You rock 🙂
I love this form and I am glad I ran my 2nd half on Sunday so I can fill it out 🙂
Congratulations on your half!!