How thorough is your race preparation?
How much research and planning do you do to set yourself up for a finish that you will feel great about?
If your answer is “not enough,” then check out this pre-race questionnaire.
The questions in this questionnaire will guide you through a few things that you need to be thinking about, like logistics, pacing, gear, goals, fueling, and mindset.
For years, I have been completing a pre-race questionnaire for every ultramarathon. I feel well prepared going into events.
This way of planning also helps me create a to-do list for grocery shopping.
For example, I like to buy blueberry muffins and bananas to eat for breakfast on race morning. Also, if I’m running low on Spring Energy and need to remember to order more.
I will also write a packing list, including headlamps, extra clothes, trekking poles, etc.
Check out the questionnaire below. This is mine for Mohican 100.
Jot down the questions in a notebook and use them to better prepare yourself for your next race. Best wishes!
Towards the bottom, you will find a list of “more race prep” articles, look to see what you might learn.
Event Name, Date, Location
Mohican 100, 06/01-06/02, Loudonville, OH
If you’ve not yet, please find and go through 3-5 written or video race reports of the event you are participating in.
Have you done this?
Yes, I have!
Ultimate Goal.
What would a perfect race be for you?
Runnable weather.
Nail my hydration, fuel, and pacing.
Stay upright.
Stay injury free.
Practice my mindset and mental strategies.
Have fun.
Goal A: Overall woman’s podium.
B: AG podium.
C: Get that buckle!
Travel.
What are your travel plans for this event.
Will you need a day off for travel to the destination?
Are you driving?
Who will be with you and will someone be able to hold on to your gear during the run?
Stephen and I will set up our Jeep for camping. We are staying at the Mohican Adventures Campground at the start/finish line. I reserved a site with electric in case we need to charge anything.
Stephen is planning on taking the day off of work, so we can travel to the campground and check-in between 2:00 PM and dinner time/packet pickup. Stephen is driving. It takes 2 hrs and 43 mins to get there.
Stephen, Katie, and Amanda are crewing/pacing me. Katie and Amanda will come at 4:00 PM on Saturday. I will have one of them as a pacer as I begin my third loop.
My gear will be in my tote. I need to decide if I want/need a drop bag, where I will put it, and what I will put in it.
I’m not really a drop bag person because I don’t like feeling like I have to keep track of those items outside of my crew. I tend to carry everything on me that I will need, or to rely on aid stations for certain things. If an aid station doesn’t have it, oh well!
Lodging.
Where are you staying?
What is the travel time to the race start?
Mohican Adventures is walking distance to the 4:00 AM race start. I will wake up around 3:00 AM.
Race Strategy.
Pre -Race.
What will your nutrition plan be for the morning of the race?
What gear will you be wearing?
Will a warm-up be possible?
Will you be standing in a corral for a half hour?
What will you wear before the event?
Coffee, banana, muffins.
Strength-based run warmup?
Poop.
Kit will be laid out Friday evening.
Probably a tank top, shorts, Injinjis, other run socks, Altra Superior 5, Buff (a second one in my pack to help prevent/manage chaffing), hat, UD vest, 2 soft flasks (1 water, 1 Skratch).
Intra-Race.
What is your nutrition plan during the event?
Go through your pacing strategy.
Start fueling around mile 3. Drink every half mile to one mile. Eat what I feel like and when I feel like it. Try to eat even if I don’t feel like it. Don’t allow myself to get hungry.
Proper Pacing Prevents Piss Poor Performance. Don’t run the first quarter too fast, run it at an EZ effort. Work on running the whole race at an EZ to slightly uncomfortable effort, acknowledging that my pace will slow 100k+ and at night. – Pace might crawl.
Post-Race.
Will a cooldown be possible?
What are you going to do immediately post-race?
My cooldown will be having a Great Lakes Brewing beer, hobbling around, and going to sleep in the Jeep.
What events do you have on your calendar going forward?
If I’m not burnt-out, maybe Oil Creek 100?
Or I could try to find a 50 miler or 100k?
Ultrarunner, do you want some guidance and accountability?
If you are interested in working together on stepping up your mindset and mental wellness around racing and life, reach out to me. You can potentially unlock your ultrarunning potential.
I’d love to hear about your goals.
We will look at problem areas or where you’d like to see improvement, set a realistic goal, and then put those steps in place.
– I work with ultrarunners all over the United States who want to dial in their race mentality, mental strategies, and overall improve their mental wellness.
— My coaching services are fully on the mental side (I have a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, a Master’s degree in Counseling, and well over a decade of experience working in the mental health field. Coaching is a non-clinical service).
HERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT I CAN HELP WITH
- Improve day-to-day mental wellbeing.
- Build better habits.
- Incorporate mindfulness
- Learn emotion regulation strategies for stressful situations.
- Set challenging, yet attainable goals.
- Discuss motivation
- Address body image thoughts or concerns.
- If you feel concerned that you have an eating disorders, let’s discuss it, so you can find help. I am informed on eating disorders. I cannot treat ED via coaching.
- Talk about you! Who are you, besides a runner? – parent, sibling, entrepreneur, community member… What else do you do, and how does it impact training for races or vice versa?
- Coping with injury and setbacks.
- Managing disappointments, like “Did Not Start” and “Did Not Finish”.
- Self-beliefs
- Juggling priorities and time management.
- Are you actively trying to find a mental health professional? I can assist!
- Are you searching for a running coach? I can provide pointers on how to go about finding someone who’s a good fit and what questions to ask the coach when interviewing them for fit.
- Mental strategies and mindset for racing.
- Positive affirmations or swearing during races? Both?!
- Training and race day visualization.
- General training and racing concerns and race day worries.
- Happiness. What is it? How to get more of it.
- What might you do if you encounter a problem during a race.
- Building trust with yourself.
- Improving self-care, self-esteem, and self-compassion.
- Knowing when to push yourself and when to be kinder to yourself.
- Why’s and meaning behind what you do. Passion. Using that as support and drive.
- The unique situations and challenges that women face in sport. Being a parent, pregnancy, miscarriage, dealing with periods during races…
- On top of talking, I do provide resources and homework.
I hope that this paints a picture of the good stuff that we can work on together.
Contact me if you have questions or want to schedule.
More race prep
Visualize How Your Race Training Fits Into Your Week For Success
Race Start Mindset and Strategy
Race Day Visualizations (Etsy store)
The “I’m too Slow of a Runner” Mental Struggle
My General Plan for Finishing Burning River 100 (2023)
Burning River 100 Post-Race Questionnaire 2023
How Do You Get Pumped Up to Race?
Subscribe for more free ultrarunning, mindset, and mental wellness resources
Will you join me in my mission?
One of my many goals is to increase mental health awareness, the availability of free resources, and the access to services.
If you value my free mental health content, it would mean a lot to me if you would “like,” share, or Buy Me a Coffee.
This helps people find my free content and allows me to continue providing free content.
Thanks for being a part of my mission.
Happy running,
Shannon