1. Dinner the night before the race shouldn't be anything too greasy, pasta is always a favorite among runners.
2. Make sure you get a good nights rest, but wake up early enough so that you are not rushed. Give yourself enough time to get to the race to get your race number pinned on and some time to look at the course and stretch.
3. Make sure you eat a healthy breakfast. Don't skip it. Some good choices are a bagel, a banana, or a peanut butter sandwich. Try your eating routine on a training run day for practice.
4. Many of these races take place early in the morning, which can be chilly even in the summer. Take a sweatshirt or jacket you can throw on as you wait for the race to start and don't forget gloves. it is important to dress warmly post-race too so your muscles don't tighten or cramp.
5. When you line up, plan on lining up toward the back of the group. It is much easier on your self confidence to start too far in the back of the pack and spend the entire race passing people, than starting too close to the front and spend the entire race getting passed.
6. When the race starts, it is important to run your own race. If you start out too fast, you will be pretty miserable before you are half-way through. Most races are marked so that you have a pretty good idea how far you have run. Maintain a comfortable pace, and toward the last mile, if you feel like you have some energy left, pick up the pace.
Good Luck To All of Our River Run Participants!
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