Get There Ahead of Time
Most popular mud races attract thousands of racers. And when you try to squeeze thousands of people into a relatively small space, there are inevitably long lines to park, sign-in and check gear. There are plenty of horror stories about how long people had to wait to park, and if you look at mud run reviews, long lines tend to be the number one thing people complain about. So expect that and plan to arrive a few hours before your race and enjoy warming up, previewing the course, and taking some pictures. Plenty of events will let you race early if there is room.
Warm-Up
You already know that warming up helps you avoid injury, but it also improves your performance. If it's important to you to reach your peak performance, you need to spend at least twelve minutes prior to the race jogging and maybe doing a few short sprints. Before you hit the twelve-minute mark, you will not have maximal blood flow to your muscles and many of the capillaries in your muscles won't have opened yet. Until these things happen, you won't be able to put forth your best performance in the race.
Choose Wisely At The Start
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 finishing with a competitive time is not important to you, then let the sprinters race ahead and wave to them when you pass them later. This is especially the right strategy for you if you feel at all apprehensive about the course or the first few obstacles. It is easy to feel pressured (although you shouldn't) when there are long lines and you know that people behind you are raring at the bit to be on their way. By starting at a relaxed pace at the start, you'll be among people who aren't as competitive when you do the initial obstacles.
Maintain a Positive Mindset
Obstacle course race designers intentionally use obstacles that will trigger anxiety in many of the contestants, so a big part of being successful is managing your fear. You usually won't know the specific obstacles that you will be doing until you see them, so our anxiety is easily triggered. Your body wants you to avoid danger, and it will of course send the message that the fire jump will hurt you. But rather than thinking about the danger, you should observe other participants and imagine yourself getting over that jump safely.
Most popular mud races attract thousands of racers. And when you try to squeeze thousands of people into a relatively small space, there are inevitably long lines to park, sign-in and check gear. There are plenty of horror stories about how long people had to wait to park, and if you look at mud run reviews, long lines tend to be the number one thing people complain about. So expect that and plan to arrive a few hours before your race and enjoy warming up, previewing the course, and taking some pictures. Plenty of events will let you race early if there is room.
Warm-Up
You already know that warming up helps you avoid injury, but it also improves your performance. If it's important to you to reach your peak performance, you need to spend at least twelve minutes prior to the race jogging and maybe doing a few short sprints. Before you hit the twelve-minute mark, you will not have maximal blood flow to your muscles and many of the capillaries in your muscles won't have opened yet. Until these things happen, you won't be able to put forth your best performance in the race.
Choose Wisely At The Start
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 finishing with a competitive time is not important to you, then let the sprinters race ahead and wave to them when you pass them later. This is especially the right strategy for you if you feel at all apprehensive about the course or the first few obstacles. It is easy to feel pressured (although you shouldn't) when there are long lines and you know that people behind you are raring at the bit to be on their way. By starting at a relaxed pace at the start, you'll be among people who aren't as competitive when you do the initial obstacles.
Maintain a Positive Mindset
Obstacle course race designers intentionally use obstacles that will trigger anxiety in many of the contestants, so a big part of being successful is managing your fear. You usually won't know the specific obstacles that you will be doing until you see them, so our anxiety is easily triggered. Your body wants you to avoid danger, and it will of course send the message that the fire jump will hurt you. But rather than thinking about the danger, you should observe other participants and imagine yourself getting over that jump safely.
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