TOP 5️⃣ QUESTIONS to ask yourself when choosing your 2023 goal races ⬇️

PODCAST EP 179 🎙

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There's a lot that goes into choosing your race calendar especially when you're going for a PR. This post is geared towards those who specifically want to run their fastest time! 💪

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👉 1) ELEVATION: Do you like flat, downhill or hilly courses? Downhill and flat courses are much faster than hilly courses. Downhill courses, like REVEL, aren't for everyone but most people will run much faster on a downhill course. Aim for 200 feet or less of elevation gain for a flatter race. You can go to www.findmymarathon.com to look at course elevation profiles

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👉 2) WEATHER & TRAVEL: Do you do well running in warm weather? Do you have the opportunity to heat train beforehand? Do you do best in cooler weather? Do you have the means to travel to a race? If you want the best possible shot at 40-50 degree weather to run your best, we recommend November in northern U.S. states and December/January/February in other parts of the country. Many October or March/April races in northern states can still be 60-70 degree days. We recommend steering clear of longer races (half/marathon) anywhere in the country from May-September to avoid heat

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👉 3) CROWDS: Do you thrive off of crowds? Do you need spectators to push you along? Aim for a larger race!

Do crowds stress you out or cause you to run too fast too soon? Maybe you'd be better off with a more low-key race!

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👉 4) COMPETITION: Many runners like to have competition when they race and get pushed by other runners. If this is you, aiming for a larger race may be the best call. Smaller marathons, for example, get very spread out and you're running alone for a majority of it

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👉 5) LIFE SITUATION: Are you a teacher or someone who has the summers off? A fall race is probably better for you so you can train during your time off.

Do you have younger children who are home for the summer? Maybe a spring race is better for you when they are back in school during your training months

Figure out what works best for your life! 🙌

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We hope this helps! #teamrun4prs #run4prs