Race day prep is about more than putting in the training. From required safety gear and offline navigation to the technology that can help you stay on course and manage your training, there are a few final things to consider before heading to the start line. Salomon ambassador and MEC member Sarah Korpach shares how she gets race-day ready:
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Technology can be incredibly useful for training, but only if you know how to use it.
A GPS watch can help you track distance, elevation, heart rate, and effort. But more importantly, it can help you understand your training and keep you from starting your race too fast.
Before race day, take some time to understand the features you'll actually use. You don't need to know every function on your watch.
For trail racing, consider setting up on your screen the following data:
- Distance and time
- Current pace
- Heart rate
- Elevation gain
- Navigation/route maps
- Battery-saving settings
- Alerts for nutrition or hydration
If your race provides a GPX course file, download it to your watch ahead of time and practice using the navigation feature.
And don't forget the simplest piece of technology: your phone. Make sure it's charged, protected from the weather if necessary, and ready for emergencies or communication.
Before race day
Charge it. Sync it. Test it. Don't learn how your watch works at the starting line.
Pro tip: Technology should give you confidence, not anxiety. If you spend more time staring at your watch than enjoying the trail, look up. You're running outside for a reason.
Beyond race day
Now that you have crossed the line, whether it was your first 5km or your 10th ultra, it’s never really the end. It's proof of consistent and unglamorous work: the early alarms, the runs in the rain, the gear you tested until it stopped chafing.
If there's one thing we want every runner to take from this program, it's this: progress in trail running is rarely linear, and that's normal. Some weeks will feel easy. Others will feel like you're starting over. Both are part of the same process, and both are getting you stronger.
Whatever distance you're training for next, keep showing up. See you out on the trails. — Jeremy Rolle & Carol-Ann Rolle
