JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Gate River Run is fast approaching, and local runners and elite runners alike must be prepared physically and mentally for the 15K, which serves to crown the national championship winner. It’s also the biggest annual race in Jacksonville.
We asked the defending men’s champion Clayton Young and our race analysts, former Olympic marathoner Keith Brantly, five-time First Coast Cup winner Julie Stackhouse, and Ironman triathlon competitor and former Jaguars’ head athletic trainer Mike Ryan to provide some tips for runners to consider. Here’s what they said.
Ryan on how runners should approach the finals weeks before the race:
“I’m a big fan of running every other day, not running every day. So, I think the key thing is you want to click things up. Again, we’re in a short window here. So, a good way to do that is you want to ramp it up maybe two miles per week. And doing that in a good way. As a physical therapist and athletic trainer, I’m always looking at that injury prevention element. That may be a little bit more aggressive than you’d really like. But a great way to offset that is to run on softer surfaces. Get more times with either sand, dirt or grass under your feet. So, you’re increasing the mileage, you’re increasing some of the intensity, but you’re not increasing the pounding on your legs.”
Stackhouse on what runners should consider in their nutrition as the race nears:
“The thing that I always suggest in the final few weeks is to just focus on whole foods, a lot of fruits and veggies, not too many processed foods, you know, sometimes we have to rely on those in our longer distance training, like marathon training. But this is a 15 case. So really, just sticking with what you know, works for your body. And it’s still OK to experiment over the next couple of weeks in those final few long runs, final few workouts, to see what works for you in the pre-race night before meal and the pre-race morning before meal. A lot of people just came off a race this past weekend. So maybe they had a chance to experience what works for them. You don’t want to change things too drastically in the final few weeks.”
Young on the best coaching he ever received:
“I think the mantra that I always try to carry actually comes from coach (Ed) Eyestone. He always says consistent competence equals eventual excellence. So, as you’re consistently competent in your training, you all eventually achieve excellence. You know, on race day there are so many things that go into it so many variables. And so that eventual is kind of why that’s in there. It might not be your day that day, but you will eventually be excellent as you continue to race and as you’re consistently competent in your training. As for race day, I think the mantra that I always go into is relax and roll. That’s kind of what I like to say, you know, especially in these long-distance races. Running is never forced. It’s relaxing and rolling.”
Brantly on having a plan:
“There’s two thought processes. And both run parallel. One is the physiological side, the other is prepping physically for the race. They too run in parallel. If you’re not fit, and you’re having some concerns about your fitness that can affect your psychology, on the physiological side, there’s nothing you’re going to do in that last seven days, it’s going to help you and, in fact, it’s gonna hurt you.
“There’s a lot of things that are in your control, but a lot of — many more things that are out of your control.”
Stackhouse on the mental approach at the start of the race:
“What I learned through the years was, OK, you know, I have to be alright with being a little bit off the back of the pack in the beginning. But I’m going to feel so much better racing, being in the zone that I know I should be in based on my training. I tell people not to be a slave to your watch too much. Because you have the X-factors on race day like competition, there’s a clock on you people cheering, excitement, your family members are out there, your coworkers are out there. So you have all of that. But in general, really making sure that you don’t get too caught up in that hype in that first mile because that will suck you along. And that will feel awesome until you feel that first rise over the Main Street Bridge. Whatever your routine is, when you’re on the starting line, take a few deep breaths, be excited about being there. Harness that enthusiasm, but also temper it just a little bit. I never like to say, ‘slow’ to a runner. But be patient. This is three 5Ks. What you do early in terms of being patient will pay off late because let’s not forget, the most challenging part of this course is at the end.”
Brantly on how to handle the Green Monster:
“Just understand that it is a very small percentage of the entire distance, and is a very small percentage of time that you’re going to be running. So to build anxiety around that portion of it, the uphill is really kind of a waste of time. It’s painful, especially if you’re running really hard or worse yet, you’re having a bad day. And you get to that bridge, and you see you have to climb that thing. In the years that I’ve run it competitively, I never looked down at the ground. I am always looking at the peak of that bridge because I want to see where my goal is. And I project myself to the top of that bridge. And I believe the eyes are the drivers of your psychology and if you are seeing where you need to go, even if it’s 120 or 140 feet up. That’s where you got to go.”