Your first race can be induce both excitement and anxiety. For many it confirms them publicly as a runner and provides a chance to see where they stack up as compared to other runners.

General racing advice

In the weeks leading up to your race of choice, try to simulate and prepare for the upcoming race in your workouts. If your main goal is to finish then be sure that you've run enough miles to make that possible, hopefully while leaving you comfortable enough to enjoy it. If you want to run fast in your race and push yourself farther than you have before, do some fast training.

It's usually a good idea to taper your training a bit before the event, although how far in advance and to what extent you back off is a very individual thing. Essentially, you want to do everything you can to make sure you feel your best on race day, which obviously plays a huge role in your racing experience.

On race day, try to reduce stress. Know where you're going and leave yourself plenty of time to get there. Eat something that's easy on your stomach such as bananas or bagels or anything you've had good luck with in the past.

Warm up for the race by doing a few minutes of easy jogging and easy stretching. When you go to line up, line up near those that are planning to run your optimistic goal. You don't want to line up too far back and have to fight through a bunch of people, but you don't want to be rude and line up in front of runners that will be running faster than you.

When the race begins, be sure to take off at a reasonable pace. Running evenly or even speeding up at the end will give you the best shot at running your best.

When the race is over, congratulate your fellow runners and enjoy the after race bash.