Running in a race can be a lot of fun. Much of this fun comes from being surrounded by all the other racers. Some races even have tens of thousands of participants. So, unless you are an introvert (and some runners truly are), a race like this can be like fun to the tenth power.
But a race, especially a larger race, presents certain hazards. And some of those hazards come from your fellow runners. Consider the following hazards before your next race, so you that you may avoid more of them and get to enjoy the race instead of later regretting it.
Hazard: Stopping to tie a shoelace
This is a classic hazard that tends to happen toward the start of a race, when a runner's first response is to take care of the loose shoelace instead of to consider where he or she is and that stopping in a crowd of runners could cause a lot of falls. It usually occurs with a new runner, but it can happen with a veteran runner, too.
Avoid this hazard by being very observant for the first mile of the race and by every so often listening for flopping laces and glancing at other racers' shoes.
Hazard: Tossing a cup
This hazard most often occurs in the water-stop areas of races. A runner grabs a cup of water, pours some of it over his or her head or sips some of it, and then carelessly tosses the half-full cup to the ground, leaving you to possibly slip on it.
Avoid this hazard by running far around water stops where you need not get hydration and by watching other runners carefully when you join them to get your own cup.
Hazard: Spitting phlegm
This hazard is more psychological than physical. Running a race requires good breathing, so running will often quickly reveal to a runner that his or her airway is partially blocked. Getting spit upon by a runner who has just cleared a throat that has filled with phlegm likely will not affect you physically during the race, although you could eventually develop a cold from that spit, if it lands in the wrong place. But getting spit upon can ruin your attitude, if you let it, which can hurt your performance as well as your enjoyment of the race.
Avoid this hazard by listening for nose sniffles and throat clearing from fellow runners.
Author Resource:-
Kirk Mahoney, Ph.D., loves to walk and run, and his SpryFeet.com website provides practical research for runners and walkers. By going to http://www.SpryFeet.com/Reports/, you can get his FREE "Pace Tables for Runners and Walkers" special report, letting you look up paces needed to complete several different race distances within given durations and for different micro-level-pacing methods.
(c) Copyright - Kirk Mahoney, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
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