Race Day Advice

I was just reminded today of one of the best pieces of race day advice I received my first year on the DFMC team.

No, it's not "go out slow and finish strong" or "if you don't feel like you're going too slow in the first part of the race, you're going too fast." It's not even "Keep on Keepin' On."

For all the first-timers out there who read this blog and are excitedly looking forward to race day, one of the best pieces of non-running advice you will receive is this -- Do NOT look at your watch for splits until AFTER you've passed the mile markers, ESPECIALLY at the finish line.

Why? Because there are cameras everywhere, and your race will be documented to look as though you were late for a meeting.

I heeded this advice my first year and though I was captured sucking wind in a few photos, there were no "late for a meeting" photos. It seems, however, I forgot that golden rule when running the Hyannis Half a couple of weeks ago. Go ahead, visit www.capstonephoto.com, click on Hyannis, enter my last name, and see what I mean.

So please take my advice. Don't be That Girl when you run Boston this year, dear reader. And remember also that there is a camera at the corner of Hereford and Boylston, so try not to look as tired as you feel with the finish line in sight and .2 to go.