- Knowing the course in advance helps you reduce pre-race anxiety, facing each section with more confidence.
- Studying the course allows you to plan how to deal with points that might put you in trouble, such as challenging climbs and tight turns, avoiding surprises during the race.
- Analyzing past results and rankings, along with training on similar terrains, allows you to develop your strategy and leverage your strengths to manage your pace effectively.
When it comes to racing, preparation makes all the difference. However there is one aspect that is often underestimated: knowing the course you will be racing on. Yes, that’s right, doing a “reconnaissance” of the course is one of those things that will give you more confidence on race day. Professionals do it too: why not try it?
Why is course reconnaissance so important?
There are three main reasons for this:
1. Self-confidence
The more you know about the course, the calmer you will feel on race day. Knowing what to expect, whether there are challenging climbs or difficult sections, allows you to arrive at the starting line with greater confidence, reducing performance anxiety.
2. No surprises
If you prepare in advance, you can avoid nasty surprises. For example, if you know that at a certain kilometer there is a tough climb, you can adapt your strategy and manage your pace accordingly, mentally preparing yourself for it.
3. Leverage your strengths
Knowing the course also allows you to make the most of it: if you are strong on the climbs, maybe you can push harder on those sections; if, on the other hand, you have difficulty handling tight turns, you can study your trajectories in advance to deal with them more smoothly and without losing speed.
How to do an effective reconnaissance?
To make sure you do an effective reconnaissance you can:
1. Running on the race course
The best solution would be to run on the same course, or part of it, in advance. If you live near the race area, take advantage of this and do at least one run on the course. Alternatively, you can choose a section of the course, perhaps the final miles to prepare yourself mentally for what will presumably be the most difficult part of the race.
2. Study the route map
If you don’t have a chance to run the race course in advance, the second best way is to study the map and elevation profile, information that you can generally find easily on the race website. Pay attention to:
- Start and finish;
- Major curves;
- Location of refreshments and, possibly, chemical toilets;
- Particularly challenging sections, such as overpasses, underpasses, bottlenecks or major curves.
Don’t forget to identify landmarks as well, and finally check the elevation profile. The route of some races may look easier than it is, but if you go by the numbers, they cannot lie and you will get a reliable idea of the elevation gain you will face.
3. Analyze past results
Another useful way to get a feel for the race is to look at results from previous editions. Some races publish split times, so you can see where runners tend to slow down or push harder. This helps you identify the most critical sections and plan your pacing accordingly.
4. Read others’ experiences
Reading other runners’ experiences on blogs, sites, and forums can be a good way to get an idea. These accounts can give you valuable details, such as information about particularly beautiful or difficult sections, or any problems with the distribution of refreshments or route directions.
Put everything you have learned into practice
Once all this information has been gathered, it will be almost time to “act.”
- Visualize the race: use the information gathered to mentally picture yourself during the race. Visualize yourself as you successfully tackle the most difficult parts.
- Train on similar trails: if the race involves climbs, try some training on hilly terrain. If it’s a trail race, train on off-road trails.
- Adapt your pacing strategy: if the course is particularly hard in the second half, consider starting slower to save energy to spend in the final miles.
Doing a course reconnaissance is one of the best ways to arrive as prepared as possible for race day. Knowing the course well will help you run better. So once you sign up for a race, put reconnaissance on your to-do-list as well. You will arrive more prepared and, for sure, your results will also improve ;)