You’ve made the decision – you’re ready to try your first race. Congratulations! Now there’s just the small matter of deciding which race you should enter. Hopefully our list of 100 great events in the first half of 2017 will help but, even if you have a distance in mind, or a couple of contenders, there are a few things you need to check out before you fill in that entry form.
CONSIDER TIMESCALE
If you started running last spring, there’s a good chance you’re already fit enough to complete your chosen race. But it’s still a good idea to think about how long you’ll need to train to achieve the finish time you’d be happy with – and, more importantly, to finish comfortably and enjoy the race! If you would like to run a 10K, give yourself at least six weeks training; for a half or marathon, you’ll need 12-16 weeks; and, for anything longer, you should look at a four or five-month build-up. Want to plan in more than one race? Make sure you give yourself enough time to recover in between events.