给初次跑步比赛的8个建议
By Bruce Fordyce with Marielle Renssen
作者：Bruce Fordyce,Marielle Renssen
If you're getting ready for your first race, here are some pointers to help you get there successfully.
如果你在准备你的第一次赛跑，这儿有几点帮助你跑得更成功的建议。
Enter with a friend of similar fitness and ability. It will be less intimidating and more fun with a companion.
1、和一位健康状况、跑步水平相似的朋友一起参加。这样会让比赛变得不那么可怕，反而更有趣。
Make sure nothing you wear is new. Everything on your body, from socks to a headband should be road-tested.
2、不要穿戴全新的装备。你身上的每一样东西——从短袜到头巾——都必须试穿过上路。
Line up with runners of similar ability. If you run a nine-minute mile find the part of the pack that runs your pace, and that won't be at the front. Being swept into a pace that is too fast will be a bad experience and, of course, isn't fair to the faster runners who will have to navigate around you.
3、和水平相似的参赛者一起排队。如果你用9分钟跑完一英里，会发现一部分参赛者和你速度相当并且他们不在你之前。（？）迫于周围人的压力跑得太快是很痛苦的，同时，让跑得比你更快的人迁就你也不公平。3
Always begin slowly. The easiest mistake for a beginning racer to make is to respond to the exuberance of the race and head out too fast. Doing so begs for an injury or at best a rotten finish because you spent your energy too early in the course.
4、起跑要慢。第一次参加比赛的人最容易犯的错误就是耗费太多精力（？），起跑太快。这么做简直是自找受伤，至少也会在比赛结束时精疲力尽，因为你在赛场上过早地耗费了精力。
Use the water stations. Keep yourself well hydrated. Sports drinks can help keep your energy up. Some marathons provide Vaseline, Band-Aids, and even masseurs.
5、利用好水站。保持体内水分充足的状态。运动
饮料有助于提升你的精力。有些马拉松比赛的水站为参赛者
提供凡士林，急救绷带，甚至是按摩师。
Don't be disheartened when other runners pass you during the race. There will always be runners in front of you--and behind you.
6、当别的参赛者超过你时，不要泄气。总有比你跑得快的人，同时也总有比你慢的人。
Know when the cutoff time is for your race so that you can pace yourself accordingly. It is depressing to finish without a finish line and an official time. For a 10K, the cutoff is usually 1:30; for 15K, from 1:40 to 2:00; for some marathons, as much as 6:00.
7、了解比赛的关门时间，然后据此调节自己的速度。没有在关门时间之内冲到终点线是让人沮丧的。对10公里来说，关门时间通常是1小时30分；对15公里来说，通常是1小时40分到2小时；对某些马拉松比赛来说，是6小时。
Tuck some tissues in a baggie pinned to your shorts, just in case you need an emergency pit stop--it happens.
8、在运动裤上别好一个塑料袋，在袋里装好纸巾。这样是以备紧急停止之需——这种事情是会发生的。
