Training for a big goal such as a half or full marathon can feel like a long time, especially if you're used to turning up to a start line more frequently, such as a weekly parkrun effort! We recommend prioritising your training as running hard race efforts too frequently can be detrimental to your performance, and increase your risk of injury.
That said, incorporating additional races or events along the way to your A-race can be really helpful fitness checks while adding some more variety to your training. It's key to add these events to your plan in a considered way, so they pay dividends in helping you toward your goal without setting you back.
In this guide, we'll cover what a B-race is, how you can make the most of them and how best to schedule these into your plan!
What is a B-Race?
A "B-race" is a race you'll use in your training block toward a bigger goal, otherwise known as your "A-race". The A-race is the big one—whether this is a half or full marathon, or tackling a 5k aiming for a big PB, you'll be putting all your focus on this goal at the end of your plan.
In contrast, a B-race is more of a supporting actor. You might be lining up at the start line with friends, or using this as a dress rehearsal to practice pacing, or to test out your fueling and kit well in advance of your A-race.
We'll dive more into how you can approach a B-race below, but first, why would you want to race before the big day when you can be training to prepare?
Why Consider Adding B-Race?
As runners, we love to run! Chuck in some company, a medal, and a T-shirt and it's a pretty attractive offer versus your typical long run. B-races serve as a great way to break up your training while keep motivation high through some of the harder efforts.
One scenario in which a B-race could be a great option is to use it as a tool to complete your longer training sessions for an A-race. For example: if you're training toward a full marathon, signing up for a half marathon along the way is great opportunity to practice your pacing and enjoy the race benefits of crowd support, aid stations and a demarcated route.
Races within your plan allow you to assess your progress, and can check that you're on target or help adjust your paces. Local 5km races can replace an interval session or tempo, and the known distance works as a great 'Time Trial' effort that can be compared easily. Hitting a PR at a shorter distance or along the way to your A-race can skyrocket your motivation too.
How to Schedule and Choose B-Races?
It's important consider the duration, distance, and difficulty of the race you would like to incorporate: ensuring that you have enough time to prepare for it without compromising on the rest of your training block.
It's also important to make sure that the race fits well into your overall training plan and doesn't conflict with other important workouts or races.
With our B-race feature, we'll help you do this specifically for your unique Runna plan! Check out our article below to learn how to add a B-race into your plan:
Training Run or All-Out Effort?
There are two main ways you can approach your B-race:
Run this as a standalone hard effort.
Practice fine-tuning for your A-Race: testing your shoes, kit and fueling strategy.
Adjusting your plan with a ‘mini’ taper can help you stay fresh for race day without overloading your legs. Just don’t overdo it—hard efforts are fine, but avoid fatigue that impacts your A-race training.
Treat your B-race as a test run—practice pacing, wear your full race kit (including a charity vest if applicable), and use it to build confidence or refine your strategy for the main event.
The Takeaway
Incorporating a B-race within your training plan can really help to push yourself and consequently improve your fitness; ultimately helping to achieve that end goal.
So, if you've read this far and are now scrambling to hit sign up to every upcoming event, or your friends are asking you to join them for a race while you're already training for something else, you can make an informed choice as to how you schedule these into your plan.
And as ever, our expert support team is here to answer your questions so reach out if you'd like to chat about B-race ideas. All that's left to do is check out the B-race feature in the Runna app to add in your race, and have fun!