Get Moving: TMC Meet Me Downtown race week game plan

The plan

The Next Few Days

• Run or walk as you wish — just don’t do too much. Don’t do extra projects around the house on Saturday. If you need to scrub your kitchen floor or dig a garden, come over to our house and do it. Otherwise, give yourself permission to relax and enjoy the day.

• In terms of nutrition, there is no need to carbo-load or do anything radical. Just eat what you normally eat. If possible, avoid excesses of alcohol, caffeine, fatty foods, and sugar. You should eat a significant meal around noon and a snack about 2 hours before the race. Some good pre-race snacks are: PB & J, banana with nut butter, granola bar, bagel, or a non-dairy smoothie. You should also be sipping on water or a beverage enhanced with electrolytes throughout the day.

• Get your t-shirt and race number: we recommend heading over to the Running Shop on Friday, anytime from noon to 7:30 p.m. to pick up your items. If you can’t make it on Friday, on Saturday there will be registration and packet-pick-up at the Running Shop from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and at the race site in front of the Children’s Museum from 5 to 6:30.

Saturday afternoon

• Prepare race day plans so that you’re not late and stressed. You’ll want to arrive at least 60 minutes before the start time. Give yourself time for these tasks: Walk from parking garage: 5-10 minutes; registration line: 5-10 minutes; line for port-o-john: 10 minutes; easy warm-up: 10 minutes.

What to bring to the event

• Comfortable running shoes, shorts, cap, light weight tech shirt or tank top, water bottle. Remember, to put your race number on the front of the shirt.

• Dry shirt to wear after race.

• Money for food trucks and after-parties.

• Identification and emergency contact information.

We want you to be safe, so bring a water bottle, extra cash, and identification. If you bring a car key on the race course, please secure it on your shoe (tie it in with your shoe laces) or put it in a zipper pocket — nothing worse than losing a key in the dark at the two mile mark . . .

Warm Up

• Walk or jog for 5-10 minutes.

• Do some light stretching.

• Drink some water.

• Get to the starting area 5 to 10 minutes before the gun goes off.

The Race Itself

• You can set three goals for the race itself: First, have fun. Second, be sure to finish the distance. Third, if you can have fun and finish the distance, then feel free to speed up. Notice that the most important goal is to enjoy yourself — be safe, laugh, play, and enjoy a nice evening outside!

Post-race

• Drink water and eat a light snack within 20 minutes of finishing the race.

• Don’t sit down immediately after the race. Try to walk around and do some light stretching until your heart rate has lowered.

If you go

TMC Meet Me Downtown Night Run and Walk

• When: Saturday. Children’s Mile starts at 6:30 p.m. The 5K run and walk starts at 7.

• Where: Children's Museum Tucson, 100 S. Sixth Ave.

• Cost:

Children's Mile: Free for ages 11 and under; $10 for runners 12 and above who want to be timed.

5K: $30.  

There's still time to register 

• Today is the last opportunity to register online:  azroadrunners.org

• Friday from noon to 7:30 p.m. at The Running Shop, 3055 N.Campbell Ave.

• Saturday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.  at The Running Shop.

• Saturday: 5 - 6:30 p.m. at the race staging area at the Children's Museum Tucson, 100 S. Sixth Ave. 

Running Shop Wine and Cheese party

The Running Shop is hosting the third annual TMC Meet Me Downtown Wine & Cheese gathering on Friday,  from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Pick up your shirt and number and also enjoy drinks, snacks and deals.  

Dont's

For safety, no dogs or wheels, other than strollers, will be allowed on the course. Wheelchair racers will start early.

Race night parking

Organizers say there is plenty of downtown street and lot parking.

Check out: www.downtowntucson.org/get-around/parking and www.tucsonaz.gov/parkwise

Festivities

As of Tuesday, more than 2,200 people had signed up to run or walk this year, putting this event on course for 3,000 total. Hundreds more show up to support them, making it a big event.

Here are some of the reasons why:

• There will be food trucks.

• Tucson’s music queen, LeeAnne Savage and the Cosmic Cowboys take the stage before the race.

• There will be a beer garden on the northwest corner of Armory Park— Finley Distributing is providing samples  of Dos Equis and Miller Lite for those over 21. Bring ID! Beer will not be sold.  

• The Children’s Museum Tucson is free for the evening, and will stay open until 8 p.m.

• Plenty of outdoor children’s activities provided by the Children’s Museum and Tucson Medical Center. 

• Free massage for runners and walkers after the race, courtesy of the Cortiva Institute.

• At 8 p.m., catch a free showing of "The Vetters," on south wall of the Children's Museum, courtesy of race beneficiary Cinema La Placita. The film tells the story of a family of athletes ahead of their time — siblings Diane Vetter and Janis Vetter Leibold are former track & field Olympic contenders and world record holders. Janis has lived in Tucson since the mid 1980s when she became a record-setting track and field star at the University of Arizona. Diane has lived in Tucson since the early 1980s, re-locating to train under the tutelage of UA coach Chris Murray. 

• Fire show by Cirque Roots at the finish line about 8:30 p.m. 

 • Traditional Post-Race After-Party at Hotel Congress with 2-for-1 drinks and more.

• Discounts at a variety of downtown including Proper, Barrio Brewery, Hotel Congress and Maynards.

Did you know?

 This is the first year that the TMC Meet Me Downtown is the RRCA National 5K Championships, with runners from around the country competing.  That means extra prize money for top finishers and age group awards in 5-year categories.