|
You have targeted a major event for a quick time and have
put together weeks of training. All has gone well so far BUT
it's easy to blow it on the day through bad planning and execution.
Here's some advice to anyone fairly new to the racing game:
-
Be sensible the night before. No party.
Lay your togs out ready for the morning. Eat a good easy-to-digest
carbohydrate meal and a good sleep.
-
Work out your desired goal time rate per
Km and splits for 1Km, 5Km, half way etc. (write on your
hand or an accessible card)
-
Unless it's a Marathon, don't eat anything
less than 4 hours before the start. Just top up with a
carbohydrate drink. Strong coffee is a good "kick start"
stimulant and aids performance.
-
Get there early. Avoid the stress of parking,
entering and still
finding time for a casual 10 minute warm up
-
20 minutes before the gun, start jogging.
If it's cold keep your track suit on.
-
10 minutes to go - stretch, focus and mentally
prepare. Avoid contact and distracting discussions with
running buddies.
-
Line up at the front. (10 seconds to cross
the start line and getting caught in the traffic could
cost you your PB goal.)
-
After the gun, settle down to the target
pace. Check the early marker boards. Too fast, you will
blow and struggle later. Too slow, you will battle to
pick up the pace to make up time in the late stages when
you are tired.
-
At one-third race distance you should feel
NO discomfort. You should feel like you can run all day
at this pace.
-
At half way you should be on or a little
inside the target split.
-
Be positive. You have trained long and hard
to achieve on this day and the conditions are good. You
are running to your maximum ability. Don't start looking
for excuses.
-
The last third of the race will be "hang
in for dear life". Tell
yourself how much you WANT and NEED this PERSONAL BEST
TIME. Failure and weeks of "if onlys and what ifs" are
too horrible to contemplate. Do it TODAY. Visualise yourself
triumphant as you cross the finish line. And how satisfied
you will feel.
|
