There are a lot of small things in life to think about but it is searching for the 1% improvement targets across all areas of life and training that will make the biggest race day gains.
Think about the little things every day, that old Irish saying of save the pennies make the pounds comes to mind,
but I am sure that if you find the 1% across any number of areas such as sleep,diet,planning,social life,hydration you will soon find 10% and a new personal best time waiting for you at the finish line
The adare 10k tips ( these tips will work for most Road running races)
This race is always busy so if your signing on the morning if the race arrive a little earlier then planned and find a good parking spot.
Don’t eat any big meals 3hrs before the race, don’t break your normal eating routine and be careful not to consume anymore than your usual caffeine intake
Pacing- stick to your pre-race planned conservative for the first 3 to 4miles and then light the match and fire the gun. Make sure to cross the line knowing you couldn’t have done anymore on the day
(Any one who is not sure what pace they should be holding ask me!….. only if i coach you 🙂 if not ask your club coach info@gotri.ie
Things to watch out for:
There are a few drags and a surprise hill at 5miles
Road surface : road surface for this race is fairly good but watch out for any potholes.
Don’t try new shoes on race day, i dont care how good they look 😈
Pre race warm up: 15mins easy jog stop and stretch 45 mins before the race. This helps get rid of “nerves” and toilet issues 10mins before start run for 5mins and do a few strides – stay warm and take a little sip of fluids or energy drink
Some people may feel hungry here- ask yourself the honest question. Are you really hungry ? If so take an energy gel or a bite of a banana – nothing heavy or you will feel it bouncing around in your stomach. Be careful not to over hydrate!!
Cool down
Why don’t we do it!! This is hugely important and makes our training lives as triathletes or Multisport enthusiast possible. When you cool down and take on good fluids your helping your body to recover so it can train again sooner. If you don’t cool down you run the risk of DOMS or injury …. You have been forewarned
Diet after the race….
It is not the worst thing to reach for a packet of salty taytoes or a milkshake, but remember your body is a high performance Ferrari ( at least that is what we want it to be) so if you fill it with shitty fuel it will perform like a rust bucket Lada
Sleep leading into the race is hugely important. But be carefull not to over sleep, this sends your body into shock and shut down. It has a huge effect on performance. It is almost worse to over sleep than to under sleep before racing.
The most important nights sleep is 2 nights out from a race. The night before nerves or excitement might keep you awake so do not let this effect you mentally
I hope these tips help, there are always loads more. But Keep things simple and don’t try anything new on race day 🙂
Train smart – train happy
STL
