As Brendan’s Running Club members prepare for The Dublin City Marathon this weekend ,here are some final preparation tips
THE WEEK BEFORE THE RACE
Stop stressing. You have done the work, its time now to relax and get the body right for race day.
Eat what works for you. Your best bet is to eat whatever has worked best for you ,race week is not the time to try anything new.
Don’t do anything new. Race week isn’t the time to try new shoes, new food or drinks, new gear, or anything else you haven’t used on several workouts. Stick with the routine that works for you.
Get off your feet. In the days before you race, try to stay off your feet as much as possible. Relax, and leave the lawn mowing or shopping or sightseeing for after the race.
Put your hands on your bib. The night before the race, lay out your clothes, and if you have your bib, fasten it on. That’s the one thing you need at the starting line. Don’t show up without it!
Get ready the night before. Lay out your gear and get as much sleep as possible- aim for eight hours.
RACE DAY
Limit your sipping. Yes, you need to stay hydrated, but no major drinking 30 minutes before the gun; sip if your mouth is dry or it’s particularly hot out. Some athletes will take a mouthful and use it as a rinse and spit. Your best bet is to stay hydrated throughout the day.
Arrive early. Get to the race at least one hour before the start so you’ll have time to pick up your number (if you don’t already have it), use the porta loo, and warm up. You don’t want to be running to the starting line.
Identify yourself. Put your name, address, mobile phone number next of kin on the back of your bib
Don’t overdress. It will probably be cool at the start, but don’t wear more clothing than you need. To stay warm at the start, you may want to bring (expendable) clothes that you can throw off after you warm up.
Set at least two goals. Set one goal for a perfect race and another as a backup in case it’s hot, its wet, it’s windy, or it’s just not your day.
Fix it sooner, not later. If your shoelace is getting untied, or you start to chafe early in the race, take care of it before it becomes a real problem later in the race.
Line up early. You don’t want to be rushing to the starting line, so don’t wait for the last call to get there.
Start slow, and stay even. Run the first 10 percent of the race slower than you normally would, with the idea that you’ll finish strong. Don’t try to “bank” time by going out faster than your goal pace. If you do that, you risk burning out early. Try to keep an even pace throughout the race, and save your extra energy for the final stretch to the finish.
AFTER THE RACE
Keep moving. Get your medal and keep walking for at least 10 minutes to fend off stiffness and gradually bring your heart rate back to its resting state. Be sure to do some stretching
Refuel. There are usually snacks at the finish line, to recover quickly, bring a snack with a combination of protein to rebuild muscles and healthy carbs to restock your energy stores. Consume it within 30 minutes of finishing the race. You might try a sports recovery drink, energy bar.
Get warm. Change out of the clothes you ran in, and get into dry clothes as soon as possible. After you cross the finish line, your core temperature will start to drop fast, and keeping sweaty clothes on will make you cold.
Brendan's running club 