One of
the most pleasurable things about training for the last couple of years has
been the realisation that most people develop and ‘learn’ how to race. There
can be a big difference in a runner when training and then sticking them on a
start line of a race. Even the most hardy of runners can crumble under the
pressure.
It should
be simple, you do the same thing you do in training, just a bit faster.
Of
course, the reality is often somewhat different. A myriad of thought, emotions
and experiences manifest themselves in the mind of our nervous racer. This is
something I have suffered with for a number of years.
It may
not be massively profound, but hopefully some will find the following tips,
found out the hard way, of some use.
1. It’s A
-> B
I know
you’ve got a cacophony of noise swirling around your head, but you need to
silence it. Imagine a calm, serene lake in the glens of Scotland. Calm those
troubled waters .You are here to travel from Point A to Point B (which is
sometimes Point A again). Ignore everything else.
2. I mean
that, ignore everything else
Unless
you are lucky enough to be at the front of the field vying for a podium
position, you don’t need to worry about anyone else.
Your club
mate who always beats you? Forget
Them.
The
people who sneak up on you mid race when you are most tired? Forget Them/
The
school bullies who have stopped whatever they were doing at that moment and
travelled over to the race to heckle from the sidelines?
Deffo
Forget Them
None of
these people matter. It’s just you and your race plan.
3. HAVE A
RACE PLAN
This is
vital. Whatever the distance, you should form your plan early and then make
your target on the day to execute that plan. It should not (in most cases) be
“GO OUT AS HARD AS I CAN AND HANG ON FOR GRIM DEATH” (also known as the Maguire
Supposition). When the going gets tough, you can turn all your thoughts to your
race plan and how much of it you have achieved so far.
4. Ignore
Everyone Else!
You may
be detecting a theme here…
Unless it
is a safety instruction, ignore other runners comments on time, pace, distance,
feel, attractiveness of the squirrels, attractiveness of other runners (unless
it is about you), breathing patterns, weather and everything else. The number
of times I’ve been fed erroneous information…It’s a mind game, treat it as
such.
5. Take
it easy
The more
I race, the more I realise a sensible pace should not leave you feeling like
death after the first kilometre of a 5Km race.
I’ll use
our local 5K race as an example.
It is a 3
x 1 mile loop and as such splits the race nicely into Start, Middle and End.
When nailing my PB, I knew the feel I wanted as I raced - I call it my ‘float’. Ignoring numerical
pace, I concentrated on maintaining this feel. At the end of the first lap I
still felt good and was starting to worrying that maybe I was going too slow.
Fortunately, the race officials were shouting the 1 mile split times so I knew
I was spot on. The second lap was harder in terms of effort but it was a
gradual increase before coming round for the final lap. At that point, most
people may be a bit ‘kitchen sink’, but by making the early stages of the race
easier for yourself, you are more likely to have the last little bit of reserve
for…
“GO GO
GADGET, COURAGE LEGS” - (thanks to Anna
Railton for that)
 |
| Courage Legs (with 50m to go) |
6. There
can be too much respect
There may
come a point in the race when you find yourself in, or just behind, a group you
recognise a being a little faster than you are used to. It is so easy to think
“Oh they are much faster than me…I must be going too fast…MAYDAY MAYDAY etc”
But you have no idea what their race plan is, their current state of health or
fitness. Do not show them too much respect. If you think you can pass them
without messing up your race plan – go for it, put your raceface on and slowly reel them in.
7.
K.I.S.S.
When
entering the Hurt Locker, take everything back-to-basics. Concentrate on good
form, the position of your head, placing of the body, relaxed shoulders,
putting one foot in front of the other. I think back to my ‘float’. More accurately, I think to myself “Where’s
your f***in float Hawkins?” and also “What would Colin say?”. That’s a whole
other post in itself…
8. Be
Kind to Yourself
If it has
gone well, it doesn’t mean you are suddenly the greatest racer in a pair of
shorts. If it has gone a bit wrong, it is not the end of the world. There are
so many races out there, you’ve just got some valuable experience under your
belt.
9. You
think you can’t – You can
Most
people are not natural racers, it can take years of practice. There is plenty
of time to get it right.
I used to
hate racing, but I’m growing to love it, one race at a time.
