Great Run

Hi All,

I hope you’re enjoying the fantastic summer weather and getting fitter and fitter as we approach so many awesome Bupa Great Run events to take part in. It is very important to stay well hydrated, especially when training in summer. Often we don’t drink until we feel thirsty. And once you feel thirsty, this is a sign you’re already dehydrated, so always carry a water bottle with you to work and try to drink some fluids in your training runs (if running over 60mins) and obviously straight afterwards to refuel. If you are even mildly dehydrated, it will cost you minutes in your race time and prevent you from training at your best!

I wanted to focus on pace management during an event, as this seems to be an area of interest for everyone. How do you get it right? It is hard to simply answer that question, as we are all different in our abilities and how we can handle pace during races. I will point out a few tips from what I’ve learned along the way – just remember that even elite athletes such as myself don’t always get pace judgment right in events! So don’t worry too much about getting it perfect – as long as you understand your limits and how to maximize your strengths and remain patient, you can’t go too far wrong!

Racing a 10km
Most 10km races start quite fast, so make sure you do a good warm up of say a mile of slow jogging then some fast stride-throughs so you’re ready to go as soon as you get to the start line. All my best 10km runs have come when I start at a good but reasonably conservative pace, keep up my concentration during the mid-stages while steadily increasing my pace (say between miles 3-5) then finish off as fast as I can over the last mile. The middle miles are always the toughest part in the race to stay focused – try to pick off runners ahead of you to pass or use mile markers to assess how you’re going. It is always handy to use build up races (say a little local race) or a measured training run, to experiment with pace. Some runners do their best times when they are a bit conservative at the start and really wind it up over the last 4 miles. Other runners are better off being aggressive from the start and holding that form right till the end. I am more of a conservative runner! I’ve learnt this through trial and error over the years!

Racing a Half Marathon
I always warm up for considerably less time for a half (say, slow jog for half a mile) as a quick start isn’t essential to run your best time. Lightweight training shoes will help as well as carbohydrate loading during the day before and keeping well hydrated both before the race and during the event (especially if it’s hot). The key to running your best half, I believe, is patience. The pace will often feel very easy at the start (especially if you’ve been racing 5km or 10km races). You must resist the urge to go faster here – as you will deplete your glycogen stores going too fast early and certainly pay for it in the latter stages of the race when you’ll have to slow down considerably. I have done this before! It is not a good feeling! You are better to go out too slow, rather than too fast. I always love being about to finish the race off fast over the last 4 miles. You’ll feel great passing people who may have gone out too fast and get a real kick along the way in doing so!

Another good strategy for pace judgment is to find a pack of runners going about the pace you want to go, and run with them. Don’t get ‘caught’ racing people too early. In fact, just think about getting the first 8 or so miles done as easily as possible. Then really concentrate after that and you should be able to push on with each mile and will achieve your goal time with this strategy.

Hope this all helps! Enjoy yourselves in the races and have fun with your friends doing all the hard training together to prepare! I absolutely LOVE the Bupa Great North Run and I’ll be there again this year and hopefully so will many of you!

Good luck,
Benita.