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10K general advice
John Jenkins 8
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in Beginners
My first ever run/race in just over 2 weeks in Manchester.
I have no idea what to expect,
Are there any do's and dont's that I should be looking out for?
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Comments
Oh tons.
Sort out what you need to take the day before, get out your intended wear for the day so that you know you have everything and your not in a blind panic come race day.
Get to the event in goodly time. esp if you need to pick up race number or timing chip. You may have unusual urge to use the loo, pre race nerves are normal. You'll want to give yourself time to warm up then 5 or 10 mins to calm down before the start of the race.
Be honest, what sort of time do you expect to race it in?
If you are not anticipating winning then don't start near the front. It's far to easy to start too far forward, go off to quick and blow up half way around. Always a good idea to start quite some way back. It doesn't matter if your start is slow, you'll make up most of the loss further into the race.
Warm up before the race, get the heart rate up and the muscles warm, maybe some dynamic stretches, some strides (race pace or slower).
Put your race number on the front of your vest (unless you are specifally told not to). Do as the marshals say, try and listen to the race briefing, they may tell you of any risks on the course. Don't wear an ipod if it is against the race rules.
remember to have fun, this is your first race, there will be others.
Pretty much all of the above. Main one for me was start near the back, kinda forces you to take it slowly in the first few Kms and if your going ok you can continue to pass people throughout the race which is nice!
Oh and get there in good time, chat to a few fellow runners and enjoy it!
thanks for the advice. It's my first 10k race in 10 days and glad to have some sound advice about what to do. And will definitely be starting at the back, as that is where I expect to finish.
Simple things like taking care over lacing your shoes are important. You don't want sloppy shoes, or laces coming untied part way round... and it's an easy thing go overlook.
If it's wet, then 10K can be far enough to get runner's nipple... so some protection with tape or vaseline is wise.
You need to read on the best time and food for breakfast.... and decide what would work for you.
Try for an even pacing - work out beforehand what your realist minutes per mile ability is and stick to it for the first 5K at least. Then you can step it up marginally if your feel like it's right.
Plus all the above in the previous posts. And do a nice bit of stretching when you've finished.
Good luck, and enjoy it.
The most important thing is to enjoy it and remember that as long as you finish you will have set a PB, bonus!
Good luck and hope you enjoy the experience.
some real good advice there true about the PB