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Racing a mile
I'm doing the Westminster Mile next weekend which will be the first time I've actually raced that distance, usually I stick to mid- to long distances and the first mile IS the warm up. What should I do differently to get the most out of the race? Run a mile first? 
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I'm no track star Xine but I have run mile races in the not too diastant past. I would run at least a couple of miles to warm up with a few strides thrown in. Strides being, when you break into race pace for a few yards. I've always gone by, the shorter the race, the longer the warm up.
Thanks both! That's a much longer warm up than I would have done if left to my own devices, so that's really useful information. I'll let you know how it goes!
My main distances are 800/1500 and my warm up is generally:
8-10 minutes easy
10 minutes dynamic stretching and drills
4-5 minutes a bit faster with the last minute @ about 10kp
5 minutes more intense drills
4 x 60m strides @ slightly faster than race pace
If you're not doing drills then some more running would be advisable. The strides I think are quite important otherwise the start of the race can be a bit of a shock to the system.
Anyway, that's ideal for me. Often races are delayed and if that's the case I just try to keep moving with jiggling around, a couple more drills/strides etc.
Good luck with the race.
Simon Edwards - great advice.
Lou diamond - terrible advice.
I ran the Westminster Mile veterans race. Got delayed on the Tube and made it to Green Park with 20 minutes before published start time. Warm up consisted of a couple of sprints in the park.
It was my first time racing a mile in 20 years of running having bypassed the shorter stuff and spent most of my time on endurance. It's a regret for me having ignored pace now that I'm old and injury riddled and what could've been. Though at the age of 38 I could see how much I can improve my speed
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I even accidently texted a friend 6 hours 12 minutes...