A lot of people (me included) have their pre-run rituals, where we prepare ourselves for the big race.

RunCoach has some good pre-run tips to take note off. If you want to make your next run a better one, try incorporating some of their tips.

The last couple of days

The main thing here is to get plenty of rest, make sure your muscles are fully charged with glycogen, and you are fully hydrated. So get plenty of sleep, eat a high carbohydrate (not fat) diet and drink plenty of fluids.

The day before

Have a a light run. Try and do it in the morning, make it only about 15-20 minutes and make it easy with a few light accelerations included.

The night before

Pack your bag and include the following: running shoes, socks, shirt, shorts, water bottle, bandages and vaseline, money, race number and safety pins. Try and eat a light meal at night and drink plenty of water.

Race morning

After you wake up start drinking to keep hydrated, drink your last water about 20 minutes before the start of the race. Don’t eat, it won’t get processed in time to do any good. Tie double knots in your shoelaces to avoid them coming undone during the race. Start the warm-up about 30 minutes before the race.

Warm-up

The warm-up should look a bit like this. Walk, Jog, Stretch, Accelerations, Walk, Relax . The relax part should be about 5-10 mins just before race start.

With this, your body shouldbe in prime condition to take on the competition!