2 days to go to my 10km...advice?

Was here a month back looking for tips on running my first 10km. Its on this Saturday.

Thanks for all the help and pointers, particularly the training logs - and now understand the use of vaseline! Ran a (hungover) 10km 'fun run' in 58 mins the driving rain last Sunday so confident enough I'll complete the course anyway.

Any tips for pre race preparation? Plan to do one 5km slow jog tonight and then no more training. Should I do anything along the lines of taking in liquid, eating well in the days before...is there anything that I should know about at this stage?

Seres

IMHO you would be better off resting today and going for 5k jog tomorrow with maybe 4/5 strides of 30secs at 5k pace , just to keep the legs fresh .
i wont eat anything too greasy/spicy the day/night before , drink water maybe day before and the day of the race, dont need to go crazy though cause its only 10k , i always find porridge is the best brek the day of a race . do a warm up of bout 20mins day of the race with a few strides . there are other here who can offer much better advice , hope this helps , best of luck , hope you enjoy it !

Krusty_Clown

Tips:

• Avoid getting a hangover!
• Yes eat well (carbohydrates) the night before, but for a 10k it's not hugely important. Eat a good breakfast, with foodstuffs that you are used to.
• Stay well hydrated the night before and the next morning, but only sip drinks for an hour or two before the race (so you don't have to stop for a pee!).
• Lastly, smile as you cross the finish line!

buck65

Aim to drink 2 litres of water a day, the day of the race sip some water beforehand but stop about an hour before - no point having a full bladder!
Nutrition wise, as Seres said keep it plain and what your used to. A bit of pasta the evening before and some fruit / veg would be a help.
Re the running, this is entirely your call. Definitely rest up a good bit but if you do feel the need to get out - keep it very slow and relaxed. Maybe 10-15 mins in your running gear the day before would be sufficient. No point leaving your fuel on the road before you get there!
I would think the day of the race maybe for anovice runner 20 mins would be too long of a warm up. A light 5 min jog with 2/3 mins of easy stretching might be better. Of course I would also recommend the first mile at a very easy pace and use this as your warm up.
Also resist the urge to run fast early in the race if you are feeling good. Try and stick to your race plan - if suddenly after 2 miles you are a minute ahead of schedule it might be no harm to pull back as you might "blow up" after half an hour. Of course if after 4/5 miles you' re feeling good then put the foot down and power on home.
Best of luck

Thanks for all the tips. The hangover one I found out myself! Haven't touched it since Sunday last.

Was thinking a 10km run wouldn't really need much in the line of proper diet alright. Was even gonna ask about energy drinks but presume that would be complete overkill too, think I'd rather do it unassisted anyway because I'm not really that concerned about competitive times, I won't be first and hope not to be last.

buck65

Deleted User wrote: »

Thanks for all the tips. The hangover one I found out myself! Haven't touched it since Sunday last.

Was thinking a 10km run wouldn't really need much in the line of proper diet alright. Was even gonna ask about energy drinks but presume that would be complete overkill too, think I'd rather do it unassisted anyway because I'm not really that concerned about competitive times, I won't be first and hope not to be last.

Unassisted! Try a bit of EPO:D
I think an energy drink after the race would be of more benefit than during. From what I know really gels/energy drinks are for the marathon lads or the long slow runs.

buck65

buck65 wrote: »

gels/energy drinks are for the marathon lads or the long slow runs.

Thought that alright.

A triathlete left a crate of that gel stuff in our house once. Mixed it with vodka to see if the booze could take the edge of it and twas still rotten!

delboy2

-Eat plenty of carbs today and tomorrow
-Keep hydrated
-Eat porridge with honey on the morning of the race, wholegrain toast + bananas (ensure you leave at least 2 hrs for digestion)
-Stretch well before the race
-Go off at your own pace & don't worry about others passing you by
-Finally enjoy it and smile going over the line!
-Drink an Isotonic drink postrace plus some food

delboy2

delboy2 wrote: »

-Eat plenty of carbs today and tomorrow

As I have never watched my intake before (though last Saturday night, before the fun run Sunday, I did switch from pints to vodkas and red bull...bad idea!) what is meant by plenty of carbs? Potatoes, bread, pasta, chocolate?

metamorphosis

Deleted User wrote: »

As I have never watched my intake before (though last Saturday night, before the fun run Sunday, I did switch from pints to vodkas and red bull...bad idea!) what is meant by plenty of carbs? Potatoes, bread, pasta, chocolate?

porridge, cereal, pasta, rice, porridge, fruit and veg etc.

shels4ever

All good advise above, only thing i'd say is don't eat anything the morning of the race that you wouldnt normally eat , If you dont usually eat porridge etc in the morning bfore running then it's not the best day to try it. Keep the diet simple and normal with food that you know you can digest well.
Get a good night sleep for the next few nights and have fun.