Jogging/Running my 1st race (10km) this sunday....advice please???

Eims83

Hey
After a long year of completing the couch to 5k app twice (bronchitis kinda set me back a bit!! ), I am jogging my 1st race (10km) on sunday night. Any advice on how to prepare for a night race?? Any info I can find is all for racing during the day, so I'm wondering things like is it better to not run on sunday day, or sat, for fear of injury, or just train as normal? Also, how should I go about eating, no dinner etc? Ridiculous questions I know, but Im a complete race novice!!
Any advice would be really helpful!!
Thanks

windward

hey Eims83

ok considering its my first post i'll probably be blown out of the water with the following, but here goes;

i definitely wouldn't run on sunday at all (especially considering its your first race), saturday is debateable but again i wouldn't run.

in fact a slow steady pace and no more than 5k on fruday is the most i'd do

re eating: - eat but not within the 3 hours before the race, what foods i wouldn't be great on

during the race or before the start make sure to go to the right start zone,, two reasons
1) you'll be with people trying to go at the same pace (won't be demoralized by everyone passing you)
2) which is linked to 1, if you go are in a faster zone than you should people can get very upset and basically run through you

hope this helps

Eims83

Hey Windward

Thanks a million for the tips, they are actually really helpful, especially the one about training on friday only. Think I may do that, 10km which I was thinking of doing on fri or sat may not be best idea, will try 5km, give me a fighting chance on finishing on sun night!

As for starting positions, Im firmly in the back of the pack (My best time for 10km is 72 mins....don't laugh!! haha), but I can see the logic of staying there rather than driving actual runners insane as I jog along!

Thanks again, as I said Im completely green when it comes to racing so all tips greatfully accepted

windward

no problem

the athletics/running/triathlon forum in the sports section would probably yield a few more good tips if you wanted to try it

enjoy the run, i presume it the Samsung 10k your doing, i'd say it'll be a bit of craic

i've heard there is a blog attached to the site for the race and there is good stuff popping up there.

don't be worried about time, ultimately its the completion of the first 10k that i'd see as important, then the challenge of beating that time in the next 10k comes into play.........and you should look torwards the next one

just pace yourself on the night, if you have a time in mind and you fall behind don't try and make it all back in the next km, unless its the last km

Eims83

Thanks, didnt realise there was a section for that, i'll check it out

Yeah that's the one, should be fun....hopefully the weather will be better than today!

Not too worried about time, but the only problem is you have to finish in under 80 mins or no medal/offical time etc, so not too much time to play with, fingers crossed anyway, thanks again