You've put in the miles and now it's time to sit back and relax. Right? Well, yes and no. Here's some tips from expert coaches to set you up for success 24 hours out.
Hydration Hit
Hydrate well, but don’t over hydrate. Ensure you have enough fluids for the day and electrolytes. But don’t drink so much that you will be up all evening. -- Coach Heidi
Food for Thought
Don’t overdo the carb-loading or eat anything you have not tried and tested before a long run. If your body is not used to eating a big pasta meal in the evening, stick to carbs and food that it is used to. -- Coach Heidi
Shake it Out
After a little shake out jog in the morning, allow your body to rest up for the remainder of the day as best as you can. An early dinner for your digestive system to settle, so you are prepared for a good night's sleep (even if those nerves are kicking in). -- Coach Heidi
Replace Fiction with Facts
We always doubt our abilities or believe we could have done more; this is usually untrue. Replace these thoughts with looking back over your training diary and be proud of all the runs you did rather than dwell on the ones you didn’t. -- Coach Fletch
Connect with Friends
Recovery is really important but so is being social (within reason). Have all your kit ready and then don’t think about it. Meet up for dinner (personally I’d advise to sub out the alcohol). Remember to get an early night though. If that’s not possible then a video call. -- Coach Fletch
Reframe the Conversation
It’s unlikely this is actually going to be a race for many runners. It’s just ANOTHER long run. You’ve done plenty in this build up. If you’re chasing a PB or prize money then this might be different but again you would have prepared for this so it’s not all of a sudden going to be sprung on you. You got this! -- Coach Fletch
Control The Controllables
You can only really control two things: being on time for the start & being as fit as your schedule has allowed (without getting injured). Everything else is a roll of the dice so don’t stress about weather, or the people around you. -- Coach Justin
Slow Drinkers
Many of us will be out of practice with grabbing drinks from water stations. If you’re being given cups you can spill them when running at speed, so slow down! 10 seconds of walking to hydrate will park dividends later in the race when you could get dehydrated. -- Coach Justin
“Trust Yourself” & “Relax”
The two things I write on the palms of my hands when I race. I’m not going to change the outcome by worrying and I can’t force my body to do something it isn’t ready to do, so have a little faith, trust yourself & relax. It’s not life or death, just a snapshot of your fitness on race day. -- Coach Justin