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- As runners and triathletes, we're constantly talking
about personal bests and personal records.
There's something so satisfying about beating
your previous time and I must admit,
I think it's quite a significant motivator for us.
But if you've done all of that hard work in training,
how do you make sure that that translates
to that desired personal best?
Well today we're gonna be focusing purely on running
and concentrating on how to race faster.
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Don't worry if you don't have a GPS watch.
If there's markers on the course,
check we're there going to be and then you can, maybe,
write the times on your hand, you can just use a stopwatch
to check that you're on course
and if there's not any markers then maybe even map
out points that you want to hit at a certain time.
And when you are planning your pacing,
you might have a target time in mind
but you still need to calculate any hills
so obviously if you're running uphill,
that kilometer or mile might be a little bit slower
and then you'll need to make up for it
when you hit the downhill.
And if you are lucky enough to have a coach out on course
or even friends and family,
you can also get them to give you some splits as well.
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If you can find a friend or member from your local club
who's gonna be running at the same pace,
then stick with them.
Make sure you position yourself correctly at the start.
You don't wanna be too far forwards
and having the faster people running over you
but vice versa, you don't wanna
have lots of slow runners that are gonna slow you up.
And if you can find a race that's got pace makers,
then that is ideal, just make sure,
again, you put yourself in the right place
or if you're really lucky, you might have a friend
who's willing to sacrifice their race and actually pace you.
And if all of that fails, then just make sure
you do a race that's gonna have lots of runners
going at a similar pace to you,
especially if there's a headwind,
you can tuck in and get an advantage that way.
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If you run with a heart rate monitor then you can use
this to help you pace as you know your limits.
If you are just running for feel,
make sure you've practiced race pace plenty
of times in training so that you know
you're not gonna go out too hard
and get too excited and then burn out.
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Practice your race day warmups,
actually go through the full routine in training.
It might sound obvious but you need to be ready to go
as soon as that gun goes off
so don't be afraid to actually work hard in your warm up.
You need to get your heart rate high,
your blood flowing so you are, literally,
ready for the main set of your session.
Also include some strides and some dynamic stretching just
to really make sure you're mentally and physically ready.
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Choose a race shoe that you're comfy in
and maybe is a little bit lighter.
Whatever it is, make sure though,
it's worn in enough but still nice
and new enough to give you plenty of support
and as for the rest of your kit,
why don't you treat yourself to some race day kit
and I find that just gives you a little psychological boost
if you know you're wearing something that you really like
and I personally always like to race in shorts
and a vest top because I feel that having my knees
and shoulders free gives me that bit more freedom
and I think it's mainly a psychological benefit.
But anything else that just helps you get into race mode,
whether it's having your hair done,
wearing glasses to help you focus,
work out what works for you.
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Find a flat course if you can and one with a smooth terrain
or maybe you could even slightly cheat.
For example, my part run course at home,
actually finishes lower than it starts
and then also just do your research
because some courses, for no obvious reason,
are just known to be quicker.
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Work out if you're someone who races better in the heat
or the cold and then try and choose a race accordingly.
Obviously, you can't do much about it once
you've already entered so do keep an eye on the forecast
and make sure you dress accordingly.
Also check the wind condition that's usual for that race
because if you've got a tailwind,
you're quite likely to get that personal best.
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Practice your race day breakfast exactly,
both with the ingredients and the timings
and then go and do your training run at the exact same time
that you would have your race beforehand.
The same goes for the night before
so why not replicate your pre-race meal
and see how that feels for training the next day
and then finally, if you want to be really powerful
with your preparation and checking,
find out what the bathroom situation's gonna be at the race.
If there's gonna be big queues,
make sure you factor that one in as well.
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If you're doing a longer race and you don't want
to carry your own nutrition, then check out
what the course is actually gonna provide you
and make sure you've practiced with that
so you know you like it
and also find out the distance between the feed stations
so you can make sure you're prepared.
Obviously you're still gonna have
to put in the hard training miles
but with a little bit of mental preparation
and some forward planning, you can significantly increase
your chances of getting that personal best.
So let us know if you've managed to use
these tips and won a PB recently.
Leave those in the comments section below.
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and if you're training for a marathon
and you want some tips, we've got a video
that will suit you right here
and if you want some speed workout sessions,
we've got a video with four of them just here.