As we enter our final week before the race, at this stage you should have tapered your training and are in the final stages of your preparation. Physically I'm hoping you have the hard yards done, and we should now be spending this week on the mental preparation needed to get through the race.

As well as this, there are a few other dos and don'ts we should try keep in mind this week:

• Don't try and squeeze in any last minute runs, you will only make yourself sore and put yourself at risk of injury. You will not get any faster the last week of the race.
• Eat well the few days before. This means healthy, “clean” foods and limit sugar, fibre and sodium the night before and morning of the race to avoid an upset stomach. Just eat what you normally do, as long as it’s healthy. The morning of the race, eat something easy to digest like low-fibre cereal or a banana. You don’t need a crazy amounts of carbs the night before.
• Stay hydrated the few days before and leading up to the race. Stick to water unless it’s pretty warm and/or you will be sweating a lot. But, don’t go crazy drinking too much water on the morning of the race. On race day, make sure and warm-up first. For a 5K or 10K you definitely want to get your legs warm first. Walk or jog (or both) for about 10-15 minutes and then do some light stretches AFTER you warm-upAnd finally......

Remember it's only a race, so pace yourself. Don’t go mad fast at the start of the race just because you feel you need to keep pace with the rest of the group- half the speedsters will end up slowing down and you can pass them later. Trust me!

Go slower at the beginning and gradually pick up your pace each mile. Then, if you’ve got energy left in the tank…pick it up a notch or two the last mile and then really sprint the last 100 meters if you can with the crowd cheering you on as you cross the finish line!

Should you require any of the SSTF services or any further information regarding any of the topics discussed, please contact me on 07786375730, email sportsspecific@hotmail.com or visit our website www.sstf-web.com

Hugh Donnelly