{"id":5770,"date":"2018-07-26T09:39:58","date_gmt":"2018-07-26T09:39:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/inspiringyou.ie\/home\/?p=5770"},"modified":"2018-07-26T09:39:58","modified_gmt":"2018-07-26T09:39:58","slug":"running-free-with-catherina-race-day-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inspiringyou.ie\/home\/running-free-with-catherina-race-day-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"“Running Free with Catherina” Race Day plan"},"content":{"rendered":"

After training for your 5k\u00a0Park Run<\/a>\u00a0what better way to prepare for your run than follow the advice of\u00a0Chi Running Master<\/a>\u00a0and legendary Irish athlete Catherina McKiernan<\/a>?<\/p>\n

We are delighted that Catherina is supporting us in our work to get young people in Ireland fit and active.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 “Running Free with Catherina” Race Day plan<\/h2>\n

You have all the training done.\u00a0 Now you can look forward to running a 5km race.\u00a0 It’s reasonable to feel a bit anxious before a race and especially if it’s your first one.\u00a0 My advice is relax and embrace the challenge ahead.<\/p>\n

Don’t compare yourself to others and release any worries or doubts<\/em><\/h3>\n

You have done the training and you will get to the finish line.\u00a0 You will be resting up the week of the race.\u00a0 This allows your body recover from all the running you have been doing.\u00a0 People that are new to running often make the mistake of doing too much on the week of the race.\u00a0 As a result you can feel tired on race day and you may not perform to the best of your ability.\u00a0 \u00a0 It is important to rest so that your body feels fresh.<\/p>\n

On the morning of the race be sure to eat the breakfast that you are used to and that you have practiced in training.\u00a0 Aim to eat about two to two and a half hours prior to the race.\u00a0 I always have some fruit followed by porridge.<\/p>\n

Eat something high in energy and easy digestible<\/em><\/h3>\n

Be sure to keep well hydrated in the days leading up to the run.\u00a0 Don’t drink too much on the morning of the race in case you get a stitch.\u00a0 Just keep sipping water.<\/p>\n

Get acquainted with what’s happening around you<\/em><\/h3>\n

Go to the race venue about 50 minutes prior to the start. You can get an idea of the race route and get acquainted with what’s happening around you.\u00a0 \u00a0Do a little walk and jog to loosen out and get your heart rate up.<\/p>\n

Take a few deep breaths and feel confident in yourself<\/em><\/h3>\n

The starting line can be crowded.\u00a0 Starting in the middle of the pack is safe for most beginners,\u00a0 and you will have people to chase down as the race goes on.\u00a0 Before the race starts take a few deep breaths and feel confident in yourself.<\/p>\n

This will give you a great boost of confidence<\/em><\/h3>\n

A lot of people make the mistake and run too fast in the first mile.\u00a0 You always want to start a little slower.\u00a0 This helps you run a better and usually faster race, and it’s also easier and more fun to pass people.\u00a0 This will give you a great boost of confidence.\u00a0 \u00a0Aim to run negative splits which means finishing the second half of the race faster than the first half.<\/p>\n

Pick up the pace and finish strong<\/em><\/h3>\n

Start conservatively and build your effort throughout the run.\u00a0 When you start out too fast, your body works too hard too soon after the first mile.\u00a0 This results in a slower overall time slower and the race feels more difficult than it should.\u00a0 In the last 400m pick up the pace and finish strong.<\/p>\n

Have a positive mantra for the race<\/em><\/h3>\n

When things get tough, it’s common for the little voices in your head to start telling you to slow down.\u00a0 Have a positive mantra for the race such as, \u201cI can do this, I am feeling strong and running really well\u201d.\u00a0 Practice this during your runs so it becomes automatic on race day.\u00a0 When I get to the final stages of a race I say to myself, \u201cThe faster I run the quicker I will be finished\u201d.<\/p>\n

Aim to enjoy yourself from start to finish<\/em><\/h3>\n

Don’t worry about what time you run.\u00a0 While it’s great to have a goal time in mind, just focus on crossing the finish line.\u00a0 Aim to enjoy yourself from start to finish.\u00a0 \u00a0Plan to meet up with friends after the race so that you can share your wonderful experience with them.<\/p>\n

You will do great.\u00a0 Have fun, relax, enjoy and of course smile.<\/p>\n

\u00a0#IYIRL #IYIRLHealth #IYIRLCatherina #InspiringCatherina #Parkrun #DailyMile #Couchto5k<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After training for your 5k\u00a0Park Run\u00a0what better way to prepare for your run than follow the advice of\u00a0Chi Running Master\u00a0and legendary Irish athlete Catherina McKiernan? We are delighted that Catherina is supporting us in our work to get young people…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":[],"categories":[22,18],"tags":[53,55,54,44,47],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inspiringyou.ie\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5770"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inspiringyou.ie\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inspiringyou.ie\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspiringyou.ie\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspiringyou.ie\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5770"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/inspiringyou.ie\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5770\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5775,"href":"https:\/\/inspiringyou.ie\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5770\/revisions\/5775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inspiringyou.ie\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspiringyou.ie\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspiringyou.ie\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}