A slightly different post for today, as I want to take the chance to talk about my experience with Nike Women’s 10K run which I participated in on Sunday. As luck would have it I was slightly ill and not feeling that great but wanted to push myself and do it since I had been training for it and preparing myself for the run for about two months. This was my first 10K run and I would definitely do it again even though I wasn’t expecting to be so sore afterwards!
You could run with a team or ‘crew’ which I wish I had done, just to have an extra push and encouragement from friends during the run. We started running at about 10:30am and thankfully it wasn’t raining but wasn’t super warm either. The run was at Victoria Park and you had to run the perimeter of the park twice.
My post-run treat courtesy of Pip & Nut the delicious nut butters company. I went for peanut butter with banana and strawberries on rye toasted bread.
Some tips if you’re interested in participating in any runs anytime soon and I’m by no means expert but from personal experience I know that…
1. Train – Train properly even if you think you can do it without preparations. Admittedly I should have trained more, or actually do longer runs in preparation.
2. Run outside – The treadmill is really good especially for HIIT training but it’s not enough when your race is outside, as it’s totally different for your body. If you do 3-4 runs a week, make at least one run outside.
3. Stretch – Stretching is super important to give your muscles proper relaxation, take up a yoga or some kind of stretching once a week.
4. Eat well – Especially before the run, have a good breakfast about two hours before the run. Something like porridge, yogurt/granola or anything else with good carbs for energy is great.
5. Sleep well – If you’ve ever tried to do a long run on little or no sleep you’ll know it’s not a great idea.
6. Hydrate – In general drink 2 litres of water every day. Particularly the week before the run increase your water intake to prepare your body. Drinking during the run isn’t a great idea, only have a few sips every now and then.
7. Mind over body – You CAN do it, if you push yourself hard enough. It’s only that little voice in your head that’s telling you, you can’t – and you shouldn’t listen!
Got any tips? I’d love to know about them