At the BUPA 10km on Sunday 25th May 2014, I managed to run a Personal Best (PB) with no where near the amount of running training as previously completed for a PB.
So what was different?! …there are a few things that I did differently in addition to less running. The one thing I think helped the most though was a short article I read the night before in the BUPA 10km magazine entitled “5 Tips For A Positive Mental Attitude”.
Here are those tips:
1. Embrace the Challenge: You have chosen to run this event – no one has forced you into it – so congratulate yourself for taking it on.
2. Be Confident: It’s normal to have Start Line butterflies but reassure yourself that you are fit, have done the training, and are ready for the challenge that lies ahead.
3. Believe in Yourself: In the latter stages of a race a positive mental attitude will get you to the Finish Line so have a mantra ready like “I can do this” to chant in your head when the going gets tough.
4. Never Give Up: It’s easy – and less painful – to pull out but the elation of completing the race will be worth it.
5. Enjoy it! You’ll be running past cheering spectators and iconic landmarks in our great capital. Savour every moment and don’t forget to smile for the cameras as you cross the Finish Line!
I slept on that and woke up with a PMA for sure! I had an amazing soundtrack of tunes from 2013 which I downloaded from MyGroupFit – a continuos beat of fast paced tunes to give me a tempo to run to.
Breakfast was a small bowl of granola with almond milk and a banana. I also had some chocolate coconut milk which I drank about 45 minutes before the race started.
Huge Thanks to BUPA London 10,000 for the tips and such a well organised event!
Elle
I'll be racing my first 10k next weekend. Well don't know if it will be a race considering I haven't been running much , but I will certainly enjoy myself! I think that's something we sometimes forget. We focus so much on a PR or running a certain pace that we forget to take it all in.
good luck for your 10km! Defo enjoy it! …you're right! all too often I run and am too focused on the stats to enjoy it! I'm running in Amsterdam tonight so am looking forward to taking in all the sights ๐
Believe in yourself should be at the top of the list ๐
very true ๐ I don't think they are in any particular order! It's probably one of the toughest too!