Very superstitious

Right, I'm going to stereotype us running lot.  I would take a guess that if you are a runner and you are reading this then you:

a) Are anal to the point of obsession when it comes to preparing for a race
b) Have certain things that you do during training or races that are a real 'thing' for you because you know they always work.

Yep, thought so.  This is why I did what I did this week.  

So, every February half term, on a Tuesday, I take myself off to the start line of the Hastings Half Marathon.  Full race kit, everything.  Then, I do a test run of the course.  The full 13.1 miles (with a little route variation for safety; don't EVER run Queensway if the race isn't on) at a fast pace.  Not full tilt, full power, red-lining kind of pace, but a quick pace.  My own rough guide is that I do my test run between 10 and 15 seconds per mile slower than my planned goal pace.

This all sounds a bit obsessive.  I mean, I even do a race breakfast that morning, practise the hydration, everything.  But this is my thing.  It works for me, and it takes care of points a and b from earlier.  And although there's a superstitious element to it, it does serve several key purposes.

For one thing, it's a good test of race kit.  If my shoes or shorts are about to give up the ghost, I'd rather find out during a race practice than on race day.  It gets me used to remembering when I'm going to refuel during the race.  Perhaps most importantly, it helps me to test how my fitness has progressed in the last year, and if hitting the hills too hard early in the race will screw me up later.

This year, it went like a dream.  Exactly to plan.  This was partially thanks to me running the test run with a local running buddy/semi-nemesis of mine, the lightning quick Jack Madden.  Jack and I are roughly similar in fitness levels.  However, while I perhaps hold a slight edge in the endurance stakes, his top speed makes me look like a tortoise on a glass hill, and the challenge of testing my pace against him seemed like a excellent new facet to add to my test run routine.  Chasing him on the hills and matching him on the descents was exhilarating.  It was brilliant, and I finished about 14 seconds per mile over my goal pace, feeling stiff but basically ok.  Preparation good, kit all fine, bring on Hastings Half Marathon.

This is just my thing. It's a ritual.  You all have your rituals pre race, and they may vary from mundane things like which sports drink or energy gel you have, all the way up to buying a new set of shoes before a certain race.  The point is, if it works for you, do it.  Running is such a pure sport, and such a personal thing, that if you're not well prepared for the race(s), the only person that loses out is you.  There's no equipment to help you, no team mates to pick up your slack.  It's the personal accountability that makes runners so damn finickity in their preparations and superstitions.  But be proud of it.  Be proud of the planning and effort you put in.  When you hurl yourself over the line, vomiting as you do it (note; if you are smiling as you cross the line, you could have raced harder, in my view), you'll be glad of all that crazy prep you did.

Now, go and check the weather two weeks in advance to see if the wind will be your friend or your enemy (c'mon, admit it, we all do it)....