Tips for a strong half marathon race

• Make sure you’re including good fats, lots of vegetables and protein in your diet. A healthy base will keep you strong throughout your training and ready for race day.
• Drink water and stay hydrated. Aim for at least 1.5L per day and a bit more on the days you train. 
• Include a couple longer runs between 14-19km. if you’re not used to running to the upper end of this then stick to about 15k. Run 14km at four weeks to go, 16km at three weeks, 18km at two weeks and back to 14km at a week to go. 

• Now’s the time to taper. Run easy on Monday, do a 5km tempo run on Wednesday and another easy run on Friday to keep the muscle memory ready for your big race on Sunday. 
• Keep drinking water. Dehydration on race day can tamper with your performance. You don’t want to be stuffed halfway because you lacked fluids the days before the race .
• Eat sensibly, you want to stay lean. Don’t worry about carb loading, you want to feel light on your feet not like you have to rush to the bathroom within the first twenty minutes of the race. 

• Prepare your race gear so it’s ready on race morning.
• Think about what you’re going to eat for breakfast. If you’ve raced before you should know what works and what doesn’t work for you. While I eat eggs every morning for breakfast, before race day it’s toast with jam and a cup of tea with lemon and honey. Know what you’re stomach can handle. You don’t want to have to deal with gastronomical distress mid race. 
• Envision your race. How do you see yourself faring at each km? What are your plans for stitches, injuries, nutrition? Are you going to stop at the drink stations?
• Have an early dinner, do some light stretches and try to get at least six hours of sleep. 

• Wake up early enough to have breakfast, get to the race venue and still have at least 15-20 minutes to spare. You want to feel relaxed at the start line.
• Eat your breakfast slowly. 
• Go to the bathroom about ten minutes before the start so you don’t have to go throughout the race. 

• Start slow. There’s no point in bolting at the start line like you’re being chased by a lion. Slow starts can mean a faster finish. Give your body at least 1-2km to warm up. My first km is a minute to a minute and a half slower than the rest. 
• Run your own race. Don’t worry about what others are doing before you. You can only run as fast or as slow as your body is trained for. 
• Be courteous of other runners, watch where you’re spitting or snorting (if you do that sort of thing), side stepping and pushing past. Try not to elbow other runners when trying to get past them. 
• Listen to your body. If you feel a cramp coming on either stop and stretch or slow down. You can always pick up the pace later on. 
• If you’re feeling tired and want to give up challenge yourself to run to the next road sign, a runner ahead of you, the next km marker, you’ll find that you can keep going a lot further than you thought.
• Most importantly, smile and enjoy yourself. Unless you’re running to win the cash prize at the end it’s just a race and the journey is more important than the rush at the end. 

• Get out of other runner’s way and move towards the recovery tents quickly. 
• Grab your water, energy drinks, fruit and whatever else is being offered and move up the line. Don’t push you’ll get your share. 
• Thank the volunteers who give you your medal and t-shirt or whatever other goodies your race organisers have prepared. 
• Walk around. You’ve just run 21.1km, keep your body moving.
• Do some light stretches. Hamstrings, quads, calves, torso, chest, shoulders and arms. 
• Smile, grab a camera and get a photo of you and your medal, you deserve it. 

• Drink plenty of fluids, preferably water rather than black coffee (I’m guilty of this one!)
• Eat normally. Yes, you’re allowed a treat but running a half marathon does not give you permission to eat like The Rock. 
• Go for a walk, swim and do some stretching. Your body will thank you for it. 
• Analyse your race. What did you do right? What could you have done differently? Keep your notes for the next race. 
• Reevaluate your training plan. What can you add? Remove? Change? Should you have more easy runs? Add a long run? Introduce hill work? Speed work? Small changes and tweaks here and there can make you a stronger, faster and fitter runner.