How to prepare for the big race

Andy Baddeley, one of Britain’s leading middle-distance runners, offers some special advice to Matt Majendie

11 July 2014

“Don’t change what you normally do. It sounds obvious but it’s the best advice I can give ahead of any race. Eat what you normally have before training, warm up in the same way, run the same way. It’s not rocket science, but it’s hard to achieve when on race day, because your adrenaline will be flowing.

The build-up begins the night before. Sometimes people think they need to have a massive carb-loading session, but that’s not the case, as my fellow New Balance athlete David Gillick explains in his article below.

It’s a personal preference, but I normally stick to Italian food, a bit of a pasta like a bolognese or a carbonara. People often ask me: can I have a beer or a glass of wine the night before? I avoid it, as evidence shows that alcohol can affect your sleep and leave you dehydrated, but it is personal preference. It is important to relax before the race, especially after a hectic week at work.”

Most people shouldn’t need to eat or drink during the course of the race because it is not a marathon, but it all depends on how long you’re going to be on your feet.

The one time that you might want to reach for a water bottle is if it’s a hot day and you need to pour it over you to cool down.

Sleep, as I mentioned above, is another key factor, particularly tonight rather than tomorrow night.

If you have that one good night’s sleep in the bag it’s amazing, both the positive physical and psychological effect it can have, even if you had a bad sleep on Saturday night.

I often sleep badly before a race. That can be because of the magnitude of what you are about to undertake and the resulting nerves, but also because you may well be in a hotel and sleeping in a different bed.

People have different approaches about whether to run in the lead-up to a race. It’s fine to take Saturday off, but that’s not my preference over a shorter distance. If you’ve been training hard and running, your body gets used to being active so, if you take too many days off in the build-up, race day can be a shock to the system. Try and avoid as much panic and anxiety on Sunday as is humanly possible. You want to stay stress-free, to ensure you don’t use up excess energy. So get to the start with more than enough time.

It might sound funny, but the most important thing even elite runners look for at a race start is the toilets. It’s key, because the nerves and anticipation will mean you will want to go more often than normal.

Make sure you pack pre-race food and fluids, as well as extra clothes. You may well be hot at the end, but it’s crucial for your recovery to get another layer on as quickly as you can.

With the warm-up, again my advice is do not change what you would normally do. With a busy life, work and family commitments, you might only get five or 10 minutes to warm up. Just do what you can do and what’s right for you.

The race itself is a funny one. You’ll feel better than you do in training, but whatever rhythm you’re in at the start I advise you to rein it back a little.

The effect of running 20 or 30 seconds quicker than you normally would is much more detrimental when it gets to the latter stages. You’ll lose infinitely more time later on than you would have gained in that early part of the race.

People are often too quick to rush off for a beer after the finish, but warming down will make the following week a lot easier on your body. I normally switch from my running shoes to more supportive ones and then put on compression tights and a warm top.

Ultimately, just make sure you try to enjoy the whole experience, because you do not get the chance to run on closed London streets very often.”

Andy Baddeley is a New Balance sponsored athlete who is Britain’s top metric miler — a double Olympian, an Olympic finalist in Beijing, and a World Championship finalist in Osaka.

How to prepare for the big race

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