5 Tips You Need To Know For Your Next Marathon

Nerves for all the runners competing in this weekend’s Sydney Half Marathon would have well and truly started to kick in. Over the past few months, no doubt some serious training has gone into prepping for the big day, however have you actually thought about or planned how you’re going to run your race on the day? Endurance trial runner and Iso Whey Sports athlete Matty Abel has put forward his last minutes tips to keep in mind and save you from stress and pressure on race day!

RELATED: The Royal's Have Something to Say About Mental Health
RELATED: I'm Fitter at 41 Than I Was In My 20's

Pacing
As the saying goes ‘it’s a marathon, not a sprint,’ so it’s important to be consistent. You’ve got 21 kilometers and probably two hours or more to run, so you need to pace accordingly. It’s easy to get caught up in your training pace and try make a good head-start at the beginning, however this may lead to an early burnout in your event, which will make the back-end of your race extremely hard. Consistency is key!

Ego
"No one likes a big show off, so leave the ego at home. What we tend to see is the ego coming out in the early stages of any event, which too will make the final kilometers of your race difficult. This goes hand in hand with pacing, don’t let your ego sabotage your race – don’t get ahead of yourself, pace yourself."

Nutrition
"Nutrition is personal to everyone. In order to be out in full force on race day, ensure that you test out a number of products in your training period and especially in the days leading to the big day. There is nothing worse than getting an upset stomach a few hours into your event or the product not working for you. Make sure you test and re-test, and find out which products work best for your body during your training period."

Support
"It is very rare that you don’t hit a low point at some stage in an endurance event and its how you deal with the low point that may or may not get you to the finish line. Having a good support crew with you can also make or break your race. "

Mindset
"Remember why you’re doing the event: Is it personal? Is it to inspire others? Is it because you enjoy endurance sports? Draw on this when the going gets tough and focus on your goal before you give up."