Story added: 11th October 2022

From what to eat to how to warm-up, Run Norwich’s official physiotherapy providers Recover Physio share their top tips for race day success

After so much hard work, carefully planned training and meticulous preparation, the last thing you want to do is get your race day preparation wrong.

Following this simple guide on how to best prepare you for the race, will enable you to achieve all your personal targets and make sure all your hard work was time well spent.

The Night Before

1. High Carb Meal

Fuelling for the race is very important and making sure that your body has enough carbohydrates to get around the course is a vital part of preparation. Eating a meal with slightly more carbohydrates than normal is a good strategy to make sure you have enough energy for the run. Just ensure it’s food that you’re used to eating to avoid an upset stomach.

2. Sleep

Being well rested will give you the best opportunity of performing to your best on the day of the run. Calculate backwards from the time you want to get up to decide when to hit the hay – 8 hours is a recommended amount for an adult, but you know how much you need to feel refreshed in the morning!

Run Norwich day!

1. Nutrition

It is important to get your race day nutrition correct to ensure you are performing at your best and enjoy the experience. By following these simple nutritional pointers, you will be in the best place to win your personal race! Just remember the golden rule of ‘don’t try anything new on race day’.

Get up early and have a ‘proper breakfast’. It’s so important to give your body a good start when you are going to be needing it to perform throughout the day. Anything with complex, ‘slow release’ carbohydrates will be perfect to set you up for success.

Examples may include:

• Porridge with fresh fruit, seeds and/or nuts and a cup of coffee.
• Two slices of wholemeal bread with eggs, beans or a spread with a piece of fresh fruit and a cup of tea.

Drink small amounts frequently throughout the morning. You will need plenty of water to ensure you are well hydrated for the run which is vital if you want your body to perform. Adding electrolyte tablets to your water may be a good idea if you’re used to them as you lose a lot of salt in sweat. If you have been using energy drinks during training, do the same now, if you haven’t, don’t. Don’t change your drinking habits on the day of the race. Stick to what you know!

Throughout the race, to keep your energy levels up and performance high, we recommend you have one serving of carbohydrates of between 25 grams to 60 grams halfway through your run. Always stick to what your body is used to, but good examples are; a thick slice of malt loaf, a banana, an energy bar, two energy gels or any kind of cereal bar. This will give you the best opportunity of staying focused and fresh through the race.

After the race it’s vital to refuel. We recommend a recovery drink or smoothie with added protein straight after the race.  It’s also important to have a proper meal 1-3 hours after the race with high carbohydrate and protein content. On top of this make sure you stay hydrated and replenish the water and salts you would have lost during the run.

2. Warm Up

A warmup will put you and your muscles in the best possible place to run to the best of your ability.  If you are not sure what is best to do, come and see our Physios in the Race Village for some advice.

On top of this we will be offering sports massages to make sure your muscles are ready to perform. However, if you are unable to make it over to the Race Village, here is a brief outline of what you should do:

• A short, gentle pulse raiser such as a very gentle jog is recommended to start.
• The second phase should be a short set of dynamic stretches such as lunges, leg kicks, tip toe walking and hamstring walks.
• You should then focus on any tight areas in some static stretches. The static stretch should be held for about 15 seconds on each muscle. Focus on your tight muscles and make sure they are released.
• A sports massage would then be a perfect way to finish the warmup and to make sure you are fully prepared to race. We will be offering these for free in the Race Village before the race.

We hope you find this information useful, but please remember nutrition and activity is an individual thing.  Make sure you don’t change your routine too much on race day; if in doubt, please ask.

You can contact us at: www.run.norwich-physio.com

After you have completed the race, we would love to see you in the Race Village for your well-deserved soft tissue massage. The team will give you plenty of tips on what to do in the next few hours as well as over the next few days to ensure you recover properly.

Good luck and happy running! – Recover Physio Team