Warm up

Just a few stretches to loosen up your muscles. Don't do running to warm up, you are just adding more miles on to the race. Instead, run the first 5 to 10 minutes of the race very slowly to allow your body to warm up.

Running Technique

Telling someone how to run may seem a bit like teaching granny to suck eggs but there are many people who have been running for years without doing so in the correct way. There is a lot more to it than simply putting one foot in front of the other.

·         Relax your shoulders.

·         Keep your head up and look towards the horizon.

·         Keep your arms bent and at your side so you move them as if you were a train (this will keep your lungs as open as possible).

·         Don’t clench your fists (this will just waste energy).

·         Make sure that your feet land on the ground directly under you knees (if they land in front of you, you will be constantly getting slowed down).

·         Listen to music or keep a beat.

·         Don’t think about your breathing. Let it sort itself out.

·         If you think you will be running for longer than an hour, take some water.

Warm down

A short walk and a few more stretches followed by a well deserved shower. Replace the water lost by drinking water regularly after the run.