Preparing for race day and looking for some last-minute tips? Sod the generic guidelines; try my alternative race day tips to guarantee the best day ever!

Rhalou jumping

Foil babies

Sweets are a vital accessory for race day. The sugar hit will not only perk you up, but a little treat at designated mile markers will give you something to work for. Don’t lug the whole bag round with you though. They’ll only turn into a giant sticky mess. Wrap your chosen sweeties (I recommend Jelly Babies) in pairs in tin foil and secrete them about your person. Your fellow runners will think you’re a crack head, but who cares. Those surprise parcels of sugary goodness will keep you smiling past the finish line.

Smile like a star

Smile! And I don’t just mean at the official race photographers at the finish line. Smile like a loony at every single camera you see en route. Pretend they’re the paparazzi and you’re a movie star, and practice your confident smiley professional runner face. Smiling not only makes you feel good, but you’ll look a damned sight better in your race pictures afterwards, which once your enormous blisters recede will be your only memory of race day.

Say my name

An obvious tip, but still many runners overlook the opportunity to pretend to be famous. Wear your name with pride emblazoned across your chest and people will cheer you. Never underestimate the joyous feeling of hearing a happy crowd shouting your name in encouragement. Chances are you work in an office and running a race will be the only opportunity in your entire life to experience even a modicum of what it’s like to be famous, so work the red carpet with pride! Unless your name is Rhalou of course. If you have an unpronounceable name, make a new simpler one up. Be Jane for the day. Having your name on your chest with no one brave enough to try and pronounce it is rather disheartening.

Fantastic elastic

Wear a rubber band around you wrist. Not a hair band, but a proper elastic band. The sort the postman brings. Every time you start to flag or lose your pace, ping it. The little pinch is enough to snap you back into race mode. It sounds nuts, but I swear it works. Rather like dog training, only on yourself.

Top of the pops

Forget spending hours planning your perfect mood-enhancing race day playlist, or combining all the coolest tracks from the trendiest DJs. Stick on the cheesiest pop music you can find and skip your way around. No one else can hear you so they don’t need to know you’re pegging along to Britney Spears. I defy you all not to run a little faster and a little better when the cheesiest school disco tracks are blasting in your ears.

Be a cheerleader

During certain races like Brighton or Bristol the route is designed as such that you have to run past the faster people as they make their way back before you. But don’t be disheartened by watching the elites zoom by. Use this as an opportunity to cheer your fellow runners on. Just because they’re wearing teeny shorts and a serious expression, doesn’t mean they won’t also appreciate a roaring cheer. Plus the positivity flowing out of you will be infectious and you’ll soon feel fab too.

Follow the leader

If you’re running alone or you lose your friends, find someone slightly faster than you with a really sexy bum, and make it your mission to follow them. Everyone appreciates a tightly clad Lycra buttock, and admiring your oblivious pacer’s perky bum might just get you to the finish line in one piece. And even if it doesn’t, at least you’ll get to enjoy the view for a bit.

War paint

On the morning of your race day, apply full make up. Even if you sweat half of it off by mile five, I still wholeheartedly recommend wearing war paint. Look sexy, feel sexy, run faster, simple.

Good luck!

Originally published on www.womensrunninguk.co.uk

Having recently entered the Shock Absorber WomenOnly Triathlon in pursuit of a hot tri body despite not owning a bicycle or knowing how to swim, I was given the opportunity to meet my cycle idol Victoria Pendleton. Check out my interview with the Olympic cycling goddess and keep your eye out for my tri training update, coming soon.

Victoria Pendleton

Rhalou and Victoria best friends for life

How have you found the training for the running section of the triathlon?

I’ve really enjoyed running. Since I’ve retired I’ve been doing a lot of running, just to do something different. As a cyclist I wasn’t allowed to run because of risk of injury, so it’s been quite fun doing something completely different. I’ve also been running my dogs a lot, which kills two birds with one stone; they love it, I love it and everyone’s a winner.

What sort of cross training do you do to supplement your training?

Mainly weights as I’m a sprint cyclist, but also I’m a big supporter of doing stability work. Cycling is quite hard on your lower back; if you don’t have strong core muscles it can cause a bit of discomfort in your shoulders and lower back, so I do a lot of Pilates.

How do you stay hydrated?

I think it’s useful to have a drink with a bit of electrolyte in. They can be quite strong, so I tend to dilute them or add coconut water. You’ll absorb more if it’s got a bit of electrolyte or carbs in it. Also don’t worry to much as there are regular on site feed stops so don’t feel like you have to carry loads of bottles and weigh yourself down.

What do you make of the Women’s Tour cycling race?

It wasn’t really my distance being a sprint cyclist, but it’s great that there are opportunities for the road women to really showcase their skills, training and expertise. There’s a massive inequality between male and female events for women cyclists, especially on the road. It’s nice to see they’re getting an opportunity to race in a high profile event for a change. I’m all for it, and for giving younger girls something to aspire to and work towards.

How often do you get treatments?

As a full time elite athlete I used to have a weekly leg and back massage, and probably one or two physio sessions a week which might involve some mild massage relief. I had a lot of acupuncture as well because I found trigger point acupuncture worked really well to relieve muscle tension without having to get into the muscle damage.

If you could only do one fitness or exercise again in your life, what would you choose?

If I could only do one, it would probably be cycling. I like running; I like the fact you can get the intensity in a very short space of time and you have to be totally focused on the moment, but I love the freedom cycling gives you and the areas you can explore, the places you can go and the views you can reach. It gives you an extra element of freedom. I love being outdoors and going to new places.

Victoria Pendleton 2

Victoria looks perfectly calm when Rhalou tries to cup her boob

What do you think of hybrid bikes?

I think hybrid bikes are great for somebody who’s getting into cycling or looking to do this event. It gives you a bit more stability than a road bike would, and for someone who hasn’t ridden with dropped handlebars before it can be a little bit more comfortable. Having a bike that suits more than one scenario is a great place to start and you’re more likely to use it in a lot of different ways, and get more out of it. Also the tires tend to be a bit thicker which will give you stability and more confidence.

What’s the importance of women only events?

The big thing about women only events is the fact that the environment is a lot less intimidating. Having been brought up in male orientated environment my whole life, it’s definitely a different experience. When guys get involved it’s always about how fast you go, and what’s your best time. It all becomes very performance orientated rather than did you enjoy it? Women only is a lot less intimidating. Women are good at banding together and getting their friends involved and making it more than just an event. It becomes a social team, where you pitch in and stick together.

When you’re preparing for an event, do you have any lucky charms or superstitions?

I was very disciplined with the way I approached my training as an athlete; it wasn’t so much superstition, but I had to do everything exactly and precisely, like if I had to do a certain time on the road, then I would make sure that I literally go past that minute. If I go under, then I haven’t done the full time, which is crazy, you’re literally talking maybe 30 seconds on a road ride of two hours! For me it was all about the discipline and doing everything very precisely rather than actual superstition, but it gave me the confidence going into the competition.

Do you ever lack motivation?

As an athlete I never really struggled with motivation, one because it’s my job, and I was lucky and felt very privileged to have it as my job, so it wasn’t like I could pull a sickie for no reason. But also approaching training, I always thought there’s someone in China or Russia who is training today and they’re training harder than me, so they might beat me on race day. I have to do it and I have to do it better than everyone else is doing it right now if I want to go to the line and really stand a chance.

I guess now that translates that if I want to look a certain way, enjoy my food and not feel guilty about what I eat, if you want that, then you have to pitch in; there’s no way of avoiding it. For me, that’s what keeps me motivated. The end result is clear in my mind and that doesn’t come for free, it requires hard work and dedication. I love the discipline anyway; If it’s hard when I push myself, I feel it’s a lot more rewarding than when it comes easily.

What role do you think events like Cycletta play in getting women involved in sport?

The biggest thing for me in inspiring women to get involved and take up sport is about opportunity. If there’s plenty of opportunity, it makes them more possible. I’m a big believer than everybody is good at some sport or fitness activity, they’ve just got to find it. So it’s all about creating as many opportunities that are appealing for you to get involved with. More women only events that really cater for the novice through to the serious is the way forward.

Do you feel any sense of responsibility or duty to the nation to encourage youngsters in particular to get involved in cycling?

I do feel a little bit of responsibility, but for me mostly it comes down to the fact I have had an incredible career and feel like I’ve been really blessed with the opportunity I was given, and what I personally got from sport as a human being. I used to be the most shy, timid child. Sport has given me so much confidence and so many opportunities; that alone is enough for me to encourage people to get involved with sport. I’ve met so many great people and traveled the world and I’ve got so much from it. As someone with a profile through sport, it’s worth me using that platform in order to encourage someone else. I’ll keep trying anyway!

To enter the Shock Absorber WomenOnly Triathlon click here

Until receiving a press release earlier this week extolling the virtues of the Runbell, a little brass bell you place upon your finger to urge pedestrians out of the way during your daily jaunt, I thought I was open-minded.

Pavement rage

As a freelance journalist who specialises in running and fitness, my inbox is inundated with all manner of curious new releases. From the latest nitric acid laced nutritional supplement promising a derrière like Kim Kardashian, to sixty-second six packs chiseled by laser beams bounced off Mars, the health and fitness industry knows no bounds. But surely using a tiny gong to push peasants off the pavements and into the gutter has not been de rigueur since the Edwardian era?

Assuming it was a hoax, I took to Twitter to giggle with my runner friends about the concept of dinging your way to a pedestrian-free pavement. Runbell has no less than 192 backers on its Kickstarter page willing to part with money for the realisation of a finger bell. God knows who they are; I have yet to meet a single runner who isn’t capable of stopping. Unlike cars or bicycles, human legs are equipped with an instinctive braking mechanism.

I thought no more about the miniature finger klaxon, until Runbell’s creator responded to my comedy Tweet. ‘Yelling is not polite, surprising people is not polite, warning them is polite, what’s wrong with a bell?’ he questioned me.

Then the US cavalry joined in and I started receiving Tweets from runners across the pond. Even the gear editor at Runner’s World US joined in the online debate and suggested punching pavement hogs in the head similar to Machuka’s sudden blow to Haille Gebressalie at the Junior World Championships in 1992.

I assumed all runners would agree, but much to my surprise, not everyone shared his sense of humour and Tweets for and against the Runbell came flooding in. It turns out there are people in the world who do actually believe a tiny gong is a perfectly civilised way to conduct oneself in public. One gentleman even accused me of implying something more sinister (of which I am still not quite sure).

There are so many reasons why utilising a miniature bell to get people to move out of your way is a really, really bad idea. If you tried to ding a fellow pedestrian off the pavement where I live, you’d swiftly meet with misadventure. I’d probably give a bell-ringing runner a swift right hook too if he tried to manoeuvre past me on his merry way, and I’m a pacifist.

I’m an avid runner and sometimes a nice pedestrian-free pathway appeals. But on those days I head for the hills, run around the park or find a nice quiet street on which to stretch my legs. The rest of the time I simply stop, slow down, or run around the offending human. You’d have to have a major superiority complex if you thought you were more deserving of road space than everyone else.

The only area of London one would struggle to find a single patch of running space is zone zero, and no runner in their right mind would circumnavigate Piccadilly Circus during the day anyway. Although frankly if anyone were self-righteous enough to assume their sporting endeavour took precedence and required a clear pavement, they probably deserve to be mowed down by a herd of aimless tourists.

As a runner, I like to tow the racing line, but on these gritty city streets it’s not illegal to go totally wild and weave, or you know, stop and walk. I secretly savour traffic lights, as they provide the perfect opportunity to rest and take a selfie.

But what really gets my goat about the concept of clanging a bell to demand the crowds part like the red sea is the absence of human interaction. Are we really so self-absorbed with our smart phones, running gadgets and athletic prowess that we can’t smile, make eye contact and say, ‘excuse me’ while gently maneuvering our way along the high street? I love running, but I’m a human first and a runner second.

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

If I were The Overlord: Queen of the World, I would insist that every single race included disco tunnels, fairy lights, sexy cheering boys and lashings of gin. Someone at Nike HQ must have been making notes in my brain, because We Own The Night didn’t miss a trick.

Had it not been for the pre-race fun on Twitter and Instagram, admittedly the shitty weather might have persuaded me to stay in bed. But the runner girls of London were in an excitable mood. Having spent the day busily swapping race kit photos and chattering away online, I was thoroughly overexcited by the time I hit the park. As you can see by my race attire, I was ready for some serious running.

unnamed

Running is a serious business

Despite the crappy weather the race village was laid out like a mini festival and it looked ace. After dropping my bag off and popping into the hospitality tent to catch up with my friends, I got involved with the warm-up, taken by the lovely Geoff Bagshaw from Equinox. Geoff is an excellent trainer, the sweetest man alive, and the perfect choice to lead the masses.

Although many of my girlfriends were taking part, I really wanted to just enjoy the night and not beast myself, so I chose my run buddies carefully. I was delighted to run with my friend Ruth Hooper, an old school Run Dem Crew girlfriend who has since relocated to Amsterdam to do cool things for Nike women, and my gorgeous lady friend Bangs.

Rhal and Ruthie

Rhal and Ruthie

We were lucky enough to sneak up to the front, and so cheered on by the dulcet tones of our MC the inimitable Charlie Dark, we set off. As with almost every race I’ve ever done, it’s impossible not to get sucked in and start too fast, which we did. But within five minutes of running, it was obvious this was basically my dream race, sent down from the heavens on unicorn horseback and served up on a glimmering bed of disco joy.

I used to live right by Victoria Park and did all my first marathon training around that little patch of green, but for one night only the park had undergone a glittering transformation. Concrete paths were replaced by illuminated disco tunnels (heaven), ginormous light up KM markers, and woods of glowing fluorescent mushrooms beneath a thousand twinkling stars.

WOTN 1

Disco mushrooms in Victoria Park

Ordinarily I’m not wild about the concept of gender specific activities, but I get it now. There was an electric atmosphere of female solidarity throughout the night. It felt like all 10,000 runners were in it together as we ran through the magical disco wonderland.

Although the disco tunnels were arguably the most exciting thing I’ve ever had the pleasure to run through in my entire life, the best part of the race was definitely at 7K. The sexy boys from Run Dem Crew were out in full force to support their girls, and they did them proud. If you ever need a vocal pick me up, enter a race that includes an RDC cheer section. You could hear their supportive cheers echoing through the park for miles; those boys really know how to make a girl feel like pulling up her sequin hotpants and running for the stars.

I stole this off Instagram sorry about that

I stole this off Instagram sorry about that

Next up we ran past the discolicious Josey Rebelle who had her own private party booth and stopped off for a quick dance, before hot-footing it to the finish line. After two laps of the park which seemed to glide by in a sea of twinkly lights, we ran holding hands across the finish line to the cheering crowds, and I felt like Chaka Khan beneath a million twinkling disco stars in Studio 54 heaven.

After crossing the finish line we were handed our Alex Monroe finisher’s necklace, and headed off to the hospitality tent, where they fed us delicious wholefood, popcorn and lashings of gin. I then proceeded to get plastered in the company of sexy friends, and even got to meet the marathon champion of the world, the mighty Paula Radcliffe.

WOTN 2

Disco Paula puts the Rad in Radcliffe

But before the close of the night, I had one more run to do. At about 10pm I realised, pissed as a fart, that I had forgotten to pick up my bag. The last leftover bag in the tent, I raced across the park and was greeted by my final finish line of the day, three little bag guys cheering me on so they could close the tent and go home. Luckily they didn’t seem remotely bothered about having to wait for an hour in the freezing cold for me to hurry up and collect my bag. Sorry dudes. You made my night.

The event was impeccably organised, everything looked beautiful, and I loved the course. I can’t fault We Own The Night; it was a perfectly organised slice of disco sex heaven. If I were Queen of the World, I would insist that all races were exactly like it and every week we’d all be forced to have a huge disco run with hugs and cheers and vats of gin. Minus the night bus home in gold sequin hotpants; that was a bit dodgy.

When it comes to technology, runners are divided. Rhalou starts the debate.

As anyone with a Twitter account will attest, runners can be a bit like train spotters; we tend to be rather passionate about our sport of choice. While passion is arguably the ultimate secret weapon for any sporting endeavor, when it comes to running accessories, it can leave the field divided.

Some runners insist on hitting the road armed to the teeth with the latest technology to accurately map their route. While others, like me, prefer to run naked and free (in a gadget sense). But which is best?

Findarace

The gadget corner: this not a Garmin advert

There are valid arguments for both naked and gadget running, but one thing is for sure. Every runner is vehement that their method is the best. In my bid to give the debate a fair airing, I posed the question to Twitter and was inundated with replies.

‘I always carry my Garmin, and use it for cycling as well.’ Says @AndyWaterman. ‘I like to know my heart rate – it stops me going too hard on easy days and tells me if I’m trying hard enough when I do more intense stuff. And when I go to new places, I can plan routes in advance and follow them really easily: I was in Spain recently and did some amazing solo trail runs – one had 900m of elevation in 11km! I would never have tried that without the security of knowing where I was and where I was going.’

@Rundembear agrees. ‘The one gadget I pretty much never go running without is my Garmin. It serves so many different functions for me. The training regimen I follow specifies almost all of my runs by time and effort, rather than by distance. Once I push the start button I just let the watch tell me what to stop and when to start up again. Which means that I can work on running all out, try not to look at the watch at all, and not worry that I will get the timing wrong.’

@accentis is dead set against naked running. ‘I just can’t run naked. I’ve tried. It’s naughty. I don’t feel liberated at all. Naked running is not for me. I NEED my Garmin to run.’

‘I’ve been known to cancel a run if my watch isn’t charged!’ says @Redazril. ‘I never run without it. Partly because I’ve set yearly goals and every run logged adds to that goal, and secondly I like to know how far I’ve run and how fast I’m running. The amount of information available with GPS watches is incredible. I honestly don’t think I’d enjoy running as much if I didn’t have a GPS watch.’

@josiearden is passionate about her technology. ‘I’m rubbish at pacing so it keeps me on the straight and narrow by always telling me what speed I’m running. Also it’s a watch. It doesn’t weigh you down, you don’t have to stop, remove it from your arm and press buttons before you can read it. It also IS an actual watch.’

‘I think my Garmin-love pretty much reflects my personality,’ says @SweatyCityGirl. ‘I’m a bit of a control freak, I like structure and I like numbers. A lot of my enjoyment of running comes from hitting goals and seeing measurable progression in my training.’

@Griffalo1977 credits gadgets with improving his running. ‘Being able to map, pace and understand my running transformed my times and training sessions. My PB for the marathon has improved by 38 minutes in just three years. If you want to improve then a GPS watch is a must.’

Running naked appeals to @MilkE73, but he’s still addicted to his watch. ‘I do like the idea of running totally pure – given I like to carry as little as possible – but I’m too scared to go out without my Garmin. How would I know how fast or slow I’m going?! I’d probably end up running too fast; and how would I know when it’s time to go home?’

The naked corner: Hippies do it better

My Twitter friends made some good points. But as a free-spirited runner, I prefer to run naked without the added stress of a GPS or heart rate monitor putting me under unnecessary pressure. This hasn’t always been the case though; my quest for nudity is largely down to my recent running renaissance.

Like many runners, upon first discovering the joys of running, I quickly stepped up from a 5K to a marathon in under a year. As I started to progress, speed became the central focus, and the best way to get faster is to get with the digital programme. But as I got faster and trained harder, I became entirely disillusioned with the spirit of running and stopped enjoying myself.

When I look back at my running journey, the races I recall most fondly were spent high-fiving kids and dancing to the crowds without casting a single glance at my watch. At my peak, my glorious sub-2 half marathon PB moment was 1 hour and 59 minutes of misery with projectile vomit at the end. After inevitably injuring myself, I realised something had to change.

Post injury, as part of my reintroduction back into my favourite sport, I eBayed all my watches and spent six months skipping happily around the park at my own pace. As a naked runner, I tend to run as fast as the person I’m with, or as slow as the wind. I have absolutely no way of officially gauging how fast I run, and I don’t give a rat’s arse.

As I prepare to embark on racing after taking time out, invariably pacing has reared its speedy head. Determined to do it the right way this time, instead of buying a watch, I studied Chi-Running and invested in a pair of minimalist running shoes. This may sound like hippy hogwash, but Chi-Running has taught me how to self-regulate. I can work out roughly how far or how fast I’m going if I listen to the most important technology there is on offer, my own body. But ultimately, what’s the most important part of running anyway, clocking a good time or having a good time? I know which one I prefer.

Gadget fanatic @rundembear perhaps puts it best of all. ‘If it is the right gadget for you, it really can help support your training goals and assist you in becoming a better runner. But the gadget can also get in your way. Make sure that the technology is working for you, and that you are not working for the technology.’

Gadget or naked running, which do you prefer? Send us a tweet @findarace

I wrote this piece for www.findarace.com visit the original here!