As we are into the busiest racing month of the year we have put together some tops tips from the #ukrunchat team for before & after your race.

Nicola Jennings Tips

Pre-Race:

  • Check the location of several different car parks and cost
  • Kit out
  • Get morning food/drinks prepared

Post race

  • Refuel-water, protein, simple and complex carbs
  • Epsom salt bath
  • Stretch

Toni Wade Tips

Pre-Race

  • Load car up if travelling to race on the morning
  • Check route and any road closures if travelling on morning
  • Check garmin/other device is on charge night before

Post race

  • I always drive home in compression socks and they seem to help me
  • Stretches when you arrive home
  • Obligatory medal pic on Twitter 🙂

Katie Mawdsley Tips

Pre-Race

  • Plan journey/parking prior to the morning so you know exactly where you are going, and have correct change for parking if  needed.
  • Test any nutrition on a long run prior to race day, know your strategy. Check what will be provided and if energy drinks, test those as well if you plan on using them on the day.
  • Warm but old top or bin bag to throw away at start if its a winter/cold race

Post race

  • take flip flops (Ofoos are part of my essential kit!) for after to allow your feet to breathe
  • have a recovery protein or protein/carb drink or powder to mix with water as soon as you collect your bag
  • A new tip that I’ve recently heard, not yet tested, is a shot of whiskey in warm water after long run/race will help ease muscles so no stiffness the next day! (something to do with blood thinning?!)

Sherie Griffiths Tips

Pre-Race

  • Increase water intake in the couple of days leading up to race day.
  • Prepare kit bag a couple of days before race day to make sure I have everything I need or time to go out and get what I need (this too came in handy the year I ran out of bodyglide!)
  • Pack a towel and a change of clothes – if the weather turns during the race there is nothing worse than being stuck in wet and cold kit particularly if your race isn’t local.

Post race

  • Don’t eat too much too quickly afterwards. Post-marathon stomachs are quite sensitive!
  • Post-race keep walking around as much as possible to avoid seizing up and stretch out.
  • Book a spa day for the day after race day – I did it after Manchester last year and it was the best thing I ever did!

Darren Smith Tips

Pre-Race

  • Lay the full kit out as if I was in it and had melted (a la Wicked Witch in Wizard of Oz) including music player and watch,
  • Write the intro and route part of the blog, as it saves me having to do it later.
  • Ensure I have the essentials in my race bag,with at least one set of safety pins pinned the outside. Essentials include: Bottle of water, Vaseline, Jelly Babies, Lucozade Sport, charged iPod shuffle, lucky Berlin marathon wristband, charged watch.
  • Porridge the morning before and tea (1 hour before race)
  • If in London then walk to the start as warmup, lucozade on way and mars bar near to start – static stretching of calves and quads, gentle run as warmup.

Post race

  • TWEETUP!
  • Blue cheese burger and ice cold beer.
  • Long soak in tub.
  • Upload stats to Endomondo, the master spreadsheet, Nike+.
  • Complete review for blog in time, how I did and the all important bling shot.
  • Put bling on rack!
  • Tweet review.
  • Plan next race.

Jenni Morris

Pre-Race

  • Nothing new on race day, including kit, food, gels etc
  • For a race your feeling especially nervous about write down morning plans such as breakfast/ travel times etc  so you can relax in the morning & just follow the schedule.
  • Have your name on the front of your shirt so you can enjoy the crowd cheering you along.
  • Don’t forget your sun cream (even if it’s cloudy). You need it in the summer.

Post race

  • Epsom salt bath, biofreeze  on calf muscles & compression socks.
  • Keep moving the day after.  Walk, stretch etc.  It will really help recovery.
  • Prosecco! 🙂