screwed on to make sure you've got the best chance of race-day success.The Night BeforeOne of the keys to racing success is having clearly defined goals to aim for. Before you even pin your number onto your top, figure out what you want to get out

You've trained for months, but race day arrives and something disastrous happens: a bad night's sleep has drained your energy, a freak hailstorm slows you down, a killer cramp forces you to walk. Was it still worth it? Of course it was, if you heed

helped, not only to pace myself but, also psychologically eliminated any chance of walking earlier in the race. Every time I wanted to give up, I knew that that one moment of weakness would mean losing the pacer and the whole race would be much harder

, then eventually started running slowly, while cycling or swimming most days. He dropped out of some key races, but knew that he should hold back. "I finally ran a race in November and then picked up the running to six days week for the London Marathon," he says

’re likely to put on a few pounds during your taper but try to remember this is only temporary. Having your energy reserves at full capacity will help on race-day and you’ll have lost the extra weight by the time you reach the finish line.Psychology

on a "Doomsday Scenario" instead, you can effectively teach yourself to expect the unexpected. Before race day, make a mental list of all the things that could possibly go wrong, and rehearse in your mind how you would deal with these problems

Time: 5:33What a great day! The highlight was definitely seeing the supporters at Mile 18. Having initially thought that sub-4:15 might be possible, I ignored the early signs of an overuse injury in January and by early March I had a tibial stress

.I’m always telling runners to lighten up and remember what attracted them to the sport in the first place. Learn to experiment with races and have fun: you don’t have to make every competition the ultimate challenge; just feel good about yourself.Beyond race

't worry about others.Competitive SlackerThe Sign: You perform better in training runs than racesThe Solution: It's possible that you feel insecure under the race-day spotlight, says Taylor. To boost your confidence, remind yourself of all your past running

guidance on training. Specifically, day to day mileage or weekly mileage."– KarlosYour best answers...I did my first ultra – a hilly 40 miles – on about three days' training a week, between 20-30 miles a time. For me the biggest thing was getting my pace