for the off, by which time the efects of the warm-up are wasted. Secondly, and more personal to me, the effect of my nerves before a race are such that I can hardly put one foot in front of the other prior to the start of a race. If the race is 10 miles plus

Park. She took silver in the ITU World Series races in Kitzbühel and Madrid, and first place in the Clermont ITU Sprint Triathlon Pan American Cup. She also won, in grim conditions, the GE Strathclyde Park Sprint Triathlon in May, finishing a

their start line nerves, cheer them on during the race, or be with them at the finish?" Get stuck in: As you recover, get your running buddies to return the favour while you tackle shorter races with a run/walk combination. Or try one of the Just Walk races

put it down to bad luck and poor company. But either way, while training for a race I'm almost always scuppered with a cold at some point. In fact, in the last three marathons I've run, I've picked up something in the weeks leading to the race.Two tips

you to go on winning. They think you've got it cracked, but you haven't," she admits. Pre-race nerves So how does she beat anxiety? "I normally get nervous before the whole event starts, so I get my headphones on, zone out and visualise every stage

Hello! Welcome to my Cyprus International 4-day Challenge blog. The Challenge is a stage race held in the Akamas peninsula of Cyprus, taking in four very different races - and I'll be blogging throughout.My runningI've been running for about four

marathoner. Your final challenge: to get them to the start, cheer them on the way round, and be there with a smile and a gentle hug at the finish. Here's how to do it: Before the raceDuring the 24 hours before the marathon, some runners are excited, all

to recovery. How to make your first race a day to remember.Forum: My first race - will I be last?Forum: First-race nervesPredict your pace Calculate your pace Use one race time to predict another - or see how fast you'd need to run to hit a target time

riding with a high cadence on a lower gear to replicate the looser motions of the run. Once off the bike take a few seconds, even on race day, to really focus on the length of your strides. Bricking itPractise, practise and practise again. That

suggested that surfing and other extreme sports involve a degree of danger or excitement that can improve self-confidence.On the next page: Tackle new terrain or discover tried-and-tested techniques to relieve race day nerves.