’ve trained hard physically, you’ll no doubt be ready for the race, but preparation and knowing what to expect on the day is key so you can perform at your best. "Experiment with clothing and nutrition all you like in the run-up, but don’t use the race
that it's the sleep you get two nights before a race that matters. The study found that athletes' VO2 max wasn't adversely affected after one sleepless night; it was lowest two days after sleep deprivation."Like your nutrition, one bad day won't have much
-littered trails. "On longer, hard runs, aim for a pace that's about 80 per cent of your race pace. When it comes to the speedier sessions – such as mile reps or intervals – aim for 110 per cent," says Frapwell. "As long as you're hitting faster than race pace, you
Clubs regularly attend races as a teamThe days when running clubs were the sole preserve of ultra-competitive elite racers hell-bent on crushing the opposition at all costs and putting in more hours than Geb or Paula are thankfully long
