The following is taken from my weekly newsletter that you can subscribe to by clicking HERE

The newsletter has been very run-heavy the last few weeks. I suppose that’s because my gym training has been slacking. But I am trying to refocus as new goals have been set over the past week, so, once again, ideas are popping into my head as I run the roads on tackling these goals and more.

But one thing I am doing lately is doing a few more races.

I’m not as prepared for these races as I was a few years ago. An example is doing a 10km over the weekend, coming in at 47:30 average pace with the PB being 42:30.

But there’s something exhilarating about a race day that you just can’t replicate in training. The adrenaline, the competition, it's a whole different ball game.

That push to keep going at a faster pace when your mind is screaming at you to slow down.

In training, you slow down. But on race day, you find a way to keep going.

One tip for race day that the research backs up is that if you try to do 5 seconds or so SLOWER than the intended race pace in the first km, you will be more composed to have a better race.

It may sound simple, but running with the crowds, it’s a challenge I face every time. The struggle to maintain a slower pace than intended in the first km is real, and I'm sure many of you can relate.

I don’t think racing every week is good, either. One, that’s pretty expensive, but I also think racing all the time would be too taxing on the body and lead to injury.

The overall goal for the next few months is still to build towards 100 miles in 24 hours. But it’s nice to meet up with people and get a few race days in along the way.

Next up is a Maynooth 5km this weekend… nope, sub 20 mins is absolutely not on! But a nice threshold pace to build on and hopefully some decent weather

If you are building up to a race this summer and don’t do much running, some quick tips:

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself for time. Aim to go slightly faster than your training pace. With the crowds, you’ll be surprised at how much you can push yourself. That might not make sense now but imagine training without music or people, pretty hard to motivate yourself, right?

Get there early, and if you are going for a PB, make sure you do a warm-up! Slow 1-2km that finishes no more than 15 mins before the race starts.

Be careful where you line up. If you’re too far back, you might have to bob and weave a lot to get past people in the early going. This can consume a lot of energy.

And, personally, using music is cheating. But you also take yourself out of the atmosphere and environment that a race day provides. Each to their own on that.

So, sign up for a race this summer. I’m putting it out there: the weather has to get better soon for the training leading up to one!

ANY GIVEN RUNDAY PODCAST

This week on the Any Given Runday Podcast, we have ultra runner, photographer and PE teacher, Rich Gill (@Rich.Trails on Instagram as well as his photography page @gilly_photography)

From competitive swimming in his youth to running the trails, Rich talks about his fitness journey, how he developed his competitiveness, transitioning from football to trail running, how he was involved in setting a Guinness World Record in the London Marathon last year, thoughts on nasal breathing and sleeping with a tape around your mouth, cold water therapy, photography, UTMB races including his recent marathon mountain run in Istria and much more

You can follow us on Instagram @anygivenrundaypodcast

You can listen to this week’s episode on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2Ty9Qv6o4pWa204jqfm9rK?si=cbf2c5ec31094f98

Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/rich-gill-on-ultra-trail-running-utmb-istria-review/id1493778874?i=1000652447448

or wherever you get your podcasts from

#AnyGivenRunday

You can also follow our podcast page on Instagram: @AnyGivenRundayPodcast

UP FOR A GROUP MARATHON TRIP ABROAD?

If you are interested in joining the Any Given Runday team in Rome next year for the marathon, we have a link to express interest here:
https://forms.gle/HUEpPdFE8nnU5S3c9

If there are any questions you would like me to answer in this newsletter, send me an email at sean@coachseanc.com

Race Day Prep and Group Marathon Trip Abroad?

Sean Coffey