It’s been a scorcher of a summer, but the heat has thrown a lot of training plans into chaos. And now Run Norwich race day is here so what can you do? What about a Run-Walk strategy?
Running coach Paul Evans says a Run-Walk strategy is the way to go to cope with the temperatures.
Paul, who used to work at Active Norfolk but is now working for himself as a running coach is leading a Pace for Life Group of about 30 runners brought together by Norwich Mind.
His top tip is ‘undercook’ the first half and go for it in the second if you have the energy, but stick to your plan. Often run-walk strategy can be seen as something which only beginner runners need to adopt but given the heat a run-walk strategy might just be the way to go for runners at whatever level.
And his top tip is – Walk Before You Have To
A run-walk strategy is the way to go on race day
“The plan is we are going to run for five minutes, walk for two, run walk, run walk,” he says. “I think it’s very important that you walk before you have to.
“And I’ve said to a lot of the runners, that the second half of the race is the tough more challenging part the part of the run. If you get towards the end and feel you don’t need that two minutes recovery, then great – just go for it.
“So we’re going to be very steady early on especially because it’s going to be quite warm.
“We’re going to take it easy – even when it comes your two minute walk and you feel ‘I don’t need to walk, have it anyway.
“Let’s get to half way, (I want) everybody feeling nice and relaxed and that they’ve undercooked it. If you feel great in the second half, then you just take off. That is the plan early on.
City Heat
“It’s always a little bit more warmer in a city centre with all the buildings, and then you get 7000 people here.
“I’ve said to them start off very easy and slowly ease yourself into the run because what’ll happen is they’ll be a lot of people out there who will be spent by about two or three miles, who will go off too quick.
There is nothing psychologically better than passing people in the second half of the run and picking them off.
“They’re coming back to you and there’s nothing more uplifting than passing one more, then another one and before you know it, there’s the finish.
Undercook the first half and you might even get a negative split even with a run-walk plan
“I want these guys to cross the line and say, ‘do you know what I really enjoyed that I want to do that again. I don’t want them crossing the line on their knees and saying, ‘never again, that’s not what it’s about. We want them to continue running.”