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Just like an exam, an interview, your wedding day, running a marathon can all make you feel nervous and worried. For anyone taking part in this Sunday's London Marathon, here are a few tips to make sure you're prepared and ready to take on this world famous event.
The week before....
Mental preparation - during the final week before the marathon it's important to prepare yourself mentally. Learning to control my nerves before a big championship was essential and you have to channel it positively, so try to think of the adrenalin as helping you have an edge! Try rehearsing the final four or five miles in your head and by the time you get to that section on the course, it'll feel more familiar and give you that little bit of extra comfort to finish the race.
Food - remember to stick to eating your carbs - you may feel like you've had enough of your training diet, but you need to keep energy levels up for the event and then you can treat yourself once it's over.
Rest - a good night's sleep is so important to running a good marathon. Try to get a good sleep two days before the marathon because as it's normal to feel nervous the night before and it may interrupt your sleep.
The night before....
Before any big race I laid my kit out on a chair before I went to bed: then I knew I had everything I needed and was ready. Remember to write your name on your vest - the crowd love shouting out support to the runners, so hearing your name being called out can be an extra morale boost along the way. It always made a big difference to me hearing the crowd shouting my name!
On the big day.....
Food - don't try to change to some kind of breakfast that you think will help your performance, my advice would be to stick to what you know and like. Pack a snack so you can eat something about an hour before the start - fruit, cereal bars and unsalted nuts are all good sources of energy and not too heavy.
Water - Don't drink loads of water before the start as it'll only mean lots of toilet stops on route. Keep yourself hydrated in the morning, but stop drinking water about an hour and a half before the start. The key is to drink little and often as you run - downing your water in one go can cause as many problems as not drinking enough.
Blisters - before putting on your trainers, give your feet a coating of nappy cream or something like petroleum jelly to help ease the rubbing. Don't wear those sparkling new trainers either - they may look good, but it won't be pretty at the end of the race.
Don't count the miles - you'll just make it harder for yourself. Give yourself a focus - the person in the funny hat in front of you or the person running alongside you.
Run through 'the wall' - if you do hit it, I'm not going to lie and tell you it won't hurt. It will. Keep going even though progress may be slow. Think of all the reasons why you're running this marathon - the charity, your family, friends, whatever keeps you going.
Congratulate yourself -you've made it! Don't give yourself a hard time about how much training you didn't do because you've made it so much further than many people do. Remember you're doing something amazing and give yourself some encouragement by saying 'well done'.
Finally, enjoy it - you have worked really hard to get there: it's your Olympic Final and all you can do is your best! So take it all in and have a good time. Good luck!
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