Athletics: Take it easy and focus on race day

Tom Reynolds.

Doctor and keen athlete Tom Reynolds will be running the Whangarei Half Marathon hoping to repeat his 2013 first placing. Today, Tom shares some of his expertise before the race, which is part of Sport Northland's annual Run/Walk Series.

The last few days before race day should be easy. The hard work of training is all done. The last week is about putting the finishing touches on preparation and getting into the right headspace for race day.

I've talked about pacing and fuel, another area to spend time is course familiarisation. Have a look online at the course map, perhaps take an easy run on a section of the course and have a read of the advice below.

The course for the half has changed a little this year and now includes Kotuitui Whiti, the new bridge linking the town basin to Okara. The final few kilometres back into town have also changed to follow around the edge of Pohue Island. Both of these changes add more footpaths into the route and remove some straight road running.

The course has a couple of key sections - places where time can easily be lost or gained. The first is the Waimahunga Track.

This takes the course from Riverside Drive around to Raurimu Ave at the bottom of Onerahi. The trail is gravel and scoria underfoot - worth bearing in mind if you are planning on running in thin, light shoes.

The first section is rolling under tree cover. Keep your eyes up and flow through this section, not fighting the small rises and falls. This is a perfect section to check out on a midweek easy run.

The climb up through Onerahi comes at around 13km and is another key part of the course. The first pinch is up to the roundabout. This is not too steep, but comes as a shock to the legs.

Things level off past the Onerahi shops before the long drag up to the top of the hill. Focus on the top of the climb and keep a steady pace, the descent that follows will allow some recovery. If you are planning on eating on course I think one-two kilometres before this hill or over the top would be the best places to take on fuel.

Entries close tonight, so get in quick if you want to race this Sunday. If you're not quite ready for a half marathon, there is also a 9km option taking in some of the Hatea River trails. Entry info is at www.runwalkseries.co.nz.