Being ready for a half marathon is not just about the physical preparation, but being mentally ready is key to a great performance. Last year, PUMA athlete Jack Rowe won the event with a rapid new course record time of 01:02:40, pushing through mental barriers and staying resilient throughout the process. Jack answered a few of our questions on how best to mentally prepare for the big day…

1. Hey Jack! As you approach the final weeks before an event, how do you stay mentally strong and prepared ahead of the big day?

“The time leading up to an event is a great time to reflect on your training with pride and treat yourself kindly. You should get plenty of rest to allow your body to freshen up ahead of race-day, as well as ticking-off your reduced training load and sticking to the plan!”

2. To what extent do you experience nerves the night before the event? How can other participants deal with this?

“All athletes experience a level of nerves pre-race. These days I experience more nerves before shorter track races (1500m-5000m) as they can be over in a flash with poor tactics or execution.

I would recommend that you spend time with friends or family pre-event, whether that be for dinner the night before or breakfast in the AM. Socialising is a great way to remove the race from your thoughts and talk freely about normal life”.

3. How do you prepare on the morning of the event to ensure you stay calm and mentally resilient?

“You should aim to create and execute a pre-event schedule. This should include everything from travel, food/fuelling, hydration to a warm-up routine. Once tried and tested this is a great way to alleviate stress on the day by having a plan and then sticking to it”.

4. Talk us through your mentality at the start, beginning and end of a half marathon. Are there different ‘stages’ of the event that require a different mental approach?

“Definitely – running for 21km will create different emotions that you must be ready for. 

My mentality for the first stage of the race (0-10km) is to stay calm, keep a low profile and expend as little energy as possible while maintaining race pace. 

From 10-20k I remind myself to concentrate – am I running the shortest line corner to corner? Is there an athlete I could work with to continue to push the pace, do I need to hydrate/fuel?

The final 1km (20-21k), it’s time to race. Can I up the pace? Are there athletes ahead to chase? Can I hit my target time? This is the time to remember the big training sessions in the build up, this is when they pay off!”

5. Have you ever experienced ‘the wall’ in an event? Tell us about it – and how you overcame it.

“I have certainly hit ‘the wall’ before and your ability to stay calm is huge to overcoming it. My advice would be to ease off the pace, allow your body to recover, and once feeling better slowly increase the pace”.

 

Thank you Jack and we wish you the very best of luck at the Manchester Half this weekend! 

In need of more inspiration from the pros? Check out our Quickfire Q&A with 2019 women’s winner Lily Partridge who shared her experience of the event.