This Sunday is the Romsey 5 Mile Run of 2019. The Romsey 5 Mile Run is set within the grounds of The Broadlands Estate, Romsey, Hampshire, once the home of The Earl Mountbatten of Burma. The surface is mainly tarmac with a short distance of smooth hardcore.  The course is 2.5 laps of the estate making it one of the flattest 5 mile races in the county and as such attracts athletes from further a field looking for a PB time.

5 miles is a tough distance. It’s uncommon and hides nicely between those big 10km races and your weekly 5km parkrun. It’s an underrated distance and hence often underestimated. It’s a brilliant training run and a very credible distance to take the opportunity to clock some good times. It’s not a plod but it’s far from sprinting – it’s the sweet spot of speed and endurance. So just because it’s shorter doesn’t mean you can get away with no training! So we have put together 5 tips in time for the Romsey 5 miles!

1. The best way to tackle such a peculiar distance is to mix up your training. Try a variety of different sessions which help to train different aspects of your fitness. Interval training will help with speed, long runs will ensure you have the stamina, whilst gym/resistive training to get the power your legs need to drive through those last kilometres. Fartlek training is also great to get a better understanding of your pace – timing that sprint finish and camera composure is invaluable!
2. The shorter the distance you are competing, the more important it is that you warm up thoroughly. For 5 miles, it’s an essential. A good warm up should be about half an hour in total. You should consider starting to warm up about an hour before the race begins. This may seem a bit keen, but trust me – when you take into account the time taken striping down to shorts/vest, getting that last toilet break in and then the minutes taken just standing around at the start line, that hour will fly by. Get running for at least 10 minutes. During the warm up incorporate dynamic stretches– high knees, heel flicks, side strides, ring the bell, straight legged march – remember those from secondary school P.E? – well turns out they are useful after all! They get the muscles working more effectively and ready to go – reducing your risk of injury considerably. Read more about warming up for running here.
3. But the preparation doesn’t just start at the warm up! If you have event looming and you’re already starting to get some aches and niggles, invest in a course of Sports Massage. Sports Massage will keep those niggles from developing into full blown injuries, supporting you through your training, getting you to race day in one piece!
4. Lungs collapsing, knees about to give way and the body demands food, baths or just bed! But you’ll save yourself a lot of trouble with a good cool down – you’ll thank yourself if you can motivate yourself for a 10 minute plod! This will flush the lactic and waste products from the muscles by introducing fresh oxygenated blood. If there is a masseur on hand, make the most of them – they’ll do most of that more you! Also do a mix of dynamic and static stretches to relax the muscles.
5. Just because the event has come and gone, doesn’t mean you switch off. That warm down will have helped avoid those stiff and achy legs, but by having a follow up recovery Sports Massage, you’ll cleanse your body from that event, and focus on the next one! Good Luck to all doing the Romsey 5 Miles, especially those doubling up and doing the Hendy Eastleigh 10K too! Look forward to seeing familiar faces!