When Training Starts to Feel Real in a Good Way

Our runner friend James Dunn, the runner behind Morning Coffee Run, has built a community around the ups, downs and everyday realities of training. Known for his honest and often humorous take on running life, James shares his thoughts on how to stay motivated and prepared as race day begins to creep closer.

There’s something strange that happens when a race starts looming on the horizon. A curious blend of excitement, nerves, and that odd nervous-energy buzz that makes you both want to go for a run at 6am and also never want to lace up again. Sound familiar?

Welcome to the point in training where race day starts to feel a little closer. This stage of training isn’t just another notch on the calendar. It’s the point where all the work you’ve been putting in starts weaving itself into something you can almost taste.

So let’s talk about how to train smart, stay motivated, test your race day game plan, and actually enjoy this weird and wonderful lead-up to the big day.

Your Workouts Still Matter

By this stage, your training likely isn’t about piling on more miles every week or chasing every metric you can find. You’ve done those weeks. The sweat, the niggles, the days where you moved because that’s what the plan said. Now it’s about quality with intention.

Here’s how to think about it. Stick to your long run but make it purposeful. Build it gradually, not desperately. You want confidence, not exhaustion. Keep a couple of key workouts each week. Intervals or tempo runs that remind your legs what pace feels like, without beating them into the ground. But don’t panic if one session feels hard. Every runner knows that feeling about 8am on a Wednesday when the wind is against you and your playlist mysteriously sounds terrible.

It’s not a sign of doom. It’s just Tuesday being weird. At this stage, consistency beats heroics.

Motivation Isn’t Always Loud

This stage of training can often be the hardest time to stay motivated. You’re far enough from race day to still be improving, and close enough to start questioning every training decision you’ve ever made. Some mornings motivation will hit you like a slap of cold air.

Crisp, clear and energising. Other mornings it’ll be that tiny voice whispering, “just go for a short run… at least you’re going.”

Both are valid. Both count.

If you show up, you are training. Sometimes forgetting the pace or miles and just lacing up and getting out the door is the key to a successful race day, rather than obsessing over every marker your training plan might tell you to hit.

Now Is the Time to Test Your Race Nutrition

Come race day, there are two things that can make or break your run more than your shoes or your playlist. What you eat before you start, and what you fuel with during the race. If you haven’t tested this yet, now is the time.

Running while hungry, running while full, running after coffee all feel totally different. Your gut has preferences, and race day isn’t the time to surprise it. So over the next few weeks try and do the following:

• Test different breakfast options. Porridge, toast with honey, banana and peanut butter, whatever you think might work. If you have something that already works for you then stick with it. Just because you can test doesn’t mean you have to.
• Practice gels, chews or bars during your longer runs too. In race nutrition can be the difference between hitting the wall and smashing through it. The first time I ever tested a gel I had to make an emergency stop at a train station toilet because of… reasons. So make sure to plan your route for easy stops for… reasons.
• Time your caffeine too. If coffee is part of your routine, figure out when it works best. If it isn’t part of your routine, I don’t trust you. Non caffeine people scare me. How do you get through the day without 13 coffees? Pro tip: your gut might thank you if coffee isn’t immediately before a tempo run.

It’s also a good idea to see what will be served on the race route. That way you know whether you need to carry anything with you or if you’ll be able to pick something up along the way.

Test Out Your Race Kit

Ask any runner who’s ever had a chafing disaster or blister surprise in the final few miles. Nothing ruins a race faster than kit you haven’t tested.

Over the next few weeks, make it a habit to test every element of your race day setup just like the nutrition mentioned earlier. Let’s break it down from top to bottom.

Your race shoes are the thing that might occupy your mind and your online basket in the coming weeks. If you have been training in a pair of shoes that you love, it might be worth buying a fresh pair in the lead up to race day. For race day I can thoroughly recommend a few pairs of shoes from Brooks that you could look to test out before you lace up for the big day.

First up, the Glycerin 23. If you are only after one shoe to do everything from training miles to race day then this is the shoe for you. I’ve run many of my own races in this model over the years and it strikes a great balance between comfort and performance.

If you are thinking you want something a bit quicker, have a look at the Hyperion Elite 5. It’s a shoe that doesn’t just look fast but is fast. With Brooks’ top end foam and a carbon plate, it’s built to deliver a lightweight, propulsive feel when you want to push the pace.

Next up is a newer option from Brooks, the Glycerin Flex. It’s a strangely wonderful shoe that gives you a mix of big cushioning and ground feel, something you don’t often get in the same sentence when talking about running shoes. It’s definitely one you need to try on to fully understand, but it could be a really fun option for race day.

Next up, socks. Yes, socks matter more than you think. Spend some time figuring out what will keep you blister free when the miles start to add up.

Then there’s your top and bottoms. With the “lovely” British weather we’re currently having, make sure you’ve got your go-to kit ready for whatever conditions Carol Kirkwood decides to throw at you on race day. Trial, and sometimes error, is key here.

Personally, for this time of year having the Canopy Packable Jacket is great so you can throw on protection when the wind or rain hits and pack it away easily when it clears. Think of the coming weeks of runs like a dress rehearsal. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s familiarity and the comfort of knowing that what you plan to wear on race day actually works.

The Invisible Training

You might not see sleep stats on Strava, but make no mistake sleep is key to your training. By this point in your training you’ve already done plenty of hard runs. Now your body needs rest just as much as effort. Aim for consistent sleep times. Now I have a three year old so I know that isn’t always easy, but if you can, skip that extra episode of MasterChef and head to bed a little earlier. Sleep is when your body rebuilds and recovers from training, so give yourself the best chance of success rather than doom scrolling until sunrise.