Welcome to the final episode of our Start to Run podcast series. As part of the Women’s Running podcast, we’ve been sharing these special episodes every Monday to help you get yourself moving, and you can find all episodes out now wherever you get your podcasts. Whether you’re a newbie or an old hand, welcome to the gang – let’s get back to basics, cut through the crap and make running simple again.

Do I need to race as a runner?

This week, we’re talking about races and, first off, it goes without saying that you absolutely don’t need to be a race-day diva if that’s not what floats your boat. We both find them a fantastic motivator and a good opportunity to put our training to the test, but if you don’t like them then definitely don’t force yourself.

How to find the right race for you

That being said, there are SO many races out there that you’re bound to find something that you do enjoy. We share our top tips for finding what’s right, along with the key things we’re looking out for before booking.

How do I prepare for race day?

Finally, we dig through the kit that we keep in our race day bags. Esther’s got plenty of advice for travel, accommodation and keeping warm on the start line, while my advice mainly revolves around avoiding thrush. 

Thanks for joining us on the Start to Run journey, and massive luck with your running going forwards. Please share this series with a pal if you know anyone who’s considering lacing up their trainers for the first time, and we would LOVE you to rate and review us if you’ve enjoyed this series. If you haven’t, maybe just bitch about it to your mum or something because we’re very sensitive souls.

If you want more support with your running, join our Patreon where you can chat to other runners just like you. From total beginners to everyday experts, we’ve got a properly diverse group chat going where you can ask any burning questions, show support and feel the love. Head to patreon.com/womensrunning to subscribe now.

And make sure to subscribe to Women’s Running magazine this March and you’ll get 50% off. Just head to womensrunning.co.uk/podoffer or hit the link in the show notes.

We’ve also got a little email series to give you extra support too – weekly emails checking in and sharing some top tips. Sign up for these here: womensrunning.co.uk/beginners/learn-to-run-5k/

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