Pump up your #VRWC performance with these 4 tips for runners

The Vitality Running World Cup (VRWC) - an annual, knockout, global running competition - is around the corner, giving people of all fitness levels the chance to represent their country and be crowned the Vitality Running World Cup Champions.

The tournament is free to enter, and the requirements are fairly simple – be over 13 years old, have a smartphone or smart fitness device, and be able to run 3 km in 30 minutes. As the first round starts on 5 March 2020, you have just a month to ramp up your running performance and clock your qualifying run. We asked Discovery Vitality biokineticist and fitness guru Mari Leach for advice, and here’s what she had to say.

4 tips to help you nail your #VRWC qualifying run

1. Save that meal for after. Did you know that digesting a large meal can monopolise more than half of your cardiac output? If you'd rather have that precious blood fuelling your leg muscles as you run, save the meal for after! Get peckish easily? Have a coffee and rusk, a handful of nuts or a banana 30 minutes to an hour before you run, and that should be enough to tide you over.
2. Warm up dynamically. There’s no need for an exhaustive warmup, but make sure you've moved enough to physically warm your body up before you set off. The best kind of warmup before a run is a dynamic one (like a few minutes of light jogging or skipping on the spot) rather than static stretches.
3. Watch your posture. Running routes vary, so if you find yourself running up an incline, be conscious about maintaining your posture. Slumping forward with your upper body will add more loading on your quads and calves, so hold your chest up, shorten your strides slightly and try to keep your rhythm. Before you know it, you'll be cruising your way downhill!
4. Perfect your pace. Even if you're fit and ready to run, poor pacing can break your race, so this point is critical. Starting too fast will have you battling to keep up, so try find a good rhythm instead of chasing someone else. Once you've built up a decent level of fitness and strength, the speed will come naturally.

Mari adds: "A race isn't won in the first 100 metres, so keep the whole race in mind when you start off and don't let other runners dictate your pace. You should have found your sustainable pace within the first kilometre."

Remember, while beating your time is satisfying, you don't have to sprint through a run to enjoy the many health benefits of physical activity. What makes the VRWC so fun is that you can clock your qualifying runs absolutely anywhere in the world, at any time, as long as you're tracking it on your device or phone.

So, Mari suggests, hold yourself to your own goals, run safely and enjoy the gratifying social and meditative qualities that running offers! Want to keep motivation going? Sign up for The Vitality Running World Cup tournament here.