Just weeks after racing at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Australian Olympic 3000m steeplechase runner Victoria Mitchell is aiming to secure her third straight victory in the 9km Blackmores Bridge Run, one of Sydneys most popular running events. She divulged to espnW some of her best racing tips ahead of the event that takes in some of the Harbour Citys most amazing sights; and they all come back to preparation.Its all about self-belief and mental gamesMentally preparing for a race like this, you just have to have good focus. The main key is the belief; thats what I learned from the Olympics, that you just have to have belief no matter what your preparation has been like and no matter what the odds are.I face any race or challenge pretty much the same. There will be a point in any race when youll find it hard and youll have these little voices of self-doubt kick in, but youve got to squash them out as fast as they start and just think nope, and put positive thoughts in there like no, I feel strong. Break the race down, see how far youve come. Theres all different tricks to racing; all the mental games you play.You can distract yourself, or go the other way and go with the feeling and actually focus on your technique and your strengths: how you fit with other runners, the course ahead, or thoughts of just get over this hill, its downhill from there; those types of things keep you focused. There are plenty of different ways to distract yourself or just keep your head in the game, but its about what works for you.Plan your pre-raceIn the lead up to the race youll need to start tapering off in your training. So youll start to decrease the volume and intensity of your training sessions about one to two weeks ahead of your race. Everything starts to wind down, but you do still keep some short, high-intensity sessions in there. You can do it simply; its really individual. Some people dont need to back off too much -- theyll have a short taper of about five days -- while others will need a few more days to taper; youve got to kind of experiment with what works best for you.Youll also have to be aware that different race times definitely affect your preparations. At the Olympics, I got up and was completing my training runs around the same time I was running. For people who are really targeting this event, they could get up and start practising that, get their routine prepared. That includes getting up at the time they need to so their body is prepared, and finding out the best things to eat before -- and when to eat in the lead up.I like to eat my last meal about four hours before [a race]; so if I want breakfast Ill get up at least four hours before.Plan your raceThe first stage of the race takes care of itself. You get out there, you get your start, you get going, and you dont go out too hard before you settle in. Then theres always a part in the middle when it will get tough, so youve just got to have little things to focus on there; even if it is just little mental cues. Know the course if you can; if the course is hilly or has different turns, I will keep track of where I am and whats coming next.Dont underestimate the short distance runThis is what I tell everyone; with a nine-kilometre race you have to run a lot faster. You cant run at your marathon pace, you have to step it up. The challenge is do it as fast as you can but not to exhaust yourself too early. You can exhaust yourself in two minutes or one minute if you race out in the first 400 metres, so the challenge is getting the pace right; going fast enough not to blow up, and going fast and finishing well. So the challenge there is to pace yourself.Beware if you havent trained for that distance, youre going to hurt afterwards.Like youve always heard, sleep and nutrition are keyYou want to be getting the right nutrition, you want to be fuelling your body right, you want to be sleeping right; its all those little things. You dont want to overtrain; get excited for the race and do too much. Or think that you need to keep doing a lot beforehand. Some people dont taper because theyre scared theyll lose their fitness, but its OK to taper and really back off if you need to.Dont negate sleep to practise your early runs. Dont start your early runs a few days before because youll get to the event tired. Two nights before the event is a really important sleep; you should aim to get a really good sleep in that night because the night before the event youre always going to have a terrible sleep but it doesnt seem to impact you as much; youve got adrenaline and excitement that morning to get you energised. But if you have a bad sleep two nights before the race, it will affect you later. So make sure your training doesnt interrupt your rest.Make sure youre doing the right thing to recover. Its almost become human nature to use my IsoWhey post workout; theres always another race, and youre always preparing for something, so to get your optimal nutrition you should be using something like that. It should be part of your lifestyle, in how to recover and your nutrition.Its not something special for race day. If youre training then you should use things to help to recover. So even an everyday person can benefit from recovery drinks; if youre training hard you need to replace everything that you lost.Always be patientWhen youre just starting or coming back from an injury it can be hard. You have to be patient and do little by little, know that youre getting somewhere with every session you do. You cant expect everything to happen at once; its a process, but youll see every day how far youve come. Ive had all different injuries -- bones, stress fractures, plantar surgery and a facia relief - and its really frustrating when youre used to moving. With goals, you have to be so patient, and its not in an athletes mindset to be patient. Thats the biggest hurdle to overcome. You have to do all the little things and gradually get fit again.Victoria Mitchell is an ambassador for IsoWhey SportsAdidas Nmd Mens Ireland . Those lessons were more than enough to overwhelm the Utah Jazz. 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The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames.FRISCO, Texas --?Dallas Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory has won the appeal of his suspension and will be banned for only the first four games of the 2016 season, a source confirmed to ESPNs Dan Graziano on Sunday.The NFL initially announced in February that Gregory would serve a four-game ban for violating its substance abuse policy. But after it was revealed in July that Gregory had violated the policy again (either by failing or missing a test), he was facing the possibility of having the suspension extended to 10 games.The NFL has not yet provided the second-year Cowboys pass-rusher with official notice that his appeal succeeded, a source told ESPNs Ed Werder. Agent Deryk Gilmore filed the appeal, but there was never an actual hearing on the matter, the source said.The Fort Worth Star-Telegram first reported Gregorys reduced suspension.A four-game suspension does not mean Gregory will be back with the Cowboys on Oct. 3. The team placed him on the reserve/did not report list at the start of training camp, and the source told Werder that Gregory continues to receive inpatient treatment at a drug rehabilitation facility.Sources told Werder that Gregorys?latest commitment to sobriety played a significant role in the NFLs decision to keep his suspension to four games.Gregory would be eligible to play Oct. 9 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Defensivee end DeMarcus Lawrence, who led the Cowboys with eight sacks in 2015, also began his four-game suspension Saturday for violating the substance abuse policy.ddddddddddddThe Cowboys have remained supportive of Gregory and have a locker for him at The Star, their new practice facility. The Cowboys biggest need remains at pass-rusher, and Lawrence and Gregory would bolster that group.At the 2015 NFL scouting combine, Gregory tested positive for marijuana, which put him in the leagues drug program. Considered a first-round prospect out of Nebraska, he fell to the second round, where the Cowboys selected him with the 60th overall pick.The Cowboys and Gregory agreed that he would have a personal handler with him during the season to help him cope with issues related to anxiety.Gregory played in 12 games as a rookie and did not record a sack. He suffered a high-ankle sprain in the season opener against the New York Giants and missed the next four games. Cowboys coaches credited him with 11 tackles and 16 quarterback pressures to go along with one tackle for loss.Cowboys linebacker Rolando McClain will miss the first 10 games of the season for violating the substance abuse policy, but his return to the team at all seems unlikely. ' ' '
