Make sure you begin any race day with your regular breakfast routine. Arrive at the Race HQ in plenty of time to get your race number and do a good warm up. For a 10K like Battle you want to be doing a minimum 10 minute warm up jog, dynamic stretches and some drills.

Tucked behind the shops outside the abbey is a footpath and cricket pitch which is a good place to warm up away from the crowds.

Getting my race strategy correct this year has played a huge part in my enjoyment in some tough races.

The Rye 10 and Alan Corke are two of the toughest routes I’ve done this year but I absolutely loved the challenge because I was so well prepared. I was able to set race PBs in both.

This week it’s the BBB10K in the historic town of Battle. A race which has taken place since 2009. I love stats so I’ve stolen this from the official website. 2,987 runners have completed this course since the race began. That’s cool.

This is one of my favourite finishes of any race, tearing down the high street and looping round in front of the Abbey with crowds cheering you in.

How you finish this race will play a big part in your enjoyment and creating good memories. That comes down to race strategy.

Start by having a rough time in mind. If you’re not racing 100% then it can be conservative but it just helps as the race unfolds to understand what pace you should be running at.

If you tend to work in miles, I would switch. The course is going to have km markers and it’s much easier to calculate whether you’re on schedule for your target time.

Let’s say you want to run 60 minutes on Sunday. You can easily calculate your average kilometre pace will be 6:00 mins. As the race unfolds you can work out in your head where you are in relation to your goal time.

Then use the km guide below as a strategy for the race. This way when it gets very tough up Catsfield Road and your pace drops significantly you won’t panic. You’ll know where you stand in relation to your goal, you might even be able to ease off.

That’s exactly what I did at Rye 10 and Alan Corke. I was ahead of my schedule and was able to drop the effort up the hills and not worry about running at a slower pace, knowing I had banked time.

I’ve been rather vague with the goal pace for each kilometre as it’s much tougher for those runner quicker times to knock a lot of their average pace. So bear that in mind, the quicker you are, the smaller the differentiation in your km pace.

Race Km Guide

Km 1 – High Street (-2 Metres) 10-30 Seconds Under

We head up the high street to the roundabout, turn round and head back past the Abbey offering a nice downhill segment. You’ll be fresh at the start and take advantage of this kind stretch to bank some time, anywhere between 10-30 seconds under goal pace.

Km 2 – Powdermill Lane (-27 Metres) 10-30 Seconds Under

The kindest part of the race in terms of elevation and another great opportunity to take advantage of fresh legs and bank some much needed time for later in the race

Km 3 – Powdermill Lane Valley (-18 Metre) 0-20 Seconds Under

This section whilst downhill takes you into the valley of Powdermill Lane and you begin the steep climb back up to the flat. Your watch will beep whilst on the climb, so you should still be under pace here.

Km 4 -Powdermill Climb (+23 Metres) 20 – 40 Seconds Over

The first part of the race where your pace is likely to drop significantly. This is a tough steep climb before the road flattens out and will take a lot of energy out of you. Take your time, slow down and don’t waste too much energy here, you’ll need it for later in the race. Have a short walk break if needed.

Km 5 – Start of Catsfield Road (+12 Metres) – 10-30 Seconds Over

You finish the Powdermill Lane climb and get to the junction where you turn right onto Catsfield Road. The hill awaits. This is a tough part of the race so don’t worry that you are over goal pace.

Km 6 – Up the Hill (+26 Metres) – 30 – 50 Seconds Over

This is where you race could be make or break. It’s tough. Dig deep. But you can drop your pace right down if you’ve banked some time early. Don’t worry if a few runners pass you either, they probably went off too easy. You might also want a 30 second walk break in there to get your breath back, that’s fine too. Whatever you do, don’t give up, you knew this was coming, you’ve planned for it and you can make up time at the end.

Km 7 – North Trade Road (+3 Metres) – 0-20 Seconds Over

The final part of the climb is at the start of this kilometre before you come out onto the main road. Be careful as this is a busy road which they don’t shut, it’s dangerous so have your wits about you. Relax and find your pace again. You’ll be knackered from the climb so still behind goal pace, don’t panic.

Km 8 – Claverham (-12 Metres) – 0-20 Seconds Under

This km finishes just before the school and it’s a nice gentle descent, you should have your running form back now, nice and tall, relax the shoulders. You’ve done the hardest part, now finish it off.

Km 9 – Battle Rec (-2 Metres) – 0-20 Seconds Under

A flat part of the route but the finish is getting closer. Effort level will be high now but keep working and maintain that good running form. You can only run your best if you stay relaxed.

Km 10 – Battle Abbey (-7 Metres) – 10-30 Seconds Under

This is it. All In from the roundabout down the high street. What a finish, the crowd awaits, don’t leave anything behind. Also remember we have our anaerobic energy system we can call upon. It doesn’t need oxygen so even if you are breathing really hard you can go quicker and produce a sprint finish.