Elite coaching special - Nic Bideau, coach to Craig Mottram

The lost skill of racing
One skill Nic sees the need to teach his athletes is how to race. With a jam packed calendar of races this may seem strange but Nic believes knowing how to take a race and turn fitness into a win is a lost art: “People don’t know how to race. These days you can actually get an athlete into a championships and it will be the first time for them in a race with no pacemakers. That’s ridiculous.

“Even school kids get pacemakers!

“It used to be 13min 36sec to get in the Olympics, now it is 13min 20sec so people need the pacemakers to just get the qualifying time let alone chasing records. The number of Africans running fast times and being supported on the European circuit by European managers has resulted in the qualifying standards for championships being beyond all but the very best European athletes. It is not good for the sport.

“I find that people enjoy watching races more where they don’t know what is going to happen before it starts– when someone is going to decide to attack. Commentators say it is boring when the race is slow but that is because so many athletes don’t know what to do anymore.

“Brendan Foster used to come up with ways to beat the kickers, Viren did it in Montreal. When you watched their races you didn’t know what was going to happen next.

“Last year Daniel Kipchirchir Komen ran 3min 29sec but couldn’t get out of the heats at the world championship because he had only trained to run like that all the time and once there were no pacemakers to keep the speed high from the gun and the race was decided by a big acceleration, he was found wanting. It’s ridiculous, anyone that has the ability to run 3min 29sec should also have the skills to race at least into the final at a championship.”

British athletes are in need of rediscovering the skills of racing, says Nic. The races on the current calendar mean many are rusty on what he would have seen as fundamental: “You see people who don’t know the normal rules of racing. They don’t know things like you don’t try to pass on the bend at top speed or you should relax for the first third of the race or until someone makes the first meaningful move. At the European Championships Andy Baddeley was all over the place in the heats. We had a good talk between the heat and final and he was much better in the final – he ran an intelligent race. You wouldn’t think you would have to tell guys running for Great Britain how to run the 1500m. This is the country that produced Coe, Ovett, Cram and Elliott! But it seems they have forgotten how to do it.”

Being prepared for the paced races on the Grand Prix circuit, whether the European or BMC circuit, is different to being prepared for championship races. “You have got to prepare for what is coming up. There is no point in running races paced for Africans then in your heat at the championships you find the race is run totally different.

“You have got to have practice at what you are going to run. It’s just ridiculous – it’s almost like there are two sports – grand prix racing and championship racing – they are that different.”

Great value for Money from Sports Fitness We at Sports Fitness have reduced the prices on all our running shoes so that you can get the best products at great prices NOW! With a stack of top sports clothing and accessories also available at www.sports-fitness.com Stocks are limited so act fast.

Nike Air Pegasus The Pegasus is the best selling cushioning shoe of all time. Great cushioning and a stable feel for a neutral shoe. Good protection and enough responsiveness for when you want to push the pace. A well designed outsole means the shoe is suitable for running on varied terrain too! Mens | Womens

Adidas Supernova GCS adidas's top support shoe is their ground breaking GCS and it's a cracker. The GCS system deals with impact forces and starts controlling pronation from the moment your foot hits the ground! There’s adiPRENE+ cushioning for even more protection – a great ride. Mens | Womens

Nike Air Vomero Designed to bring all the benefits of Nike’s legendary Air cushioning and the Control At Origin technology that gives comfort from the moment your foot hits the ground. But the shoe also gives the freedom of allowing the foot to move naturally giving a beautifully smooth feel to the shoe.

Nike Air Zoom Percept A women's shoe combining of the principles behind the Pegasus and Free (the Nike shoe designed to train your foot to work more naturally). But there’s extra cushioning and stretch panels in the upper to make the overall feel a real delight.

Adidas Supernova Cushion This is a shoe that gives great cushioning whether you are running the miles on the road or on the treadmill. The shoe is also spot on for when you want to push the pace. Mens | Womens

Nike  Air Structure Triax Great cushioning comes from Air units in the heel and forefoot plus a PU 'Crash Pad'. Then for support the Structure Triax has a combination of features including medial support, specially placed flex grooves and forefoot WARP. Mens | Womens

Adidas Response Cushion Highly effective running shoe that shows why the Response range has been a 'go to' line for runners for years. Mens | Womens

Adidas Response Extra A new Response shoe that includes cushioning from adiPRENE and adiPRENE+ and adidas' Pro-Moderator system to guide your foot through it's correct movement. Mens | Womens

Adidas Nova Cushion A great shoe at this price! Good cushioning and protection with a smooth feel to the shoe. Mens | Womens