Q: Keeping your pace steady will help you to use oxygen the most efficiently. It also helps to reduce lactate build up. An even pace is especially good for long races when it becomes imperative to keep your body working at the same level of strength for a great distance. It is important to keep your pace steady, even at the beginning of the race when your pace feels easy, and at the end when it feels like a struggle to keep the same speed. Holding back and falling into your groove, rather than sprinting away at start of the race, will help you to conserve the energy you will need to finish first at the end of the race. Staying at a steady pace will allow you to catch up to other runners who started the race off too quickly. You'll be sure to get a boost of confidence every time you pass another runner. This is particularly important if you are running anything longer than a 5K. The second half of the race will be a challenge--you will be tired and your body will start rebelling. Keeping your mind relaxed during the first half of the race will help you to focus and find determination in the second part of the race. While it is generally best to try to keep your pace even, if you have a person in mind that you really want to beat, you will want to keep a bit closer pace with that person. If he starts out quickly, make sure that you keep him within your sights without exerting all of your energy. If he gets a little ahead, switch back into your steady pace and plan to catch him later on--his burst of speed at the beginning will probably weigh heavily on him later. When you have someone in front of you and you want to pass them, its important to feel and appear strong. To do this, stay directly behind them until you are ready to pass them. When you do pass them, increase your speed slightly and keep at that pace until you are at least 30 yards (27.4m) ahead of that runner. That person will mentally write you off as someone who they will either have to catch up to later or who will be finishing before them. Your environment can play a large part in whether you win or lose a race. In particular wind and heat are two factors that can really bring a runner down. If it is very windy on the day of your race, plan to stay in a group. When you run in the middle of a group, the other runners will act as a barrier for the wind, which will help you to conserve energy since you won't be fighting against the breeze. To combat the heat, start out at a conservative pace that is a little slower than you would normally run. Many other runners won't do this and you will be able to pass them as the fade away from heat and exhaustion. No matter how tired you are or how concerned about the proximity of other runners you might be, it is important to keep looking forward. If you look back and other runners see you doing so, it will give them a mental boost because they will know that you are tired and that they can pass you when they choose.
A: Run at an even pace. Hold back in the early stages of the race. Keep your mind relaxed during the first parts of the race. Stick with a specific racer if you are trying to beat him or her. Know how to pass someone and keep them behind you. Keep the weather in mind. Keep your eyes on the prize.

Q: Although your shave won't be as close as a razor shave, it will give you a bald result with less friction. This means you're less likely to experience irritation and redness post-shave. If you'd like a little bit of hair left, you can use a 1 guard. You may want to lay down newspapers before you shave your head to collect the excess hair. Normally, you'd shave your hair in the direction of the grain. However, this isn't necessary with clipping because you won't get as close of a shave as with a razor. Additionally, clipping hair with the grain is really difficult, as it's hard to clip the hair if you're moving the clippers over the top of your hair. This is usually level with the middle of your ear. Place your clippers against your skin and move them upwards toward the crown of your head. Make several passes until you reach the area behind your ear. If you feel more comfortable starting on a different section of your head, that's okay. Do what's easiest for you. Position the clippers at the top of your forehead. Then, slowly glide them back toward the crown of your head. Stop shaving when you reach the back of your crown. Place your clippers at the nape of your neck. Next, slowly bring the razor up toward your crown. Continue working your way across the back of your hair until you've shaved your entire head.
A:
Remove the guard from your clippers for the closest possible shave. Clip your hair in the opposite direction of your hair growth. Start at the sides of your head where your sideburns begin. Move from top to bottom when shaving the top of your head. Shave from bottom to top when finishing up the back.