It's time to taper

First thing to remember is that today is registration day, and you need to come and pick up your race number from The Galaxy Hotel in Sliema between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Second thing is that your training is now over, so there is no more fast or hard training you can do in the next seven days that will improve your performance next weekend.

Now it is time to lighten up, cut back on mileage and intensity, and begin to taper.

For those doing the full marathon, this coming week might include some kind of carbo-loading plan to give them more energy once they pass 20 miles on race day.

For those doing the half marathon, there is little need to carbo-load. Most of you will not be out there long enough to run out of muscle glycogen if you pace yourselves properly. But it is a good idea to increase your carbohydrate intake in the last few days by eating more pasta, pizza, bread, fruit and soft drinks.

Just be careful not to overeat and come to the startline with your stomach feeling overfull. The food you eat in the two days before the race will load up your leg muscles, but don't forget that your brain also requires its own energy and this comes from your blood sugar, which is constantly being topped up from liver glycogen.

After a night's sleep, your blood sugar and liver glycogen stores will be low, having kept your bodily organs working all night, including keeping you warm.

So rise extra-early on race morning and have some toast and jam with tea, or some simple cereal with milk; whatever has worked for you in the past, to replenish your liver glycogen.

Whatever you do, don't come to the startline already hungry, because you will not race well. Not much more to say at this late date.

Just not to worry and start wishing you could do one more good workout. That never works. Better to just back off, get fresh and do all you can to bring out what you have.

Avoid testing yourself this coming week, doing bits of the half marathon route to see what times you can run.

Maybe book some leave from work next Friday and the Monday following the race. Most runners get fidgety at this tapering time. They are running much less, and this results in them having an over-abundance of energy.

Try and not decide to do all those little jobs you've been meaning to do; paint the house, dig the garden, that kind of thing. Just do your best to save all that physical and nervous energy for race day.

See you at registration.

Marathon (42.195kms)

Rabat; Roman Villa; Nigret; Mtarfa Bypass; Mosta/Mgarr crossroads; Targa Gap; Wied il-Ghasel Bridge; Mosta Square; Eucharistic Congress Street; Independence Avenue; Valletta Road; Pantar Road; St Catherine's Hospital (Attard); Ta' Qali; Mdina Road (past Zebbug and through Qormi); Marsa Road; December 13 Road; Blata-l-Bajda; Pietà; Msida waterfront; Ta' Xbiex; Gzira; The Strand; Ferries, Sliema (finish).

Half-Marathon (21.97kms)

Rabat; Mtarfa Bypass; Mdina Road (past Zebbug and through Qormi); Marsa Road; December 13 Road; Blata-l-Bajda; Pietà; Msida waterfront; Ta' Xbiex; Gzira; The Strand; Ferries, Sliema (finish).