With the marathon and half marathon scheduled for tomorrow morning, all the hard training should now be over.

"The hay is in the barn" - to use an American expression.

Consequently, this should be the shortest article of all, because what more is still to be said? Not much. Maybe only a few final words of advice.

For the rest of today, make sure all your preparations and kit bag are ready for tomorrow morning, so there will not be much to think of when you wake up except eating some light breakfast (if you are used to doing this) and getting to the start line in plenty of time.

After checking that all their preparations are ready, I encourage people to put the marathon as far from their minds as possible for the rest of today.

If you find this difficult, consider going out to a movie in which you can lose yourself; perhaps a comedy, or an exciting action-packed blockbuster. Just make it a point to go to an early screening so you can still get home and go to bed early.

The best advice I can give you for after the gun goes is - don't start too fast. And I cannot repeat it too often, so here it is again - don't start too fast.

The conventional wisdom says to run the second half of a distance race faster than the first half... in other words to spread your effort well over the whole race and not go out too fast in the opening miles and blow up in the later stretches.

In general, I would agree with this, but if you are running this particular half marathon, the first eight miles of the course are so advantageous (ie: downhill), that it would be wrong not to take every advantage.

So, I do recommend you run slightly quicker than your expected average race pace from the second to the eight-mile mark, but always do so knowing that when you reach eight miles, you still have over five miles to go.

So, run the first eight miles slightly quicker than you would if they were perfectly flat, but always be in control, because that final five miles to Sliema can seem an awful long way if you have been over-ambitious in the opening stages.

When you get to eight miles in the half marathon, immediately and deliberately back off the quicker pace and begin to run more carefully for the second part of the race.

And at all times, enjoy yourself. Be able to look around you and exchange a word or two with your companions. Never be working so hard that the effort becomes painful.

At all times remind yourself that it should be fun, and an experience to savour and remember.

Last tip; when you cross the finish line, there will be an official photographer to take your picture with your finishing time captured on the clock overhead.

Make it a point to look up at him and resist the temptation to look down and check your finishing time on your wristwatch.

Let me close by wishing all participants in the BMW Malta Marathon and Half Marathon the very best of luck from the event sponsors and the Malta Marathon Organising Committee.