Easy does it in the final stretch

This close to the event, your long run or long walk will be close to the longest (in distance or time) it will ever be before race day.

In conversations with runners, some relatively new to the event, it seems they mistakenly believe you must do this long run/walk every Sunday without fail. Experience has shown that this is not true, and may even be detrimental to your preparation.

Instead of running extra-long every Sunday, consider alternating a long run with a medium run.

Like this; first Sunday, run long (e.g. two hours), the following Sunday, run a little shorter (e.g. one hour 45 minutes or even one hour 30 minutes). And alternate them back and forth.

Since your long run is at its longest, you body requires extra recovery from that effort.

So, if you are not already doing so, consider taking every Monday off from all exercise.

Some runners may scoff at this suggestion, but it's hard to argue that you personally need to run every day to do your best when marathon world record-holder Paula Radcliffe manages to be so successful yet always takes every eighth day off from running.

Remember, your body only adapts and improves from hard training during the recovery period. Not enough recovery results in incomplete adaptation.

One of the big things we have learned over the years is how little you can do and yet still race well. It's a lot less than you would think.

Don't neglect the recovery, because overdoing it at this time can lead to an overuse injury (a niggle that was allowed to develop into an injury due to not cutting back on training to let it heal at the right time).

Hard and long training will also suppress your immune system and result in you becoming susceptible to every bug and sniffle going around.

Hard training is like living on the edge of a knife.

You have never been so fit, but at the same time you have never been so close to developing an injury or illness. It is tempting to believe (when things are going well) that you have become invincible.

Unfortunately, it only takes one run too far or too hard, and illness or injury strikes.

From someone who could run intensely for an hour and a half, you become someone who cannot jog the length of the corridor at home.

Take my advice and build more recovery into your schedule. Time has taught me that it's always best to take care of big problems when they are still little ones.

Don't run through a niggle and think it will go away. It rarely does.

I also know of runners/walkers wishing to practise over the actual route. I once did the same, but would pay no attention to the time... I have come to think differently and now would not recommend this to anyone.

I learned that because the practice run is at an easier pace than race pace, the time taken on practice day will (obviously) be much longer than it is expected to do on race day. So a runner might find himself taking as much as 15-20 minutes longer to cover the route than he hopes to do on race day.

Somehow that practice run never feels like as easy as you would think, coming as it does at the end of a full training/work week. So, the runner is often left with sudden doubt; how is he ever going to run the same route 20 minutes faster on race day?

It can be hard for some people to understand how it is going to be possible. They don't understand the positive effects of tapering, better fuelling, and that they will be able to run much more intensely on race day than on a normal training run.

So, apart from the safety issue (some roads are very busy) don't practise over the actual route, there's no real benefit or need.

Ask yourself; if you were going to run the London Marathon in April, would you go six weeks before just to try out the route? I know I wouldn't.

Further to the encouragement in the last two weeks, the race entries are flowing in. If you know of anyone who has not yet applied, tell them to do so as soon as possible at maltamarathon.com. Don't forget that all walkers also need to apply (and there's no need to wait and apply in a group).

Enjoy your training.

johnwalsh42195@yahoo.it