Registration schedule

This is important, so let me start from the very beginning; if you applied before the entry closing date (either online or by post), and sent in the correct entry fee, you should have received a confirmation email from the race organisers that your entry has been accepted.

However, if you applied at the correct time and sent in your entry fee and have not yet received this confirmatory email from the event organisers, then you should immediately email joe.micallef@yahoo.it to confirm whether your entry has been accepted (or not).

Now there can be any number of reasons why you have not received a confirmation email (e.g. you input your return email address incorrectly or illegibly). So, assuming you applied correctly within the time limits as stated do not be over-concerned, but you must send an email to the above address before coming to registration.

We do not want you standing in the registration queue for hours only to discover that your name is not on the race startlist. It will not be possible to correct matters at that time, you must do this before coming by email.

For the first-time participants (and there are many of you), registration is when you come and pick up your official race number, official T-shirt and other goodies, as well as book any transport to the start.

Registration will take place in the Urban Sports (Urban Jungle) store upstairs in the Tigné Centre opposite the marathon finish-line in Sliema.

Registration for local athletes will take place on a number of days, as follows: Saturday, February 19 from 12-4 p.m.; Wednesday, February 23 from 7-9 p.m. and Thursday, February 24 from 7-9 p.m.

There are approximately 1,300 local participants; although we will do everything possible to make the procedure as quick and hassle-free as possible, you must expect it to take some time.

If there are any overseas participants in Malta on those days and at those times, they may also come along and register. However, there will be a separate registration day on Saturday, February 26 from 6-9 p.m. for overseas participants only.

Maltese participants are not to wait until February 26 to register and should come on the earlier dates given above.

Back off

Here is some advice I had intended to write in last week’s article, but was unable to do so since I had to urgently cover other topics: Stop training hard.

Whatever condition you are in right now is pretty much the condition in which you will race. Barring taking it easy for a few days to freshen up, you are 99 per cent ready right now.

It would not matter if you were an Olympic-calibre athlete, there is no more hard training you can possibly do in the next two weeks that will make you more ready than you are today. Indeed hard training from now on can only make you worse on race day.

Now if you don’t feel you are in the condition you wanted to be in, it’s just tough luck; race day is upon you. Even Olympians admit that it is not always the best athlete who wins; simply the one who is most ready on that day. And your day is here (even though you would probably prefer another month of good training under your belt).

Here is a phrase my runners often hear me say: always protect what you’ve got before reaching for more.

You don’t need one more hard run, or hard track session so resist the temptation to believe you do. Do no damage now! (another common phrase of mine).

Start thinking about backing off from the mileage and tapering by roughly one-third this coming week (e.g. from your usual 60 miles per week down to 40mpw) and then by one-half in the final week (e.g. from 60mpw down to 30mpw).

You don’t want to come to the line with heavy legs, feeling run-down. You want to feel light, frisky and ready to rock n’ roll.

See you at registration.

johnzwalsh@yahoo.com