Race over... and now what?

The Land Rover Malta Marathon, which took place last Sunday, again saw a record number of participants, registering 360 finishers in the full marathon and 1,860 finishers in the half marathon and walkathon.

The marathon, half marathon and walkathon each saw an increase in the number of participants.

Well-done to all finishers! That was not an easy feat.

I must admit that despite my untested introduction to this experience, I have enjoyed writing these articles and sharing my simple knowledge with you.

On a glorious but somewhat windy day, we ran our own race, beating all obstacles and now we have reached a moment of what I call ‘stillness’ – a moment of observation.

Although I am not much of a party reveler, every year I look forward to the post-marathon tea party organised by my club.

There we were this week, a healthy group of happy and noisy runners, sharing our perceptions of the event – through the happy moments and the suffering stages along the run, to the surprises encountered and, above all, the elation of having reached the finishing line.

The marathon is over now but for those first-timers, being runners or walkers, is it the end or the beginning of something new? A considerable amount of fitness has been achieved and so some may ask ‘what now?’

I recall my early marathon days and especially after my first ultra-marathon three years ago, a new beginning.

Once the euphoria of accomplishment subsided, I felt drained and empty. Despite my training discipline and the passion for the sport, I could not face structured training.

Going into hard training straight after my first week of post-marathon recovery without any particular goal in mind backfired badly and left me with injuries and demotivated.

On the other hand, running easy and free with no fixed schedules for a few weeks after rekindled the spirit, giving me a stronger comeback and with a new goal in mind.

So, be kind to yourself and listen carefully to your body.

Remember the fitness you have achieved and try to maintain it by recovering well.

Running/walking three or four times a week should keep you fit. Alternatively, if you prefer, you can combine your training with cycling or swimming, even light gym workouts. Make your workouts interesting and possibly run or walk with friends.

A mountain has been climbed but remember ‘no mountain is high enough!’ We turn to the next page now, carrying with it the possibility of another achievement.

Meanwhile, the Malta Marathon organi-sers are already predicting another bumper entry for 2013. Although the increase in numbers is welcomed, it does complicate the logistics and other matters.

This year, the finish area was enlarged yet at some point there was still some congestion, so I’m told that some changes are in line here.

The walkathon started at 8.30 a.m. instead of 9 a.m. This was done to allow the 700 walkers to spread out further by the time the 1,400-strong field of half marathon runners came steaming down from Mdina.

Walkers ‘run’ distance

Last year, a number of half marathon runners complained that it was like an obstacle course to get past the walkers.

Whereas the shift in time seemed to have worked to a considerable extent, it allowed the ‘walkers’ who decided to run all the way to get to the finish only minutes after the full marathon winner with a danger of even arriving before.

This year there were 56 who finished the walkathon in less than 2.5 hours and another 200 who did it in less than three hours.

The organisers need to see that these ‘walkers’ enter the half marathon next year as they all finished within the allowable time for the distance.

This will allow the organisers not to cap the number of entrants for the walkathon or, even worse, cancel the event altogether.

Take care out there until we meet again next autumn.