The rain and windy weather that characterised last weekend might not have been welcome for the thousands who were looking forward for their first serious session of Christmas shopping but for four particular athletes it was something of a godsend.
Or, at least, that is the impression one got by talking to Jonathan Balzan.
One of the team of athletes who have been chosen to represent Malta at the European Cross Country Championships in Dublin tomorrow, Balzan has found training for this event tricky.
"We don't have anywhere to train in the conditions that we are going to find in Dublin," he said.
"And, what's worse, it hasn't even rained or been so cold this year but that is what we are going to find there. I've bought a special kind of spike shoes in order to be better prepared but so far I haven't been able to really try them out because the conditions have been so different to what we're going to face."
Such uncertainty is understandable. Cross country running, which some world famous athletes are pushing to be included in the Olympics, has risen on the MAAA's agenda and it now plays a key role in their plan to improve local long distance running.
It is why this team of athletes - who, apart from Balzan, will be made up of Giselle Camilleri, Allister Bezzina and Joelle Cortis - have been chosen to be the first ever Maltese to take part in this European event.
This, however, doesn't mean that there won't be problems in running over what is, effectively, countryside in conditions that are significantly more extreme to what they normally come across in Malta.
In this respect, Camilleri is slightly more fortunate than the rest as she has already had a taste of what it is like.
"I was lucky to have been invited to figure in an international cross country race in Volvic, France, two weeks ago. I got the feel what a real cross country is and let me tell you that it is tough," she said.
This lack of experience, however, hasn't dampened the spirits of the Maltese who have resorted to ingenious methods to train for it. Camilleri, for instance, has turned to biking in order to prepare her ankles for the sort of punishment that they will be subjected to in Dublin whereas Cortis has "increased my runs on the grass to try and get used to the terrain."
Bezzina, on the other hand, has taken a more philosophical approach reasoning that since there isn't anywhere to practise for such an event in Malta then all he could do was to continue with his normal training.
The uncertainty over what kind of conditions they will be facing in Ireland, however, isn't the only thing that unites the four as they are determined to do their best.
Cortis said: "Competing in these championships means that there will be the best runners from all Europe. Representing Malta in the U-23 race is something that any young middle distance runner aspires for so I'm very proud that I managed to qualify and I will definitely give it my very best."
Despite being much more experienced, Camilleri seems to be just as excited.
"Racing in the name of my country has always been attractive to me and even though I have done so a number of times I still feel proud of wearing the Malta colours," she said.
There is also the level of competition to take into consideration.
"At these championships, there will be the best cross country runners from Europe," Bezzina said.
"Hence, one can't really expect much. However, I'm obviously going to give my best and improve my 8km cross country time."
And to learn from this event is indeed the most that should be expected from the Maltese runners.
For them, this is a step into the unknown but, at the same time, it is also the first into what is hoped to be a better future for local long distance running.