First, I stole the headline from the Stephen Covey multi-million bestseller, "7 Habits of Highly Effective People". Second, where the headline says, "runners", think also "walkers"... it just wasn't practical to put both.

Let's see if we can adapt each of these good habits to improve our training for Marathon Day.

1. Be proactive. This one's easy, meaning simply, take the initiative. If you are training for M-Day 2010, you've already done this. We all realise that covering 21.1 km at a decent pace is going to take some effort. Those who find walking to the fridge a chore needn't apply.

So, somehow each one of you found that elusive spark so many people never discover, the will to start.

2. Begin with the end in mind. We all know that on February 28 we have to cover either 21.1km or 42.2km. So from day one our training has been guided with that in mind. Even the beginners' walkathon schedule was governed by the fact that at the end of February everyone had to be capable of walking three or four hours non-stop.

It makes sense therefore to start at the end and work backwards.

3. Put first things first. In simple terms, focus on your priorities.

In running and walking terms I take it to mean that you should get your training in first, before work, because you might be too tired to do it afterwards.

I always was a morning runner. Coming home from work on a winter's night, it was too easy to imagine myself with my feet up supping hot food. Going out the door after work was too easy to talk myself out of. So I came to realise that if I did not go in the morning, chances were I was not going to train at all that day.

4. Think win-win. Unless you live alone, this is where your training impacts those around you. No man is an island. No woman either.

Somehow you have to make both parties, for example you and your partner, into winners, because if your partner loses too often, you'll wind up losing too.

Once again, this is where training very early in the morning is ideal. Chances are your partner will grab some extra shut-eye while you're out and not really notice you're gone. So you get your training done without complaints like, why-are-you-never-home?

Doing so also means you'll be more amenable to agreeing to go out to a dinner or dance after work because you have already got your training done. Everyone wins.

Advance planning

5. Seek to understand, then to be understood. This goes along with the Win-Win. Find out what your partner wants first, and then see how you can work around it.

Plan in advance. If your partner feels like going out to dinner at the weekend, and you have a race early on Sunday morning, make the dinner date on Friday rather than on the Saturday evening when you'd prefer an early night.

6. Synergise. Work in a way that all parts complement the whole.

It doesn't make sense to go out training every day, trying to improve your performance, and then come home and pig out on junk food. Same with smoking or binge drinking; they are hardly compatible with a healthy lifestyle.

7. Sharpen the saw. Don't forget to take the time to take care of your tools, in this case your body.

Don't train so hard that you become unhealthy or injured. Often runners fall into the bad habit of counting miles per week in the diary as if they are the be-all and end-all.

Be able to realise when you need to back off the training and freshen up. Nothing beats consistent training with no stoppages for illness or injury.

Many of these habits seem almost designed with those who train in mind. I can't say I'm surprised. As I often advised a friend who had his own business, where you can, employ runners.

My reasoning was this; someone who can get out of bed on a cold, wet, windy morning and find enough self-motivation to train alone for two hours is the kind of person I would want working for me.

Be careful out there and enjoy your training.

johnwalsh42195@yahoo.it