With less than 90 days left to the race, have you been running regularly? At the same time, I hope you can run 10km comfortably by now, and thinking what's next, and how can it be done with so little time left?
Alright, here's what I usually do at this stage. There are three goals in mind for the next 30 days.
One, increase your comfortable running distance to 15km. Remember the mental exercise not to think about the 15km itself? Think of it as 3 x 5km, and every 5km covered is an achievement. If you have the practice of doing a long run every week, you have 4 weeks to achieve the 15km. A realistic target, just a little more challenging. Be committed to your training schedules and give it a shot.
Two, run at least 3 times a week and clock a weekly mileage of above 30km. You need to get your body to be constantly on the move. Why? Because you need to teach your body that this is the new normal, all the running, all the tiredness, all the pain. And when that happens, you'll start to enjoy the pain ;)
Lastly, have enough rest. It's very important for 2 simple reasons.
First, you allow your body to recover enough before you run again. Different people have varying recovery rates. If you are a beginner, 1 or 2 days are typically enough to recover from a long run. At the same time, some may recommend taking health supplements, eg protein, antioxidants, multi-vits, to aid recovery. Alright, this is a personal choice, so do your readings and experiment if you will. Regardless what you try, hydrate, ie drink more water or isotonic drinks.
Second, you don't want to risk getting demotivated by over-running. Yes, it happens; Too much running can make you be sick of running. You become lethargic; You don't feel good; You cannot wait to run, but dread it once you start running. When this happens, go easy on yourself. Do a slow jog, or go for a swim instead, or just simply give yourself a rest day. It is important to keep the feeling good, and to have a good feeling while running.
With less than 90 days left to the race, have I been recovering well enough to be at the starting line of this year's Marathon? Only the doctor can give me a more definite answer, but certainly felt positive.
A friend has suggested that I go on long walks, I didn't dare try then, as it was just 1 week after my surgery. 2 weeks ago, I started the walks. How long? I started with 4km, with lots of breaks. Then I progressed to 3km without breaks, and then 4km, and so on. Generally, I felt much better after the walks. Most importantly, it felt good to change into my sports gear, wear my running shoes and going out for a "leisure" walk. Thanks Ansley.
Just last week, I started going to gym. The stationary bike and weights machines that exert only my lower body are my favourite stations now. My legs are alive again! And not only that, perhaps due to the heighten rate of blood flow, my arm felt better after each session, not so ache-y and slightly more flexible. Right now, I plan to visit the gym 3 times a week ;)
I need to prepare my mind for the Marathon too. KOTR and AHM, I walked to the race venue and as a spectator, supporting my friends, watching all other fellow runners complete their race. I had expected that I would yearn to join them, but surprisingly no. With every person that ran past, looking at their tired faces, I had only wanted them to continue running and to complete the race; Just as I know I will complete mine.
My race is not about running, but it is similar. Yes, it's tiring, it's mentally tiring to keep up with the positiveness. I know I need an anchor, something that I can work on and something that has a line which I can mentally thread and hang on to. And I found it, and it's for a good cause too.
With less than 90 days left to the race, it is critical that you start preparing both your physical and mental self for it. You will experience the tremendous positive effects when both come together as one working towards a common goal, the FINISH. Yes, that's the effect that is to be created. And you need to train yourself to create it, to will it, for on race day, you'll need lots of it.
Alright, here's what I usually do at this stage. There are three goals in mind for the next 30 days.
One, increase your comfortable running distance to 15km. Remember the mental exercise not to think about the 15km itself? Think of it as 3 x 5km, and every 5km covered is an achievement. If you have the practice of doing a long run every week, you have 4 weeks to achieve the 15km. A realistic target, just a little more challenging. Be committed to your training schedules and give it a shot.
Two, run at least 3 times a week and clock a weekly mileage of above 30km. You need to get your body to be constantly on the move. Why? Because you need to teach your body that this is the new normal, all the running, all the tiredness, all the pain. And when that happens, you'll start to enjoy the pain ;)
Lastly, have enough rest. It's very important for 2 simple reasons.
First, you allow your body to recover enough before you run again. Different people have varying recovery rates. If you are a beginner, 1 or 2 days are typically enough to recover from a long run. At the same time, some may recommend taking health supplements, eg protein, antioxidants, multi-vits, to aid recovery. Alright, this is a personal choice, so do your readings and experiment if you will. Regardless what you try, hydrate, ie drink more water or isotonic drinks.
Second, you don't want to risk getting demotivated by over-running. Yes, it happens; Too much running can make you be sick of running. You become lethargic; You don't feel good; You cannot wait to run, but dread it once you start running. When this happens, go easy on yourself. Do a slow jog, or go for a swim instead, or just simply give yourself a rest day. It is important to keep the feeling good, and to have a good feeling while running.
With less than 90 days left to the race, have I been recovering well enough to be at the starting line of this year's Marathon? Only the doctor can give me a more definite answer, but certainly felt positive.
A friend has suggested that I go on long walks, I didn't dare try then, as it was just 1 week after my surgery. 2 weeks ago, I started the walks. How long? I started with 4km, with lots of breaks. Then I progressed to 3km without breaks, and then 4km, and so on. Generally, I felt much better after the walks. Most importantly, it felt good to change into my sports gear, wear my running shoes and going out for a "leisure" walk. Thanks Ansley.
Just last week, I started going to gym. The stationary bike and weights machines that exert only my lower body are my favourite stations now. My legs are alive again! And not only that, perhaps due to the heighten rate of blood flow, my arm felt better after each session, not so ache-y and slightly more flexible. Right now, I plan to visit the gym 3 times a week ;)
I need to prepare my mind for the Marathon too. KOTR and AHM, I walked to the race venue and as a spectator, supporting my friends, watching all other fellow runners complete their race. I had expected that I would yearn to join them, but surprisingly no. With every person that ran past, looking at their tired faces, I had only wanted them to continue running and to complete the race; Just as I know I will complete mine.
My race is not about running, but it is similar. Yes, it's tiring, it's mentally tiring to keep up with the positiveness. I know I need an anchor, something that I can work on and something that has a line which I can mentally thread and hang on to. And I found it, and it's for a good cause too.
With less than 90 days left to the race, it is critical that you start preparing both your physical and mental self for it. You will experience the tremendous positive effects when both come together as one working towards a common goal, the FINISH. Yes, that's the effect that is to be created. And you need to train yourself to create it, to will it, for on race day, you'll need lots of it.
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