February
spells Marathon month and this means during the course of February you need to
get a qualifying marathon done. In our full training programme (published in
the December edition of Modern Athlete),
we advised Gauteng runners to take part in the Pick n Pay Marathon on 12
February. However, if you live anywhere else, you can juggle the programme to
suit your needs. You may wish to pick up a marathon later in the month or in
the first week of March. Remember, the programme is not meant to be rigid – adjust
it as you see fit.
Something
that often troubles runners early in the year is the worry of being able to get
through this first really long run. By now, many runners have finished their
first 21km, which is followed by panic as 42km seems so far! You need not
worry, the extra distance built into the training programme every Sunday slowly
conditions your body to take on the marathon distance and then beyond.
It
is quite remarkable how your body responds. Your long slow distance weekend
runs create a base that allows you to tackle increased training and those long ultra-marathons.
The most important tip for this month is not to miss any runs. Stick to the
programme and you’ll be amazed at how good you start to feel.
See
you on the road!