Four weeks to go...

With four weeks to go many runners will have completed their last Sunday long run before they commence bringing this important run down in distance. While the overall length of your runs generally get shorter with slightly fresher legs you will notice that the pace increases. This is good but don't over do it, the taper also provides an opportunity for your body to fully recover from the  pressures that you have placed it under in your marathon and half marathon preparation. 

Make sure, during this colder weather, that you accelerate gradually during tempo runs and that your easy runs are easy and don't simply become another hard hit out. Recovery is as important, if not more  so, than the actual training.

Barrel on wombats...

Don't PANIC

It's that time of the year, the lead in to the Perth City to Surf, when distance runners of all shapes and sizes start to panic. Have I done enough training? Should I up my mileage? Do I need to put in more hills? ... you know the drill, I certainly do because I have been there many times before.

These questions and these doubts are a wonderful part of being a distance runner however, the good runners see them as just that, questions and nothing more. At this late stage in your preparation for the 12km, half or full marathon there is little point in panic. Cramming will only make you tired and susceptible to injury or illness and these are far worse than worrying about not having trained enough. 

Just stay your course, make every run you have left count and remember ... if you have missed it , it's gone , nothing you can do about it so move on and prepare for the next day.

Barrel   on wombats...