Getting ready for the Mallow 10 mile road race and the Munster 10 mile Classic series...

A few weeks back, I mentioned that it might be an idea to start thinking ahead to 2008 and planning what you want to do next year. Maybe you are thinking of doing the Cork Marathon in June? An excellent way to prepare for it, are the 4 Munster 10 mile Classic series races. There is a 10 mile race at the start of every month, from January to April. By the last race, you should have an excellent base from which to increase your milage and get a good time in the Marathon.

So, with that in mind, it just so happens that the first of those races, the Mallow 10 mile Road Race (6th Jan 2008), is on 7 weeks from next Sunday. So, including this week, that makes 8 weeks which is the same as most training schedules for a 10 mile race. If you go to the following link, http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/news/article.asp?UAN=94 , you will find some training schedules. Have a look and see which one suits you. The 1st week is usually pretty relaxed anyway so it's not too late to start.

By the way, the golden rule for increasing your milage is that you should increase it by 10% per week. So, don't go from 10 miles per week to 40 !! You'll only get injured. Increase your milage slowly and let your body get used to the increased demand put upon it.