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Saturday, April 02, 2022

Guest Post: Autumn Marathons... by Pat Walsh

 ** Autumn Marathons **

Many have not run a proper Marathon for over 2 years now and it will be in the wish-list for many come late Summer or Autumn this Year.

Sadly many will have lost the training routine required to successfully complete the race.

If it is your intention to run one then you should be starting now to focus on it and build up slowly and gradually again. Adding too much mileage too quickly is the easiest know way to get injured.

Yes there are people out there who say they train for 6 weeks and run a marathon or those who do a bit every now and then and end up walking most if the 2nd half. That is fair enough too and if that is you then best of luck.

There are elites who are training continuously and they have their yearly plans and goals all sorted.

I am talking to the average runner who runs most weeks, never wins a prize and happy to take part and enjoy it.

At this stage of the Year for the Months or April, and May you should be doing 3 or 4 runs a week, EVERY week.

This should include 1 long run of 10 miles or more and total mileage between 20 – 25 miles.

Ultimately you are training for a LONG Run so this is essential every week to get the body used to time on the road with the long run. Take these 2 months to build a solid base.

Don’t over-train at this time of the year as you will burn out come late Summer and not be able for or enjoy the serious few weeks late August/ Sept / early October.

Add a mile every few weeks to the long run and soon you will be up to 13. If your long run isn’t 10 at the moment then add 1 every week until you get there.

Consistency now is the key. Get used to regular weekly running and steady weekly total mileage.

Don’t overcompensate if you miss something, just carry on as normal.

It is meant to be fun and enjoyable. It is hard work but nothing that is worth doing is ever easy. You will be glad you did it, so give yourself every chance of finishing and embracing the occasion.

Come early June and maybe get a half Marathon race or else a good 14 mile run and sit then and have an honest chat about whether you go forward or not.

It will give you an idea of the effort level needed next few months and some clue towards a possible finishing time and how to set pace of training runs.


Be realistic

Some have a delayed entry from last 2 years for a race they intended doing but was cancelled. Are you ready to start again

Some runners were persuaded or forced to enter under peer pressure, or those who thought after a few drinks one night that this was a good idea to run a Marathon.

Think about it and either get going or drop the idea completely. A Marathon training program is not for the faint heated.

It is not too late to start but you would want to get your skates on fast and not let another week go by. We have learned not to postpone dreams as who knows what next year brings.

#PWR #KeeponRunning  🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️

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