FITNESS Gearing up for a mini-marathon

Prep steps for the mini-marathon


Personal Trainer
Paul O'Brien

Just under six weeks remain to the West of Ireland Women’s Mini Marathon in Castlebar. If you’ve entered and are currently training for the event, you may have a few recurring questions rattling around in your head – ‘Will I be able to complete it?‘, ‘Will I be ready?‘, ‘What do I need to do in the next six weeks?’.
The first thing to do is to accept where you are at. Stressing about any preparation you haven’t done or training you may have missed is futile. If you stress a little too much about it, it will be affecting your training, and perhaps even your sleep. So, acceptance is king. You will finish the event, walking, jogging or running.
When I ran the London marathon in 1999, I did so on the back of three weeks training and a diet of fast foods and beer. Though it was very tough at times, my body somehow found the means to get me over the line. And what a feeling! If nothing else, imagine the feeling of elation and personal achievement you will experience when you cross that line.

Prep your mind
Which brings me to another point. In your preparation for the event, or for any event, you may find imagining running a marathon useful. I have used this technique in long-distance races and other events, and it’s always worked well.
When you have ten minutes alone, sit comfortably and relax your whole body. Focus on your breathing in order to try relax the mind also and shut down the endless mind-chat.
When your ready, focus on the day of the event. See yourself starting the race and picture yourself at different points along the route (if you know the route the exercise will be more effective).
Now comes the important bit: Experience the feelings you will have at those different points along the way, the buzz of excitement and anticipation at the start of the race. Feel yourself feeling relaxed at different points during the race, feeling comfortable and happy. Then experience the feelings of achievement and euphoria at the end of the race. What else might you be feeling – Power? Strength? Connected? Whatever you may feel or want to feel, experience it now during your ten minutes.
Try and do this a couple of times each week. I find it helps build momentum and excitement ahead of the event, and I become very focused on those feelings during the event itself.

Training
As for your training. If you plan on walking the event, try cover about three-quarters of the distance comfortably before the day. This is ample to allow you to finish. The high of the day itself will carry you through the rest. If you plan on jogging or running, again it’s not essential to cover the distance beforehand. If you can do a little hill training this will give you the power to get through the testing times and may also help your finish. Try to find a hill about 500m long with a gradual gradient. Once or twice weekly, run this hill as fast as you can, resting as you walk back down. Start with about two or three repetitions, building up to about five or six.
For all levels, make sure you cut back on training in the week running up to the event. For walkers, a 25 per cent reduction should be ample; for runners, cut back by about 40 per cent. This will allow your muscles to rest while also priming them for the big day and reserving those energy stores you’ll be calling upon.
Good luck – and enjoy the day!

Paul O’Brien is a certified personal trainer with the American Council on Exercise and a qualified life coach. He runs his own business in Westport and is the creator of Bootcamp West, an exciting and challenging exercise programme in Westport. For details of upcoming classes, visit www.bootcampwest.com or e-mail paul@bootcampwest.com or telephone 086 1674515.