Have you had the hiccups during training?

As part of last week's article had discussed, I am receiving some emails from individuals new to long distance running concerning some training "hiccups" in their preparation for March 1 due to illness, injury or even bad weather.

Specifically, and probably due to their lack of experience, some are asking, if they happen to miss part of the schedule we published some weeks ago, will they still be able to complete the half marathon?

First of all, as was shown with Cyprian Dalli last week, there is no law that says you must run every step of the race from Mdina to Sliema. In his first half marathon, Cyp walked almost the entire way - a huge personal feat at the time.

If you need to stop and walk part of the way, that's perfectly okay.

In fact, many new runners find themselves having to do this in their first half marathon. After the euphoria of having completed the event has passed, they often find themselves vowing to take part again the following year; but next time, no walking!

In last week's article I had explained how it is perfectly okay to have "walk-breaks" within your training. There are no rules that insist that runners, especially newcomers, cannot have a brief walk every so often; perhaps a one-minute walk every 10 minutes.

If this enables them to extend the time on their feet, then it is an excellent idea and one I would wholeheartedly encourage.

True, they may find with time that the walk breaks are required less and less, but this would simply be the result of their body's physiological adaptation to running. These adaptations will happen to everyone who trains for an extended period of time, but there is no need to rush the process.

If you find yourself overheating and getting out of breath, simply slow down and walk for a minute or two until you again feel under control.

Have as many walk-breaks within your training run as you require. And don't be afraid that you are somehow not training "right".

There is no universal "right" way... there is the way that works for you, and that might not be the exact same way that worked for anyone else.

So, don't feel compelled to follow anyone's routine, no matter how well-meaning that person may be. Find your own path to fitness and take as long as necessary to get there.

Another point that is coming up in emails... this miserable winter!

Don't look at me, I left Scotland long ago to get away from exactly this kind of constant gloomy weather.

So, from experience I can commiserate with those who write to say that they have missed training because they find it hard to get enthusiastic about going out to run for an hour in steady rainfall. But who says you have to train outdoors? Never heard of treadmills?

Okay, they are not the most attractive piece of equipment to train on but this bad weather is not going to last forever.

So, consider booking a month's membership in a gym to use as a standby on those miserably wet days (and you know there will be more) between now and race day.

Cross-training

Another hiccup: Knee-pain? Hips?

Consider cross-training because it is the impact of your foot hitting the ground as you run that is probably the cause.

Every cyclist and tri-athlete will tell you that they do most of their "cardio" training on a bike, but this does not stop them running well when the occasion demands.

Okay, you cannot do all of your training for the half marathon on an indoor bike (much preferable to a road bicycle for reasons of safety and also for more workout bang for your buck - an hour on a cycle ergometer is better for your fitness than an hour on the road on a bicycle, for one thing, there is no free-wheeling on the downhills!).

You need to do some running, but if this is leading to joint pain, think about doing some (even as much as 50 per cent) of your training on an indoor bike.

You should still reach the half marathon start-line in good shape.

Once again, spend some cash and book yourself a one-month membership in a good gym. Do anywhere from 45-60 minutes on the bike, two or four times weekly, to get to March 1 in good shape.

You may only need to add on a run once or twice per week (preferably the long Sunday run) and thus keep those joint pains at bay.

Always be careful and stay safe to best enjoy your running.

johnwalsh42195@yahoo.it