Happy New Year and with these sentiments does it also me we are in to marathon training territory??
You may be thinking that
it is months away and you have plenty of time to get training. This is very
true but you might want to start thinking about how much time you can commit to
your training plan.
We
all start off with very good intentions; “I declare from this point forward I
will commit to 4 or 5 runs a week” however, have we had this discussion with
anyone else in the household, be that your partner, kids or even the dog! Then life
happens and our precious training time gets eaten away; relatives visiting,
kids need a lift somewhere, you always seem to be out, the washing machine/ iron/
hoover thinks there is a power cut and your partner starts to wonder if you
will ever wear anything other than lycra again.
Marathon
training can take up a lot of your time not only in the training but also the
thinking about it, it can be all consuming!
It
is best that you prepare for this now; have the chat with your partner, family,
dog and/or boss about what this means for you. Help them understand that this
is important for you to run this marathon and why, let them know it will be
around 13-16 weeks of your life were you may not be around so much and that
they may need to fend for themselves (however, buying an automatic cat feeder
for the kids might just result in a call from social services).
Negotiate
with them about what are the important (can’t miss) things that will be taking
place during your training plan and plan around them. Get the calendar out and
be clear when are you going on holiday, celebrating a birthday or even moving
house will any of this happen in your training schedule and if so start
thinking now about your strategy so your training does not get derailed.
Don’t
forget in this preparing phase you can score some brownie points now ready to
use up during marathon training.
But
it is not just all about the partner, family or dog making sacrifices you will
too; you may need to get up for a run before work or the family gets up, it
does sound tough but trust me nothing beats running as the sun rises, getting
back as the morning has broken and knowing you have done your bit for the day!
If
you can look to see if you can have a running commute in to the office on
couple of days, it is functional and saves you money on petrol. These are just
a couple of suggestions and no doubt there will be others.
One
of the other ways to prepare could be about researching local running clubs if
you are not already a member, nothing beats sharing the pain or joy of training
and with fellow runners. The best way to find out about running clubs is either
through the Run Britain website or typing in running clubs and your area.
So in essence
Speak
to your nearest and dearest, let them know that running is marathon is
important to you but in order for you to do it you will need their support and
love.
Be
realistic about your personal training budget – how many days can you commit to
training before the family start posting missing poster
Finally
be creative, think about running as a way to get home or to undertake a normal
chore.
