Switch on to Tempo Runs; your second most important run!

Tempo runs are an integral component of most if not all marathon running programs. I believe these are the most important session after your Long Run.

Find out why, and how to perform these for maximum benefit.

Tempo running is a staple for world beating Kenyans

A Tempo run is a faster paced workout also known as a (lactate) Threshold run and is considered run at "comfortably hard" pace. This run is the key to racing your best, at any distance as it improves your metabolic fitness, or simply teaches your body to run faster for longer as your muscles become better at dealing with lactic acid build-up. Importantly, the Tempo run is the single most important workout you can do to improve your speed for any distance. Furthermore, when training for longer distances of Half Marathon and Full Marathon, the Tempo run is more valuable than track work.

How Does it Work?

Whilst Long Runs train your cardiovascular system to enable you to run long distances by delivering blood & oxygen to the muscles, the Tempo run trains your body to use that oxygen for metabolism more efficiently. This happens by increasing your lactate threshold as you body becomes better at removing this waste product. Your lactate threshold is the point at which your body fatigues at a certain pace, due to lactic acid buildup, which eventually leads to fatigue, and forces you to slow down.  

The more you train this threshold, the higher your threshold goes and the further and faster you can run before you fatigue. The longer the distance you want to race the longer your threshold runs should be.

So Tempo runs will certainly improve your race performance, from 10k pace, right up to Half Marathon & Full Marathon distance, as you are able to hold faster paces for longer as you push harder towards your threshold. This results in faster marathon race times.

How To Perform your Tempo Runs?

So for Half Marathon and Full Marathon training, we want threshold runs to go from 20 minutes out to 60 mins or more during the course of your training program. You can start with shorter duration and add 5 minutes each week to the duration of your Tempo run.  I like to alternate these with Race Pace runs of the same duration on alternate weeks. Therefore, over your typical 18 week program your Tempo run can build up to 60 minutes or more depending on your starting point.

Here's how your Tempo Run is performed;

1. WARM UP - 10-15 minutes EASY running. Let your heart rate and breathing rate settle.

2. BUILD TO TEMPO PACE - gradually increase your pace up to TEMPO pace over 1-3 kms. (This counts to your Tempo workout duration)

3. MAINTAIN TEMPO PACE - maintain your prescribed TEMPO pace for the remainder of the session duration ensuring you are running with good form and rhythm. Maintain your focus on good form and cadence. If you find your form is collapsing, ease your pace a little until you're running well again, and try to build again.

Alternately, hold your maximum Tempo pace for 2-3 kms, then gradually ease off your pace just a little over final 2-3 kms.

4. COOL DOWN - Finish off with a further 5-10 minutes at EASY pace to cool down, and let your heart rate drop.

Tempo runs are performed at a 'comfortably hard' pace, where you know you're working hard. Not flat out racing but you'd be happy if you could slow down a bit. When training for the marathon; typically your Tempo pace range is about 10-20 seconds faster than your Marathon Race Pace. This can be up to as fast as your 10km Race Pace.

And this is where the real challenge of Tempo running lies. It's hard and it hurts a bit. But you need to sustain the effort, in order to maintain the threshold training effect. Understanding the training benefit is important in helping you to sustain the effort in training.

And so, you're psychological approach here is critical. Further to your physiologic training effect you need to train your mind to be comfortable with this level of discomfort! You're running hard, it hurts a bit, and your mind is telling you if you slow down you'll feel better. This is where you need to practise being content with the discomfort, so you can keep yourself going. - Sure it's uncomfortable, but it's okay, and I'm fine.

Remind yourself of your training session objective, remember your training & race goals, and reward yourself at the end of the session by telling yourself how awesome that was!

Remember to always think about your running form, always Run Well. Think; Tall posture, hips high & forward, keep your cadence up, and your ground contact time short.

Finally, the Tempo Run will instil confidence in you, as you soon learn you can hold a challenging pace for prolonged periods of time. This serves you well when thinking about running your marathon race, being at a gentler pace than what you've trained in your Tempo runs, as well as knowing that you can endure the discomfort that is inevitable towards the final stages of your marathon race.

So, if you're looking for a PB at your next race, switch on and get the most out of your Tempo run.

Tempo Runs

"My Asics" App for Marathon Program v Run Well principles?

I was happy to receive my regular email from the Melbourne Marathon Festival group this week. As usual it is full of interesting and motivational information. This update also featured the new My ASICS training program App that naturally I was most interested in.

The My ASICS App certainly looks very slick, is easy to use and follow as I entered my projected marathon time, event date and age to receive my free program. It popped up very quickly, and looked great at first glance. Too easy, i thought.

I like to do this to compare my own Run Well training principles and program with what else is on offer. I could choose between 2, 3 & 4 days training  per week, and so i compared all three. And this is where my concerns began. The longest long run of 37km was 78%, 71% & 65% of the total weekly mileage, and performed at race pace!

Arguably the most important run for your marathon training program is the Long Run, which should always follow strict guidelines or principles governing the pace (intensity), distance or duration of the run.  Importantly,  we must consider the mileage this run and the % of the total weekly mileage it represents. It is advisable that this be kept below 50%, with some coaches preferring it even lower. This allows for gradual and cumulative adaptation of your fitness & conditioning, rather than trying to get it all in one session of the week.

In addition, the pace of your Long Run is critical to how your body adapts to endurance running concerning energy systems and energy production, and importantly how much impact this run has on your ability to recover from run to run, and week to week. Running too much, too fast will invariably cause overload, and you risk failing to recover and becoming injured.

These principles are based on many years of solid research from the most respected marathon running coaches in the world and ensure slow and gradual adaptation to run long distances, but also very importantly guard against overtraining, and hence injury!

Here's some Important tips about Long Runs;

1. They need to be run slowly, alot slower than Race Pace, right up at the edge of your aerobic threshold ideally. This is calculated  to develop your aerobic capacity & endurance, critical for running beyond 2 hours, such as in the marathon. ( this can be calculated for you!).

2. Run your Long Runs too fast and you not only risk using too much glycogen in training, but you fail to develop your aerobic capacity, which will leave you short come race day, meaning you are likely to 'hit the wall'.

3. In addition, running Long Runs too fast, particularly close to or at Race Pace takes big toll on your body which you will find out after your marathon race. As such, it is difficult for your body to recover for the next run of the week, giving rise to overload and injury.

As a Running Coach and Osteopath for over 24 years I have seen many injured runners in my time. Most injuries are the result of training overload due to inappropriate training programs that are not designed to meet a runners personal needs. 

By ignoring the common mistakes that many marathon runners make. you risk being under-prepared or worse getting yourself injured, and becoming a non-starter, or a non-finisher.

If you want to give yourself the best chance of being a finisher, and having an enjoyable marathon experience please consider a personalised program.  You deserve it!

Be A FINISHER!

Whether you're a first timer marathoner or looking for a PB, we can help you at RUN WELL with a personalised program that follows trusted training methods to get the right balance of training for maximum performance whilst reducing injury risk. 

It's not to late, enquire here.

18 weeks to New York Marathon....how's your preparation looking?

Running the NYC marathon still remains a long held goal(dream) of mine, and I look forward to experiencing one of the most popular marathon events in the world one day. 

Hearing first hand accounts of this famous event only strengthens my desire & resolve to get there myself one day & enjoy the experience.

Sadly however, I also hear too many accounts of a runner's poor experience, which leads me to ask how are you going to prepare yourself to ensure your NYC Marathon experience is a good one.

The NYC marathon will be held on November 1st this year, and just 2 weeks after our own Melbourne Marathon, meaning it is only 18 weeks away this weekend. Whilst I am regularly involved in the preparation of both Melbourne & NYC Marathon entrants, I often come across runners in clinic who arrive suffering the typical runners' complaints, only the NY entrants are a few weeks behind.

Last year, I met a lovely couple who were preparing for their lifetime trip to run the NYC marathon, this being their second marathon experience. The excitement and anticipation was palpable as we discussed this but anxiety soon followed after I started asking questions about their preparation and programming specifics, as I tend to do as a clinician and running coach.

You see when a runner appears with a running complaint/injury, this occurrence is usually always the result of overload, being the by product of common mistakes that runners make; often running too much too soon, inadequate recovery, running long runs too fast, or a combination of all three.

It basically all comes back to an inappropriate program that lacks the customised training ingredients to ensure maximum physiologic benefit from your training whilst avoiding injury. This is what a personalised program and prescribed training paces are all about.

Anyway, my clients came in early enough to have effective treatment and with some program management, this allowed them to recover in time for the big race, and off they went.

It wasn't until March, or some 4 months after the race that they returned to the clinic, and I was very eager to hear all about this great event and their once in a lifetime experience.

" Terrible. Didn't enjoy it at all " was the response and needless to say that this runner didn't realise their marathon goal finish time, in fact not even close. After discussing a number of mitigating factors that may have contributed this runner couldn't get past the reality that their training program and preparation just wasn't up to scratch to prepare for a PB, or even to enjoy the event outside of achieving a PB.

Further than that, the experience was so bad that she never feels like doing it again...not yet anyway, ( we're working on it!)

So I set the wheels of mental rehab in motion, to assist her to get running just for enjoyment again, and then consider another marathon at a later date. 

Then it occurred to me that many people invest a huge amount of time, money, effort and sometimes hardship on themselves and those around them to get to one of these events, even if it is in your home town. And yet they often fail to approach it properly with a suitable program to ensure that they prepare themselves adequately and give themselves a good chance of having a great marathon experience.

We're talking 6 months of your life, many hours and 1000 kms or more in training.  Often spending thousands of $$$ to get there as well, yet fail to get a customised program and plan that is designed to meet their needs.

And we know what happens if you fail to plan......

If you're going to go to all that trouble, please do it properly. You deserve a better result & a better experience.

You can get a personalised program here at Run Well. Your NYC marathon preparation starts now, or very soon so don't hesitate!

Train smart. Run well. Race better.

To Roll or Not to Roll....that is the question?

There has been much written recently about the virtues of foam rolling. Is it really all that good for you, and why? Or maybe it's not all it's cracked up to be?

It can all be a bit confusing depending on what you read, and I have a had a lot of feedback about just that. I'll try to cut through the technical jargon and cut to the chase. 

Foam roller for ITB

Every runner seems to be using a foam roller as part of their recovery these days, and it is considered along with the spikey massage ball an essential part of a runner's kit.

I believe this is for good reason too, but more about my thoughts later. Let's look at some recent articles to see what's out there. 

Too much rolling on the ITB? This article's headline, " Your IT Band is Not the Enemy, (But maybe your foam roller is?)"

I received a lot of queries after this one, as to whether we should be rolling out our ITB any more. A closer look at the article tells us not that, but that underlying many ITB issues is a glut medius (GM) weakness that also should be addressed.

Your ITB can be placed under excessive stress as a result of glute medius weakness, that results in destabilising the pelvis & hips during the stance phase of the gait cycle. Basically if your GM is weak, your hips & pelvis may not remain level as you push off the ground with your opposite leg ( propulsion).

Running form, and hip/pelvis stability. Are they level?

Furthermore, if your glutes aren't activated early in this phase of the gait cycle, more load and strain will be placed on the ITB, and quads potentially leading to overload and strain, then injury. This article provides some valuable information about testing & strengthening your GM. But don't forget to incorporate this activation into the early downward phase of your gait cycle - as the foot comes down into the stance phase. Strong glue activation leads the propulsion phase, thus taking the load away from the quads, ITB and hence knee! (Apologies for getting technical)

Technique is everything to the runner!

The next article is a very good Review of Literature on Foam Rolling.

In summary, and to keep it very simple; These studies have shown that foam rolling may;

1. Decrease exercise related muscle fatigue,

2. Improved vertical jump height and maximal force production (power),

3. Improves range of motion ( particularly across the knee), 

4. Reduces muscle soreness & fatigue

All in all, there is evidence to strongly suggest that foam rolling aids in exercise recovery & (thus) helps prevent injury.

For those runners like myself, most of us would agree to this and foam rolling remains a critical part of our regular recovery routine.

Why & How?

Muscles get tight & sore after heavy exercise, as part of the effects of overload in training, which results in positive physiologic adaptations such as strength & conditioning. 

Recovery however occurs when we are not training, and between sessions. What we do during this time determines how well recovered we are for our next training session and so on. If we are not well recovered, and continue training, invariably and inevitably tissue breakdown occurs, leading to injury.

Sadly, many runners spend much of their recovery time sitting, usually at work through the day, and then at home in the couch during the evening. This results in our muscles and their protective fascia becoming shortened & thickened, thus creating stiffness & soreness. If this is not addressed, the cumulative effect can lead to build up of tension, loss of elasticity in the muscle, reduced blood flow & muscle function and then injury.

Using your foam roller regularly can effectively address this as we have seen, and hence assist recovery, and help prevent injury.

The key is to roll regularly, particularly at the end of the day after much sitting to assist recovery overnight. You can roll before exercise and/or after.

Tip: keep your foam roller in front of the couch to remind you not to sit in the couch, but to get on the floor & roll instead!

Your goal with rolling, is basically to seek out & roll out the tight & sore bits (hard, inflexible knots), until they change into softer, springy & elastic tissue. This usually only takes between 30-90 seconds on each tight bit. Then stretch out the muscle for 20 seconds or so, then move on to another tight bit, and so on. You will soon learn where your tight or problem bits are and with regular practise how to manage them.

You don't need to do it too much, or for too long, just regularly.  

Good runners are strong and springy! This is what will help you to Run Well; strong, elastic tissues ( muscle & fascia).

Keep rolling, and once again, as always Run Well!

It's Not About the Shoes, or is it? Part 2: Which shoe is best?

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a blog about how we do run differently in different shoes, in particular minimalist shoes resulting in reduced stride length and increased stride rate. This article has prompted many to ask the following questions;

How many pairs of running shoes do I need?  

If my personal running shoe collection is anything to go by then the answer is too many for my wife to read, so I will just say that I regularly wear about 8 different pairs. I have runners for sprint and speedwork on the track, shoes that I wear specifically for foot strengthening, a couple for shorter race distances ( 5k to half marathon), others for longer races (marathon), then others for slow long runs, and trail runs, & cross training.

These shoes range from very flat, and light; ranging from zero drop, to 2mm, 4mm, 6, 8 up to 10mm drop; and they range in stiffness from ultraflexible to stiff & responsive. Importantly, they all serve a different purpose.

My current shoe collection, not including the ones that love at work. Not an Asics in sight!

And the next question invariably is;

 " Which running shoe is best for me to get next".

There is no simple answer of course. Running shoes are designed for different types of people, strides, feet and importantly types of running. What may be the ideal shoe for you, may not suit someone else. What is important is to understand what a particular shoe is designed for, and whether that suits your ability and needs. 

Runners, like running shoes are all different and diverse, and as a runner's fitness and running characteristics change, your shoes can and should change as well. Depending on what we are training for, we often perform different types of runs, so it is reasonable to suggest we need different types of runners for different types of running. 

Furthermore, running in different shoes can make you stronger, hence faster and ultimately less prone to injury. Studies show correlations between running in a variety of footwear and reduced injuries. Essentially, when you wear a different pair of shoes your interaction with the ground changes slightly, thus your stride alters as does the loading and impact forces taken by your feet, legs and body. This helps to vary this impact loading, thus stimulating & strengthening other muscles and connective tissues whilst reducing repetitive stress on the same body parts. 

You should have a different pair of shoes for different running types. A sprinters running shoe for on the track is completely different to the running shoe that marathoners wear. hence, your running shoes should differ for speed & track work, for tempo running, shorter racing, and longer distance running.

So, what's the difference?

The flatter and closer to the ground the shoes, the quicker you will react to the ground, potentially helping you to run faster. At the same time, these shoes will serve as a strengthening tool as your feet will be reacting quicker & working harder in response to the ground. As these shoes typically are flatter ( low heel height to forefoot height or heel-toe drop), this will also place additional load through your plantar fascia, foot muscles, Achilles and calf muscles. These muscles are the very important spring that propels us when we run, and to strengthen this area will benefit your running. These types of shoes are commonly known as minimalist shoes, have a thinner sole, and lower heel-toe drop (less than 5mm) and are suited to faster running training, as in Interval running, track workouts, and racing.

In contrast your marathon shoe is suited for longer distances, and slower runs might have more cushioning, hence a higher heel height, and heel-toe drop. This will serve to slow the rate of impact forces which over the longer duration & distance helps to reduce repetitive stress through the foot and lower leg structures.

This information has often been tricky to find, and for many years I have used a popular running shoe site, runningwarehouse.com to determine this information before advising on a particular shoe recommendation. However, I'm very grateful to Pete Larson from Run Blogger who has recently compiled a complete list (from the same reference site) of shoes that he calls the Tool- Shoe Finder that can be easily accessed here.

This tool can provide you with the critical information to make an informed decision on what shoe to try next. Information such as shoe weight, heel ( stack) height, forefoot height and hence drop ( heel height - forefoot height), and level of stability within the shoe are all listed.

My only advice is do not change the type of shoe too drastically in one go, better to gradually work your way down to a more minimalist variety over time. This allows your body to gradually adapt to the changed conditions as you wear the new shoes more often and for longer runs or run sessions, and after 6 months or so, provided you have no injury concerns, you can drop down again.

If you are looking for specific advice on shoe selection, I am only too happy to help. You can contact me here.

Hill Workouts, what are they all about?

Good runners are strong runners are fast runners.

If you want to get stronger, and faster, do hill repeats. Simple.

Run hills for strength & speed

Hill running has been a feature of world champion runners for decades, and the likes of Arthur Lydiard, Herb Elliot, Sebastion Coe and the like are proof of the pudding as to the effectiveness of hill running for developing strength, and speed.

To get the most out of your hill training session, here's a few important tips to follow.

Firstly, why is hill running effective?

In the same way as athletes lift heavier weights to build strength, hills offer greater resistance hence greater force requirements to run. While track running is great for developing leg speed and pace, it's hills that force us to generate maximum force. As such, you get stronger at running. Not only that, but running hills forces us to pick our feet up and drive our knees forward, keeps our feet under our hips, and encourages glue drive - all vital ingredients to good running form!

In addition to this, we can target all three types of muscles fibres at the same time - fast twitch that are powerful but fatigue quickly, intermediate and slow twitch that are less powerful but more fatigue resistant as these work aerobically benefiting endurance athletes. As a result of this effect, hill training is great for sprinters and endurance athletes alike.

As we run hills we recruit these fibres in order; slow twitch first, add intermediate ad fast twitch when our force requirement if greatest. With this in mind, we can design our hills session to the recommended duration and intensity to target the most relevant fibre types.

love the hill run!

What session is best for our Endurance ( marathon ) athletes?

Long Hill Runs:

​The long run is the most important element in the marathoners training program. This is because we need lower intensity, longer duration workouts to build the necessary endurance capabilities of our muscles, thus targeting our slow-twitch fibres.

Adding long hills to your training will help to increase the development and recruitment of all of your slow-twitch fibres, as well as intermediate fibres as things get tougher the longer the hill, and harder you push.

Try to find a hill that is long, gradual and moderately steep that takes between 4-6 minutes to complete. You can repeat this as a circuit 2-3 times or more as you get stronger and fitter. Ensure you have adequate recovery between hill repeats so that you are running well, and don't get too fatigued. Longer hills should be strong and steady, with good form and within your aerobic threshold.

Alternately, if long hills are a bit hard to find ( inner Melbourne ) you can find a shorter hill, say 400m as per Anderson Street, at the Tan is ideal. You can push this a bit harder but still stay comfortably hard, and repeat 4-8 times as you progress.

Look for hills that take 30 seconds, 60 seconds, 90 seconds and perform repeats with as much as 2-4 minutes recovery between sets. You'll be working up toward your lactate threshold a bit more with these, so again plenty of recovery to maintain good form and quality of your running.

Finally, very few weeks try to incorporate an undulating hilly run as your Long Run, or maybe a trail run for a similar effect.

Hills runs work. Do these every 2-3 weeks, not too often and you'll feel the benefits soon enough.

Train Smart. Run Well. Race Better.

It's Not About the Shoes, or is it?!

Recently, I came across another article about running form changes wearing different running shoes. Essentailly this compares the foot strike pattern between a runner or runners wearing barefoot, minimalist and standard running shoes.

This particular article is written by well known and respected runner & author, Pete Larson on his very popular Run Blogger website. This site is a valuable resource with alot of very good information for runners. For those readers who continue to find this information confusing, this article is a very good summary of what I believe are accurate findings.

In essence he summarises the research data well in that;

1. Barefoot running is different and no shoe perfectly replicates the barefoot condition. Running barefoot, particularly on a hard surface, increases the likelihood that a runner will adapt a midfoot or forefoot strike. Running barefoot will also generally result in an increased stride rate and decreased stride length.

2. Running in a shoe with no cushioning will simulate some aspects of barefoot running, but will not necessarily simulate the barefoot condition perfectly.

3. Running in a “minimal” shoe with a moderate amount of cushioning is unlikely to alter form very much, particularly foot strike. In other words, if cushioning is present, a heel striking runner is unlikely to move to a midfoot or forefoot strike.

The results of this study suggest a gradation of effect of running footwear on form. None of the shoes mimicked the barefoot condition perfectly, even the minimal shoe with no cushion. When barefoot, the runners had the smallest amount of ankle dorsiflexion, a higher cadence, and a shorter stride. The zero cushion shoe yielded similar results to barefoot for foot strike, and had intermediate values for ankle angle. Stride rate decreased incrementally from the zero cushion shoe to the standard shoe, and step length increased incrementally from the zero cushion to the standard shoe.

What does this mean to you, the runner who might be looking to change their running shoes, or your style?

This data suggesst that a change to a minimalist shoe type, provided it has little cushioning can change your foot striking pattern and hence change your stride rate and length. I believe these factors are important in reducing your impact load and improving your running efficiency. Running efficiency nasically means getting on and off the ground quickly (ground contact time) which will also help your running economy ( the amoujt of energy you spend doing it), as well as reduce the risk of injury from mechanical overload.

And so this is why I say, "it's not all about the shoes." What I mean by that, is that if you put a runner with poor running form into a pair of minimalist of barefoot shoes, they will still be a poor runner. Whilst it might alter their gait somewhat, this doesn't make them a better runner without the proper training and understanding to assist in the process of changing running tecnique.

Running technique is a skill. This skill can be taught, learned and must be practised to become a better runner. Better runners are strong, efficient and economical. All of these traits are learned and practised and importantly take time to develop. This should be the focus of the runner who is looking to alter their running form., and must be considered by the runner looking to dramatically change their running shoes.

If you want to change your running shoes to a more minimalist variant, you must consider that this process requires time to adapt & strengthen your legs and feet, at the same time as working on developing different motor patterns to facilitate the process of changing your running form.

Science has shown that people do typically run differently in minimal shoes, they are not the same as running barefoot, and injury rates among those transitioning into minimal shoes aren’t any differentthan those who continue to use a traditionally cushioned running shoe (though the types/location of injuries likely differ).

Importantly, this process must be approached slowly and gradually to allow the appropriate neuromotor changes and muscle conditioning to occur, thus reducing your risk of acquiring injury.

As always Run Well.

Coming soon, "what shoe to choose next?"

Run A Marathon, change your life!

Running a marathon is an experience that is difficult to put into words. For many it represents a significant experience in their lives, one that they will never forget, as it changes them.

As we approach and enter another Melbourne Marathon campaign, I'd like to share some of my favourite quotes about marathon running that help to describe the physical and mental challenges of the most famous 26.2 mile (42.195km) race. These will inspire, motivate, or maybe frighten you a little.

If you're up for the challenge, now is the time to commit. But be warned, it may just change your life!

““Of all the races there is no better stage for heroism than a marathon”.
”

— George Sheehan, running author

“The marathon is a charismatic event. It has everything. It has drama. It has competition. It has camaraderie. It has heroism. Every jogger can’t dream of being an Olympic champion, but he can dream of finishing a marathon.”

— Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon co-founder

““We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon.””

— Emil Zatopek, Czech runner, Olympic champion.

““The marathon can humble you.””

— Bill Rodgers, 8 x Marathon champion.

““If you feel bad at 10 miles, you’re in trouble. if you feel bad you’re normal. if you don’t feel bad at 26 miles, you’re abnormal.””

— Rob de Castella, winner 1983 World Marathon Championships.

““Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional””

— Haruki Murakami

““Anyone can run 20 miles. It’s the next 6 that count””

— Barry Magee, Olympic marathoner, author.

““I’ve learned that finishing a marathon is more than just an athletic achievement. it’s a state of mind; a state of mind that anything is possible.””

— John Hanc, running writer

I could keep going, but better stop there. This stuff gives me tingles, butterflies as most who have gone through the same experience can attest.

It is often said that the hardest part of the marathon is getting through the training, getting to the start line. I couldn't agree more with that statement. That doesn't mean go easy in your training, quite the opposite. That means your training program and how you complete it is vital to your success. This is where many get it wrong, resulting in becoming a non finisher or even worse a non starter. It is very important you get this right from the start.

The objective of a good personalised program is;

1.    Get you to the start line in one piece. This means well prepared, with a race plan, and injury free.

2.    Allow you to the finish the race feeling strong, elated, and more than a bit tired!

3.    Meet your realistic goal race time or perhaps better it.

At Run Well, we can help you to have a successful marathon experience, whether it's your first time , or you are training for a personal best.

Enquire here for your free program assessment, or to ask how we can help you.