Olwen's Sunday Training Group

If you would like to join Olwen's Sunday morning training group then the next training run will start at 9.00am on 26th February.  This is a mixed ability group and we do stay together as a group and support one another. The abilities range from 8-12 minute milers and the good thing about this is that there is no pressure on anyone  to race their run - you can stride out and jog back or you can take it easy and chat all the way round.
 
This Sunday (26th Feb) we will head off from the windmill Wimbledon Common Windmill  to do the popular Battersea Park run, passing through Earlsfield, Wandsworth, Clapham, Battersea Park, Chelsea Harbour, Hurlingham and Putney, back to the Windmill. Distance approximately 15 miles.
 
Our Sunday running preparation for the London Marathon is detailed below:
 
08 Jan, Teddington Lock- 11 miles 
15 Jan, Hampton Court Park - 12 miles
22 Jan, Marble Hill Park - 12 miles
29 Jan, Syon House - 13 miles
05 Feb, Bushy Park - 14 miles
12 Feb, Chiswick House, Putney - 15 miles
19 Feb, Hampton Court Park - 15 miles (also Brighton Half Marathon)
26 Feb, Battersea Park - 15 miles
04 Mar, Roehampton gate, Ham, Kingston - 16 miles
11 Mar, Kingston gate, Bushy Park, Teddington Lock - 17 miles
18 Mar, Ladderstile gate, Morden - 18 miles
25 Mar, Hampton Court Park, Bushy Park - 20 miles
01 Apr, Kingston, Ham, Petersham gates, Syon House - 14-15 miles
08 Apr, Richmond Park, Sheen Common, Palewell Common - 11 miles
15 Apr, Richmond Park - 6-7 miles
 
General Race/Training Advice
 
Marathon Training schedules - why do you need to follow a schedule? The first month is your foundation period when you learn to run consistently on three to five days per week (according to how your schedule is laid out). This first month is tough because as you build up stamina you feel constantly tired. But it is a significant part of marathon training to allow your body to adapt to the extra demands. The second month becomes easier as you start to feel stronger and the runs become more manageable. The third month is tough again as the Sunday runs become progressively longer. This is the hardest section. (It's similar to track training, where the third rep or the third set is always the most difficult). This third month also prepares you mentally and physically to cope with all those extra demands. The final month is the part of the schedule that everyone looks forward to - the tapering period. After your longest run, it's all downhill. It is vital to taper, quite dramatically, so that you recover fully from the preparation and arrive refreshed and focused on marathon day. If you do not prepare properly you will struggle.
Everyone can reach twenty miles, but it's from this point that the marathon starts. If you haven't prepared properly and do not have the fitness, strength, stamina and determination that you would have gained from your four months of training, you risk having a very tough and disappointing marathon. Likewise, if you over-train or do not allow a significant period for tapering your marathon will be a struggle.
Hydration is vital to health. If you don't do so already, train your body to drink more water - on a daily basis - not only on running days. Six to eight glasses a day is ideal. Keep a constant check on your urine - light is good, dark signifies dehydration. Build up to drinking one to two pints of water on the morning of your long run then you will find that you do not dehydrate so much during that run. If you dehydrate during a run you risk losing at  least 10% efficiency. You will slow down and become sluggish as your body struggles to continue working.  Dehydration affects you first physically, then mentally and finally, emotionally.
To maintain energy levels some runners carry gels or jelly babies. Experiment with different brands to find the one that suits you before race day. They do make a big difference to your energy levels. Some runners take two-three gels during the course of a 15 mile run.
Shoes are a significant cause of injury, especially if you are wearing the wrong type of shoe or if the cushioning wears out.  Replace shoes at least every six months or after about 300-400 miles and have a gait analysis carried out in the shop to find the correct style to suit your needs. Biomechanics change over the years, with bad posture, slouching, etc, so it does no harm to have a gait analysis carried out every so often. Or, better still, you could start running barefoot. Take your shoes off and do your warm down run in bare feet. This is an excellent way to realign and strengthen all the muscles, tendons and ligaments in the feet and correct biomechanical faults. Performed on a regular basis you will notice an improvement in your running style and feel less discomfort in your feet and knees, enabling you to wear the new 'barefoot' running shoes out on the market. Try it; it works!
Contact details for Olwen: Tel. 0208 949 6345 Mob. 07941 898 896 email: olwenseear@gmail.com
 website www.sportsmassage-kt3.co.uk
 
Note that this training session is in addition to the regular Sunday club runs that start at 9.30am and 10.00am.