The ten most important rules for training for running or walking a marathon

Give yourself time and be consistent. You need at least three months of training to have the stamina to complete a marathon. So, whether you have three months or six months to go before the big day, get your shoes on and start your training now! Be consistent. Have a training plan that progressively increases the mileage covered and stick to it week after week, month after month.

Get time on your feet. It’s not so much the mileage or speed; but time spent running and walking that prepares you for completing the marathon. Very gradually build up to doing one weekly run that is up to three hours duration; or, if you are walking, your goal is four hours on your feet. This is your goal about 4-6 weeks out from the marathon, after which you ever so gradually reduce so that you are fresh and raring to go on race day!

Make your journey to the marathon interesting and fun. Try making every training session different from the last one. Explore new places. Organise mystery runs with your mates. Get lost and get very fit. Play “chase” now and then. Do the occasional day-long or multi-day hike (Even if you are a runner, a long hike in the bush is wonderful physical conditioning).

Do not over-train and ensure you recover. You only need to do three long runs or walks per week (Plus one short, faster one, if you are really serious). While you should be active on the day in-between, you must ensure that you are as close to fully recovered before the next long training session. Make every fourth week a relatively easy “recovery” week. Have your regular training partners; but do the majority of your training on your own so that you go at your pace and distance and do not risk being constantly dragged along too far and hard too often by others. The risk of injury and illness is too high.

Run or walk mostly on trails. Training on roads and pavements is especially hard on the legs; especially if there is an unrelenting off-camber. Train on trails that vastly reduce the impact shock and which vary the stresses on the legs with every stride. You will find you can go longer and faster and still recover in time for the next session.

Eat a nutrient rich diet. Your body cannot recover properly or build strong, healthy tissue if your diet is lacking in essential nutrients. Have a home made Super Smoothie that contains proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, essential oils and antioxidants within an hour of finishing each training session.

Keep hydrated. Weigh yourself before and after a training session: If you lose 1kg then you must replace this by drinking 1kg of fresh water (1 liter), plus an extra ½ liter for good measure over the hour of finishing. You will later be able to dispense with the weighing because you will have learned to listen to your body signals. Got the idea?

Get plenty of rest and quality sleep. Ideally, you want to have a sit-down job, rather than one that has you on your feet all day. It is during deep sleep that your body produces its daily peak of growth hormone that stimulates repair and growth. Be in bed and asleep by 11pm every night and get 7-8 hours of sleep.

Treat injuries before they incapacitate. Unless you fall over, or are run over by a bus, running and walking injuries happen slowly. Cut your training short and take a compulsory four day rest the moment there is a hint of an injury and then gradually work your way back into training. The same rule applies to illnesses like colds. Follow this rule, and others, and you will never have to visit a health professional about a training related ailment.

Listen to your Inner Voice. The most important rule has been saved for last. You are a living being – not a mindless automaton. Learn to listen to your Inner Voice. If it is telling you to stop, then stop; if it is telling you that you can go further or faster, then do it; if it is telling you that you need more water or food, then give yourself some; if it is telling you that you need a few days break, then do it. Ignore your Inner Voice at your peril – illness, injury and mental staleness are the inevitable consequences. Listen carefully to your Inner Voice and you will thoroughly enjoy your training and you will complete the marathon with a personal best.

Training advice for running Rotorua Marathon

Gary,
I've done quite a few Rotoruas & intend doing the 2007 also.
BUT from 12 Feb to 9 Mar I'll be away on extended overseas trip (skiing).Great fun but lttle opportunity for safe running - from previous experience won't manage more than 1 to 2 hours per week - weather and underfoot snow limited.
I should be up to the 3 hour ++ runs by beginning of Feb.What should I try immediately on my return?
Some background :age 65 in March,Last year did 4.35 with not much training.Expect a bit under 4:30 this time if I don't bend myself skiing!Skiing in Colorado so some beneficial altitude effects anticipated - staying & skiing @ 9000ft & above.
Regards "Peter"
_______________________
Gary Moller comments:

Peter, with your years of running behind you, and with a few months to go upon your return, you should have no problems with being ready to run Rotorua.

The altitude will help with keeping the heart and circulation going. Why not try x-country skiing every 2nd and 3rd day? There is good x-country skiing where you are going. This will really work the legs and the lungs.

If possible, you should still try to do a regular jog, even if it is very short at the end of the day. While skiing is very good conditioning, it still is not running.

Upon your return, restrain the tempatation to launch right into the running. Give yourself time to adapt to the new time zone and for the leg muscles to get used to running again. Run trails to start with and bear in mind that your cardiovascular fitness from all that time at altitude may be a tad ahead of the legs. So take care not to injure the legs during the first few weeks.

Finally, you do not need to run longer than 3 hours in training. If you can run 3 hrs nice and steady - don't go longer or faster - concentrate on the shorter runs during the week and do one or two of them faster and enter a few 5-10km races.

Starting running for the first time

Before you run out the door, let’s get real about running:

• Running is a high impact activity:
• it has high injury rates as compared to low impact activities like swimming and bicyclingNot everyone is suited for running
• Just as there are “horses for courses” the same can be said of people.
• The person best suited for running is a lightly muscled, light boned person with little body weight.
• Most durable runners are less than 75kg body weight
• Get fit before you take up running
• That means ensuring that you have a strong heart and circulation
• That you have strong, flexible foot and leg musclesThat you are not carrying too much excess body fat
• Start injury free
• If you have any injuries affecting your lower back or lower, then deal with them before you take up running

How to get fit to run

• Do at least three months of a mix of the following:
• Walk before you run
• Brisk power walking for 30 minutes 3 times a week (this is your most important exercise)
• As fitness improves, jog a few minutes, gradually increasing the jog in relation to the walking.
• Swimming 2-3 times a week
• Aqua jogging using the combination of Kermitts and Aquafins
• Bicycling
• Gym workouts, including weights and cardio equipment – go for a hydraulics circuit workout if you can find a gym with it
• Stretch yoga style each evening

Seek professional advice about any injury or health issues (You may contact Gary Moller to discuss any injury or health issues)

Footwear and clothing

• As a general rule of thumb, if you have good feet and weigh less than 75kg, you can go for a lighter shoe that has less shock absorption
• A heavier person needs a shoe that has more shock absorption
• Ensure that the shoe has a flexible forefoot and not an inflexible board (the most common fault in running shoes), otherwise the Achilles tendon and calf will be under enormous strain
• Seek a firm heel counter that cups the heel bone securely and does not slowly collapse as the weeks and months pass
• Wear a soft fabric against the skin on very long runs to reduce chafing of sensitive part like the nipples and armpitsIf chafing of the inner thigh and crutch are a problem, try wearing a pair of bike pant style lycra underwear against the skin

Nutrition on the run
Start early with good nutrition to build up your body's reserves before the big distances and high intensity training kinck in.

• Read the pages on this website about nutrition and the various training guides and E-publications
• Consider taking a quality sports multi such as Nutra-Life Sports Multi
• Contact Gary Moller for more specific advice, if need be.

Exclusive: Kenya's Training Secrets Revealed!

Two weeks spent mixing with the African powerhouses of international sport, including the Kenyans was a coach's dream come true! That was my experience as the cycling coach in charge of the Cook Islands cycling team (1 cyclist) at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

What astonished me was the modesty of these world beaters. On one occasion, the head of the Kenyan running team asked me for advice about what he could do to be a better coach. Fortunately, I was sitting down at the time, otherwise I would have fallen over! My advice to him was to keep doing the basics well and to never lose sight of them. So, what are the Kenyan basics? Here they are - revealed for the very first time:

• Be born at altitude and into poverty
• Be raised on a low calorie whole foods diet
• Have no shoes
• Run or walk several miles to and from school
• Carry heavy water containers several miles a day
• Till the fields by hand
• Round up the goats and cattle
• At 18yrs, win a scholarship to train with a running squad in the city where you are mentored by current and past world champions
• Do a few months of hard interval training then;

Race for your life!