By Coach Brendon

It doesn't matter if you are training for a Marathon, 1/2 Marathon, 10km fun run or 10km Walk. There are some basic points to remember when preparing for a foot race.

Get good shoes. The number one thing to do when starting preparation for a marathon is to ensure that you are not going to have problems from poor shoes. My advice is to go to a shoe store that has runners who will fit you out. If you have had problems with your feet you may be better off seeing a podiatrist first who can recommend a shoe that will suit your feet. Don't skimp on good socks either, purchase a few good pairs and make sure that you try on new shoes with the sock that you intend to use with them.

Sort out any injuries particularly those related to the lower leg or back BEFORE YOU START. If you need to do this get it done pronto, you do not want to be trying to fix these problems in training when it really counts 4-6 weeks from the event.

What are the key points to remember when training for a marathon?

There are many common mistakes to avoid these include the following:

• Blindly believing that the more training you do the better you will go in the Marathon. If you do more than you are ready for you will get injured, very tired, sick or all of these. Be realistic about what you can handle, see the basic program below or contact us for a personalized plan.
• Starting training too early. If you are running hard now, how much energy are you likely to have for the training 4 to 6 weeks out from the event when it really counts? Best option is to have two smaller periods of training with 8-10 days of easy running between them. I like the idea of running for 10 weeks increasing slowly and undertaking a 1/2 marathon followed by 8-10 days without too much training and a 12 week buildup to the event itself.
• Running too fast in training. A heart rate monitor and a test to determine your correct training zones can go a long way towards avoiding training too fast. If you are going to run 5min 15sec per km in the Marathon, what's the point of doing lots of training around 4min 30sec. I can understand why you might want to do some training faster than what you intend to race at but I don't see any point in doing most of your training too fast.
• Running too fast at the start of the marathon itself. Having a good solid race day plan and sticking to a predetermined schedule is very important. can help with race day strategies and advice which will help you make the most out of your training.

Basic Marathon Program for a 3 1/2 to 4 hour marathoner

Distances are in Km, you can convert it to time by multiplying by 5 or 6 minutes depending on your running speed

Basic Half-Marathon Program for a 1 3/4 and 2 hrs hour Half-Marathoner

Distances are in Km, you can convert it to time by multiplying by 5 or 6 minutes depending on your running speed

Basic 10 km program for 45 min run

Basic 10 km program for Walking

In the 10km programs, your Saturday training could be moved to Sunday if that suits you better. If you are training for the 10km event and your goal is to finish, do not start training too early. This is unnecessary and may even make you tired by the time the event comes around. In the weeks leading up to the start of this program do some walking or running but also undertake some other sports. The most important thing to remember when training for a specific event is that the training 2-3 weeks before the event is the most important.

Happy Training!

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