Here's how to start training for The Echo Women's Mini Marathon now...
A group of supporters who took part in The Echo Women's Mini Marathon for the Irish Cancer Society, in previous years. Picture: Jim Coughlan.
For many people, taking part in The Echo Women’s Mini Marathon might be their first foray into running. It can seem like there is a mountain to climb when you start training. However, this year’s reduced route of 5km is the ideal distance to aim for, especially if you never did it before as it’s more compact.
Just remember, you don’t have to run the whole 5km start to finish — you can alternate between running, jogging and walking — just do what feels comfortable for you.
I’ve put together a few tips for training ahead of race day, which will hopefully help on the day too.
This training style is very popular. Think of it as an interval-style run. You choose how many minutes you want to run for, followed by how many minutes you want to walk. For example, you could run for three minutes and then walk for two, and repeat that a few times — or you could run for seven, walk for three, etc. This builds up stamina while also giving the body a rest.
Some people swear by the Couch to 5k training plans. There are an array of similar apps for your phone that will nudge you when to walk and when to run through your headphones, even while your music is playing. These will start easier and progress to harder runs as the programme nears an end. It’s a great method to keep track of your progress.
Put together a playlist of songs you enjoy, that energise you, and that you can run along with. These will keep you going throughout your runs. If interval-style running doesn’t work for you, you could try running for six songs non-stop, extend by a song every so often, and push it all the way out to 12 or 13 songs, or however many it takes, on the day of the race to complete your 5k.
Some people prefer to run with no music or headphones in. In this case, you could set a timer or an alarm on your phone for whatever length time you want to run. Set it for 20 minutes time if today’s run is for 20 minutes, or for 30 minutes if you want to run for half an hour. This way you’re just running freely with no distance in mind.
Think about routes nearby to you that would equal 5km and those are an option. Or you could run the mini-marathon route itself pre-race day or go somewhere like The Marina and Blackrock Greenway, or Tramore Valley Park and just decide to move for 5km. Aim to finish the 5km by both walking and running, and next time try and improve your time.
To register for The Echo Women's Mini Marathon see https://www.echolive.ie/minimarathon/
App?
