Saturday Scribble - August 31st, 2019 - The last days of Summer

Yep, it's the last day of August - Where has the year gone? And as summer comes to an end (Did we have one this year?), the clock starts to speed up its countdown to the Big Prize for many - DCM. Only 8 weeks away now, and the training should all be about getting fine tuned for the Bank Holiday Weekend on the East Coast.

You should be feeling worn out every day, at least, if you've been getting in the miles over July & August. If you haven't been able to stick to your plans, don't go mad and start trying to play catch up - Work away gradually over the next 7 weeks (note I say 7, the last week is for tapering), try and build up by no more than 10%, do NOT jump from, say, your longest run of 10 miles, to suddenly try and do a 20 miler, it will hurt, and will not benefit you come October.

Don't worry about that feeling of tiredness, keep with your plan, get those long runs in, but ensure you run them at the right speed - Don't leave your best Marathon on the streets of Drogheda, or Sandymount Strand, keep your Long Runs slow and steady, slower pace than you plan to run on Marathon Day, and believe in yourself - That's the most important part of running a Marathon, especially if its your first - Belief... You can do it.

I appreciate that not everyone is aiming for a Marathon, we are all at different stages of our running journeys. After my long lay off (and still missing in action, or inaction!), my target is to regain some fitness to be able to run a #parkrun, with my long run to be 3 km! We all have our own targets, so don't get put off by all the fantastic marathon posts, we all started somewhere, and for many the Marathon has never been a goal, the target can be any distance - Remember, its your Target.

I'll love you and leave you to go out running now, be it a training run, your local #parkrunie , a race around the island, or maybe a rest day today with a long run tomorrow. Wherever you may be in your running life, have fun, smile when you run, say hi as you pass a fellow runner on your trails, and remember, ENJOY!