SUPPORT NETWORK
Your questions answered
Here to tackle niggles, from run-walk naysayers to safe snow running and inspiring your kids to run. And how a cuppa after a run can cure the winter chills
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Q I’m currently training for a marathon with a cut-off of 6h30 and was upset to see a comment on the race website that a marathon is a ‘serious’ running event and that people should not consider walking. I’ve done several half marathons and to date I’ve never walked but I don’t think people should feel shame for doing so. This knocked my confidence and there’s now a little niggle in my head which says I’m not a ‘proper’ runner or someone taking the event ‘seriously’ because I’ll be at the back. Do you have any tips for me and others who may be daunted by comments like the one I mentioned?
A Anyone willing to tackle a marathon is a ‘very serious’ runner in my opinion, and you should never let the ‘naysayers’ stop you from running marathons. Walk-running an event is a perfectly sensible way to finish a marathon as it dramatically reduces your risk of injury and makes the event less stressful physically and mentally. It also means you’ll recover more quickly afterwards. I’ve walked in the vast majority of the 110 marathons and ultras I’ve done and actually found that I was 10 minutes faster the first time I did so compared with running the whole way. My two books, Running Made Easy and Your Pace or Mine?, are full of stories of the marathons in which I, and those I know, walked some of the way, and you can definitely finish a marathon in under 6h30 by doing so. Good luck! LJ