Running and training are not the same thing.  I came to that conclusion recently while doing speedwork at a local track.  I know that sounds obvious but you know how you can sometimes come up with something that seemed profound at the time but later seemed glaringly obvious.  That was one of those times.

As a long-time runner, I’ve experienced the joy of fantastic, effortless runs when it felt I could run forever.  I’ve also experienced the leaden feeling of a cold, wet run when both the next step and breath were laboured.  And having run numerous races over the years including Sprint Triathalons for a couple of years, I’ve done my share of ‘putting in the training time’.  I love running…training, not so much.  Which brings me to the topic of today’s post:  Training.

These are some interesting articles to help with your training and get you in top form.  We want you hail and healthy at Reggae Marathon this December:

• So what distance should beginner runners tackle?  At Reggae Marathon we have 10K, Half Marathon and Full Marathon all run on a flat, paved, closed-to-traffic course.  In this article, some good insights:  5K or 10K.
• Can you really run a Marathon without proper training?  Yes it’s possible but definitely not recommended.  In fact, let me go on record:  Dumb idea!  Here’s an article about what happens when you run a marathon without proper training.
• If  you’ve decided that the Reggae Marathon 10K is your ideal distance, here are 7 tried and true training tools.

One of the benefits of proper training is that I’ve grown to love running even more.  And on those days when I really don’t feel like going for a training run, I remember the words of friend and Olympian Carrie Tollefson:  ‘Get after it!’

Until next time…

Photos courtesy of Errol Anderson.