Run before the marathon

Don't just put on your running shoes and speed off. There's serious work to be done before you can enter this big race.

Even though Ashish Roy is 75 years old, he is all set for October 28. At his age, running a marathon might seem to be a daunting task. But Roy remains unfazed. Having run marathons all over the globe, he knows how to prepare "" and he starts a month in advance, something which most fitness experts prescribe. "If you think that one fine day you get up and run a marathon, you won't be able to last a couple of kilometres," he says.

According to Nisha Varma, a fitness trainer with Reebok, participating in a marathon requires at least a month of preparation for a normal person. In fact, even professional runners need a similar amount of time to work themselves up into the right condition.

How does one run a marathon? There certainly are people who do it for fun, and probably don't last the distance. But there are many others who take marathons very seriously and are not even professional runners. So how do they go about it?

"Start with brisk walking for a week," says Varma, "to test and build your stamina." After a week of brisk walking, move on to the next level, which involves interval training. Interval training includes jogging and brisk walking, which, according to Varma, should be divided into three minutes of walking and two minutes of jogging. Again, interval training lasts for about a month, and one has to do it for 40 minutes every day.

The next step is fast jogging and running for shorter durations. A stretch and warm up is a must every day during the lead up as well as for the marathon. For professional runners, two things matter most: speed and timing. So they gradually move from jogging to running, for a week each. During the last week before the marathon, they run for shorter durations but at a faster speed.

One also has to mix up the running sessions. For instance, on one day you should have long runs as well as short runs.

Sanjoy Mukherji, operations director, north, Vodafone, will be running his second marathon this time. "For me the marathon is about running from the heart, rather than for the brawn," he says.

Vineet Kumar, sales manager, ABN Amro, Delhi, will run his first marathon next week. He started preparing two months in advance. For someone like him who was "never into running", it started off with normal walks and slowly moved to running. "It's not about speed for me, my ultimate goal is to finish the 21-km marathon."

Diet is another area one should keep a close check on. Prior to a marathon, one should avoid foods which can raise the cholesterol level and slow down the heart. Healthy eating should be the mantra, of course combined with regular exercising. A carbohydrate-based diet is recommended by Varma, something which most people swear off when trying to lose weight. "Carbs improve the energy levels and strengthen the muscles, something which is required prior to a marathon," she says. Running a marathon is not at all about speed; it's about stamina and how resilient your body is. Having fruits too helps in this case, as they can help you generate a lot of energy.

While running a marathon, have water, but carry an energy drink as well. "Having only water helps in rehydrating and one should have lots of it while running, but mix it with an energy drink to balance the fluid intake," says Varma.

Roy, who is looking forward to running another marathon, maintains that it is critically important to test your endurance levels. "Once a week

I try to go all out and see how I cope with that, as it helps me to know how my stamina and endurance levels are."

Indoor running can help to a certain extent, but there's nothing better than an outdoor run. For people who start running just a month before the marathon, the most important aspect is to keep track of the runs. Keep a record of times, distances and other things to monitor progress continuously. So if you are late getting started for this marathon, start preparing for the next one now!