So I did a thing. I kind of signed up to a half marathon – and then I kind of actually ran it. Back in November, I was in the mood to make sure I had something in the pipeline that was set to redeem 2020. I guess I was feeling wild? New Year, new 21.1km running me? I don’t know. Either way, I paid the Dhs300 to register for the RAK Half Marathon, then once the money had been debited from my account, (and I had declared my new goal to the whole of Instagram), I knew there was no turning back.
But one does not just get up and run for two hours – unless one is totally insane, in which case, please can one share whatever one is eating and drinking and manifesting. Here is exactly what I did to survive so you can too.
Get a running coach…
If long-distance runs can turn you into a ball of anxiety like moi, you might want to consider getting your very own Tala Elajou. Tala coached me through my last half marathon a couple of years ago, the Creek Striders, which I also didn’t die at, and this year she has helped me smash every single running PB I’ve personally held. You can book a consultation call on her website www.traxcoaching.com, or if you want to window shop for a bit longer, follow her on IG for all the fitness and running tips: @tala.elajou
Be consistent…
This is where your coach comes in handy again… Besides holding me accountable to stay on top of my training, Tala would tweak my training plan based on how busy I was at work, if I was injured, or if I just couldn’t quite face another long run. She also talked me off many ledges when I felt intimidated by all the miles ahead of me.
Get a running watch…
I went into this feeling confident – arrogant, almost – that I had both an Apple Watch and a FitBit. Ha – running would be no match for me, I thought! Well, turns out that these are actually lifestyle watches (?!?!), and are not used by serious runners. So I headed over to Dawson Sport and got myself a Suunto, which meticulously tracked everything from split times to GPS locations. The best part is that I was able to connect it to Tala’s training platform, so every time I finished a run, the data would automatically sync and she was able to see how I was performing down to every last second.
All the gear…
And here are three more products, which I learned the hard way, that your body will literally not cope without on a distance any further than about 11km:
Vaseline
Lather it on anywhere that might rub (under your sports bra, any tight areas of your shorts, in-between your toes…) Dhs5, Shop here.
A Dri-FIT top
This is an innovative polyester fabric designed to help you train harder for longer. Shop here.
A full-support sports bra
A simple and supportive bra with lightweight fabric? It’s a must. Shop here.