| Derek Parker, the club coaching adviser, is available for consultation about training programmes for the many marathon races which are taking place this year eg London, Edinburgh, Belfast, Loch Ness and Dublin.
Training for the marathon requires careful consideration as does the race itself because of the distances involved and the time which the athlete spends on/his her feet exposed to heat/cold/solar radiation/fatigue/dehydration/glycogen depletion/electrolyte depletion etc.
It is not something which should be embarked upon without knowing exactly what is involved.
As most club members will be aware, Derek has had several years of experience coaching top class marathon runners, including Hayley Haining (pb 2.29.18), who achieved two Olympic standards in the event/Kim Fawke whose time of 2 hours 39 minutes ranked her 8th in Britain last year/Eileen Masson (pb 2.43.56) who won two Scottish championship/ Shona Mcintosh, former British Universities marathon champion with a personal best of 2 hours 47 minutes/and Scottish international marathon runner Gerry Fairley whose time of 2.25 set about 30 years ago is still the Kilbarchan AAC record.
Derek has himself run two London marathons and competed in exactly 50 half marathons so he has practical, as well as theoretical, experience of long-distance running.
All consultations are FREE OF CHARGE and can be arranged for before or after training sessions or by telephone.
"Because of the health and safety factors involved, it is essential that all athletes training for such a demanding event as the marathon are equipped with personal training schedules which takes into account their age, ability, experience, fitness, health and time available for training,' says Derek.
"Many athletes are at present following generic (i.e. 'one size fits all') programmes supplied by running magazines or by race organisers. This is fine up to a point but these schedules do not take into account each athlete's individual circumstances. For example, what do you do if your schedule requires you to run 15 miles on a Saturday yet you are not feeling well or have some other commitment on that day?
"Even if athletes prefer to follow these, or indeed their own schedules, it is always advisable discussing them with an experienced marathon coach.
"There is so much more to marathon training and racing than merely running. Health aspects, especially the role of hydration and nutrition (your life could depend on these!!) cannot be under-estimated.
"I shall be glad to help or advise anyone with any questions about their marathon training programmes."
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