2019-05-01_Runners_World_UK

036 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK MAY 2019

IT WILL

MAKE

YOU A

You can think

yourself faster

Brain power is key to 26.2

success. Boston champ

Desiree Linden writes a

race plan before every

event. This, she says,

breaks a 26.2 down into

manageable chunks. Use

these mental tips from the

analytical marathoner:

Don’t count down the miles /

‘Thinking how bad you’re

hurting with six miles to go

lets you feel sorry for yourself,’

she says. ‘That gives you a

reason to slow down.’ Instead,

break down the race into

segments – the next sign, the

next traffic light. Ask yourself,

Can you pass one person? Can

you pass five?

Make a checklist / Linden’s

race plans include: get out

in a good spot; settle in;

find your pace; find your

breathing pattern; and get

your fluids. Stick to a set

plan and there’s less room

for self-doubt, she adds.

Find your why / Linden is

motivated by doing well for

her team. Your ‘why’ may be

friends and family at the finish

line, or the cash you’re raising

for charity.

Embrace the pain / When you

sign up for a marathon, you’re

volunteering to find out ‘How

much hurt can I put myself

through?’ says Linden. Be

proud of the answer.

POSTRACE

BEER

NO.

The 2018 Virgin Money London Marathon raised a record-breaking

£63.7 million for charity. It also brought the total raised since the

first race, in 1981, to more than £955 million, which means that on

April 28, the 39th London Marathon will pass the £1bn mark.

NO.

4

NO.

Whether you break the tape to claim

a Marathon Major win after years of

near misses, like Shalane Flanagan at

New York in 2017 (p35) and Desiree

Linden at Boston in 2018 (no.2), or

you finish just ahead of the sweeper

van, you have conquered what

London Marathon founder Chris

Brasher dubbed ‘the great suburban

Everest’. You have run a marathon

and that confers instant hero status.

THE GOOD IT’S DONE

FOR WORTHY CAUSES

Kona brewing company Longboard

Island Lager, £2.99, Wholefoods