L?express-outlook continues its 18-week countdown with one training program for beginners and one for seasoned runners. How are you doing? If you haven?t started training yet, there?s still time. The International Marathon of Mauritius is open to everybody, so join in. Start by completing the miles scheduled for this week, but reduce the distances in next week?s schedule. Give yourself a chance to catch up.

This is a ?stepback? week. As the distance progressively builds, every third week (up to week 7) the distance is reduced allowing the body time to recover from the last 2 weeks increase. Rest is important. This week, also concentrate on pre- training and post-training routines. It is important to adopt effective warm-up, stretching and cool down routines. If not, poor performance and injury could result.

Warming up gradually prepares you physically and mentally for the session. Warm-up is generally in 3 stages: gentle loosening exercises, then jogging and finally stretching.

Gentle loosening exercises include skipping, side stepping, arm swinging, any exercise to loosen and relax by the time you start jogging.

The jogging component aims to warm the cold muscles before stretching. Jog for 5 to 10 minutes, longer for harder training sessions or a short race in colder weather. Include this warm-up jog as part of your training distance.

Stretch all major muscle groups of the body as part of a warm-up. Perform 3 stretches per muscle group. The stretch should be gradual, building up to a comfortable tension. If the tension increases whilst holding the stretch then relax. Do not bounce. Hold each stretch for 15 to 20 seconds. As long as discomfort is not experienced, stretches can be held longer. Always try to do the following Basic Stretches: Calf Muscle (back of lower leg): Stand with your palms flat against a wall at eye level. Place one foot in front of the other. Bend your front knee keeping the foot flat on the floor. Keep the back leg straight with the foot flat on the floor. Lean forwards on your hands and push the heel of your back foot to the ground. Hold that position. Repeat for the opposite side.

Hamstring (back of upper leg): Stand upright. Place one leg on a low wall or chair keeping this leg horizontal. Keeping your back slightly arched, lean forward towards your raised foot keeping your head up, looking forward. Repeat for the other leg.

Quadriceps (thighs): Standing upright lift one heel off the ground towards the buttocks holding your ankle with your one hand. Pull your heel into your buttocks with your pelvis tilted inwards, tucking your buttocks under your body. Hold and repeat for the other leg.

Gluteals (buttocks): Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Cross one leg over the other, resting your ankle on the opposite knee. Hold the bent knee and pull it towards your chest while lying back on the floor. Repeat for the other leg.

Adductors (groin): Stand upright with one leg placed on a low wall, in front and slightly to the side of you. Keep the leg straight, foot pointing upwards. Arching your back, slightly bend your weight bearing leg to feel the stretch inside of the thigh, into the groin. For greater emphasis, turn the upper body in the opposite direction at the same time. Repeat for the other side.

<B>Cooling down</B> is as important as the warm-up. Having finished a good training session, don?t just suddenly stop. End the session with easy jogging or fast walking to return the heart and lungs to their normal rates (over a 10 minute period). This will also flush out waste products built up in the muscles. Follow by gentle stretching. Hold the stretch positions for 20 to 30 seconds. Repeat stretches 3 times.

<B>Strength Training</B> helps increase speed and endurance. These include lunges for lower body, crunches for abdominal muscles, bench presses for upper body and curls for biceps. If you know how to do strength exercises, include them in your schedule. If you are unsure, then limit yourself to stretching or get guidance from a gym instructor.

<B>Pace Training</B> is an important component in marathon training. If you know your marathon target pace, intermediate runners should train at it on Saturday. If you don?t know yet, we?ll cover it in a couple of weeks.