Run for the Kids training program

AHEAD of this year’s Run for the Kids event, Steve Moneghetti wants to get participants “running fit” as participants hit the halfway mark in their training.

Steve Moneghetti wants to get participants “running fit”. Picture: Mark Stewart

WE are now well on our journey to be prepared for the big event on March 18, with Thursday of this week marking the halfway point in our training.

It seems like only yesterday that I was welcoming you to a new year and yet here we are about to go around the cone to begin our run for home.

The focus of this week is to keep building the long run, ­especially for the long course as we are only up to one-third of the event distance so far.

The reassuring thing is that in our four days of exercise this week, our total distance will be close to our race goal of 15km.

In the case of the short event, while again we are less than half the race distance in our Sunday long run, we are actually comfortably over race length in our total week.

This is important because running is a very specific ­activity. I often have discussions with people who tell me they will be fine to do a particular event because they exercise at least six days a week and are very fit, which is true.

But then I delve deeper and find they are running only once or twice a week and I tell them they are not “running fit” and they stare back at me with a quizzical look.

These are often the ones who blast out of the starting gate when the gun goes off looking a million dollars but to whom we give an encouraging word as we skip past them in the second half of the race.

This is also a case in point that it is not one day or even one week but the full nine weeks of our preparation that turn us into consistent runners who will enjoy and even thrive on event day.

WEEK 5 — FEBRUARY 11-17

LONG COURSE

Sun: 35min run (5km)

Mon: Rest

Tues: 5min walk, 20min of 1min run/1min walk, 5min walk (3.5km)

Wed: Rest

Thur: 5min walk, 20min run, 5min walk (4km)

Fri: 10min walk (1km)

Sat: Rest

SHORT COURSE

Sun: 15min run (2km)

Mon: Rest

Tue: 5min walk, 5min of 1min run/1min walk, 5min walk (1.5km)

Wed: Rest

Thu: 5min walk, 5min run, 5min walk (1.5km)

Fri: 10min walk (1km)

Sat: Rest