Running the Marrakech Marathon in Morocco 2008
If you’ve been running the same old routes day in and day out, its time to boost your stride by preparing for that marathon you’ve always wanted to run. Why not try something new - something exotic? Why not run the 2008 Marrakesh Marathon or half-marathon in North Africa, Morocco? You probably have the will, but do you have the way? Follow these five simple marathon training tips and you’ll be on your way to finishing your personal record on one of the fastest and flattest courses in the world.
The race begins at 8:30am on January 27, 2008, in Marrakech Morocco. The weather is nearly always perfect with an average temperature around 72 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius). Last years first place winner was Sammy Chumba from Kenya with a time of 2:11:43 while the first place female winner was Alina Staicu from Rome with a time of 2:39:52. In order to run these fast paced times, you’ll need to train like the champs. Though you may be trying for four or five hours, here’s what you can do to improve your personal best.
First, start slow and stay healthy. There’s no reason to run your best the first week you start training and injure yourself by week two. Just as the pyramids weren’t built in a day (contrary to the superstitious) you’ll not get into marathon shape in one day. Think like a pyramid and increase your mileage from the bottom up. That is, build up to that longer run of 15 to 20 miles slowly by increasing your weekly run total by no more than 10% each week, increasing and decreasing every forth week: 20-22-24-20-26-28-30-20 total miles per week, for example.
With this slow building process, you’ll keep yourself free of injuries. New studies have proven that rest not only helps you recover from those difficult runs, but also promotes the muscles to get stronger. Essentially, to run your PR in Marrakesh, Morocco, you’ll only get improvement if you rest and recover. You only need to train 3 to 4 days per week to gain improvement. Recovery runs are fine, but you’re only improving during those few planned runs per week.
Additionally, you must complete your longer runs. Since the Marrakesh Marathon is flat, you should train for speed, not hills. It’s very important to accustom your body and your mind to such a course. Some trainers suggest doing no more than 2 1/2 hours at a time, while others say do longer, but walk between certain distances, while eating and drinking energize bars and juice along the way. Those long runs will help you prepare for that a 26.2 mile race.
One of the most important training tips is eating your carbohydrates. This sort of diet re-energizes the muscles and the mind, while providing energy to all those moving parts: Moroccan couscous or the Moroccan tagine may be on the menu. In addition to carbohydrates, you’ll need to make sure you’re getting enough iron in your diet. It’s extremely important to eat those dark green, leafy veggies and varied colored fruits to boost your body’s natural healing processes, which will help you to maintain peak performance throughout your training.
The last, and probably most important tips to completing the Marrakesh Marathon is to taper down before the race. Tapering is the simple concept (and professionals secret) of giving your body, mind, and legs enough rest to really run effectively. By tapering, or taking 1-2 weeks as easy as you can before race day, but still covering your distance, your simply preparing your trained muscles to perform their best while rested. In turn, when January 27, 2008 comes, your muscles will remember those miles, and you’ll thus feel as good as a camel in the Sahara sands.
Helpful hint: Remember: every mile you race, you should take that number of days to rest and recover.
Journey Beyond Travel hosts a Marathon and half-marathon Morocco tour each year!
By: Terry Hollowell with Journey Beyond Travel
Other races and news:
Morocco Bike Race
Morocco Sahara Race
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October 9th, 2007 at 10:57 am
[…] Marrakech is by far one of the most popular places to buy property. You can have a new house built, buy an already-built home or lease one for a set period of time (usually for a minimum of five years). Agadir, a beach town with foreign appeal, is another great small city to consider. This lively city and popularity amongst tourists in Morocco makes this a profitable place for buying and selling property. The Moroccan property market is currently still growing, and soon to be booming, so it is a great time to jump in and buy your own place or holiday home. […]
November 27th, 2007 at 8:46 am
[…] 11th Pan Arab Games held at Military Academy Stadium. Moroccan runner Brahim Beloua won the Half-Marathon Race in a record time of 1 hour, 2 minutes, 30 […]