Article
10 Short Steps to a Summer Marathon
With the holiday season drawing to a close, make 2012 the year you finally keep the most common of New Years’ Resolutions: get fit!
Running is one of the best ways to improve your fitness levels and shed extra pounds – you can start off as gently as you like, you can do it anywhere, and it doesn’t cost a thing.
While New Year’s resolutions often don’t last past January, the end goal of a race date helps to focus your training so you won’t be tempted to stray from your running regime, especially if you’re running with a friend.
Whatever your fitness level, there’s still plenty of time for you to work towards taking part in a race over the summer.
Best of all? You can help CLAPA by getting your friends and family to sponsor you. Our runners provide thousands of pounds in sponsorship money to CLAPA every year, and make a huge contribution to our work. You can be a part of that, even if you’ve never run before. Just follow our 10 short steps to a summer marathon!
1. The New Year is a time for taking stock, so before you decide on anything it’s important to think realistically about how fit you are and what you can achieve in the time you have. If you’ve never run before, you may wish to stick to a 5 or 10k run before tackling anything larger.
Setting achievable goals means you’re less likely to get disheartened and back out halfway through – and remember, there’s always next year to try again. If you are a beginner and are aged over 35, you may also want to think about seeing your doctor.
2. Find a run near you which you think you can tackle, and sign up as soon as you can – if you leave it too late then all the places may be snapped up! If you can get a friend or family member to sign up with you, all the better.
If you're looking for something a little more extreme, have a look at the London 2 Brighton Challenge which already has a number of our fundraisers training hard.
Please note: as it is very expensive for charities to buy places on runs, we do not have any on offer except for the London 10K, and places for that are filling up fast. You will have to cover any entrance fee yourself if you wish you take part in a different run, though this is typically not more than £15.
3. Tell us! We would love to hear from you, and we will help you however we can. We can also send you a running vest or t-shirt as well as sponsor forms and anything else you might need. Email or call 020 7833 4883 to get in touch.
4. Set up an online sponsorship page on Virgin Money Giving or Just Giving and put in as much information as you can – a backstory, photos and a sincere thank you message really helps to sell your page to visitors. Publicise it as much as you can using facebook and twitter – you can even try asking celebrities to retweet the link to your page to get more exposure. Sponsorship forms are more difficult as you have to chase after the money once your run is completed, but if you would like some then just let us know when you contact us.
5. Time to get started! Plan your training for the next few months, but be careful not to overdo it at the start. There are a number of websites that can help beginner runners with planning a training regime that will help you get fit without it feeling like a chore. Try Runner’s World’s guide to your first 10k, or the very thorough guide on Do It For Charity.
If you have a smartphone, there are a number of excellent (and free!) apps to keep a record of your running schedule and to help you gradually increase the time you spend running in a way you’ll barely notice. This takes the hassle out of recording your progress and will help you stay on track.
6. If you’re still having trouble motivating yourself, there are a number of things you can try. Treat yourself to a new pair of trainers to get you going, but make sure any new shoes are well broken in by the race day! Focus on why you want to run in the first place – if getting fit isn’t enough of an incentive, think about why you’re raising money for CLAPA. If it is because someone you know has cleft lip or palate then keep a picture of them on the fridge, next to your running schedule, or anywhere else you know you’ll see it a lot. If something interrupts your training, or you start to lose interest, don’t worry – focus on the progress you’ve made and what you can do now that you couldn’t when you started, and get back into it as soon as you can. Having a friend running along with you will keep you motivated and ensure you don’t slip back into old habits.
7. Update your fundraising page with your progress a little while before the race. Tell your supporters how far you’ve come and make sure to spread your page around again to catch anyone who said they’d donate later but hasn’t. New pictures or a short video are a good way to draw more people into actually clicking on your page and hopefully making a donation. Thank your supporters if you can – if you think they would be comfortable with others knowing they made a donation, then make it public by writing on their facebook wall thanking them for their support. You don’t have to mention the amount, but just knowing that others donated can be enough to spur your friends into action.
8. Change it up! Now that you’re feeling fit enough to tackle short runs, why not try something different to add variety? Swimming, cycling or even joining a gym and taking to the cross-trainer will help to boost your stamina and stop you from getting bored of the same thing every session. This is also a great way to find something you may like even more than running, and will help you to continue getting in shape even after your run. Maybe the year after you can be sponsored to do something else such as a swimathon?
9. Prepare for the race by writing your name on your CLAPA t shirt or vest so the crowd can help you along. Some of our supporters have pinned a photo of their child or whoever they are doing it for on their shirt so that spectators will understand what the charity does. Make sure to tell your friends and family about the day of the race so they can come along and cheer for you – watching a race can be a great day out if the weather is good, and the thought of seeing your supporters after the race can help you get to the finish line.
Have a read of what other runners have said about how they prepare for a big race here to get some more top tips.
10. Congratulate yourself on a job well done! After you’ve finished your run think about how far you’ve come since you first laced up your running shoes and about how much money you’ve raised. Many people continue to get donations on the day of the race and for a week or so afterwards, so remember to keep pushing! Let us know when you think the last donation has come in and we’ll send you a certificate to thank you for all your hard work. Don’t forget to send in any pictures!
If you would like to get involved with a run or would like to help CLAPA in any other way, get in touch and the fundraising team will be happy to help you.