7 WEEKS TO GO

• Training Programs
• Training Tip – mental preparation
• Not long before Scottish Half and Team Relay entries close!
• Macmillan Cancer Support
• Get your GPS Tracker now
• Important! Confirm your emergency details
• Need a place to stay? Accommodation from £ 37.50pps
• Asics 2010 Edinburgh Marathon merchandise
• Running for Riley
• Tell us your story

TRAINING PROGRAMMES

TRAINING TIPS – MENTAL PREPARATION

With the weeks leading up to the marathon, mental preparation may be more beneficial than physical preparation, as most of the hard work should be done by this point.  An important part of the mental side of running is to know your surroundings.  An effective strategy used by many athletes is visualisation where they visualise the race, however if you have the chance to run/cycle/drive around the marathon course then do it.  You will feel a lot more reassured if you know where the hills and flat sections are, where are the shady and open parts of the course, where will the water and energy stations be located.  So by rehearsing how you would deal with any set backs which might occur, you will save valuable mental energy on the day.  There is a reason why athletes and football teams do better on their home grounds.  

All athletes feel some degree of apprehension. A marathon is a very long way to run.  These challenges are of course the very allure of marathon running: to do something exceptional that most people never dream of.

When the running gets hard it is important to remember the reason you are out there.  Is it raising vital funds for worthwhile charities, to loose weight, to have the joy of saying to your family or friends “I did it, I ran a marathon”.  Whatever it is, prepare yourself to remember this when the going gets tough. 

Prepare the course mile by mile in your head.  Plan how fast you will reach each mile marker (A pace band is helpful for this) but be level-headed in assessing your fitness and abilities. It is a recipe for disaster for you to expect to greatly exceed anything you have done consistently in training.  Lastly enjoy your run – you can over think your strategies and forget to enjoy yourself.

For all your specialist running gear go to Run and Become www.runandbecome.com

NOT LONG BEFORE SCOTTISH HALF AND TEAM RELAY ENTRIES CLOSE!

Glad to be a part of the great event as the Edinburgh Marathon? Great! How about getting your running friends and running clubs colleagues involved as well in this big day?

There are not many places left for the Scottish Half Marathon and the Hairy Haggis Team Relay. Entries are on a first-come, first-served basis so please don’t miss your chance as they are filling fast.

Click here to enter the Scottish Half Marathon or the Hairy Haggis Team Relay.

MACMILLAN CANCER SUPPORT

At Team Macmillan we know what it takes to run an event no matter what the distance! Join us in Edinburgh and experience the level of care and support that's made us famous and help change the lives of thousands of people living with cancer across the UK today.

Whether you're running the full marathon, the half marathon or competing with family and friends in the Hairy Haggis Team Relay, we want you to be a proud part of our team and help Macmillan Cancer Support to provide the expert care and emotional support that makes a real difference to people living with cancer.

By joining Team Macmillan you'll benefit from the personal support provided by our dedicated Running Team and national network of fundraising specialists. We'll also provide you with a host of support materials including an expert marathon or half marathon training programme, a fundraising guide plus a Team Macmillan vest or T-shirt to wear on the big day.

With unparalleled support before, during and after the big day (including the best cheering squads in Edinburgh!) you'll see why our runners return year after year to join Team Macmillan.

"The massive sense of achievement from completing my first marathon is amazing. Without the lift that the Macmillan cheer points enroute gave, I don't think I could have completed it. The sense that I have done something so personally challenging for such a worthy cause is huge for me."

Mandi Francis, 2009 Edinburgh Marathon Team Macmillan runner

So, whether you gain your own place in the event or take one of our Charity Assured Places, pull on the Team Macmillan vest and be a real winner in the eyes of thousands of people living with cancer.

If you have any questions or to join the team, please email us at edinburghmarathon@macmillan.org.uk or give us a call on 020 7840 7878.

We look forward to supporting you every step of the way!

GET YOUR GPS TRACKING NOW

Your supporterscan now track your progress in the marathon or team relay in REAL TIME wherever in the world they are, as long as they have an internet connection.  Allow family and friends to track you online, on a dedicated website as you run the 2010 Edinburgh Marathon or Team Relay. Runners themselves can also play back their own race at a later date via the dedicated website.   

The Championchip Tracker x5 is the revolutionary sports GPS device that accurately measures positions up to 4 times per second. Tracker x5 uses the GPRS network to transfer positions, heartbeat and speed in real time to the Championchip network.

• Turns on/off automatically at start/finish: no manual action required by competitor  
• Designed especially for extreme sport conditions   
• Light-weight and waterproof  
• LCD Display with competitor name and start number  
• Wireless communication with heart rate monitors

To view a demo of the Tracker X5 in action please visit http://spectator.sport-track.com/1901 or click on the image above.

There are only a limited number of units still available to hire. To avoid disappointment please visit our marathon shop at www.edinburgh-marathon.co.uk/?Shop to reserve your GPS tracker now. Strictly available on a first-come first-served basis.  

IMPORTANT! CONFIRM YOUR EMERGENCY CONTACT DETAILS

If you have been lucky enough to get a place in the Marathon, Scottish Half or Hairy Haggis Team Relay we need you to confirm your emergency contact details now. To confirm your emergency contact details please log on to ‘My Details’ at www.edinburgh-marathon.com/?my_details or click here. To log in you will need the email address and the password you created when you entered. After you log in just select the ‘Contact Info’ button at the top of the page.

Through ‘My Details’ you can also update your predicted time, running club and address details.

ACCOMMODATION

If you are looking for accommodation we have partnered with a number of providers throughout the City.  We are holding allocations of rooms within 3 and 4 star hotels convenient to the race start and close to local city centre bus routes that have regular operating services.  Prices start from £37.50 per person sharing. We also have one and two bedroom self-catering apartmentswww.helpthehospices.org.uk/edinburghmarathon sleeping up to 4 guests.  

For those looking to pamper themselves we can offer a Country Retreat in lovely grounds. For accommodation rates and availability visit the Edinburgh Marathon website at www.edinburgh-marathon.com/?accommodation or click here. Alternatively you can contact our Hotel manager Bill Evans directly bill.evans@eventsinpartnership.com

BIG FUN RUN

The Big Fun Runs are great events to introduce your friends and family to running. They are 5km long and staged in scenic parks so are a friendly and safe running environment amongst likeminded people.   With 25 events nationwide there is sure to be local event near you.  Entry is now open so book your place now by visiting  www.bigfunrun.com

ASICS 2010 EDINBURGH MARATHON MERCHANDISE

We have a select range of dual branded ASICS technical running gear for sale fully embroidered with the 2010 Edinburgh Marathon logo. To get more details or to find out more please visit our shop on www.edinburgh-marathon.com/?Shop or click on any of the products below.   You can also purchase your shuttle bus and relay tickets through our shop

ASICS Hermes Polo Shirt (Mens) £19.95	ASICS L/S Shirt (Mens) £21.95	ASICS S/S Shirt (Mens) £19.95	ASICS  Epic L/S ½ Zip top (Mens) £44.95
ASICS Stride L/S ½ zip top (Mens) £29.95	ASICS Dionysos ½ zip field sensor top (M) £39.95	ASICS Shorts (Mens) £19.95	ASICS S/S Shirt (Women's) £19.95
ASICS Electra L/S  ½ Half Zip Top (Women's) £44.95	ASICS Knee Tight (Women's) £23.95	ASICS Athena Field Sensor mesh top (Women's) £34.95	ASICS L/S Shirt (Women's) £21.95

RUNNING FOR RILEY

On Sunday 23rd May 2010 I plan to run the Edinburgh Marathon. Running a marathon is an achievement, but it isn’t what you would call an extraordinary achievement, especially when you think about Eddie Izzard running 43 marathons in 51 days.

However, for me it is a massive achievement, and I’ll tell you why.

On the 13th August 1981 (17 days before my 9th birthday) I underwent major open heart surgery to repair a Transposition of the Great Arteries. Until I had that successful operation, it was not expected that I would live past the age of 15, maybe 17 if I was really lucky.

Transposition creates a situation where all of the body’s organs are deprived of the oxygen they need to function. If you are lucky (and I was) you also have a ventricular septal defect, which is a hole between the right and left pumping chambers of the heart. This hole kept me going long enough to be operated on.

The same year I had my operation the Scottish Branch of the Association for Children with Heart Disorders was formed. It is a support group run by families of cardiac children to raise funds for the paediatric units in Scotland which care for children with heart disorders and to give valuable support (emotionally and financially) to families.

When I approached them with my intention to run on their behalf they asked if any money I raised could go towards helping a family they are supporting who have a baby born with Hypoplastic Left heart Syndrome (HLHS) which is a rare congenital heart disorder where the left side of the heart is severely underdeveloped. Without life-prolonging interventions, HLHS is fatal, but with intervention, an infant may survive.

Riley Jay McKinlay was born on Wednesday 24th February 2010 at 9.08am at St Thomas’ Hospital, London. His parents, Kerrie and Ryan McKinlay are from Edinburgh, but travelled to London for Riley's birth following diagnosis of HLHS at his first ante natal scan to ensure the top specialists in this field were on hand to commence his treatment. Riley had his first operation the day after he was born. Treatment is going according to plan, but Riley and his family face a future of hospital appointments and life saving operations, going between their home in Edinburgh, and the cardiac units at Yorkhill in Glasgow and St Thomas’ in London. Riley is their first baby.

So, here comes my big ask! Please visit http://www.justgiving.com/shona-running4riley and donate some money. Please don’t feel it needs to be a lot, because if everyone I ask gives a little it will soon mount up. Think of it this way, instead of that next coffee on the way to work, or your first drink at the weekend, give the money you would spend to help Riley. Your generosity will make getting round all 26 miles and 385 yards that bit easier.

Thank you.

TELL US YOUR STORY

Have you a story to tell about why you are running the marathon or scottish half marathon? If so, please tell us about it and we could help you highlight your story in our eNewsletter. The eNewsletter currently goes out to over 40,000 members.  Local newspapers are always wiling to highlight stories and it could help you raise funds for your charity. Click here or email us at adele@gsi-events.com with your story.