A few more miles to go

THE RAIN falling on central Arkansas Saturday morning was relentless. And chilly. A workout enthusiast we know watched a sizable group of runners trot past the window of the gym where she was doing the same thing on a treadmill, minus the rain. Those runners looked pretty miserable.

Sure, the temperature was reported to be near 50 degrees, but a drenching, steady rain means wet feet (even neoprene socks can’t repel every bit of moisture), and rain-repellent jackets and tights seldom cover every inch of a vulnerable human body (hands are particularly susceptible to becoming numb when water invades those supposedly waterproof gloves).

But the Little Rock marathon is less than two weeks away—it’s happening March 4—and this is no time for those training for the 26.2-mile challenge to sleep in. The official training schedule on the Little Rock Marathon’s website recommended the following mileage schedule for last week: Monday-4. Tuesday-6. Wednesday-off. Thursday-3. Friday-off. Saturday-20. Sunday-off.

That’s a total of 33 miles. Blowing off those 20 miles on a drippy, dismal Saturday might have been tempting, but it won’t help in getting across the March 4 finish line in a respectable time. And besides, many runners train in groups like the one observed from the comfort of a treadmill inside a gym, so failure to show up on a rainy day could bring about unwanted peer pressure from the cohort.

Hang in there, runners. The training program tapers down to a weekly total of 26 miles this week, 15 miles for the week ending Feb. 25, and a mere 9 miles the week of the marathon. You’re almost there. Don’t let the excitable late-winter weather get you down. And good luck!