It’s not every day that you can get running tips from a four-time Olympian who is generally regarded as one of Australia’s greatest long distance runners, completing a marathon in under 2:10 (current world record is 2:02:57). But those who attended the inaugural Destination Adventure on Magnetic Island earlier this month did just that. And here are some of those pearls of running wisdom from Steve Moneghetti…
“If you’re training for an endurance event, it’s not about distance necessarily; it’s about time on legs… you need to train when your legs are already fatigued. This can be done by having your long run in the morning, then a second much shorter run in the afternoon [at an elite level, Steve would do 35km on a Sunday morning, then 10km that afternoon].”
“Don’t try to work out your time for a long distance event using your usual 5km or 10km pace. You need to be running faster than your race pace as you’ll only get slower in a race when you get fatigued.”
“If you’re training for a marathon, make sure you run shorter events in the lead-up. If you have a bad marathon — and you’ve spent months of hard work to get there — you’ll be bitterly disappointed. But if you’re had a 10km PB along the way then it makes it all worth it.”
“When you’re running you need to be 100% focussed because you need to be able to put everything into that particular effort [Steve doesn’t train with music]”.
“Everyone should run on the track because it’s a measured 400m distance and flat — you can get an accurate measurement of your pace and what you can do without guessing.”
“If you’re thinking about running a marathon you need to have the passion first. If you’re going to spend hours-upon-hours every week training and be very, very tired, you’d want to love it.”
“Hill training makes you super strong. It’s better to train on a hill course where you roll over the top and down over the other side, rather than getting to the top, stopping and walking back down [the same way] — there’s no race where that happens!”
“If you’ve trained on hills and they’re in your race then you’re ready, but if they’re not, you’re stronger anyway. So train on hills!”
“I never took a rest day because I felt like I didn’t need one, but everyone is different. [When I was competing], the way I looked at it was if the guy over the other side of the world wasn’t taking a rest day then I was already putting myself at a disadvantage.”
Get involved
See all the action from the Destination Adventure weekend here. If you missed him, Steve Moneghetti is back in North Queensland in June for the Great Whitehaven Beach Run. On Sunday, June 26, 2023 this fitness challenge offers a unique and memorable experience that’s suitable for the whole family. Find out how to get involved here.
