Wow, where have the last eight weeks gone? What a journey it has been; we have experienced a lot of ups and downs by this stage in training. To be honest, this might be something you don't want to hear, but here goes: it is too late to stress about what you missed, what you didn't do, what you should have done. We need to make the best of the strength gains we have built over the last few months.
You will notice on our training plan, and most others, that the volume of kilometres and sessions have started to decrease. Don't worry, this is something that needs to happen, it is called the "taper" phase of training and it is a crucial part of the
plan. A famous quote I like to live by is: “If you want to train like a pro, you have to recover like a pro”.
So, in the past few weeks you would have been at the peak of your training volume, intensity and mileage. You would have completed your longest individual runs, hitting milestones in the mental prep for the big day. Now, everything slows down and the details really matter to make sure you get to the start line as strong as possible. We need to trust the process in the last few weeks; we don't need to be running to try to "get the advantage". This will not work.
At this stage, we need to make sure we increase sleep time, confirm the race strategy, check the route, and plan with friends and family. Make sure you're hydrating plenty and eating strong, healthy, balanced foods that are key to rebuilding the body and charging the immune system. I have trained many people and every time the same issues arise at this point in training, and I always say the same thing: "The only thing I would do more of in the last few weeks to race day, is sleep." Not sleeping enough or not sleeping well is not okay. Lack of sleep can have some major negative consequences on your health.
Along with the benefits of drinking enough water, getting an adequate amount of sleep is a constantly overlooked aspect of promoting a healthy lifestyle. Focusing on trying to get seven to nine hours of sleep per night is key to allowing yourself to rest well enough to allow your body to go into REM sleep, which is the deep sleep mode where your body gets the most recovery. This is what we really need at this stage.
There are three phases of non-REM sleep. Each stage can last from five to 15 minutes. You go through all three phases before reaching REM sleep.
Stage 1: You close your eyes, but it's easy to wake you up. This phase may last for five to 10 minutes.
Stage 2: You fall into a light sleep. Your heart rate slows and your body temperature drops. Your body is getting ready for deep sleep.
Stage 3: This is the deep sleep stage and the most important, particularly when you're training like this. It's harder to rouse you during this stage, and if someone woke you up, you would feel disoriented and confused for a few minutes.
During the deep stages of REM sleep, the body repairs and regrows tissues, builds bone and muscle, and strengthens the immune system. It is ideal to get as much of this sleep as possible at this stage in your routine, so make sure sleep is one of your priorities.
Usually, you go into REM sleep 90 minutes after you fall asleep. However, in this day and age, it is a phase not many people get to, and often you have your phone next to you at all times. Turn your screens off 20 minutes before bed.
Rest is key. It's not about being lazy, it's about listening to the body, trusting the process and getting ready.
Lee Ryan is the captain of Adidas Runner Dubai, a professional athlete, record-breaking endurance runner, and also a personal trainer, working with the likes of Arsenal F C. Not only has he set four Guinness World Records, he’s a keen marathon runner – his fastest time being an indomitable two hours and 58 minutes, set at the Berlin Marathon in September
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Do you have a question for Lee about the Dubai Marathon? Send it to astewart@thenational.ae for Lee to answer in the next instalment.
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Read more from Lee:
Staying safe on the streets and the four-week itch
Lifestyle hacks when it comes to training
Getting started for the Dubai Marathon
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Company%20profile
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The specs
Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre
Power: 325hp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh189,700
On sale: now
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Command%20Z
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
