Mark Anthony Sammut

Sometimes, we lose track of where we are supposed to be heading. There comes a point along the journey, where each small hill seems like a mountain, when you feel tired and without enough motivation to face it. And you start missing the times when the road was easy and downhill, and the Universe seemed to conspire to help us along it, when everything was easy and no challenge was difficult enough. And you start asking yourself if heading along this road was a good decision in the first place. If you should just stop and head back and start a different journey. Or just stop there at the cross-road and head to nowhere. The worst part is when this feeling starts to spread like a virus to other areas of your life. And you feel tired even to fight this. "I'm so tired, my mind is on the blink..."

On Sunday 9th January 2011, I went out for another long run. Since mid-December I had started to increase my weekly long run mileage in order to prepare for the Malta Half-Marathon. I was determined to achieve a 1:30 time and was consistently following a self-adapted training programme. That Sunday, after completing my 23k run, I felt a new throbbing pain in my knee. By the evening, it got worse. I attended the last performance of the Manoel Theatre panto, and going up and down the stairs felt terrible. A visit to the sports specialist revealed I was suffering from Chondromalacia (a.k.a. Runner's Knee). This was probably due to the fact that I was an over-pronator (I had never realized that before), and had suddenly increased my weekly mileage without taking the necessary precautions. Anyway, I started some physiotherapy exercises to strengthen my quads and in the meantime went for a foot-scan. After a week, feeling no more pain, I decided to try a slow 5k run. Alas, the pain s

21 November 2010 During this year that I've been running regularly, friends have repeatedly asked me "What is this obsession with running?" And I have also asked myself why would someone enjoy spending hours every week doing something apparently so simple and repetitive as running, sleep early on weekends before a long run instead of partying all night, and refrain from drinking alcohol because of an upcoming race. I thought about this while I am preparing to face the 3 legs of the Malta Marathon Challenge...and this is what I can answer. I run because: - it made me realize what a beautiful, efficient machine our body is... one which no engineer can equal - it has given me a self-confidence boost - it is much better to run hard until you vomit than to drink until you vomit... there are no hangovers or headaches the day after, and it is much healthier :) - I no longer consider 10k to be a long run, while 5k is an easy recovery run - it strengthened my immune system. Since

7 November 2010 I went for my first half-marathon with a lot of anxiety and anticipation. I had never felt like that since my Maths A-Level exam I think…waking 2 hours before the race and visiting the toilet twice before leaving home. I had prepared for it, following rigorously a half-marathon program meant to achieve a 1:45 time through rainy cold mornings and hot sweaty afternoons, never faltering. I had run a complete half-marathon two weeks before in 1:55, knowing that the adrenalin on race day will be much higher, with the cheering of the supporters and the buzz of other athletes. Then again, I also knew that the Zurrieq route would be much more hilly than the route I had tried. After following my usual pre-race rituals: first toilet visit, eating a toast, applying Vaseline at crucial places (dumb me forgot my nipples and their friction with the running shirt, still nursing a badly red and sore pair), setting up my Garmin watch virtual partner, a last glass of water, and a last vi