In preparation for the Lattelecom Riga Marathon, running fans and enthusiasts are invited to joint trainings in Mežaparks every Sunday. From March 15, trainings will take place in cooperation with Nordea and Sports Laboratory, and will gather together hundreds of interested runners, offer advice provided by trainers and sports doctors, as well as inspiration for a healthy lifestyle and effective training.
The training participants in Mežaparks will be invited to gather every Sunday at 10:00 next to the Mežaparks entrance, not far from the entrance to Riga Zoo. The first training will take place already this Sunday, March 15, and thereafter on March 22, March 29, April 12, April 19, April 26, May 3 and May 10. On May 10, the training will be a “full-dress rehearsal” for the marathon day in Krastmala. The last symbolic preparatory training will take place on Saturday, May 16, where the elite runners of the Lattelecom Riga Marathon will be invited as well.
This is the eighth year in a row of Sunday trainings in Mežaparks and it has already become a runners' tradition to prepare for the marathon distance and soak up running inspiration in an athletic atmosphere. This season, trainings will be organized in cooperation with Nordea's Financial Fitness Program; thus the community of runners will strive to symbolically demonstrate the parallels between physical and financial fitness, since both of these disciplines require a systematic long-term approach. Sports doctors and trainers from Sports Laboratory, in turn, will provide consultations and assistance to everyone in becoming active, learning common warm-up and cool-down exercises, as well as exercises for strengthening muscles and avoiding unwanted trauma. Nordea's Financial Fitness trainers will explain how to assess your “financial muscles” and keep yourself financially fit.
“It is no secret that regular physical activity ensures well-being and health; however, the rare person is capable of starting running or going to the gym on a regular basis. The same is true with taking care of your personal budget — it requires a certain amount of effort. One has to understand that neither financial stability, nor the ideal “six pack” can be achieved with a couple of trainings. The results become noticeable only by means of purposeful work over a longer period. However, regular and persistent physical and financial fitness awareness is what directly affects each person’s quality of life”, says the Head of Nordea's Money School, Anna Fišere-Kaļķe.
Progress of trainings
Participation in preparatory trainings is free and prior registration for training runs is not required. Both children and adults with or without running experience can take part in trainings.
As the sports doctor of Sports Laboratory, Sandra Rozenštoka emphasizes that before setting a goal, it is crucial to understand what the body is capable of and what load is to be undertaken during the training for the preparation and the marathon itself to be pleasant for both the spirit and the body. To help in avoiding overload and sports injuries, joint warming up and cooling down will take place during trainings; moreover, specialists will answer questions about exercise loads, running pace, trauma, as well as other crucial questions of runners. Shared trainings have always ensured a great opportunity to communicate with other runners, sharing experience and advice, as well as spending Sunday morning in a healthy and productive way to assess and improve your physical preparedness.
Sunday training format — along with trainers' recommendations, each participant will receive a map of Mežaparks with recommended running routes of various lengths — 2.5 km, 5 km or more. Hence, each participant can choose his or her route according to his or her mood, training schedule and weather conditions.