Carrots Night Walk
Training Tips
Firstly, on behalf of Fight for Sight, thank you so much for making the commitment to take
part in this year’s Carrots Night Walk. Every mile you walk and every pound you raise
makes a huge difference in the fight to prevent blindness through funding pioneering
research.
Having taken part in last year’s event, I can personally guarantee that this is an event not
to be missed.
I have been asked to give some advice on how you can best prepare for and therefore
enjoy the event so I hope you find the following tips helpful.
Noel Thatcher MBE
Paralympic runner and five times gold
medallist
#carrotsnightwalk
www.fightforsight.org.uk/carrots
Training
Whether you are taking part in the 6 or 15 mile walks you need to train consistently and
build slowly. It may be helpful to work back from the event date to where you are now and
put a plan together building up distance as the weeks go by. This should factor in any
holidays or other commitments you have already which might impact on your time to train.
Try and fit the walking into your weekly routine. Maybe walk at lunchtime or try getting off
the tube one or two stops early and walking the rest of the distance to or from work. At
weekends, try dragging the family or your friends out with you. This will not only give you
some much needed company and motivation but may also get a few more people signed
up as they realise how good it feels to get fit and healthy for such a great cause.
Wherever possible try and walk with other people particularly if you are female and walking
in the evening or in more isolated areas.
Shoes
These are as important as your training and the wrong shoes may make for a less than
positive experience on the night. Go to a reputable running shop preferably one offering
some form of gait analysis to check your biomechanics and make sure that the shoes you
are recommended are comfortable immediately. You should never have to “break in” a pair
of shoes.
Nutrition & Hydration
As the saying goes, “you only get out what you put in” and plenty of vitamins and minerals
will help you recover from training and keep the colds away. Recent research suggests
that “good fats” and protein are equally as, if not more, important than the carbs.
Injuries
Obviously, we all hope that you don’t get any niggles but it you are unfortunate to get
injured and the problem does not resolve itself with five days of rest, it is advisable to see
a specialist for an opinion. As a sports specialist physiotherapist, I see a lot of injure
athletes who have rested too much and missed valuable training when one appointment
would have got them back on their feet in a week or so with the right advice and selftreatment strategies.
Motivation
This is sometimes in short supply on a cold damp February evening so if you are feeling a
little short on the mojo front try checking out the Fight for Sight website
(www.fightforsight.org.uk/carrots) and looking at the images from last year’s event. Trust
me - you will soon be fired up and out the door.
You are part of a great community doing something amazing for a brilliant cause.
Good luck and see you on the night. For further training tips please keep an eye on the
Carrots Facebook Group, or please feel free to contact me on Twitter @noelthatcher