Training for the London Marathon

Its that time of year again where you see an increase in the number of runners out on the roads. The big day is on the 22nd April and I have already seen several people who are training for the big day. I am even running it myself for Kith & Kids and have kept myself relatively pain free by following the steps below to avoid injury and prepare my body in the best possible way.

• Increase the mileage for your long runs by just 10% at a time. If you increase the mileage by any more than 10% then you are overloading your body too much and will highly increase the risk of injury.

• Warm up and cool down properly. Do a gentle jog and dynamic stretches prior to a run and do static stretches following a run. Make sure you are doing static stretches on rest days. You can see more information about stretching in an earlier blog.

• Make sure you take rest days. I have been taking two to three rest days every week, it is vital that your body has time to recover and allow your body time to adapt to your training. As part of your rest days make sure you are doing some stretching (as mentioned above) and use a foam roller. Also look to be doing some core workouts as part of your rest days.

• Mix up your training from time to time. Doing something different like swimming is brilliant as it places no impact on your joints and still improves your cardiovascular fitness. Do a few runs on softer surfaces such as grass or treadmills as it is also easier on your legs than constantly running on pavements.

• Practice nutrition and hydration during your training. It is highly recommended to eat a meal with a large percentage of carbohydrates the night before and to drink water during your runs. Also practice using different gels. The reason for this is that every person is different. What works for me in terms of diet and hydration may not necessarily work for you. Play around with trying a few different meals and work out which option works best for you and then stick to it.

• Practice runs in items of clothing than you plan on wearing on the day. You should especially wear your vest for a run, so you know how it feels to run in. I even make sure I know what shorts and socks I am going to run in!

• Have regular sports massage. Sports Massage has many huge benefits when training. These include increased circulation, range of movement and performance. Other benefits include a breakdown in scar tissue and help in removing waste products from running.

That covers the main points. If you would like any further advice, then do feel free to get in touch. If you would like to get a sports massage then make an appointment. Alternatively, if you would like one to one advice on how to use your foam roller or know what core exercises you should be doing then you make an appointment with me to run through this. I will be writing another blog closer to the big day for last minute advice!

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