So my last few blogs entries have given you a brief insite into the early parts of my training.  However, it has been suggested by both the critics and my fans that they would like tips from a Physio regarding training for a Marathon.  With that in mind, as I’m always eager to please, I have formulated my “Ten Tips for Twenty Ten”, the title of which was chosen more for its alliteration than it’s content you understand!

1.  Enter a race!  Until I entered a Marathon I managed to run maybe twice a month as I found some genuinely excellent reasons why I shouldn’t go for a run.  Now I have something to aim for, I actually enjoy going!  More importantly my body is now used to running and so I don’t hurt as much after the runs.

2. Get the right kit.  This does not mean getting the most expensive trainers and running shorts and shirt.  However, if you are going to be doing a lot of running (which you will be if you are training for a marathon) then the right running shoes, as well as appropriate clothing, will reduce the chance of injuries.

3.  Build up your running slowly, and aim for a steady pace.  Most people who get injured when they start running  do so because they build up their training too quickly, and don’t allow their bodies to strengthen and become accustomed to the new stresses being put through the joints and the muscles of the lower limbs in particular.  Another way of getting injured is trying to run too quickly too early in a run, without having warmed the muscles up.

4. Stretch! You can happily read millions of articles about stretching all of which will be totally contradictory and leave you confused.  I would recommend stretches are held for between 20 and 30 seconds, and are applied slowly without “bouncing”.  They should be done regularly as part of the warm up and cool down, and I still stretch certain “problem areas” on the days I’m not running as well.

5. Cross train.  To avoid injuries it is important that you are not over stressing the particular joints and muscles used in running.  Try adding rowing, or swimming into your weekly exercise routine.  Swimming is particularly good as it is very good at building lung capacity, but it also gives your joints a rest from pounding on the roads.

6. Run on different surfaces. Try not to run on roads all the time, as this means that your ankles, knees and hips, as well as your lower back are taking a lot of force through them on a regular basis.  Try and build in runs on grass or dirt tracks…these runs will be slower but will be just as good a training exercise.

7.  If you are forced to run on a treadmill (as you will be in this lovely winter we’re having), add an incline to the run.  This will make it harder and mean that you don’t have to run on the treadmill for as long which can get very boring, and can also cause some people shin pain.

8.  Don’t ignore the niggles.  To a certain extent, when training for a marathon you are likely to have a few niggles, aches and pains along the way as you have to put a lot of time in training and it is demanding for your body.  However, do not ignore that achilles that always hurts after you’ve run, or that groin pain that comes on when running, or whatever part of you hurts more than it should.  Make sure that you get them checked out particularly if they are getting slowly worse.  If you ignore it for the months proceeding the marathon, Sod’s Law dictates that it will “go” a week before the race.

9.  Make sure you have rest days.  Going for a run is demanding on the body and it needs time to recover every now and then to avoid getting injured or over worked.  If your training schedule is quite tight with not much time to your race, then maybe the rest day would involve a gentle swim rather than a run so that you are still working on your fitness but avoiding using the same parts of your body as you would normally with running.

10.  Strenthen your glutes and core (for starters)!  When I strated running, I could feel that my pelvis was rolling around a lot, and by the end of the run my hamstrings would be tight and my back stiff and painful.  Since working hard to strengthen my glutes and core, these pains have disappeared and I feel more stable around my hips, which means I’m not wasting energy, and I’m less likely to get a hamstring strain because they are not having to work as hard.  Although a marathon is an endurance race, you still need to incorporate strengthening work into your work out…it will boost performance, as well as reduce your chances of getting injured!

These tips are in no particular order, but if you follow them, you will certainly reduce your chances of getting injured, and that means you just have to worry about running 26.2 miles in the best possible time!!..Simples!