London Marathon 21st April 2024
It is that time of year when the London Marathon will soon be upon us with just over a week of preparation, fundraising and training left.
Around 50,000 runners will be competing in the race this year, they will have been training through very variable weather conditions that we have had of late but also many are fundraising for charity.
Our very own Zoe Pugh is running the London Marathon for the first time this year for The Aplastic Anaemia Trust and understands the challenges that many runners face.
Top Tips to Help You Run Your Marathon: Taper not Cramming!
Whether you are loving the tapering part of the training or struggling with the change of routine. That 48-hour workout before a race should be relatively easy, so you’re not fatigued on race morning, but it should include a small amount of speed to prime your nervous system for competition. For example, run 5km easy, then run 6 x 30-second relaxed sprints.
The day before the race, if you are comfortable to rest then do so, but a short easy work out of up to a 20-minute jog has been shown to relieve mental and physical tension. If you have a niggle or fatigue you may be better to listen to your body and rest, you have already done all the work!
Then try to take it easy, staying off your feet as much as possible, if you are on your feet wear comfortable footwear.
Whilst you are tapering, if you want to keep your core engaged ready for race day here are a couple of Pilates links to help strength and control of the hips and knees:
Eating for the race! For your body, not for two!
Now Carb-loading may be the part of the marathon training you have been most looking forward to! But best time to start carb-loading is right after your short, fast workout (48 hours before), when your muscles are most receptive to glucose.
Choose foods that have worked well for your body before, now is not the time to experiment, risking an upset tummy or bloating. Choosing foods with higher percentage of carbohydrates is better than increasing your portion sizes!
As well as the carbs don’t forget the importance of remaining well hydrated in the run-up to race day.
Get your beauty sleep to look and hopefully feel fabulous on race day!
Getting adequate sleep is critical to endurance performance, but because of pre-race jitters and early-morning race starts, it can be difficult to get a full eight hours of shuteye the night before a race. So be sure to get a good, long sleep two nights before if possible.
The night before!
• Get your gear together.
• Make sure you are happy with your travel arrangements and race day plan.
• Trim your toe nails!
Race day arrives!
Make sure you have plenty of time to get up and get sorted. Research on the relationship between circadian rhythms and exercise performance suggests that optimal performance is not possible within a couple of hours of waking up in the morning. Nutrition is more important than sleep on race morning, so it’s also important to wake up in plenty of time to consume and digest a high-carb pre-race breakfast. Most probably your body will wake with excitement and nerves!
Warm-up
- Keep yourself warm wear a training top at least while you travel to the race and get warmed up.
- Start your warm-up about half an hour before your race starts.
- A warm-up raises body temperature increases heart rate and mobilises the joints.
- Even though running is predominantly a lower-body activity, this does not mean you want to focus purely on a lower body warm-up. Mobilise all the major joints of the body including the neck, shoulders, waist, hips, knees and ankles. These should all be things you are used to doing as part of your training, don’t try a new stretch or pattern on race morning.
- Don’t consider only stretching to be a warm up. Take a walk, gradually increasing your speed and range of movement to break into a slow jog.
- Then some more running-specific moves – to enhance ‘neuromuscular coordination’ so that your running efficiency is maximised.
Hamstring swings: Put the hip through a full range of movement with no impact, and warm up the hamstrings. Stand side on to a support and with your knee bent, lift leg to hip height, and swing it up, down and back in a circular motion, the leg almost fully extended at the end of the back swing. Do 10-20 on each leg, increasing the range and speed with each one but maintaining control throughout.
Reverse Walking (yes, walking backwards): This activates the gluteal muscles, which are important in stabilising the pelvis during running. It also helps to improve coordination. Try four to six steps, and repeat eight times.
Strides: These are short runs of about 25m in which you accelerate from a slow start to a brisk pace. Then you should be primed and ready to go.
Finally: Should you stretch before a run, this is always a hot topic of debate. If you feel particularly tight in an area, then gentle stretches, you are used to doing, once you are warm can help you feel more prepared mentally and physically
| Then Good luck and try to relax and enjoy the enormous achievement from all the hard work you have put in! |
If you’d like more information on how Altrincham Physiotherapy can help you improve your health and fitness get in touch by, calling us on 0161 926 9988 to arrange a consultation or visit our website.
