Emily’s Marathon Training Tips (Part 2)

Following on from Emily’s Marathon Training Tips Part 1, we continue to share the advice of our sports massage therapist (also triathlon coach and endurance athlete) for constructing a marathon training plan - whether you were lucky enough to get a London Marathon place or not.

The 10% rule – avoiding too much too soon

“There’s a 10% rule. You start in your comfort zone and add 10% distance (volume) or intensity each session,” says Emily.

In the first phase of your training, the key is building your base strength - and your armour for what’s to come. “If you want to be at the start line uninjured, do not skip the gym!” she says, from years of experience.

Exercises like planks, lunges, squats and weights help to maintain form therefore preventing the most common running niggles and injuries. You start with heavy and low repetition weight training in the beginning and gradually move to higher repetitions and lighter weight as your mileage ramp up.

“The distance can increase until you reach around the 30km mark, but should end here. After this it becomes difficult to recover fully - and the risk of injury is greater.”

*Note of caution* - always return to the plan after any gap (holiday or injury) with the same 10% rule. So, don’t jump ahead to a much higher mileage week than you are ready for!

Training + Recovery = Fitness

Your rest days are as important as your training sessions. If you miss a session in the week, forget it! Don’t cram it in when you can and end up doing a bunch of sessions all at one end of the week with no proper recovery.

Straight after a training session, keep moving, do a cool down jog or brisk walk and stretch. Avoid prolonged sitting after training, this will usually result in knee / lower back pain.

The best way to recover? “Sleep!” - “Nutrition, hydration and sleep,” she says. As well as ‘niggles management’ - so stretching and massage are vital components of staying on top of your running health.

If you have been recovering from COVID - training to your heart rate is a sensible idea - to ensure that your 80% (or ‘zone 2’) steady training is at the right level. “And use a reliable heart monitor,” says Emily. “GPS watches’ wrist heart rates can be inaccurate.”

And if you feel a niggle - get it sorted early!

However, if pain lasts for a week or more, and movement makes it hurt more, “It is time to book a physiotherapy appointment - as this is moving from tightness into injury territory. You may then be losing weeks from your training plan.”

Why not hit the ground running? Get in touch to book a sports massage with Emily at Physio Remedies and find out more top tips!