“There’s something so universal about that sensation, the way running unites our two most primal impulses: fear and pleasure. We run when we’re scared, we run when we’re ecstatic, we run away from our problems and run around for a good time.”
– Christopher McDougall
Although consistency is key when it comes to training for a long-distance event, it is important to remind yourself that not every part of the training will go to plan. Even the most well-executed training plans will have off days or nutritional mistakes. Accepting this will benefit your mindset and stop you from making up for lost time, increasing the risk of injury.
Whether it is your first marathon, or you are an elite marathon runner, one of the most complex parts of the preparation is getting to the start line injury-free. Injuries lead to impacted training and leave you feeling under-prepared for your event. In this blog post, I am aiming to give you the information needed to reduce your risk of injury during the build-up to your race.
Stick to your plan
During your training plan, it is advised against increasing your volume by more than 10% each week. If you miss a session, avoid trying to make it up the following week. There is no need to add extra sessions, you are more likely to injure yourself than to increase preparedness given an already high training intensity. This approach gives our bodies time to adapt and reduces the risk of injury.
Respect the scheduled intensity
Your long sessions are likely to be at an ‘easy’ pace, aiming to build aerobic capacity. Following this is highly important because 85-99% of the energy required to race comes from your body’s ability to transport and use oxygen to produce energy. Ignoring the intensity in your program can lead to an under-utilisation of your energy systems, and overloading the parts of your body susceptible to injury. A general rule of thumb is that 80% should be at a slow aerobic pace, and 20% faster than this.
Strength train
It is a common misconception that strength training will make your running slower. There are numerous benefits to your running performance, including improved performance, efficiency and reduced injury risk. Strength training improves our tissue’s (muscles, ligaments, tendons, joints) capacity to tolerate load. Meaning when you increase your running intensity, you are less likely to injure yourself.
We should utilise strength training the entire way through a training plan. Towards the beginning, we can aim for 2-3 sessions per week with this lowering towards the final stages of your preparation. This does not have to be a long and laborious session in the gym. It can be a short and meaningful strength session aiming to target an individual’s requirements.
Prioritise nutrition and recovery
“Recover as hard as you train” was the advice someone told me when doing my first long-distance event. Under-fuelling will negatively impact your performance and recovery. Not only this, but it is a common predisposing factor in bone stress injuries (BSI) in endurance athletes. When training, try to avoid doing your long sessions ‘fasted’. Instead, aim to replicate a similar nutrition and hydration plan to your race day. Unless you are a very high-level athlete it is very unlikely you will need to train 7 days per week. Remember, stress+rest=success.
A final thought… Unless it is necessary, I would avoid trying anything new on race day. Gels? Make sure you have tried them. New shoes? Be sure you are used to them. Breakfast? Trial this on your long sessions. The list goes on.
At Walnut Grove Clinic we have a wealth of knowledge among our Osteopathic team, Physiotherapists and Sports Rehab/Sports Massage therapists who are on hand and ready to help with any treatment, advice and rehabilitation plans you might need to keep your training and recovery as positive as possible.
