Are you ready to start your marathon training?

It’s that time of the year again where many of you are waiting to hear if your London Marathon Ballot has been accepted. If you’re one of the lucky ones and it’s your first marathon, or if you’re ready to tackle your first marathon regardless of the ballot, below is some advice to help you along.

Running coach: It is advantageous if you have a specific time as a goal to have a running coach. There are many available in person, online and with a running club. In fact, joining a running club can be very helpful to learn more efficient and economic running styles.

Equipment: You don’t need all the fancy gadgets. A running watch with GPS that can give you distance, speed and pace is great for training. Shoes that fit and are comfortable. Go see a specialist like Runners Need or Podplus in Ashford, Kent. They will not only do gait analysis with a specially trained individual to get you in the right shoe. Always buy socks made from synthetic material, DO NOT USE COTTON! All other clothing should be appropriate for running and comfortable.

Training: You don’t get better running if you don’t run. So, expect to be out there a lot, normally 3-4 times a week. And it’s not just doing the same thing over and over again. Be sure to vary your running from tempo runs, interval runs and long slow runs – this is where a running coach can be helpful. Also, don’t just run. Include strength training to your regime. If you’ve never done any strength training, get a good base going during your early training while the running mileage is lower.

Recovery: Probably the most important thing here. Get a good night’s sleep as much as possible. Sleeping is when a lot of our muscle recovery happens. Get a good diet, don’t eat crap all the time and wonder why your runs all suck. Try and get your five a day, avoid too much alcohol and drink plenty of fluids. All other things like recovery tights, sports massage and foam rolling are less important and helpful than sleep and food.

Have fun: Even if the training plan goes down the toilet, if you don’t have a tight time limit on your marathon, your best plan is to finish and have fun doing it. All of us have bad races, it’s okay and not the end of the world.

If you have any questions about sports injuries and rehabilitation, please email me sara@prestigesportinjury.co.uk

Are you under-recovering?

We've all been there. Focused on a goal, whether it be a weight, distance or time. So we push ourselves, sometimes too hard.

Symptoms of overtraining/under-recovering can seem mild at first, but they become more prevalent as time goes on. If we ignore the signs, we're heading into a downward spiral. Symptoms often start as an increase of muscle soreness, elevated heart rate, an increase in colds due to reduced immunity, increase occurrence of injuries, irritability, depression, loss of motivation, insomnia, decreased appetited and eventually weight loss. 

If you've ever had this happen then you know all too well that not recovering properly can leave us feeling pretty low. But, there are ways to ensure that you don't put yourself into this position.

Rest, yes, rest is the key. If we don't allow the body time to recover we will suffer. Make sure you take a break after a hard training day, don't force yourself to train 6-7 days a week without rest. You can also reduce the volume and intensity of the exercise. For instance, a runner can reduce effort or distance, a weight lifter can reduce reps or weight.

It is also important to make sure you are eating properly. Often, in search of weight loss, we don't eat enough for the amount of energy we are exerting. Having a balanced diet of carbs, good fats and protein is essential for a good recovery. Avoid fad diets. If you're unsure of where to start with nutrition, seek the advice of a registered dietician. 

A great way to make sure you stay on track is to use the help of a personal trainer to help you make a training plan. There are plenty of folk that can help you produce a running plan that will keep you on track, just make sure you take advantage of rest days!

Always remember that it's okay to take an unscheduled rest day. If you are feeling under the weather or sore from the training from the day before, one day won't hurt you. And if you think you're suffering from a lack of recovery, take a short time off and let your body recover with other types of exercise like swimming, stationary bike or cross training.

If you have any questions about sports injuries and rehabilitation please contact me at sara@prestigesportinjury.co.uk

Don't forget to get your Zzzzzz for recovery

As athletes we often here about the importance of sleep for recovery. But what is recovery, and why is it so important?

For me, I feel that sleep is the most important part of recovery, and probably the one that most people ignore. Becoming deprived of sleep leads to an increase of cortisol, the stress hormone. People under stress often have higher levels of cortisol than those not under stress. A lack of sleep also decreases glycogen and carbohydrates, leaving your muscles lacking the energy stores required for exercise. Less sleep also means a higher likelihood of fatigue, low energy and poor focus. Which means a higher likelihood of injury. Sleep deprivation also effects the brains ability to repair memory, consolidate memory and release hormones such as testosterone.

So, what does sleep do for us? Sleep restores brain function and alertness, good for hard training sessions. It enhances muscle recovery through protein synthesis and human growth hormone release, important for body builders. Sleep also repairs damaged tissues, this can take from 24-36 hours post session.

Good sleep and recovery means a reduction in injury rates. Muscles that are tired and sleep deprived cannot protect tendons, ligaments and bones from injuries as well as recovered muscles.

There are 5 stages of sleep 1-4 are non-REM sleep and 5 is REM sleep. Both types are important and necessary. These 5 stages run in cycles thorough out the sleep period, lasting about 90 minutes.

So, what can you do to help improve your sleep?

Have a night time ritual. This means turning off and removing your phone from your bedroom. The blue light from electronics tricks the brain into thinking it is daylight, so be shot of it. Get to bed before midnight, this is the better time to begin sleep rather than after. Make sure your room is dark and cool, blackout curtains are helpful to keep unwanted light out. Buy a high-quality mattress that is comfortable for you. Before going to sleep you can meditate or partake in positive self-talk.

Have a morning ritual. Get up the same time each day, even weekends! Get sunlight as soon as possible. Wake up and open your curtains.

What can affect sleep. Poor nutrition can affect sleep, avoid processed, fatty and spicy food. Avoid alcohol and watch your caffeine intake in the afternoon.

It can be helpful to track your sleep to help determine if high or low intensity work outs should take place. If you are feeling sluggish or tired, postpone your hard workout for a light one such as walking, hiking or cycling.

If you feel signs of fatigue, be sure to take the time off to recovery. Fatigue can manifest as tiredness, cold-like symptoms, lack of balance and the feeling of heavy feet.

So, remember, when you build a training plan, be sure to build in recovery and sleep. IF you’re not sure how to make a training plan there are many coaches online or personal trainers who can help take that burden off your shoulders.

If you have any questions about sports injuries and rehabilitation, please contact me at sara@prestigesportinjury.co.uk