How To Best Prepare For A Marathon

There are hundreds of ways you can best prepare yourself for an upcoming marathon.
It could be the latest super food, pair of trainers or fitness regime.

Each option offers a range of different benefits and some proving not to be the best. It may be hard to find what is the best option for you…..

One thing that has been proven to work consistently amongst all athletes and runners is running efficiency. Ensuring you are running at optimal performance without compromising form or putting other parts of the body under more strain.

This blog will explain the top 3 best ways to prepare for a marathon and any running event.

Running Performance

Starting with the most effective. Running performance and efficiency is vital if you are wanting to complete an event that may be more physically demanding than what your body is used to.
It is also the one thing that you want to ensure you start correcting in advance before starting any form of training on the run up to a big event.

This is also a key aspect if you are running to hit a new PB, taking both into consideration the distance you are running and the time you want to complete the race.

Initially the first thing we want to identify is any previous injuries you may have had. These COULD be contributing to different load distributions throughout the body. These could indicate what is holding you back from achieving optimal performance.

An initial assessment will be required to identify previous injuries, any areas of pain, if you do experience any pain identifying what may be aggravating the pain, then putting together a plan to get you back to where you need to get to, including the things you need and want to be able to do on a day to day basis.

Our running screenings offer a great opportunity to address any issues you may currently be having and if you arent in any pain they are a great way to pick up on anything else that may flag up when increasing your training and loads.

Training plan

We’ve all been there in the past where we have suddenly increased the volume of training and shortly after you feel fatigued and your body may be sore. Taking this approach is essentially increasing your risk of injury, and on the run up to a big event this is not what you need.

Getting an effective training plan that is specific to your needs and wants is important to reduce your risk of injury during both training and completing the said event.

As mentioned in previous blogs it is important to weigh up which plan is right for you, there are a number of different ways to train for a big running event like a marathon however everyone is different and may benefit more from one thing and less from another.

One aspect that often slips the net is ensuring that your training plan works alongside your rehab plan. The last thing you want is to be struggling to do both and then getting injured.

Nutrition

We are all familiar with the healthy food plate diagram, but when it comes for training for a specific event we may need to prioritize certain types of foods to give us the best chance at being able to perform well during the event.

Diet is the key to success. The key take away from this blog is to make sure that you are hitting the right number of calories.
Not enough calories will encourage weight loss and a reduction in muscle mass, if you are eating too many calories a day you may gain weight which again will make it harder for you to run a long distance marathon.

Coming up to an event it is important to make sure you eat plenty of carbohydrates, in particular slow releasing carbohydrates like brown rice and porridge.
These are going to release energy slowly throughout the run to prevent you from crashing after a peak of energy release encouraging you to run for longer.

Pre-event preparation is just as important as post-event management.
Yes, after running a marathon your body is going to feel achy and tired, the best way to speed up the recovery of your body is a sports massage. A great way to increase blood flow and say goodbye to those aching muscles.

Why not take control over your marathon training, prevent injury and promote fast and efficient recovery!

Book in for your free running screening today!

Step 1 – Follow this link // https://prosportphysio.com/contact/

Step 2 – Click the appointment button.

Step 3 – Book the time that suits you and let us get you back to the activities you need and want to do.

Follow this link here

Or call on 01484 443173  to book your appointment today