- Written by Mark Green - Physiotherapist and Marathon Runner
I have run several marathons over the past few years and have experienced the satisfaction of a good performance, and more recently the pain of a very poorly prepared and injury affected performance.
My first marathon was the London Marathon in 2001 where I finished in 2:38. I have since managed a 2:33, and most recently did the NY City Marathon in November 2007 in a very painful 2:50 on next to no training. (A mistake I don’t plan on repeating!!!)
The London Marathon is fun. There are a lot of runners, and there is a huge crowd to cheer you along. It is an amazing debut event for all those of you new to marathon running, but equally a great race to try and better a previous year’s performance. The crowds make the time pass quicker, and the pain seem less. You may not appreciate this until you take part in an event in the middle of nowhere with 50 odd runners and 3 supporters!!! (I’ve done this too)
If you are completely new to running, then in an ideal world, if you decide you want to have a crack at running a marathon, you should aim for one 4 to 5 years down the track and build up your mileage extremely slowly. It takes your muscles, ligaments and joints a long time to adapt to the stresses that marathon running places on your body.
If you have a history of playing some form of impact exercise/sport, or better still, have done a moderate amount of running in the past – then this 4 -5 year time frame can be shortened considerably as your body is already somewhat used to the stresses you are about to place on it.
There are a number of common injuries people pick up during marathon training including:
· Patella Tendonitis
· Ilio Tibial Band Friction Syndrome (ITBFS)
· Achilles tendonitis
· Shin Splints
· Patella-Femoral Joint Dysfunction
All of these problems are preventable if you take the correct steps quickly enough. It is VITAL to do it quickly. What starts as a niggle, quickly turns into a full blown injury if you don’t sort it out immediately.
These injuries are all caused by repetition. That is after all what marathon running is all about. Putting one foot in front of the other somewhere in the region of 25000 – 35000 times!!! That creates a lot of opportunity for a repetitious injury to occur.
The reason these injuries occur varies from person to person. It can be due to faulty biomechanics (the way your body and feet naturally move), it can be caused by certain muscles being too tight or other muscles not being strong enough to stabilise your body, and there are many, many, more reasons.
The good news is that for most people, these injuries are easily prevented with the right combination of shoe selection, stretches, strengthening exercises and core stability exercises. If you have a history of previous injuries (i.e.: badly sprained ankle, fractured tibia or femur), there may be other reasons for developing repetitious injuries. Most of these problems will also be correctable, but you may need to seek advice sooner and may require more physiotherapy input to correct them.
There are several other articles in our News section you may find interesting including:
Training for a marathon is all about consistency, you need to build up your mileage over a long period of time. The longer, the better. Missing a few days or a week to get rid of your niggles at this stage of your preparation is much better for you than missing 3 or 4 weeks when the marathon is looming.
As a runner myself, I understand how much time and effort is required to train for a marathon. You are probably drinking less, your social life suffers, you get in trouble at home for always being tired and not helping out enough, etc etc. All this sufferance deserves to be rewarded. The reward is Running the Marathon. Don’t short-change yourself and miss the marathon completely for the sake of a niggle that could have been sorted out quickly in the early stages of your training.
London Physio will be running several Gait Analysis Clinics between now and April involving a running specific sports Physio and also our specialist sports podiatrist.
The Gait Clinic will involve:
- Video analysis of your gait pattern using specific software
- Advice on which type of shoes are most appropriate for you
- Advice on which stretches and exercises would be most beneficial for you
- Potential for follow-up appointments with either the Physio for Rehab/Treatment or the Podiatrist for Orthotic Prescription.
Please call us on 0208 568 5900 or email bookings@thelondonphysio.com if you want further information, or if you would like to book into one of our gait clinics.
Bluemonsta