I was chatting to a friend over Christmas (I’ve been writing this post a while..), who is running her first half marathon later this year. She said she was reading my blog to get any tips to help her, (wow someone is reading my blog??? *smiles gleefully to oneself*) so thought I would crystallise just some some of my top tips I’ve picked up along the way, including maybe some things I haven’t mentioned yet. This post is for you HB!!
1. Get a foam roller. A foam roller is great for Myofascial release which a physio/sport masseur can do on your behalf, but unless your name is David Beckham I don’t think you’ll have the funds to finance a physio to be with you before or after every run! I use the foam roller on my ITB (side of thigh) which helps with my knee pain, as well as on my tight hamstrings and achilles. You can buy them from Amazon or other sports retailers. A classic foam roller is between £15-£30 . I’ve also got a slightly more scary orange one for trigger point therapy, which is super painful but even better for releasing the tension in the muscles.
2. Use Magnesium Oil Spray. I’m a recent convert to this. Spray it on after a shower on your muscles, it helps them to recover. You can buy a sports one from amazon on-line or from most health food shops.
3. Warm-up before you run. For years I used to roll out of bed, wash my face, get dressed, and head out of the door – in just 15 minutes! Errr if you want to get injured this is a sure-fire way of achieving it. There is no scientific evidence that you should stretch before a run, but at least warming up before you plod away at 10 miles is a good idea, what is called Dynamic Stretching. I mentioned in a recent post I’ve been trying out this routine: So far so good. I now go to the gym and run from there, or at the weekend force myself to get up a bit earlier so I can have a hot cup of lemon and water and properly wake up before attempting anything!
4. Rest and sleep. Rest days are important, they allow your body time to recover, so you’re ready for the next run. What good is running everyday? And as for sleep I’m sure everyone enjoys that one!
5. Have a Sports Massage. It may be painful but boy, will it help those aching muscles recover quicker.
6. Drink Water. Before, during and after, hydration is so important. The day before it’s a good idea to concentrate on your intake, so that you’re not dehydrated when you wake on the morning of your run, when you should of course top supplies up (hot water and lemon is great). Then during of course, then after for the whole day. Nice to put a slice of lime in water as this helps to alkaline the body. I’m also a BIG fan of herbal tea, I’m a bit obsessed with buying different varieties at the moment and am running out of kitchen space! I’ve talked lots about Coconut Water too.
7. Feed your body with protein. Post-run I used to come home eat a huge bowl of porridge, then eat a loaf of bread with hummus for lunch and tomato pasta for dinner. I didn’t really think about having protein at all, and was hungry ALL of the time. Now I’m thinking much more about exactly what and when I eat and when and how this directly fuels and re-fuels my running. This is all new to me so I can’t offer too much advice, but something I will certainly be making a note of as the miles go up!
8. Train your core. There are a variety of ways you can do this. Yoga, Pilates and my personal favourite – Kettle Bells. Having a strong core is the key to keeping good posture when you run.
9. Cross-train. You don’t have to run every day, it’s good to mix it up to avoid boredom and take some pressure of those pounding feet. I enjoy Kettle Bell training which can be either a really high cardiovascular activity, core activity or strength training for legs and arms etc. I train with Fitter London
10. Start slow and get slower. I consistently wheel this one out but my favourite quote from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is Friar Tuck to Romeo “Wisely and Slow they stumble that run fast”. Romeo obviously completely ignores this advice, but they are wise words. Hundreds of people get excited and start off races too fast, which means they loose pace as the race goes on. Not only is this mentally difficult to get through, it’s tough on the body. Much better to start a bit slower, enjoy a steady pace for the majority of the pace and use that spare energy to push it home in the last few moths when you really need it! Sprint finish anyone? Much more satisfying than crawling across the finish line – even if you’re only competing with yourself.
Ceri's Marathon blog 