Road Runners Club

Marathon Running
for Beginners

Our guide to Marathon Running from the Start to the Finish Line

Step-by-Step Guide

The Runner Club step-by-step Marathon Training Guide for beginners and anyone who wants to improve their running performance.

See the list below and expand the items by clicking the (+) symbol for all the details:

Marathon Training; for beginner or those who feel they are under performing

Marathon running is the amalgamation of several different parts which fit together, like a jigsaw, to make up the complete picture. The most important part is the desire to succeed, without which you are a lost cause. Realism also plays a major role because if you set yourself an unrealistic target, you will feel you are failing and sensible training will be abandoned. You need the strength of character to go out training 3 times a week in all weather conditions and the sense to resist doing more when you think you have fallen behind. The physical aspect is broken into 3 sections which are 1) stamina, 2) speed and 3) proportional and balanced strength.

1) STAMINA is an obvious requirement when you intend to run or run/walk for 26 miles, and this is built up in various stages. Distance should be built slowly as sudden large increases can lead to stress fractures in the legs. There should be no sudden changes to hill climbs or speedwork as this will lead to shinsplits. Changes should be introduced gradually.

a) run for an initial distance of whatever you can manage comfortably and then plan a weekly increase so that by the end of November you can manage at least 10 miles without too much trouble. The speed of this run should be below the speed at which you would start to breathe heavily as you are building stamina in this session and speed is not part of this. Do not worry if you can not do the 10 miles by the end of November because we can formulate a walk-run routine to build on the distance.

b) later, when you are running with confidence, set a realistic target for the marathon. The way to do this will be demonstrated later. Most runners finish between 4 and 5 hours depending on their pre-training fitness level. On your day off, plan a course and go out for that amount of time on a run-walk-stroll routine, even taking a break in the middle for a light snack if you wish. No heavy meal, though, because this will give you “stitch”. Do not attempt this in anything other than a gentle approach. Too much and too soon are both detrimental.

c) when your training has progressed to a level where you are comfortable running, say, around 10 to 12 miles, plot a 20 mile course and stride out with a back pack with energy bars, drink, kitchen roll, Micropor tape, mobile etc. and enjoy the day moving around. Run, walk, jog or whatever and see how it goes. Under no pressure and on a fine day, you will be surprised how pleasant it can be.

2) SPEED is created by running short distances much faster and will only become a part of your routine when you have acquired the ability to run well with a good and steady style. This will be your subjective decision. You need a good surface, uncluttered with dogs, children, parked cars or uneven paving stones, on which you will jog for 5 minutes then run fast for 1 minute, repeating this for around 30 minutes. Rather than look at your watch all the time, try it out and then judge it by distance. I have a park with a good track which is 1.125 miles around which takes 9 minutes, so I jog for around 4 minutes then hammer it along the straight, where it is flat with wide grass at the side if I need to take evasive action, for a minute twice in each lap. I also have a seafront with evenly spaced lamp posts that I use to divide my different speed sections. A clear area with a good surface is vital for this exercise, and more recently I have been paying to use a local sports stadium, which is much safer.

3) PROPORTIONAL AND BALANCED STRENGTH is absolutely vital in order to run economically without injury. This will not be achieved by only running – you must have an exercise routine that can only be done with equal balanced effort. This overlaps daily life, where you may not have thought too much about the effects of carrying a suitcase only on your stronger side. Shopping bags, briefcase etc. need to be balanced or keep swapping sides. There are many exercises that can be done at home and I will develop this theme soon, but a varied gym routine with light weights is the best idea if possible. Develop your quads and hamstrings equally, your abs and hip flexors with clean smooth movements – no jerking or over exertion. More of this later.

YOUR WEEKLY ROUTINE should consist of one session of each of the above, with the 2 day break after the stamina session to allow your muscles to recover. Hard training on consecutive days is at best pointless and at worst severely damaging. If you are in a desk-bound job, you should also consider walking as part of your journey to work, and not sit down for more than 1 hour without getting up to restore circulation and muscle activity.

The Basic Rules for Comfortable Running

To turn failure into success needs clear thinking and hard work
To be successful all the time needs a miracle

John Trory, ROAD RUNNERS CLUB

Running a marathon must not be approached in the same way as a 5k or 10k. It is vital to set out on the correct basic path otherwise unnecessary problems will be encountered later on in training. The early stages of training are the most important otherwise the extension to a marathon will not be achieved. The first stage is to choose the right shoes and it should be remembered that high street chains will try to sell you what they stock and not necessarily what you need. Your shoes must be appropriate, which means for a start that your trainers must be one whole size larger than your street shoes because your feet will swell after you have run 8 or so miles. Your foot width is also important because if you have broad feet, you will need to buy trainers which are available in width fittings, such as New Balance.

Flat feet (fallen arches) are a particular problem which many people do not realise they have. Take your shoes off and walk naturally on a hard surface and see whether your feet are turned out to determine whether you have flat feet. If they are, then it is more or less essential you get insoles that will support your arches. If you are seriously flat footed, then you should consider spending the money on custom made orthotics, because ignoring this problem will, in later life, destroy your knee joints and then your hips. When inserting shop bought or customised orthotics, you should first remove the factory included inserts. With the right shoes, you should land on the outer half of your heel and, with your foot turned only slightly outwards, roll over your foot and push off from the big toe. This is called pronating.

Cotton socks shrink enormously and also cause blisters – man made fibres are much better. The double-walled blister proof socks tend to crease when worn and can be very uncomfortable.

Under your shorts you need a tight fit that will move with you to prevent chaffing and women should be wearing a correctly fitted sports bra. Men should, for a long run, vaseline or tape their nipples. My treasured first London Marathon finishers’ T shirt has a prominent blood stain trickling down the left side because I was not warned about this.

Forget heart monitors, GP systems that download and other expensive toys. They may be fun, but none of them will actually assist your running and may even prove to be an unwelcome diversion. The only gadget you need is a basic stop watch and a map as you will only need to know the approximate distance of your training run, although it is advisable to take a phone with you for emrgencies. The best heart monitor is the breathing which should be raised but not gasping, unless you are doing speed work.

YOUR RUNNING should be evenly balanced so avoid training perpetually on the same camber. Not only should your muscular system be balanced between left and right, it should also be developed proportionally from chest to feet which means the core muscles in the centre of the body should also receive attention. Your entire muscular – skeletal system is inter-connected which means that any weakness in the abdominal or hip area will cause problems as you progress to longer runs. Even running with a water bottle in one hand can unbalance you enough to cause muscle problems.

Ideally, you should be taking 170-180 paces per minute and you should not take long paces as you will be landing on your heel which can damage that area, bruising the achilles tendon or causing a stress fracture, and also wastes energy as the impact is greater and has a stopping effect. Landing comfortably allows your muscular system to absorb the shock.

Your arms should pump straight forwards and back – not in an arc in front of you – and keep your elbows in. If you swing your arms round in front of you, you will have to use your abdominals to prevent twisting your upper body to and fro which puts great, and unnecessary, strain on them. As the abdominals are a vital part of marathon running, this will have a negative effect on your performance. Your head and torso should be near upright. If you need to look down to examine the ground in front of you, drop your eyes, not your head.

Ladies, especially those who work in an office and wear tight dresses, tend to run with their knees together and swing the legs around. Self-examination is important here as it is essential that the correct motion of bringing the knee up and moving the leg straight through is adopted. Failure to do this will cause knee problems as the distance increases.

All these things will improve your bio-mechanical efficiency with a possible saving of 10% energy, to which we will soon be adding a range of exercises. Balanced strength is the key to injury free running, and I can not overstate the importance of this.

Do not download training programmes from the internet as most of them are completely unsuited to beginners and take no account of varying ability, age, available time or existing degree of fitness. The number of training days per week necessary will depend to a degree on what occupies your time for the rest of the week. Someone who is on their feet all day can count that as their recovery session and 3 serious training sessions per week will be adequate. Others who may be desk bound will need to integrate movement with their everyday life and put in an extra training session. In any event, more than 4 training days a week is a retrograde step as well as socially awkward. Muscles need to recover between sessions and walking is the best way. Existing runners will train with the same frequency but their sessions will be harder.

When you engage in heavy or prolonged exercise, the stiffness you will later experience, the next day or even day after, is often described as muscle damage. This is a little misleading as it is a natural process of muscle fibres reacting to the increased level of activity to protect themselves and build to meet future requirements, rather than a muscle strain which is a result of over-exertion.

As a runner, you will need your muscles to maintain length in order to stay both mobile and supple, which is why you must do static stretches AFTER exercise when you are in a warm place, preferably after a hot shower, and NEVER out in the cold air. Your muscles will then grow the required way while you sleep.

To alleviate next day stiffness, just move around a lot. A run is not necessary and can, in fact, be harmful, as can static stretches while you are stiff.

Your muscles require protein as a building block, so your post run meal needs to be a well considered mix of protein and carbohydrate. My favourite post run drink is unsweetened cocoa in skimmed milk with a little honey. It is very palatable and ticks the other boxes as well.

NEVER stretch muscles before you run or exercise. It serves absolutely no purpose and stretching cold muscles is the number one single cause of muscle strains. When you stretch a cold muscle, it reacts by shortening and solidifying and the rest is obvious. The practice has become widespread because sprinters are seen doing this on TV, but what you do not see is that they have been warming up by running for anything up to one hour before they stretch and race. Do not do something just because you see others doing it – this is how ignorance is circulated.

After heavy exercise, it takes your muscles 7 days to recover from the shock and another 7 days to build any improvement. Thus your last long run is 14 days before the race and after that you only require light exercise solely designed to prevent a build-up of lactic acid in the muscles. Lactic acid is what makes your legs feel “heavy” when otherwise you feel good; it has quite a complicated role to play, but basically it is not a good idea to start with a surplus of it as it can take miles to burn it off. Muscle fibres are loosely classified as fast twitch for sprinting or slow twitch for distance running. This means a sprinter will never win a marathon or vice versa. If you are a good sprinter, it will take longer to build for your marathon.

THE FASCIA: If you imagine a fishing net with ropes threaded through the holes in the net so that they can move freely backwards and forwards, broadly speaking this will give some idea of what covers the muscles in your body. It helps them to move without tangling them with each other. If you damage a muscle either by striking or straining, toxins can glue the fascia to the muscle or tendon as a protection, but this itself can be very difficult to shift and the pain is caused when the muscle is used and it pulls on the fascia instead of sliding through. Relieving treatment from this can be brutal but vital.

Important Static Muscle Stretches

To avoid over complicating the issue, I am focussing on the muscles from the waist downwards, as stretching the upper body is of minor importance.

ANKLES; there are something like 26 muscles, or to be precise tendons, in each foot so your foot is the most complicated piece of body machinery you have. The muscles around the ankle need to be stretched by leaning forward against a wall and dropping your knee. A similar action but with a straight leg will stretch the ACHILLES tendon and calf muscles.

CALF MUSCLES; another stretch is to stand on one foot on the bottom step of your staircase with the step edge crossing your mid-sole and drop the heel. Keep some weight on your other foot until you have got the hang of it to avoid over stretching and damaging the achilles tendon. Do not bounce down.

HAMSTRINGS; put one foot on a solid piece of furniture that is around or slightly below knee height with that leg forming a right angle then drop your torso down to your leg with your head alongside your knee. If you are already fairly supple and do not feel a stretch, drop the elevated knee to straighten the leg slightly until you do feel it. Dropping your head also stretches your NECK muscles and transmits down your back, freeing up your INTERCOSTALS for breathing. Doing this stretch with a straight leg is not a good idea as it can inflame the sciatic nerve, which will cause prolonged pain down your leg.

QUADRICEPS(quads); these are the muscles in the front of the upper half of your leg and are stretched by manually pulling the leg up behind you until your heel reaches your behind whilst keeping your knees alongside each other. The same exercise but with the foot coming up slightly to one side stretches the ILOTIBIAL band (usually just called ITB) which is an important stabilising muscle whilst running, particularly important when running on uneven ground.

CRUCIATE LIGAMENTS; the muscles above your knee connect to bone beneath it and vice-versa, hence the name as they cross each other. Crouch down and make yourself as small as possible. Keeping your knees flexible is the single most important part of training otherwise the muscles will pull on the patella (knee cap) and cause pain. This pain is usually misdiagnosed as joint damage caused by running and has mistakenly persuaded many to give up.

ADDUCTORS; these really are pesky varmints. Damage them and they will remind you for years. Stand alongside your bed with one leg stretched out behind you and adjust your position until you feel a stretch within your leg. This is a difficult one to describe so go carefully. Stretching by going into a forward lunge is a risky movement and should be avoided.

GLUTEALS; lay on your back with knee ‘a’ raised and put your foot ‘b’ near the top of thigh ‘a’. If this is too easy, then increase the stretch by gently bringing knee ‘b’ towards your chest.

BACK MUSCLES AND INTERCOSTALS; simply breathe in as deeply as possible and then touch your toes without bending your knees.

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Stretches should be taken carefully to the point where strain is felt, but STOP SHORT OF CAUSING PAIN, and hold for between 20 and 30 seconds. Never bounce a stretch or put your body weight on it in such a way that you cannot release immediately if necessary.

These stretches should be done after every exercise session when you are back in the warm, and NEVER BEFORE YOU EXERCISE. They are a vital part of training.

Gym training for strength and all-round muscle improvement

Training for marathon running is unlike that for any other distance because it requires strength and stability in muscles that are otherwise hardly used. The musculoskeletal system is 3-dimensional and is only as good as the weakest part so needs to be balanced head to toe, side to side and back to front. This schedule provides the all-round strength needed.

Weightlifting should be carried out in a steady and even movement. Jerking the weights or shifting the torso is a sign of handling weights that are too great for you and will lead to muscle strains. Each exercise, except the benchpress, should be carried out in no more than 3 sets of 10 repetitions, always starting cautiously with low weights to activate the muscles. Physiological studies have shown that trying more than 3 x 10 has little or no added benefit. The benchpress is performed as a ‘pyramid’ where you start with 10 lifts of a low weight and increase the weight as you decrease the reps. When you reach a weight where you only manage 2 reps then that is your weight limit and this exercise should only be attempted on a machine with ‘escape catches’ or with a catcher to assist you out of trouble. This exercise should always be done with feet on the floor for safety reasons. Then reduce the weight as you wind this exercise down.

It is up to you to find the level of weights to use and always be cautious. Do not look around to see what weights others are using as you are not competing with them. They may well be very experienced and well ahead of you. They are not relevant to your training. This schedule will last around 2 hours and should not be hurried as this is when injuries happen.

On Machines; Backward leg raise, forward leg raise, squats, weight resisted seated rowing, pull downs to chest and behind head. The glute press is particularly useful as it strengthens the quads, gluteals and gastrocnemius.

With loose weights; Curl, bent-over rowing, upright rowing, deadlift, benchpress.

Floor exercises; Sitting on a mat and leaning back slightly, swing a ‘medicine ball’ from side to side in an upward arc. Kneeling and leaning on elbows, bring one bent leg up behind you until your upper leg is horizontal. Lay on your back with your legs out straight then raise your legs to about a 45 degree angle then bring your knees towards your chest, finally extending your legs to return to the starting position. Lunges are popular but serve little practical use. However, if you do them with weights, you MUST use dumbells held each side and NOT a barbell on your neck, for safety reasons. Finally, you need a staircase, so this may not be at the gym. Take the stairs slowly, 2 at a time with an exaggerated drop and rise. This will develop and balance your hip flexors, adductors and I.t.b. which are very important muscles.

If there is anything here you do not understand, ask the gym staff – that is what they are there for.

Muscle location;

I.T.B.; the iliotibial band runs down the outside of the upper leg and is a common muscle pull for beginners, hence the need to exercise it. It will be under particular strain running on a camber.

Gluteals; their are 3 gluteals, the gluteus maximus, medius and minimus. Basically, they run around your backside and are frequently pulled doing simple things like getting out of bed when cold.

Hip flexors; they balance and operate hip movement. There are 2 called the psoas and piriformis.

Adductor muscle; this runs up the inside of the leg from knee to groin. You may not even notice using this but you will notice it if you strain it, being extremely difficult to treat, so make sure you stretch it after exercise.

Quadriceps; the very strong muscles that are in the front of the upper leg and must be stretched after every run to avoid shortening and stiffening.

Cruciate ligaments; these run around the patella (kneecap) and must be stretched after exercise or running otherwise they will shorten and pull mercilessly on the patella causing severe pain.

Nutrition, drink and race fuelling

GENERAL DIET; You should maintain a normally healthy balance of food that you already understand so just a few points to note. Takeaway fish and chips is a good option except that it is fried in palm oil which, at that temperature, converts to a saturated fat so the batter should be largely discarded. Chinese food contains little fat but plenty of sugar and Thai food is worse. Indian curries give a mixed result. The mild curries contain a lot of cream and should be avoided but the hot curries have ginger and chilli peppers and are very good. Processed food such as sausages, bacon, ham etc. should be avoided altogether. Pasta is ok but takes a lot longer for your body to process than rice. Simple home cooking such as baked potato and baked beans is usually the best and easily formulated. The fatty fish such as fresh salmon, huss, sardines and mackerel are also rich in omega3 and protein and will keep the runner’s body in good shape. Try a 3 egg omelette with half a red pepper and half a red onion with chips to tick all the boxes.

The basic concept of fuelling for long runs is you need extra carbohydrate beforehand to provide extra energy which is stored as glycogen in the muscles with a reserve in your liver. For a shorter run of say 10 miles or less, extra carbs are not really necessary. You should eat at least 2 hours before running because your body uses energy to digest food and you only get the benefit later, in fact up to 24 hours later.

 Your last significant meal should be in the afternoon of the day before a morning run, so avoid the last night “pasta party” which is the main cause of the toilet queues at the start of every race. By all means top up in the evening before but with a high fibre low fat meal- trust me – whatever the race organisers say, it is never possible to provide enough cubicles on a race budget. This is not a delicate subject, but it is the problem that is most likely to ruin your race day, so get it sorted. If you eat anything less than 2 hours before you run, you will very probably get “stitch” – a stomach muscle cramp thought to be caused by the digestive tract diverting blood away from the muscles.

Eating before a long race does little, if anything, for your energy levels, although a banana does have sugar and potassium which are rapidly absorbed into the system. It is, however, desirable as otherwise your hunger later on will be most distracting and reduce your resolve to carry on to the end.

After a long run you also need carbs to replenish those used and protein which is essential to muscle building. You may not feel like it, but the sooner the better, and a light bite usually prevents the feeling of nausea you may experience an hour or so after finishing.

DRINKS; These fall into 3 categories; Dehydrating – alcohol and salt are the ones mainly encountered that should be avoided. Diuretics – such as tea and coffee – hydrate to a certain degree but forcefully expel any temporary surplus. This is nothing to do with caffeine which is itself not a diuretic, so drinking decaffeinated makes no difference. Hydrating drinks such as water with maltodextrin (a carbohydrate) dissolved in it, diluted fruit juice and skimmed milk remain in your system a lot longer and thus are more useful. Severe dehydration can cause kidney damage which makes hydration increasingly difficult and combined with taking Ibuprofen can cause kidney failure. I also train on diluted grapefruit juice diluted grapefruit juice which is high in fruit sugar (fructose) which is digested in a completely different way from ordinary sugar (sucrose). I often also drink beetroot juice at the start of every race as this brings nitric oxide to your muscles and helps them convert the glycogen in the muscles to the required energy level. This is a good long term hydrater but is not fast acting. Afterwards, the ideal recovery drink is pure cocoa in skimmed milk with a little honey and chilli flakes. It provides protein, energy anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatories and also tastes good. (You will need to dissolve the cocoa first in a little boiling water). In training for a marathon, it is essential you increase your intake of anti-oxidants to boost your natural immunity which will otherwise be reduced by the prolonged exertion. When you overexert yourself, your white blood cell count drops and you have reduced natural immunity, making you vulnerable to every infection around you. Your normal diet, however good, may not be enough

WARNING: You must not drink only water on a long run on a hot day as this can cause hyponatraemia which is irreversible and can be fatal even after hospitalisation. The lack of salts dissolved in the intake allows bodily fluids to be so diluted the osmotic system reverses and this is disastrous. If you think a long race will only provide water, then take something along to take with it such as Bloks or dextrose tablets or something else kind to your stomach.

CARBO GELS AND DRINKS provide an effective energy boost but overuse often causes nausea or vomiting so try them out in moderation in training. Dextrose tablets raise your blood sugar levels and provide a less obnoxious alternative when taken with water.

THESE ARE GUIDELINES – you must find by experiment the precise diet and drink that suits you, but do not leave it too late to start.

John Trory, Road Runners Club

This has to be approached with great caution to be safe and successful whilst accommodating the changing weather. Planning is essential.

IN RAIN; Motorists vision will be impaired and you will not be so easily seen, so you should wear a reflective sash and avoid crossing roads in heavy traffic. Do not take chances as a vehicle will not be able to pull up as sharply as in the dry. Always WALK across roads to be safe as gutters and kerb stones are serious hazards when running.

Trainers do not grip so well on wet concrete paving slabs, even less on metal manhole covers and not at all on wet leaves so do not make sharp changes of direction. Cross-country trainers, although better on mud and grass, are actually worse on pavements.

Rain will cool the leg muscles and stiffen them so you will have to take it more easily to avoid picking up a muscle strain. Your upper body may feel uncomfortable, but this is only a state of mind which you need to switch off. Avoid deep puddles as soaked trainers take on the characteristics of clogs.

IN THE DARK.; Reflective sashes are vital- you will be visible a long way away.

Artificial street lighting conceals contours so be very careful around tree roots and uneven stretches of pavement which may actually be worse than they appear to be.

Headband LED lights are very useful and are much better worn around the waist if you are slim enough. Mine just fits around a 32″ waist. The light does not wave round as much as when worn on the forehead, is more comfortable and shows more brightly on the ground as it is nearer ground level.

Do not use remote paths at night in case you fall and need assistance. Even using a mobile phone, it could be some time before help arrives and guiding help to remote paths can prove very difficult.

1O degrees C at night will feel a lot colder than the same during the day because you do not have the direct (radiated) heat of the sun, so you will need to dress a little warmer.

IN THE COLD; How cold you actually feel is determined by your core temperature, which is several degrees higher than your medically measured body temp. When you start shivering, it is because your core temperature is dropping and you MUST TAKE NOTICE of this. As hypothermia sets in, you will actually begin to feel warmer and may even take off some clothing in your disorientation, so dress appropriately. Better too hot than too cold at this time of year.

Your leg muscles are exposed to the cold even though your upper body may feel quite warm and this is when your are most likely to pull hamstrings, which take a long time to recover. Below 10 degrees C I suggest you wear thermal leggings. Below 5 degrees C I also wear an old tracksuit bottom which I have cut off just below the knee. This is enough to keep the muscles warm without inhibiting movement.

On ice or snow, take much shorter strides so that you keep your centre of gravity over your contact with the ground. This is the same principle as in ballroom dancing which is performed on a polished wood surface wearing smooth soled leather shoes. Speed must be set aside, but balancing on the slippery surface will actually enhance your run by improving your hip flexors. However, GREAT CAUTION is necessary to avoid falling, particularly on snow that has melted then refrozen in ruts. Slush is also very slippery and can be worse than snow.

The “wind chill factor” must be considered when deciding what to wear. A light plastic jacket is best as the wind goes straight through woven fabrics such as in a fleece.

When you return home, allow plenty of time to warm up the muscles before doing any static stretches, preferably waiting until after your shower.

HYDRATION is still important in even the coldest weather as you will still be losing fluid in your breath. Winter is a good time to build up distance endurance – speed can be improved quite rapidly and safely in the spring time training sessions.

USE YOUR COMMON-SENSE AND EXERCISE CAUTION

John Trory, gen. sec. and championship sec. of Roadrunners Club

Exercises enhancing running techniques

After a few months of running in training for a marathon, you should be beginning to identify your strengths and weaknesses and adjusting or adding to your training accordingly.

There are basic exercises which should be carried out and can usually be adapted to doing in the home, although there is obviously more scope to expand on this theme at a gym. The overall concept is to develop evenly balanced movement and build strength in areas which are not developed purely by running. IT IS OF HUGE IMPORTANCE IN RUNNING A MARATHON THAT YOU BUILD STRENGTH THAT IS BALANCED UP AND DOWN YOUR BODY AS WELL AS THE LEFT SIDE WITH THE RIGHT SIDE. THIS MEANS THAT YOU MUST PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR MID AND UPPER BODY STRENGTH AND NOT JUST CONCENTRATE ON YOUR LEGS. The abdominal area also embraces the 3 gluteal muscles (glutes), the hip flexors and rotators, a part of which is the piriformis. All are vital for long distance running so to build these evenly;

LEG FLIPS; On your hands and knees, raise one leg behind you, keeping the right-angle between upper and lower leg, until your thigh is parallel with the ground. Repeat this until you tire and count how many. You should be able to manage at least 20. If your leg waves around uncontrollably, it is a sign your hip flexors are weak.

STAIRS; Take stairs fairly slowly 2 at a time exaggerating the rise and fall on each step and avoid holding on to the bannister rail. As well as your quads, this will develop your hip flexors and give you balance.

LEG RAISES; Lay flat on your back and raise your legs to around 45 degrees keeping them straight then bring your knees towards your chest as you bend at the knees. To complete, lower your knees and push your feet away from you whilst still keeping them off the ground. This is a much safer exercise than sit-ups or crunches. Repeat as you like to build your abs and also your quads.

BALL LIFT; Sitting on the floor leaning backwards, holding a ball or weight in both hands, lower to one side reaching slightly behind you whilst still facing forwards. Lift the ball then lower on the other side whilst continuing to lean backwards. Build this up to 20 reps. You should get up to 40 reps by marathon time.

SQUATS; With your back to a wall, squat down until your thighs are parallel with the ground then push back up against the wall. As well as the quads, this will strengthen the cruciate ligaments which surround the knees and are vital for running.

TIPTOES; For building the ankle muscles, run gently on the spot on your tiptoes for a minute or two. Also raising and lowering yourself on your tiptoes will be effective.

STRIDES; Your adductor muscles are strengthened and lengthened by doing strides, which are exactly what the name suggests. Walk briskly making your stride as long as possible – a couple of minutes here and there will do, especially in the middle of a run.

SNOW ANGELS; I am sure you all know what these are – well do not do them in the snow. If you do them at home, with a cushion under your spine, after a run, this will stretch your intercostal muscles which are the ones that expand your chest and help you breathe

PRESS-UPS; These focus on your shoulders, which you will need if you expect to swing your arms for 4 hours, but also build a whole host of muscles top to toe.

THE PLANK; On the floor, your body should be straight, face down and supported only by your feet and arms. This builds a host of mainly mid body muscles, and you should be able to hold this position for up to 1 minute.

WAIST SWINGS; Stand with your feet approximately 1ft (30cm) apart and clasp your arms on front of you at shoulder level. Keep your hips facing forward and twist your upper body and head around to one side 5 times, then do the same on the other side. It keeps you flexible and helps to keep the spine vertebrae in the right place. You can do this as an ordinary exercise, or as a stretch after a run.

SINGLE LEG SQUATS; Stand with one foot on a stool of a height that suits you and lower yourself until the other foot reaches the ground. Raise and lower yourself as many times as it takes to feel the strain. Do equal lifts with each leg to avoid imbalance of strength.

CAUTION SHOULD BE OBSERVED WHEN STARTING ANY NEW EXERCISE, especially if you have an existing disability.

 

When a muscle suffers appreciable damage, the body automatically floods the area with ‘toxins’ which solidify to protect the muscle from further damage. Over the next 2 weeks, extra muscle fibres grow to strengthen the muscle and form what is known as ‘scar tissue’. The area of scar tissue becomes so inflexible it often causes as much pain as the original damage leading to the belief it is still damaged. The requirement is, therefore, pretty well standard treatment; heating to encourage blood flow to flush out the solids, massage for the same objective and stretching to return the muscle to its proper length and flexibility. (Stretches should be held for at least 30 seconds.) This will apply to every muscle strain in an accessible position. A roller bar can be very useful to self massage most injuries. There is a popular belief that icing an injury is beneficial – it most definitely is not. In fact it is completely counter-productive and delays the healing process.

Most muscle strains, especially “shinsplints”, are caused by a sudden change of routine instead of a gradual introduction. This applies to exercises as well as terrain and distance. Overtraining, i.e. training too frequently to allow muscles to recover between sessions, is also a common problem. Change should only be gradually introduced and with considerable thought. A large increase in running can also affect bone development and lead to stress fractures which can be most troublesome. The body will increase bone density to cope with increased impact sports, but it is a fairly slow process, so you need to allow for this.

I.T.B. (illotibial band); This muscle runs down the outside of the upper leg and can be strained by unbalanced running. Prime causes can be running on a cambered road on the same side for long distances or having one leg appreciably shorter than the other. Nearly everybody has one leg shorter but it is the degree of difference that matters. There is no rule of thumb, but 1 cm. or more needs attention. To stretch this muscle, bring your foot up behind you to touch your backside and then gently move the foot out away from your body whilst keeping your knees together. To prevent recurrence, examine your running style and also consider what is underfoot when you run, walk or even stand around at work. A strain can be caused by carrying an item always on the same side, so if you carry a shopping bag, briefcase etc, change hands frequently.

Hamstrings; The strong muscles that run down the back of your upper leg. Neglect is usually the problem here as they can be tight through not carrying out the whole range of stretches after running. It can indicate back problems or stiffness in the lumbar region. They can also be easily strained by running in cold weather without adequate protection. You may feel warm but your hamstrings are exposed and will be cold and vulnerable. I recommend wearing leggings when the air is below 10*c.

Gluteals and the Piriformis; These are in the lumbar region at the base of the spine and are in constant daily use, often doing heavy duty work, and this can be the cause. When you pick something up off the floor, it may not weigh a lot, but you are also lifting your torso weight, so do not be casual about ‘light’ work. The damage done may then be accentuated by running. The stretch for these is put your foot on the strained side on a chair or bed and lower your torso whilst supporting your weight. Then rotate away from the raised leg until you feel a stretch. When returning to the vertical position, lift your torso with your arms. Massage is difficult as the muscle does not protrude but you can make a fist, find the painful point and sandwich your fist between that and a wall. Wriggle around to massage the area.

‘Shinsplints’ is the term used for the inflammation of the muscle that lies alongside the shin bone. It is almost always caused by suddenly switching training from flat terrain to hills. This puts greater strain on the muscles on top of your foot, as you will be running more on the forefoot, whilst compressing the muscles above your ankle. Stretch this muscle by putting your foot on a chair immediately behind you and pushing down on your heel. Adjust your position until you feel the stretch. Carry this out a few times a day and also massage the muscle by running your fist down it, which can be painful but is necessary. Dietary turmeric can also help to reduce inflammation.

With 3 months to go to an April marathon, January is the time to try and work out how long the target marathon will take you to complete. This is necessary in order to tailor your further training to achieve this. You will by now have reached widely differing levels of running ability so it is necessary to place yourself in the group you feel most appropriate. Do not be over optimistic as the most important part of the final day is to enjoy the occasion and get round with the minimum damage to your body.

1) IF YOU CAN COMFORTABLY RUN 12 OR MORE MILES, time yourself running strongly over a measured 10k. If you then multiply this by 5, this will be a reasonable expectation for your marathon time if you continue training sensibly without mishap. A 48 minute 10k, for instance, will therefore give you a sporting chance of a 4 hour marathon, the all time favourite benchmark, which is approximately 9 minute miles. If this is the case, then you would aim to complete your long runs at a pace of 10 minute miles and your tempo short runs at 8.5 minute miles with intervals being a few minutes at 8 minute miles. DO NOT ATTEMPT ANYTHING HARDER THAN THIS AS IT WILL ONLY LEAD TO INJURY. 2) IF YOU CAN RUN 8 OR 9 MILES BUT STRUGGLE BEYOND THAT, carry out the 10k test to determine your training speeds but adjust your training to lengthen your long run. Do this by introducing walking periods of 5 to 10 minutes when your fatigue makes it difficult for you to maintain a good running style and normal speed, and then return to running when you feel rested. The running part of the walk-run routine should be the standard 1 minute per mile longer than your calculated race speed and the walk should be brisk and controlled. YOU WILL BE SUPRISED how long you will keep going with this walk-run strategy. As you progress with this, you will find that the walks become shorter and the distance greater. 3) IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING AT 8 MILES OR LESS, with only 3 months to go you must accept that you will have to adopt a walk-run strategy for the race. This is not in any way a defeat – just a practical routine that I always use when I am not running too well. In fact, IN A TOTAL OF 35 MARATHONS, I HAVE ONLY RUN THE ENTIRE RACE TWICE, which means I have run many sub 4hours with a walk-run race. Your long run should be as in group 2 but on your tempo run you should concentrate on your running style as this gives efficiency with economy of effort. This obviously conserves energy as well as reducing damage such as blisters and muscle cramps and strains. It should feel faster than your long run but only for as long as you feel good. In fact, a walk-run in London is actually more fun because you take in the crowds, atmosphere and landmarks, none of which I noticed when I set my p.b. Struggling to run all the way is an avoidable and unnecessary nightmare. 4) IF YOU CANNOT EVEN RUN 5 MILES, you can still get round with a walk-run strategy, but you are looking at maybe 6+ hours. You will be alongside the rhino and London bus which could be fun, but the race support does have a time limit and I do not recommend having to do the second half of the race on the pavement with traffic whizzing around. You can leave this decision quite late, however, if you are considering rolling your entry over to next year.

TO ALL GROUPS; If at this stage you feel you have dropped behind your expectations, DO NOT INCREASE YOUR TRAINING IN THE HOPE OF CATCHING UP. This will lead only to the problems of overtraining which include excessive muscle fatigue and strains, incorrect development of running gait and even depression because of the results.