The Virgin Money London Marathon 2017

The ‘Virgin London Marathon is now just 2 days away, Sunday 23nd April 2017. The capital will host its 37th London marathon this year and will see over 50,000 runners take on the 26.2 mile course. It’s been brilliant to see how many of our clients have been committed over the past months to an intense training programme, but whether it’s your 1st or 91st marathon we know how much hard work you have all put in get to this Sunday! Although it may feel like your training has all but come to an end now there is still plenty of important tips and tricks for the day prior and day of the race.

• Recovery;Now that your training has finished it’s important to focus on recovery from the intense sessions you’ve been doing, so make sure to get in eight hours or more of sleep every night.

 

• Hydration; Make sure you’re drinking at least 2-3 litres of water a day. Taking electrolyte tablets is another way of making sure you replenish any electrolytes lost while sweating, to avoid muscle cramps and dehydration.

 

• Nutrition; Now is not the time to start experimenting with different foods or exercise. Many runners will be into the habit of eating high quality carbohydrates and breaking their three main meals up into six smaller ones, so there’s no need to adopt bizarre approaches such as starving yourself or filling up on big bowls of pasta the night before. The marathons sponsors product is Lucozade so if you are planning to take this at the drink stations, ensure you have tested this previously and are familiar with the product.

 

• Plan ahead; London is a busy city and even more so on marathon weekend, ensure that you have all your travel planned and allow yourself plenty of time to get to the race start line. Ideally aim to get there 45min before the race begins to allow yourself to relax and get in the zone.

 

• Plan your Kit; The morning of your race will feel like 10mins with the nerves and early start, make things as easy as possible for yourself by planning everything out the night before. Remember to take things like a lightweight jacket, a cap and safety pins for your number. Buy a cheap pack-a-mac type thing from the pound shop just in case it is raining. Then just chuck it away when the race starts.

 

• Keep breakfast simple; Again, don’t start taking on anything you haven’t already tried in your training. Try and get you pre-race meal in about 2hours before your start time. 

 

• Pack flip-flops for the finish; After spending the last year glued to your running shoes, as soon as you cross that finish line they will be the first thing you want to take off. After 26miles your feet will swell, Flip-Flops are prefect shoes to give your feet some air.

 

• Refuel before you need to; Don’t wait until you are feeling fatigued and drained to take on your next gel, ensure you have your food and hydration is planned throughout the course, so that you can get the energy boost at the right time, keeping your blood sugar level as stable as possible.

Be sure to treat yourself to a massage with our top team of therapists here at G4, a massage in the days following the race will have great benefits for you recovery and get you back running as soon as you want to. A light massage the day before is also a great way to get your body feeling fresh and light along with relaxing any pre-race nerves.

With any massage, even a relaxing Swedish massage, there’s further benefit of blood and oxygen running through the body. Breaking up any adhesions through the muscles and flushing out toxins

If you have any injury concerns and would like to book in for an appointment/seek advice about your training,  please feel free to contact the clinic on 0161 445 5133 or email admin@g4physio.co.uk or book online

Good luck to all, running in Sunday’s London Marathon!