As always, prevention is better than cure for us marathon runners

Published on Monday 8 September 2008 20:11

Fiona Russell is training for the Baxters Loch Ness Marathon on 5 October. We have been following her progress every fortnight, and this week we have teamed up with the event's sponsors to run a fantastic prize draw

LYING on the ground having my legs and back massaged, just five minutes before a half-marathon race last month might not have appeared the most auspicious of starts. But this impromptu treatment, carried out after a chance meeting with a sports massage therapist friend, proved the difference between experiencing a smooth-ish race, and embarking on a Radcliffe-esque run from hell.

After months of pounding the streets I have started to pick up a few niggles. My knees groan from about eight miles, and for much of the time I am aware of an increasingly tight right gluteus maximus.

Of course, what I should have done at the first sign of these minor aches was head straight to the consultation room of a sports physiotherapist. But while most runners are well aware of this advice, somehow the majority of us never quite get to the physio's table quickly enough.

Perhaps we are put off by the thought of spending money on a consultation (usually around 30 per session), or maybe it's because we like to kid ourselves that we are superhuman enough to "run the injury off". Sadly, in the long run (excuse the pun), inaction over an injury usually spells disaster.

So now, with just four weeks to go before the Baxters Loch Ness Marathon, I am not only worrying about finding the time to fit in the ever-lengthening training runs, but I'm also anxious about being able to afford enough sports massages.

According to Iona Robertson, an experienced fitness consultant, while it's vital that runners seek remedy when injured, the most important lesson to learn is how to make your body "injury-proof" in the first place.

"Running is very much a forwards-and-backwards style of movement, which I tend to talk about as a two-dimensional activity," she explains. "It's also high impact and repetitive. What many runners fail to recognise is the importance of adding in other activities to their routine to activate all their muscles in a more three-dimensional fashion."

Robertson, who owns the Body Matrix, which operates from one of Glasgow's Run 4 It stores, believes that strength conditioning exercises, such as gym-run body pump classes or circuit training, are extremely beneficial for improving the muscles used for core stability, controlling the position and movement of the central portion of your body.

"If you target the muscles within the abdomen, the ones that connect to the spine, pelvis, legs and shoulders, then you are more likely to have better posture and better control over your running technique," she says.

"Keeping everything strong and in good alignment will help to reduce the risk of injuries."

Many health experts also advocate the use of yoga, especially the dynamic ashtanga style, as a useful injury-preventing exercise for a range of athletes.

Jo Lockhart, an ashtanga yoga teacher, says: "Ashtanga-style yoga is an effective cross-training technique. The steady and dynamic motion of ashtanga builds strength as well as flexibility, and contributes to improved body alignment, as well as increased lung capacity."

Lockhart, who teaches yoga for runners in classes in and around Glasgow, adds: "Ashtanga-style yoga is credited with being a way to prevent injuries, and improve cardiovascular performance. It really lives up to its other name as the 'athlete's yoga'."

Further injury-proofing techniques for marathon runners include building up the training schedule by only 10 per cent per week or fortnight, and adopting a good routine for warming up and cooling down before and after sessions.

"I'd advise the use of dynamic stretches, such as lunges, squats and calf raises, to get the big joints working before every run, and then a good steady cool down," says Robertson. "After each session, jog slowly for five minutes, then ensure you properly stretch out all your muscles. And if you can, do this cool down while sipping on a recovery drink," she adds.

If proper warm-ups and cool-downs are important, then so too are a runner's recovery days. Steve Clark, a former British triathlon champion and sports coach, advises: "Your body must have recovery days so as to rebuild the muscles effectively.

"If you have a recovery run to do then ensure this is slow and puts no stress at all on your body. Better still, in my experience, you should incorporate cross-training into your recovery programme, including activities such as cycling or swimming. Proper recovery is vital for an injury-free marathon training programme."

And there is more to injury prevention than simply exercising or not.

The growth of sports science in recent decades has given the athletics world access to a wealth of information about safe training techniques and performance improvement, including the benefits of physiotherapy, massage and podiatry.

How many times during the Beijing Olympics did you hear the British sporting champions thank their coaches, as well as their support teams, including physios, masseurs and nutritionists?

If you thought that regular sports massage and podiatry sessions were only for the likes of our Olympic stars, you would be wrong.

"Again, it's about keeping muscles in good working order and your body in correct alignment," explains Robertson.

"If you pick up an injury you immediately start to make subconscious adjustments to your technique to overcome the niggle or ache. If you continue to make these adjustments, your body as a whole will suffer.

"What massage and podiatry do for every kind of athlete is offer continued body maintenance check-ups, rather like when you have your car MoT'd."

The experts advise that runners book a biomechanical check with a podiatrist prior to starting a new training programme, and make further appointments for check-ups once or twice a year during the training.

A podiatrist will ensure you have proper posture as well as the correct muscle and skeletal alignment. Andy Buldt, of the Edinburgh Podiatry Clinic, says: "In some cases, after a consultation, a runner will be advised to buy a pair of supportive trainers to correct any misalignments or to improve their running gait."

Runners may also require specially-made orthotic inserts, placed in neutral-support trainers. "If you get the gait right in the first place, then there are far less chances of repetitive-style injuries as your training mileage progresses," he adds.

Sports massage is another training aid, often overlooked by amateur runners, that makes perfect sense. The more miles you run, the more stress you put your muscles under. Specific sports massage will help to reduce muscle inflammation and tension and increase recovery time.

And don't forget to change your trainers regularly. "The average person will require new footwear every 500 miles," says Robertson. "Also, make sure you visit a sports shop that has people specially trained to fit your trainers."

So, heeding this advice, I get out my credit card. Over the past ten days I have bought new trainers and had several massages as well as one-to-one yoga sessions.

In an attempt to fit this into my already hectic work/family/running schedule, I have booked all the appointments as substitutions for recovery runs.

So, as Robertson, points out, I am also reducing my training miles. "Quite a sensible approach," she says, nodding wisely.

Everything had been going so well until now, but I am still determined to make it to the marathon start line as injury-free as possible. If I now have to console myself with the thought that I will not be breaking any land speed records, and nor will I be that rich from the fruits of my labours, I can at least hope that on the big day I will not need to make any Radcliffe-style emergency stops to stretch and walk.

Thanks to my marathon heroine's performance during the Beijing Olympics, I am now convinced that running with an injury is to be avoided at all costs. I just hope I can pay off the inevitable debt post-race.