Get Marathon Ready
With marathon season just around the corner, now is the time to combine what you have been practising with diet, stretching, massage and meditation techniques.
Spring is a fantastic time to break bad habits and the best time to make lifestyle changes that will stick. Make sure you give yourself time to relax in-between the training in order to maximise your bodies chance of finishing in style, or beating your personal best.
To shake things up a little, plan your body and mind makeover from the feet upwards.
Feet will take a bashing when running a marathon, so indulge in a little TLC before hand. Either using self massage techniques written about in our previous posts, (making sure to use knuckles to get deeper pressure) or book in a leg and a foot massage to ensure the muscles are stretched and knot free before the big day.
Join a yoga or Tai Chi class and really learn how to channel energy through your body, pay attention to areas that feel tight or in need of some deeper work and make sure you stretch daily to loosen up your muscles. Remember that as well as your feet and legs, you need to be paying attention to your glutes, hips, back and shoulder muscles. Runners often get tight pecs, so release these to help open up your heart and chest, allowing you to make better use of your breathing.
Focus on developing your mantra, a saying that helps motivate you.
Keep at least five minutes free before each training session to simply lie on the floor and breathe into every part of your body while repeating your mantra. You will find your runs much more focused if you keep yourself calm and centred before you start.
While you have been spending months training for the big race, it is also important to remember to de-stress your body and mind afterwards. Book in a massage treatment ready for the days following the marathon. Keep muscles happy and healthy with magnesium baths and ensure your diet stays healthy. Drink plenty of fluids to help flush toxins out in the week following the race and keep moving! Seizing up is a result of your muscles having too much lactic acid and not enough movement to help release it. Keep stretching, moving and drinking (water, not beer) to help minimise the dreaded hobble!
Most importantly, enjoy it and have fun!