H E A LT H FITNESS
&
THE FINAL
COUNTDOWN
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Top tips for anyone running the London Marathon
ell, it’s nearly that time of year again where for 1 day only, London is transformed into a sea of Charity vests, funky colourful trainers and crazy humans dressed in superhero, rhino and even Borat costumes! Yes, on 24th April marks the 35th London Marathon and here at SV Sports Therapy we couldn’t be more proud to be an Official London Marathon sports injury clinic! So what are my final top tips to get you in shape ready for this monumental achievement?
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ORGANISATION - Make sure you are organised - plan, plan, plan! Do not leave anything until the last week. Make sure you know your travel route to get to the start line in plenty of time. I would suggest getting there 1.5-2 hours before the actual start time. Trust me, it is overwhelming the magnitude of people on race day. You do not want to cause any unnecessary stress for being late!
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CLOTHING - Do not wear anything new on race day that you have not worn already in training. If you are running for a charity, make sure you have worn
the charity vest several times in your training runs before you wear it for race day. Is it too small? Does it chaff around your armpits or cause ‘bloody nipples’? (Yes, this is an injury we see every year!)
able to experience this amazing event and that your body is capable of such a fantastic achievement – well done to you!
3
PACE YOURSELF - At the beginning of the run, once the hundreds of people in front of you cross the start line, make sure you don’t let the adrenaline and nerves get the better of you and start out too fast - make sure you stick to your usual pace which you have been doing on all your longer training runs. Wouldn’t you rather finish the marathon strong instead of walking over the finish line?
4
RECOVERY - Make sure after the marathon, you look after yourself! Do your post running stretches, use your foam roller, eat nutritional food and don’t sit in one position for too long, trust me I’ve learnt the hard way after my first marathon! Come and see us at SV Sports Therapy for a post marathon sports massage to aid your recovery and stiff legs, it will really help you!
5
MOST IMPORTANTLY - Have a BLAST! Feel blessed you are
Don’t forget to look out for SV Sports Therapy on race day! We are stationed just after the Mile 25 mark, along the Embankment on the right hand side as you run towards the Houses of Parliament - we will be standing cheering you on and handing out FREE nutritional goodies for you - see you then! For more Sports Therapy and Marathon training advice, contact Sophie from SV Sports Therapy on sophie@svsportstherapy.com, www.svsportstherapy.com.
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