Were you successful with your 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon ballot?
If so, then lucky you! I understand a record number of over 457,000 people entered the general ballot this year for the event on 26th April. Unfortunately I was unsuccessful with my ballot entry. A few of my clients were successful though so I am delighted for them!
I did anticipate that this would be the case with my personal entry given the numbers, so I had already entered the Manchester Marathon for the first Sunday in April. On the positive side, this will also enable me to enter the Brighton Marathon 10K event towards the end of April. The timings will also enable a full recovery between the marathon and racing a 10K event!
As a personal trainer in Brighton and Hove, I have successfully coached a number of clients though marathon training. Often the key to success is being able to get to the start line injury free after months of training. Injuries are very common when training for this event, so a steady and progressive approach is vital.
Running and Injury Prevention
My advice if you are new to running is to start with Parkrun on a Saturday morning. This is a brilliant community event, where participation, rather then time, is encouraged. It also acts as a big confidence builder and can set the foundation to a marathon training plan. We are very lucky here in Brighton and Hove to have an array of Parkruns to choose from! Whilst I completed my first one on Hove Prom, my favourite is Hove Park. This course is undulating, but I like the fact that there are no turns which I find helps with rhythm. I also like to do the one at Preston Park from time to time, particularly on Christmas Day!
The second piece of advice would be to build your running up with ‘time on your feet’ rather than distance. This encourages you to take the running easy and relaxed. Adding 10 minutes each time to your long run. This is key to building a solid foundation of cardio fitness. This ‘easy’ running can be done at conversational pace and feel sustainable. To give an idea of mileage and dates, I would try and get up to 10 miles by 1st January, with the both the London and Brighton Marathons in April.
Finally, the importance of having strength training in your exercise routine cannot be stressed enough. This doesn’t have to be done in a gym. Why not take to Hove Lawns or Preston Park and complete some walking lunges? Other key exercises to build up the gluteal muscles are squats and step ups using a bench. Indeed, as a personal trainer in Brighton and Hove, most of my sessions with clients trining for marathons are done outside because this more closely replicates the conditions on race day!
Best wishes,
Anthony
