So it’s been and gone. Mo has graced our brilliant capital and ran alongside 12,000 other runners who turned up in force despite the conditions. Well done to all who completed the race; it’s a massive achievement. I chose to run the half marathon as a way of increasing my mileage towards my ultimate goal of running the London Marathon in April. I ended up completing the race in a time of 1.41.51 and I enjoyed every minute of it (even the 5 minutes worth of torrential rain and hail) and I even managed to run with Pritch for part of the race. I experimented with the calf compression socks, which worked a treat. However, for differing reasons, I finished with a sore quadricep insertion (thigh muscle). As you’re reading this, you may find that you’ve had similar issues and this is how I’ve aided my issues, which may help others.

Post-race recovery consisted of a gentle cycle home (to maintain joint range of movement and reduce lactic acid retention), had an ice bath (for an awful 10 minutes) and for the three days post-race, I undertook static stretching exercises and used the foam roller to aid muscle relaxation, prevent muscle shortening and reduce trigger points that had developed during the race. I ate plenty of protein based meals to further aid muscle recovery.

Having completed the race and now realising that my quadricep was overloaded during the race, I now have to integrate further prehabilitation work to strengthen my hip flexors and adjust my running technique (I’ll be seeking help from my colleague and friend, Doug, our orthotist). During my training sessions I have decided that I am going to emphasise hip flexion and increase my stride length. This, of course, will be a gradual process, starting off by running for 1 mile with this technique and increasing the distance over the next few runs.

My training schedule is now fully focused on targeting for the marathon in a month’s time. The aim of the game is conditioning. In order for joints, muscles and tendons to cope with the increasing load they have to be gradually exposed to an ever increasing load. For my marathon training this has commenced over a period of 4-5 months, gradually increasing the distance, speed and intensity over a period of time. By progressing your training slowly, this allows your body to make the required adaptations and prevents overload injuries such as shin splints, iliotibial band syndrome and hip bursitis.

Alongside gradual strengthening and running technique adaptation, taping techniques, orthotics and post-race massage can all aid with pre-race preparation and allow you to achieve your best possible result.If you develop any aches or pains, persistent niggles or just require a pre or post-race massage then pop into Agile to meet your needs.

If you have any personal fitness goals you’d like to achieve, please book online here and we can discuss things further: www.agiletherapy.com/book