How to deal with injuries and illness when training for a marathon

Miss a 5k or 10k run, or even a half marathon, and – like buses – there’ll be another one along quite soon within easy travelling distance. However, marathon races are far less frequent, and if you have to miss out on race day then there may not be another opportunity for a whole year. It’s not surprising, then, that when you’re focused on training for your marathon, you can feel like the bottom’s dropped out of your world if you encounter problems.

However, this needn’t be the case. Injury and illness can certainly disrupt your preparations, but by employing some smart training and recuperation techniques, you’ve every chance of lining up on race day AND hitting your marathon target!

Read on for some strategies for coping with problems, as well as our alternative training recommendations, which will help you get to the start line in marathon shape. This guide includes information on:

• When to train and when to rest
• How to maintain your marathon fitness
• Getting back into marathon training – safely

How bad is the problem?
The first step is to objectively assess the extent of your injury or illness. Simply check out the following table of common causes of training downtime to help you assess what training you can or cannot do.

What training can I do?
If you can’t run but you’ve been given the ‘all clear’ by your doctor to carry out other types of exercise, you could choose one or more of the following alternative training options in order to maintain your marathon fitness.

Cardiovascular (CV) training

Swimming. A great all-round exercise, and because your weight is always supported, swimming is easier than running. To get the same training effects as running, you need to swim freestyle (the crawl) – and you will actually reap the greatest benefit if your technique is poor! Very efficient swimmers can plough up and down the pool effortlessly all day, hardly breaking sweat. Your goal, however, is to work your heart and lungs in the same way that running does, so the less efficient you are in the water, the harder you have to work – hence the greater training effect.

Cycling. Another great exercise and, as with swimming, your weight is supported. For a more beneficial workout, climb out of the saddle frequently and use higher gears so that you get breathless. A cycling session will also need to be longer than your usual runs to get the same training effect, so factor in more time for your sessions.

Rowing. This trains the upper body as well as the legs so is a good, balanced exercise. Prolonged periods on water can be tricky for navigation, though, so you may want to keep session lengths relatively short. A more practical option is to use a rowing machine in the gym, although these can become boring after a certain amount of time. A great strategy for spicing up your session is by alternating between intense and more relaxed rowing – for example, doing five minutes of hard rowing, followed by two minutes of taking it easy, and repeating this as required. This will help pass the time and challenge your CV system.

Pool running. Otherwise known as ‘wet-vesting’, pool running is an excellent training alternative to running if you’re injured. To train in the pool, you should wear a small flotation aid around your torso, which gives you sufficient buoyancy to maintain an upright position in the water. Then, making sure that you’re in water deep enough so that you can’t touch the bottom, you run! To generate forward motion, your arm and leg movements have to be more exaggerated than when you’re running through air, but other than that, the two disciplines are extremely similar. Despite your weight being supported by the water, you can achieve an excellent CV workout – and one that’s as close to running as you can get.

Gymnasium CV machines. Equipment such as cross-trainers and steppers will exercise your CV system and also require you to support your own bodyweight, so the training effects will be good. Extended gym training on a machine can become slightly dull, so take along an MP3 player loaded with your favourite tracks if you can, or experiment with interval sessions similar to the rowing session above, to both help you maintain focus and add quality to your workout.

Other training

Resistance training. Improving your overall strength and condition will make you a better, faster and more efficient runner. Two sessions of resistance training per week will make significant improvements to your strength, and will help you to keep focused because you’ll know that you’re still adding to your training plan.

Core training. Time spent on core training will be of considerable benefit to your running. Improving your posture and body control, together with improvements in your running economy, are just some of the benefits that you can enjoy. Either added onto the end of a resistance training session or practised for just a few minutes every other day, core exercises will particularly help you to reap dividends in the latter stages of your marathon when you are fatigued. When tired, coordination is impaired, posture suffers and your overall running economy is reduced – however, good core strength will significantly help you maintain coordination and posture when you need it most.

Flexibility training. Improving your range of movement and keeping yourself loose and supple will help you to stay injury free and aid you in your marathon programme. If your downtime is due to a leg muscle injury, the benefits of improved flexibility are obvious. However, whatever your reason for not being able to run, time spent stretching will enhance your marathon performance and help keep you injury free.

Mental training. Free time can be used productively to improve your mental focus and visualisation techniques, which you can employ when you are back to full fitness and training again. The longer the distance that you intend to run or race, the greater the mental requirement and resolve that you need. Spend time honing your race plan – including your travel arrangements, nutrition, hydration and pacing strategy.

Relaxation. In addition to different training modalities, the opportunity to relax will both invigorate you and rekindle your enthusiasm for your marathon training once you are free of injury or illness. Marathon training can wear you down due to the sheer volume of work that you need to complete, so the chance to relax and recharge your batteries is not one to miss and should be enjoyed. Rest is the most important component of any training programme because it is only when resting that you make physiological improvements.

When can I resume marathon training?
Despite a wide range of alternative training options, your key concern will be how soon you can return to full marathon training following an illness or injury. You should always follow the advice of your doctor or injury therapist when considering a return to marathon training, but as a general guide, the following table can be used to help you decide how soon you can return to your marathon schedule once you have completely recovered.

Keep positive
Injury or illness will certainly disrupt your marathon schedule but few runners line up before a 26.2 mile run without having experienced some problems during their build-up. The key is to remain positive and focus on what you can do to maintain – and also enhance – your fitness. Remember, there is always something that you CAN do which will contribute to your performances in training and on race day itself. By maintaining a totally positive outlook and following the advice and protocols outlined above, you will maintain your fitness and significantly increase your chances of completing a successful and enjoyable marathon. With this approach, you’ll only suffer a marathon training hiccup – not a compete breakdown!