Running around London

I saw him and a couple of his training partners at several points on the course on Sunday as I combined running and jumping on and off the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) to see as much of the course as possible. After setting off from my hotel near to ExCeL I took the DLR to Cutty Sark where the crowds were already 3 lines thick so I set off running along the course to the 8 mile marker where I saw both elite women, elite men and my running partners who were all looking fresh and spritely as they cruised by.

Once they had passed I sprinted off to Greenwich DLR and grabbed a train back to West India Quay just in time to see some of the elite women come through after the 20 mile marker. Mara Yamauchi had already passed but 2nd Brit, Susan Partridge wasn't far behind so I shouted for her and then Rebecca Robinson before running off to the 15 mile marker where the masses were beginning to come through. Here I saw my training partners again still making great progress. It was then a short run back to the 20 mile marker to see the leading men come through. After that it was back down the course to meet the rest coming towards me where I was able to shout for everyone and anyone and shout I did! So whilst you are trying to flush out the lactic from your tired legs I am working my way through a packet of lockets and trying to get my voice back!

So what can you do to help shift that lactic and speed up recovery? The present buzz word is "prehab" which basically means putting into your training programme the things you might expect to see in a rehabilitation plan post-injury. You should be on a break from running now. Runners generally need anywhere between 10 and 26 days of rest from running after a marathon. (Some recommend one day for each mile) However, you may want to take part in other sports during this time. It might be good to work on fitness components other than endurance. Why not work on your strength and flexibility? Pilates covers both of these and also uses functional movement patterns which will help with your posture, balance and co-ordination. All good stuff to condition you for when you start running again. The stronger and more flexible you are the more training you will be able to handle without becoming injured. You may also want to consider hydroptherapy as this will stimulate blood flow and help to flush out waste products. Ice baths, contrast showers, whirlpools can all be used after hard training sessions and will be useful to you post marathon. Finally you need to understand that, with optimum recovery, the body will repair itself and come back stronger. It will say to itself "That marathon was hard work, I will repair all of these little micro-tears and make them stronger so I am ready for it next time." So, on that note, it's time for you to start planning your next one.....mmmm....where do you want to go? Dublin? Berlin? New York? The world is your oyster!