Active Podiatry - Podiatry in Kent for Runners & Active PeopleAre you ready for the Tonbridge Half Marathon?
The Tonbridge Half Marathon is getting closer. Or maybe another big running event you have signed up for?
By now most of your training is behind you. You may have spent the past few months gradually increasing your mileage, fitting runs around work and family life and perhaps wondering at times why you signed up in the first place!
Now race day is appearing on the calendar, it’s quite normal for a few doubts to creep in.
Have I trained enough? Should I squeeze in another long run? What about that little niggle in my foot? Should I buy some better running shoes before the big day?
As both a podiatrist with a particular interest in running injuries and a keen runner myself, my main advice at this stage is simple:
Trust the training you’ve already done.
The final few weeks aren’t about suddenly becoming fitter. They’re about arriving at the start line healthy, comfortable and confident enough to enjoy the day.
Don’t try to make up for missed training
Almost nobody completes a training plan perfectly.
Work gets busy. Children need lifts. Holidays happen. You get a cold. Sometimes you simply don’t feel like going for a run.
If you’ve missed a few sessions, resist the temptation to cram those miles into the final weeks.
Your body adapts to running when training load increases gradually and it has enough time to recover. Suddenly adding extra mileage because you’re worried you haven’t done enough can put more stress through your feet and legs at exactly the point when you want them feeling their best.
One heroic final training week isn’t going to transform your fitness.
It may, however, leave you tired or sore.
Do I need another really long run?
This is another question runners often ask as the race approaches.
If your training has gone reasonably well and you’ve already completed your planned longer runs, you don’t need to keep proving to yourself that you can cover the distance.
As race day gets closer, your overall training should start becoming easier.
This reduction in training before an event is often called a taper.
The exact taper will differ between runners, but the principle is straightforward: reduce the training load enough to allow your body to recover while continuing some running so that you still feel comfortable and confident.
For an everyday recreational runner, the goal isn’t to arrive at the start line exhausted from proving your fitness.
It’s to arrive ready to run.
A few aches don’t necessarily mean something is wrong
As runners get closer to an important event we become very aware of our bodies.
A slight tightness in the calf that you’d normally ignore suddenly feels significant. A little stiffness underneath the foot starts you wondering whether plantar fasciitis is developing. A knee feels slightly different and suddenly you’re questioning whether you’ll make the start line.
Not every sensation means you’re injured.
Training for a half marathon asks more of your body than normal everyday activity, so some temporary muscle tiredness and stiffness can occur.
The important question is whether the problem is settling or getting worse.
Be more cautious if pain:
- becomes progressively worse as you run
- changes the way you walk or run
- is getting worse from one training session to the next
- doesn’t settle with appropriate recovery
- is accompanied by noticeable swelling
- starts interfering with normal daily activities.
There is an important difference between being aware of tired legs after training and repeatedly running through a problem that is becoming more painful.
Look after your feet now
Your feet are going to carry you for 13.1 miles, so give them a little attention before race day.
Have a look at them.
Check for areas of hard skin, rubbing, blisters, sore toenails or anything else that might become uncomfortable over a longer distance.
If you’ve developed a recurring blister during training, don’t assume it will magically behave itself on race day. Think about why it is happening.
Is your shoe rubbing?
Are your socks bunching?
Is the shoe too small?
Is your foot moving excessively inside it?
Problems that appear repeatedly during training are worth addressing before the race rather than discovering how uncomfortable they become at mile ten.
This probably isn’t the time for new running shoes
It’s very tempting.
Race day is approaching and suddenly those shiny new running shoes seem like exactly what you need.
Unless there is a good reason to change, I’d be cautious about introducing completely unfamiliar footwear immediately before the event.
The shoes you have trained comfortably in have already demonstrated something important: your feet tolerate them.
A new shoe may feel wonderful in the shop but fit or load your foot differently once you’ve been running for an hour or more.
If you genuinely need to replace worn-out footwear, give yourself enough time to run in the new shoes beforehand.
Race day shouldn’t be their first proper outing. (I once found this out the hard way!)
And the same applies to socks, insoles and other equipment.
Nothing new on race day is a very useful rule.
Recovery is part of your training
When runners think about training, they naturally think about running.
But adaptation happens between those runs too.
As the race approaches, give your body the opportunity to recover.
That means paying attention to the basics:
- sensible sleep
- adequate food and hydration
- easier training days
- avoiding unnecessary last-minute mileage
- allowing tired muscles time to recover.
You don’t need an elaborate recovery routine or every gadget advertised to runners.
Sometimes the basics really are the useful ones.
Should I stretch more before the race?
You don’t suddenly need an intensive new stretching programme because race day is approaching.
If mobility work or stretching has been a comfortable part of your normal training, there is no reason to abandon it.
But avoid introducing aggressive stretches or unfamiliar exercises in the final days because you feel you ought to be doing something.
Again, consistency is generally preferable to last-minute changes.
What about strength training?
The same principle applies.
Strength work can be an excellent part of a runner’s training programme, but this isn’t the time to suddenly introduce a demanding new gym routine.
If strength training is already part of your normal week, you can gradually reduce the load as you approach race day.
The objective is to feel fresh rather than to create muscle soreness immediately before your half marathon.
The final few days
This is often when the nerves really arrive.
Your mileage has reduced. You have more time to think. And because you’re running less, you may somehow start to feel as though you’re losing fitness.
You’re not suddenly losing months of training.
Allow yourself to recover.
Keep active, follow the taper you’ve planned and resist the temptation to test yourself with one final hard session.
Use the extra time to sort out the practical things instead.
Check your shoes and socks.
Decide what you’re wearing.
Think about breakfast.
Know how you’re getting to the start.
If you’ve practised taking fluids or fuel during your longer training runs, stick with what you already know works for you rather than experimenting with something new on the day.
Removing those small uncertainties can make race morning much calmer.
And then it’s race day
You’ve made it.
There will probably be excitement, nerves and a lot of other runners around you feeling exactly the same way.
One of the easiest mistakes is getting carried along by everyone else and starting faster than you planned.
You have 13.1 miles ahead of you.
Settle into your own pace and give yourself a chance to enjoy the experience.
For many recreational runners, completing a half marathon isn’t really about the finishing time. It’s the culmination of weeks or months of getting out of the door, running when motivation wasn’t perfect and gradually asking your body to do something it couldn’t comfortably do when you started.
When you’re standing on the start line in Tonbridge, remember that the hard work wasn’t done that morning.
It was done during all those training runs that got you there.
What if I’ve got a niggle before race day?
Don’t immediately assume your race is over.
A minor niggle doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t take part, but equally, an important event isn’t a good reason to ignore significant pain.
Reduce the load and see how your symptoms respond.
If something is becoming increasingly painful, affecting your walking or running, or simply doesn’t feel right, getting appropriate advice can help you make a more informed decision.
Sometimes the most useful advice is reassurance.
Sometimes a small change to your training in the final weeks is appropriate.
And occasionally the sensible decision is not the one a runner wants to hear.
The important thing is to make that decision based on what your body is actually telling you rather than fear that all your training will have been wasted.
You’re nearly there
If you’ve followed a sensible training plan, gradually built your distance and listened to your body along the way, you’ve already done the important work.
You don’t need to find extra fitness in the final few weeks.
Look after your feet. Let your legs recover. Stick with the shoes and kit you know. Don’t panic about every little sensation and avoid making big last-minute changes.
Most of all, trust the work you’ve put in.
There is something very satisfying about standing on a start line surrounded by hundreds of other runners knowing that everyone has followed their own route to get there.
Enjoy the atmosphere, run your own race and remember to look up occasionally and take it all in.
Good luck to everyone taking part in the Tonbridge Half Marathon. We hope you have a fantastic run.
This article was a collaboration between Active Podiatry and Fit Feet Podiatry.
My thanks to Alison at Fit Feet
‘Working together to help active people stay active’