Avoiding Running Injuries

by James Skitt - 20.02.12

Training for a marathon requires a huge amount of effort and dedication, which makes avoiding injury all the more important in the lead up to the race.

The Guardian’s Sarah Phillips, currently in training for her first marathon, has sought the advise of a range of leading experts including English Institute of Sport (EIS) Director of Sport Medicine Dr Rod Jaques and Performance Nutritionist Mhairi Keil, on how best to avoid them and what to do if injuries do occur.

The Doctor – Dr Rod Jaques, EIS Director of Sport Medicine

"I would advise a novice marathon runner to buy a good quality pair of running shoes, worth £60+. You should change these for every 300-400 miles of training.There is no golden recipe: it is very idiosyncratic and depends on your own training base. When you get up to a reasonable level of fitness you should periodise your training so that you have hard weeks followed by easy weeks. This provides an opportunity for your bone and soft tissues to recover.

"You have to do at least three runs in excess of 15 miles in the lead up to the marathon. This is to prepare yourself psychologically and physically that you can go over 15 miles. On the day you will do 26.2, but there is evidence that if you train between two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half hours, you're going to be able to make four or four and a half hours. The crowd effect is very important and that helps to carry you through the last six miles of the race, which will be equivalent to the first 20 miles of the race, in terms of effort. People often describe it as being two races: one to 20 miles and from 20 to 26 miles.

"If you have a cold, feel fatigued or have an injury, have an easy day training or don't train at all. It's not imperative to train every single day. What is important is to balance your training with your recovery. Taper training prior to the race then do not run for seven days beforehand to allow your glycogen stores to build up to maximum levels. Psychologically you are itching to get going but physically your fuel stores really do have to be absolutely topped up and you can't drain them. There is no point entering the race with slight aches. You really need to be absolutely fresh because it's going to be a very hard day."

The Nutritionist – Mhairi Keil, EIS Performance Nutritionist

"Paying attention to the nutrients you are consuming is key for minimising injury. Correct nutrition will enhance muscular performance, optimise recovery, and support the immune system, helping to prevent illnesses and infections. Muscle damage caused during training will impact on subsequent sessions and failure to repair the tissue can accumulate, resulting in a greater muscle injury. Risk of injury is increased when muscles are fatigued, so pay attention to fuelling-up strategies and energy provision during long or intense runs.

"Nutrition can also play an essential role in the recovery of tissues should an injury occur. It is important to understand what the type of injury is, eg bone, muscular, tendon, as certain nutrients play a greater function depending on the tissue damaged. For example, nutrients essential for bone repair include calcium, vitamin D, protein, magnesium and copper. Muscle injuries would focus more on high quality proteins and antioxidants, along with vitamin C and zinc for cell replication. Tendon damage can be more difficult to support from a nutritional perspective, however factors that can help to control or reduce excessive inflammation such as the antioxidants found in green tea, omega 3s, polyphenols found in red kidney beans and berries, and resveratrol found in red grapes can play a role."

The full article is available on the Guardian website

Photography © Getty Images