{"id":1714,"date":"2016-08-04T22:53:18","date_gmt":"2016-08-04T22:53:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mouthymoney.co.uk\/?p=1714"},"modified":"2025-03-03T12:56:36","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T12:56:36","slug":"five-marathon-training-tricks-runners-40","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mouthymoney.co.uk\/budgeting\/five-marathon-training-tricks-runners-40\/","title":{"rendered":"Five marathon training tricks for the over-40s"},"content":{"rendered":"

https:\/\/youtu.be\/8SxXHGjkJe8<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I will run my first marathon this October in Budapest, rather than London, which is where I work, or Brighton, my hometown.<\/p>\n

I opted for an October race because it means you get to train when it\u2019s relatively warm, light and sunny. Even in Britain.<\/p>\n

Those other marathons are in April, meaning you have to yomp repeatedly through Siberian drizzle on bleak evenings and gloomy mornings as the dreary fag end of January collapses\u00a0into the dispiriting slump\u00a0of February.<\/p>\n

Ask my Mouthy Money colleague, Amy Rowe, whose battles with the weather<\/a> in the weeks leading to this year\u2019s Brighton Marathon I regarded with pure\u00a0admiration.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m 40 and I\u2019m riddled with injuries.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It would be fair to say that I, myself, am closer to the amber-hued October of life than its youthful, green April. So it\u2019s crucial for me to be warm and for my ageing muscles to be toasty\u00a0(although, as I think my video attests, you can never guarantee dryness in Britain).<\/p>\n

I\u2019m 40 and I\u2019m riddled with injuries. Shall we go through them really quickly?<\/p>\n

The worst one, the one that could stop me finishing the marathon even if I’m well-primed, is Iliotibial Band (ITB) syndrome<\/a> \u2013 mostly in the left leg but sometimes in both. When I start to feel it tighten, it\u2019s Game Over whether I\u2019m two miles or 22 miles in.<\/p>\n

I recently kicked a chair for NO REASON AT ALL.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I also have some kind of calf and Achilles issue in the right leg, which can cause pain throughout runs but has never actually stopped me. Both calves are also prone to middle-of-the night cramping (there are are few worse ways to be woken up), which often means I can\u2019t run again for five or six days.<\/p>\n

Finally, I have a propensity for inflicting\u00a0injuries to myself utterly unnecessarily. I recently kicked a chair for NO REASON AT ALL. I wasn\u2019t even angry. My right ankle is still swollen two months later.<\/p>\n

Oh, and \u2013 let\u2019s face it \u2013 someone who\u2019s training for a marathon probably shouldn\u2019t drink as much wine as I do.<\/p>\n

All of this has meant I\u2019ve had to be really disciplined about ensuring a routine of preparations when I run. Maybe you are near or past 40 or injury-prone so I hope, for you, this is more than just a listicle:<\/p>\n

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  1. Alcohol<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Look, no-one\u2019s going to get me to give up booze completely \u2013 the words “cold”, “dead” and “hands” are appropriate. Sometimes a drink is the best thing for the prevailing conditions. The alternative is sometimes far worse. But I am now MUCH more sensible about when<\/em> and the amount<\/em>. I have no problem running six miles, having seen off three or four glasses of wine the night before. But I will never drink before I intend to do a run over 10 miles. Alcohol dehydrates you and so does running. Doing both will seriously reduce the water available to your muscles, probably increasing the chance of injury. A hangover is also going to seriously hit your motivation levels. It affects everything from your digestion to your mental health in small but evil ways.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Foam-rolling and other rolling things<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      I pretty much use these on my legs, particularly my ITBs, every day now. I also always make sure to do the connective tissues in my hamstrings, quads and glutes too.<\/p>\n

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      1. Massage<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        I\u2019m lucky enough to be married to a qualified sports massage therapist and she\u2019s kind enough to find the time to work on my legs two or three times a week. Like foam-rolling, it loosens the muscles and connective tissues and promotes blood flow. I appreciate that you\u2019d have to pay for this (it\u2019s about \u00a330 per 30-minute session in most towns) but, if you can afford it, know a massage therapist or can persuade your partner to have a go, it\u2019s definitely worth it.<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Weight training<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          That\u2019s right, there\u2019s more to running than, well, running. My days of meandering aimlessly around gyms once a month wondering what machine is going to turn me into Tom Daley are over. I now do a lot of leg work. Muscle mass falls by about 8% a decade once you\u2019re 40 and mixing strengthening exercises into your running will help counteract that loss and prevent injuries.<\/p>\n

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          1. Stretching<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            This is a quick one. You need to obsess about stretching. But the golden piece of advice is: don’t stretch cold. Run for half a mile, then stretch, then run. And stretch when you get back from your run. There’s no harm in stretching a little bit when you’re cold, as long as you’re not going to run. So stretch at your desk at work. And on the stairs on the way up there. And in the shower in the morning. And\u00a0on the train. And when you’re washing up. You get the idea.<\/p>\n

            My JustGiving page<\/strong><\/p>\n

            Okay, this has nothing to do with being over 40 or injuries but I\u2019m told my JustGiving<\/a> page is moderately amusing. So you should read it! You could even sponsor me!<\/p>\n

            If you\u2019ve found this useful, it\u2019s also worth reading two other Mouthy Money posts that I will need to re-read:<\/p>\n