THE LONG VIEW

START YOUR 2017 PREPARATION NOW TO MAKE SURE YOU’RE PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY READY, SAYS CHRISTINA MACDONALD

You’re a fairly new runner and you’ve conquered those first few runs, seen an improvement in your fitness and you’re feeling motivated. It’s tempting to set yourself a new goal now and start training for your first race. It’s a great way to boost motivation.

SET LONG-TERM GOALS

The key is to set long-term goals and not try to cram in too much training at once. Setting goals now for 2017 may seem like a longterm approach, but it’s a key way to prevent injuries. “The longer you can give your body to adapt and strengthen to the demands of running, the better,” says physiotherapist Mark Buckingham from Witty Pask & Buckingham (wpbphysio.co.uk). “While it is the muscles that are sore in the first few weeks, it is actually the bones and tendons which take much longer to adapt. It takes a period of six to nine months (of running) in bone, six months in tendon and three to four months in muscle.”

Even if you feel physically strong, you still need to factor in the impact. During running, a force of three to four times your body weight is absorbed by the knees. Your muscles, bones and tendons need time to adapt to this impact. “If you increase your training rapidly without consideration to the lack of conditioning in these structures, then you are much more likely to overload, strain and damage them,” adds Buckingham. “So from a point of no training, you need to build up over at least six months to reduce injury risk. For a February or March half-marathon, ideally you should start training in August or September. If you’ve already been doing a bit of running, or your body is used to doing an impact sport, then you might be able to drop this to four months.”