SIGNED UP FOR A SPRING HALF OR FULL MARATHON? WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU NAIL THAT PB? DON’T LEAVE IT TOO LATE TO START TRAINING. CHRISTINA MACDONALDHIGHLIGHTS WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW TO AVOID A LAST-MINUTE PANIC NEXT SPRING…

SMART TRAINING

If you’ve got a spring race in the diary, it’s easy to think you’ve got oodles of time to train. And if it’s a half or full marathon you’re signed up to, you’re likely to feel reassured by the knowledge you’ve still got around six months until race day. But with the distraction of Christmas in a few months’ time and endless other work and family commitments to contend with, time will fly by quickly. While it’s important not to overdo your training volume at this stage and peak too soon, there are things you can do now that will stand you in good stead on race day. And not all of them involve running…

TACKLE ANY ISSUES STRAIGHT AWAY

“If you have niggles bothering you now they will bite you hard in full marathon training,” says physiotherapist Mark Buckingham from Witty Pask & Buckingham (wpbphysio.co.uk). “You have the time now to get the vast majority of issues sorted by Christmas and, as is often the case, make those changes to your biomechanics (running style) that are the underlying cause of ongoing niggles.”

If you’re prone to injury then you may need to look at your running style. “See a running specialist physiotherapist to identify those biomechanical issues that are undoubtedly holding you back,” adds Buckingham.