Running the London Marathon - Meeting The Experts - Marathon Update No.5

One month in to the full swing of training for this year's Virgin Money London Marathon and it's now 10 weeks until Race day!
Last weekend I went to the Meet the Experts day at Westminster Hall for a day filled with tips and info on training for the big day in order to be as ready as I can be by April 23rd!
I put together a Youtube video on my top tips that I took away from the day;

So far my training is going fairly steady. Up until this week, the only thing that had phased me was a nasty cold that wouldn't budge and forced me to take a weekend off. This week however, I seem to have picked up my first injury niggle which I'm hoping will ease with rest and some TLC! At this stage it's not a full blown injury - more so a twinge but none the less I know running on it is not a good idea. Initially I was terrified of going against my plan and taking days off but this was a key point of discussion at last weeks event, and I am now reassured that these things happen and I have plenty time until race day.
 If anything, it has reiterated to me how important stretching, foam rolling and after run care is when I'm training this often. I'm not saying it definitely would have prevented my injury niggle but I am aware my calves feel very tight and that is directly linked with the strain I've picked up.
 I spoke briefly in my video of how time consuming training can be when you include the stretching after the run but it is almost more important than the running! My favourite youtube video for stretching is this amazing runners guide by Adidas Runner Adrienne;

The reminder that each stretch should be held for 30 seconds really hit home that I wasn't stretching properly and showed me just how much recovery our bodies need after the strain of running. I have also been working hard with my foam roller - I have one at home as well as the the ones I use at the gym, and I have made it a standard procedure after every run to do the below 6 exercises on both legs;

Aside from the physical side of recovery, I have also been working on my nutrition to ensure my muscles are getting the nutrition they need to recover in-between training sessions. I found a great recovery food list on the London Marathon website which you can check out here! I've tried to include all 17 foods in my diet each week and it's surprisingly easy! One of my favourite 'go to' recovery foods is the pea protein chocolate shake that my cousin told me about when she was training for the 2016 London marathon. I've posted it on here before but just to recap;

Natural Protein Shake:

1 Banana 

1 Tbsp Coconut Oil

1 Tbsp Cacao Powder

1 Tbsp Peanut Butter

1/4 Tsp Cinnamon

15g Protein Powder 

1 Tsp Honey

Handful of Dates 

               Unsweetened Almond Milk

Pour in the almond milk to about a quarter of the way up the blending jug. Putting liquid in first, stops the powders sticking to the bottom! Throw in the banana sliced in to 3 or 4 pieces. Add the coconut oil, cacao powder, peanut butter, cinnamon, protein powder and honey. I buy the Whitworth's pitted dates which I just roughly slice in half to make slightly smaller. These are optional but they do add a nice bit of texture and sweetness to the shake. Pop the dates in and then fill up with almond milk to the 3/4 jug line. Quickly whizz up in the blender for about a minute on a high level. Voila! Pour in to a cold glass and enjoy - Recently I've added some chopped dates and blueberries to the top for a tasty addition. These ingredients are all great for muscle repair which is vital when running regularly. 

Aside from stretching and eating the right foods - this little gem that I mentioned in my video is amazing for muscle recovery! I've been slathering this on my muscles every evening after a run to aid recovery and it's been working an absolute treat. You can order some from a Neals Yard rep or pop in to store. More details can be found on my Neal's Yard blog post here!

Training wise, I'm following the Intermediate plan from the marathon website which was put together by Martin Yelling. I looked at following the beginner plan but there was a lot of walking and very gradual intensity in the plan. I wanted to push myself a little having done the half marathon and gained an idea of what training for an event is like. There is a lot of interval training and threshold running bursts which I have been doing on the treadmill due to the terrible weather. However, given the nature of my injury it is likely to have happened due to this type of speed work on the treadmill so I'm having to take a deep breath and get outside and brave the cold this month ahead of 'Monster March' - the month with all the big mile runs! I have done all of my Sunday long runs outside, here I am above heading out on an early Sunday run - so I'm happy to continue with that, it's more the evening run when it's dark outside that I'm struggling with - hence the gym! 

Finally - The fundraising is going so well which is great. I am so grateful to everyone that has sponsored me or supported any of my fundraising events; from bake sales to christmas cards - I'm so happy to be at the half way mark! This month I have the 'tuck shop' at work - basically a shelf in our office that acts as a vending machine - every item is 50p and the person in charge that month stocks the shelf with chocolate, crisps, biscuits etc and takes the profit for their chosen charity. I thought it would be a great idea to make pick'a'mix, it's been a hit so far I've sold 50 bags and made another 55 this weekend ready for tomorrow! It's a great idea for your office - definitely introduce it if you don't have something along these lines already!

If you would like to sponsor me you can do so here;

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LindsayDeans

Thanks so much for reading the blog - please subscribe to my youtube to see more updates coming soon!

If you too are running the marathon, I hope your training is going amazing and you are on track, keep going and Good luck with the next few weeks! 

L x