The BMO Vancouver marathon is just a few short weeks away – whoo-hoo!

It is SO exciting to see this landmark of a race back for our city’s running community. For years, helping my clients prepare for this race has been one of my favourite times of year as a physio working in Vancouver.

For our April blog, I’m sharing a few tips to consider/include in your preparation and recovery:

1. Stick to your program – rest up.

Resist the urge to fit in a few more runs the week leading up to the race. I know, I know…you are feeling great and ready to race…but a little nervous. Sometimes that nervous energy can tempt you to break your program and just fit in a few extra runs or push it to “make sure you are ready.”

Don’t do it.

A (very fast) marathoner friend of mine once told me he ran his best marathon after being sick for the 2 weeks leading up to it and only resting… your body needs that rest leading up to the race to prepare for the push it has ahead of it.

Chill out, go for some walks, meditate a bit on how strong and awesome you feel after all the work you put it in…and save your energy for race day.

2. Recovery matters.

A marathon is a lot to ask of your body and running a sport that makes you SUPER TIGHT!

The mini-post-race massage you may get at the end of the race will allow you to walk back to your car without seizing up, but over the next few days the tightness that develops in those over-worked muscle groups can lead to some big problems when you return to your training program.

Scheduling a massage with an RMT in the 2-3 days after the race can be a game-changer and will help set you up to return to training without developing issues.

Don’t have an RMT? We’re lucky enough at Alaia to have 3 of the best in the city.

Book in with one of them HERE.

3. Issues during the race can be opportunities to be explored – don’t let them slip away.

Did you start to develop right hip pain in the last 10km? Left ankle feeling a tweak with the final sprint? Issues that come up when your body is pushed to its limits can be indicators of where you need to focus a bit more attention.

Maybe your running style is such that your pelvis slowly twists into a rotated position or weakness in one hip causes your back to hinge repetitively at one level, slowly leading to pain and altered movement patterns.

The perfect time to assess these issues can be after a race when they are at the surface and before your dive into the training for your next one.

Consider coming in for assessment with your physio post-race to discuss, assess and make a plan to set you up to be even stronger the next time around.

If you have a few months before you plan to race again, now may also be the perfect time to book a running assessment with one of our Running Specialist Physiotherapists and look at whether there are any improvements you could make in the efficiency of your running technique.

As we make the shift back into in-person races again, it is going to be a lot to ask of our bodies.

Make sure you show it the respect and love it deserves.

Thanks for letting us be part of your training journey, we love being here for you.

Wishing everyone a great race!

Katrina Sovio  – Registered Physiotherapist/Running Specialist