Official physio therapist & injury clinic provider
10 Last Minute Half marathon/ 10k Tips from The St Mary's Clinic
1. You should probably start the tapering process for the big day. Cutting your weekly mileage by 25% is strongly recommended to get the best training effects and to peak on the day.
2. Don’t ignore pain, this is most important. If you have a pain and it gets worse whilst running or afterwards when walking, please STOP. Take time off and get treatment from a specialist. We have appointments available every week day, including evenings.
3. In order to prepare for the race, it’s a good idea to run easier and visualise your race - going through the motions. Imagine yourself pumping your arms up the hills and relaxing on the down hills.
4. Prevention is better than cure! Go to Pilates classes which are a great way of complementing your running. Classes are held here Wednesdays 1pm and 6pm.
5. Please take your rest days, especially as you near race day. These are vital not only for physical reasons but for mental reasons too.
6. Practice getting up at the time you will on race day, this will get your body used to the early start so then on the day it won’t be a shock or you won’t be half asleep!
7. If you have any tightness, get on top of it. Try some gentle stretching after a hot bath, if this doesn’t work a sports massage is an effective way of relieving tightness and sore muscles. We have two very popular sports masseurs here to help you. There will also be post race massage available on the day so make use of it to help your recovery.
8. Making a race plan will help calm your nerves and get the best out of the day. Start by sticking to familiar foods, allow plenty of time to get there and know how you’re going to race so you can gauge your speed.
9. On the day make sure you run in shoes you have worn before, blisters on the day of the race won’t be beneficial. It’s a good idea to race in your most comfortable kit so make sure to try it all out before.
10. Finally, hydrate! Not just before the race but during and after, again something to practice before race day. The 20 minute window after the race is vital for recovery. Try consuming a sports drink and protein bar within 20 minutes and then some carbohydrates within 2 hours of completing the race.
BEST OF LUCK!?
0208 240 4070 [email protected] www.smuc.ac.uk/clinic/
@ThStMarysClinic
To enter - Tweet your picture to @ThStMarysClinic
Prize – St Marys recovery package (sports massage, foam roller and fleece)
About Us – The St Mary's Clinic
The St Mary’s Clinic specialises in running related injuries. We have vast experience in working with elite runners who are based full time at St Mary’s through our TASS & EPACC programmes including a number of Olympic athletes. As a result we have a reputation for helping runners that now sees us work with hundreds of runners every year from park run upwards. From our Gait Analysis and Physiotherapy to our performance profiling we have something for runners of all levels whether injured or just looking to gain that extra 5%.
Our Philosophy
We know that when you seek a professional service, you want to be able to trust that you are being seen by someone who can deliver and exceed your expectations, understand what they are doing, why and what the implications are going to be to you, and achieve the goals that you have set yourself in your sporting, personal or professional life.
We will keep these three key principles of trust, understanding and achievement in the forefront of our mind whatever service we provide for you, and in doing so, allow you to leave every session happier and closer to your goal.
What Can You Expect From Us?
We will aim to deliver on our philosophy in all aspects of our work with you:
- Friendly – not just because we have to be, but because we want to be
- Professional – no matter what your level, we will work with you in the same way as any of the elite athletes that we have seen over the years
- Atmosphere – we want you to be relaxed and comfortable, but also confident to push yourself when necessary
- Communication – it is vital you know what we are doing, why we are doing it and that whilst under our guidance, you feel that we are on hand if you have any questions
- Team approach – our whole team is available to help you achieve your goal, even if you don’t need to see someone for a specific session
- Support – we will support you every step of the way to ensure you achieve your goals both short term and long term
Background
St Mary’s University College has a long history of success and expertise in sport, sports science and sport rehabilitation, directly and through our partners. We have provided a range of services through our clinic and labs for over 10 years both to the general public and elite and amateur athletes.
In 2009, we brought all of the services that St Mary’s offered in sports medicine and sports performance together under the banner of ‘The St Mary’s Clinic‘. This has allowed us to offer a truly multi-disciplinary approach out of world-class facilities
We are proud to deliver services to London Marathon, supported by the Endurance Performance and Coaching Centre (EPACC) which has worked with athletes such as Mo Farah, Andy Baddeley, Jo Pavey and Andrew Osagie. We also work with athletes from professional football, rugby and golf as well as para-athletes such as David Weir and Joe Townsend.
The St Mary’s Clinic is also the London Hub for the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) with lead strength and conditioning and physiotherapy being based at St Mary’s. This involves supporting multi-sport athletes from both summer and winter Olympic sports.
Medical Services – Removing Pain, Restoring Function
Our medical team is here to help prevent injury from occurring or in those unfortunate circumstances where injury has already occurred, to make sure that we can return you to your sport as quickly as possible.
We achieve this through our comprehensive team of physiotherapy, rehabilitation, sports massage and psychology practitioners.
Most importantly, we take an active approach to prevention and recovery. We believe that the sooner we can get you moving and training, the sooner and more effectively you will recover.
Performance Services – Performance Your Training Deserves
Our performance team understands what it is to have goals and is here to help you achieve them. We are highly experienced at working with elite athletes from a range of sports and also work at the for
efront of our field, helping to research and develop new strategies to ensure that our clients are receiving the very best testing, training and advice possible.
Our team of physiologists, strength and conditioning coaches, sports nutritionists, sport psychologists and performance analysts will work together with you and your coach to identify where performance gains can be achieved and then put in place a strategy to optimise your performance.
