We are certainly living through unprecedented times and with the postponement or cancellation of almost all worldwide events in the next month or two I can imagine some are a little despondent.
Mentally, this can be difficult to take. You’ve been training hard for months, possibly years. You’ve no doubt taken time off work, booked accommodation, flights trains. And now you’ve got to do it all over again in Autumn.
You are not alone.
So I want to offer my thoughts on how to get the most out of your training so far and use it to propel you forwards towards the Autumn.
Firstly, take a few days or a week off. Reduce your volume as this can be very fatiguing on the body. So allowing you body to recover from the volume of training will recharge those batteries and allow your body to adapt to all that amazing training you’ve done.
Secondly, through the past months most of you will have focused training towards volume and duration to prepare for 26miles. This will have created an impressive endurance base. With this you can now direct your training towards a different endurance goal (5k, 10k, half marathons). Changing your training focus is a great way to maintain your drive, reduce monotony and continue to improve fitness. So I would encourage you to seek out a shorter distance as this will only help your marathon performance come autumn.
Changes you can make:
Thirdly, now is also a great time to address any issues that might have been creeping up. Has that Achilles been grumbling? Do you feel your knee more than normal? Now is a great opportunity to address any issues.
One option to consider is starting up a strength plan to help keep niggles at bay and maintain the strength you have built during your previous training.
For more information, please contact me on james.phillips@puresportsmed.com.