Marathon Season
As a specialist physiotherapist clinic we have a keen interest in running analysis. We are thrilled to share our expertise with you on this marathon-related blog. Running a marathon is a significant undertaking that requires careful preparation and training to achieve success. Whether you’re a seasoned runner or just starting out, it’s essential to understand the unique demands that a marathon places on your body. From proper form and technique to building endurance and strength, there are a variety of factors that can impact your performance and your risk of injury. With the right approach and guidance, however, you can successfully conquer the challenge of running a marathon and achieve your goals. So let’s dive in and explore the key elements of marathon training and preparation.
Why have a running assessment?
A running assessment is immensely useful for looking at training errors that are causing an excessive load, or a running style which is increasing the load of certain joints. It is something that can be modified with education, cue and/or running drills to practise with your training programme to increase running tolerance (the distance you are able to run without pain). More importantly, having a running assessment will help you understand why you have been experiencing pain/discomfort with running.
What do we assess in a running analysis appointment?
Approximately 80% of running injuries are thought to be due to excessive load. Running may not necessarily feel like heavy loading – you don’t have to carry heavy weights; all you need to do is put your shoes on and you’re off. So, what is meant by excessive load in running?
As our foot strikes the floor the floor strikes back. This is known as ground reaction force and is thought to be between 2.5-3 times your body weight (BW).
To put that into context, a 80kg runner will load 200kg with each foot strike (80kg x 2.5 BW = 200kg). Now if this runner averages 600-foot contacts per mile, there will be a load of 120,000kg of load per mile (200kg x 600 steps).
So, for an excessive load if you usually run 3 miles, and increase your running to 5 miles, that’s a large amount of load your body must adapt to manage. It is these rapid changes in load that can be associated with injuries and therefore pain. So, one of the things we look and talk about during the assessments is your loading habits and address any training errors.
The other things we look at during our assessment is a gait analysis of your run identifying foot strike and transition, stride length and width, crucially the step rate.
I’m a heel striker but I read running on your forefoot/toes is a better form of running – is this true?
As mentioned before this is no ‘correct’ running technique. 1.8% of runners are forefoot and 88.9% are heel strikes (1). Where your foot strikes the ground determines where our centre of pressure is, and this determines the amount of work our muscles are required to do to counteract this, so for forefoot runners it works heavily on the calf complex.
Studies have shown that the forefoot activates the calf muscle and is 10% longer compared to rearfoot runners (2). Similar studies increase Achilles load by 15% in comparison to rearfoot with an increase of 48 x body weight per mile. So if you have always run this way your body may have adapted to withstand the load. However, if you decide to change overnight or a change in footwear which encourages forefoot strike it may overload the calf complex and lead to injuries such as Achilles tendinopathy.
What is the ideal step rate/cadence?
Cadence or step rate is the total number of running steps per minute. A general rule of thumb is anywhere from 160-180, however again it will be different from person to person. If your step rate is increased at a fixed speed, the stride length will consequently reduce.
By increasing the step rate, you reduce the contact time with the floor, and increase the stiffness in your joint as they do not have time to absorb the force exerted. This means there is a reduced peak knee and ankle flexion, so a smaller pressure at the knee and anterior ankle joint (3). Which can be beneficial for patellofemoral joint pain.
Similarly, by increasing the step rate, it reduces the stride length, which can be helpful for overstriders suffering with little niggles. Overstriding when running is when your foot strike is happening anterior to centre mass (your body). Typically, over striders will strike the floor with the knee straight, and the ankle pulled upwards – all the movements required to get as large stride length as possible. This can be a large amount of pull on the hamstrings and means they must work hard in a lengthened position – this can be a factor towards hamstring tendinopathies in runners. It is also common with these types of runners that their shoes end up wearing out around the big toe.
Why do I end up with mud scuffed up my leg when I run but my friends don’t?
This is a common symptom of runners with a short step width. Step width is the distance between the inside bony bits of our ankle. Narrow steps mean our hip and leg are landing inwards towards our body, known as hip adduction (Brindle et al 2013). I tend to explain it looks like you’re running as if you’re on a tightrope – given the lack of distance between both legs it can mean you scuff your shoes on the side section of the calf as during the swing phase of running.
With narrow step width, it can lead to pain along our ITB and/or glute – or sometimes pain along the inside section of our shin. As we load the leg during the stance phase – it’s essentially like doing a single leg squat. Trying to do a single leg squat with your leg already across your body (give it a go now!) increases load on the side of our hip where our gluteal tendon is, but additionally it increases the force along the side of our leg towards the outside of our knee cap.
What can I do to change my running style
During our running assessment depending on what we find there are different running cues we can give you. Some may be external such as – placing tape down the centre of the treadmill and making sure your feet land either side of it. Some are internal cues ie imaging your knees are headlights and keep them facing forward as you run. But it all varies on your running type.
The key thing is not to change too much at once, as it can be quite overwhelming and take the enjoyment out of your run. Like all other aspects of rehabilitation and conditioning – any running change won’t begin to make a large and constant difference until 6 weeks and usually the benefit comes from using the running cues and advice along with the education around the training programme and strengthening any weakness that can be contributing to the pain.
In conclusion, preparing for a marathon is a significant endeavor that requires proper planning, training, and support. As a specialist physiotherapist with a passion for running analysis, I encourage all marathon runners to prioritize injury prevention and seek professional guidance when necessary. By understanding the unique demands of running a marathon and taking the appropriate steps to prepare your body, you can achieve your goals and cross that finish line with pride. Remember to listen to your body, stay consistent with your training, and seek help if you experience pain or discomfort.
We are dedicated to helping runners of all levels achieve their goals and stay healthy and injury-free. So let’s work together to make your marathon dreams a reality.
If you’re interested in learning more on these service, click on the ‘Running Analysis‘ or ‘Physiotherapy‘ links.
If you would like to book appointment call 0207 870 0313 or enquire directly to info@physioonthegreen.com
References
Larson P, Higgins E, Kaminski J, Decker T, Preble J, Lyons D, McIntyre K, Normile A. Foot strike patterns of recreational and sub-elite runners in a long-distance road race. J Sports Sci. 2011 Dec;29(15):1665-73. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2011.610347. Epub 2011 Nov 18. PMID: 22092253.
Ahn, A.N. et al. (2014) “Muscle activity and kinematics of forefoot and rearfoot strike runners,” Journal of Sport and Health Science, 3(2), pp. 102–112. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2014.03.007.
Schubert AG, Kempf J, Heiderscheit BC. Influence of stride frequency and length on running mechanics: a systematic review. Sports Health. 2014 May;6(3):210-7. doi: 10.1177/1941738113508544. PMID: 24790690; PMCID: PMC4000471.
Brindle RA, Milner CE, Zhang S, Fitzhugh EC. Changing step width alters lower extremity biomechanics during running. Gait Posture. 2014 Jan;39(1):124-8. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2013.06.010. Epub 2013 Jul 5. PMID: 23831430.