Over 40,000 people took part in the hottest London Marathon in history, with many participants feeling the ‘burn’ the following morning.
386,050 people applied to take part in the 2018 London Marathon, which consisted of 26.2 miles. It was the biggest race in its history, however, with the high temperatures of 24.1°C (75.3°F) and participants running without proper training, runners may have done more damage than good.
Endurance
Jon Hawkins, Health & Fitness advisor at Discount Supplements recommends “Although people get caught up in the fundraising and fanfare of the London Marathon, they need to remember that it is still an endurance event, and an incredibly difficult one at that. Don’t take it lightly, be sure to begin your training well in advance, adjust your diet and fitness accordingly and consult professionals before you get to the start line. Even with proper training, running 26.2 miles pushes your body to the extreme and those attempting to complete it on whim are likely to finish with ravaged joints, shredded muscles, low sodium levels or bloody urine.”
Knee Injury
During yesterday’s London Marathon, former glamour model Katie Price failed to reach the 9-mile marker after claims of a knee injury. Reports state that Katie hadn’t completed training before taking part and concerned, Discount Supplements seeks advice from active marathon runners.
Preparation
Ricky Foskett, 34, Hertford, who ran the 2018 London Marathon, advises: “I followed a 16 week training programme that required 5 running sessions a week. The sessions were a mixture of high intensity interval running and long distance runs.
Additionally, I adapted my diet as your lifestyle is imperative if you want do well in a marathon. I tried to eat clean except for 1 cheat meal each week. I ate lots of protein and veg with carbs like brown rice, quinoa and whole grain bread. Lifestyle wise I chose to give up alcohol and late nights. It affects your social life a lot as it’s difficult to find time to socialise, train and recover from exhausting sessions. Totally worth it though!”
Technology
Maddy Anholt, 30, London, another marathon runner, added: “I followed the Nike running App so I’ve been training since December. I had a knee injury though, which meant I didn’t train for almost a whole month. I only trained up to 16 miles (which I wouldn’t recommend) so when I got to mile 19 I was absolutely done in!”
Recovery
To run a race successfully it is just as important to think about your body’s recovery process as it is to train. After running a marathon people are more prone to hyponatremia, compromised immune systems, coronary heart disease and kidney injury, which seems to be the most prominent the day after. Many London marathon runners will be remembering to take today easy, but for those who don’t they are at risk of causing serious damage.