You’ve been preparing for months, nutrition and training has consumed your life for what feels like years now, and then you get something which is outside of your control… an injury.

What is important first of all, is that you determine it is indeed an injury and not a niggle. For example, any form of muscle tear is an injury, shin splints is an injury, if you find you’re in chronic pain when you run, that’s an injury. These mean you should definitely not run, and in most cases consult a GP. However, if it’s a niggle, then there may be some hope yet.

Below is a list of six marathon niggles that you CAN run through:

Tight quads

A common issue among many runners. This may come as a result of all the rigorous training you’ve been squeezing in, but that doesn’t mean you can’t run the marathon.

Fix: Foam roller. 5 – 10 minutes a night in the run up to the race will ease up that quad and make a massive difference on race day. If you don’t have a foam roller, shake up a large, new bottle of Coca Cola and use that instead. Just don’t open it after!

Grumbling Achilles

Grumbling as in slightly sore, not to be confused with very sore! This can often be caused from a change of shoes and different heel counters.

Fix: Eccentric calf raises. In the build up to the race, doing this twice a day with 15 raises will definitely help. Stand on a step with your heel hanging off, raise onto your tip toes, then come down with only your bad foot to the point where it stretches.

Sore ITB

If you have a sore Iliotibial band it will most likely be because of overuse. It is also very common in runners.

Fix: Stretch it. A good stretch for this is to stand straight and cross your legs, simply lean away from the painful side until you feel it stretch; hold it for 30 seconds. Do this five times, once a night.

DOMS

Delayed onset muscle soreness. You may feel your muscles become really stiff and sore, despite not training the day before. This is because is can take up to 48 hours after serious exertion for anything to have an impact.

Fix: A bit of a mixture. Ice, massaging and resting. It can take 36 hours for it to come down, so if you can bear the pain, massage it. If not, icing and resting the area are your best bets. 

Blisters

The terrible, small, yet extremely painful blisters. Most commonly caused by bad socks or lack of, and ill-fitting shoes!

Fix: Gelled blister plasters. Firstly, make sure there is no fluid left in the blister, with a sterilised needle or pin, extract the fluid. That will help with the pain straight away. Try not to walk on it and get the air to it as much as possible. When it comes to running, gelled blister plasters will be extremely useful and will help feel like you’re running without any at all!

Your brain saying no

Ah, the old psychological effect. We all have it, it tells us to stop every time we feel tired.

Fix: Never listen to it, you CAN get through this marathon and you CAN get a PB!