Your Marathon, Your Physio: Your Handbook for the Marathon

Do you worry about getting injured? Do you question if you’ll hit your time target? Are you concerned that you will let people down if you can’t complete your marathon? Do you know how to prevent injury? Are you ever anxious about fitting in all the training?

This month by month guide by Lucy Macdonald, Specialist Physiotherapist at Octopus Clinic, supports you throughout your marathon training by giving you all the knowledge you need to make your training effective and time efficient, prevent pain, know how to respond if injury strikes, get rid of your fears and get you across that finish line.

After twenty years of experience enabling thousands of people like you to accomplish marathons, train optimally and achieve their goals, Lucy Macdonald and the Octopus Clinic team are here for you so that you have all the training and injury prevention advice you need.

Along with this comprehensive written guide she also provides free workshops at charity training days so you may meet her there. If you have any pain or injury during your training programme, they will use their library of physio videos to email you exercises and advice specific to your injury.

You can see the Octopus Clinic team either in person or remotely by video link so, if you can’t get into London, you don’t have to miss out on their expertise. Your initial consultation includes a written diagnosis, treatment plan, exercises, running technique modifications, holistic recovery advice, training drills and hands on treatment. Octopus Clinic is covered by all medical insurance companies and provide excellent value packages for self- funders. Whether you need a course of treatment or a one off second opinion they provide a special discount if you are running for chairty.

Lucy has also produced a ‘Your Marathon, Your Physio’ course of advice and exercise videos that you can buy here. She also produces some free videos so be sure to catch them by following Octopus Clinic on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or you can email info@octopusclinic.com to join her monthly newsletter.

A few testimonials to inspire you

You can check out more than 200 five star google reviews for inspiration and read the testimonials section below but in the meantime here’s a few for starters:

‘I live in Australia but am running the London Marathon in a few weeks. Having access to Lucy’s knowledge and experience has enabled me to work through a few and varied niggles. She replied promptly to emails and pointed me towards the appropriate exercise and advice videos for my issues, which were very easy to follow. I feel very lucky to have had Lucy’s services available to me and would highly recommend her. Thank you, Lucy!’ S. de Koning

Lucy is helping our charity for the London marathon and she’s really helped me out with 2 issues, firstly my knee, she gave me a few exercises to do (wall ball and running man) and they worked a treat and secondly on plantar fascitis. Fully recommended. S. Robinson

‘Cannot recommend enough. I was struggling with knee problems in training for a marathon and was totally overwhelmed and confused about what to do and who to see. Lucy has been absolutely incredible, sorting out my knee INCREDIBLY EFFECTIVELY and QUICKLY but also reassuring and calming me – she understands that people running a marathon for charity have often gone through something, and that training is an emotional challenge as well as a physical one. She has been worth every penny and I urge you to go visit the clinic if you’re struggling with an injury!’ A. James

‘Incredibly happy with the experience. I was preparing to run the London Marathon and got in touch with Octopus a couple of months prior to it, to ensure I’m ready. Full professionalism and support. Managed to run two minutes ahead of target, crossing the finish line in 2:28!’ M Klebba

‘The first to take me seriously after seeing countless people. Having had knee problems for years now and seen countless people about it, Lucy has been the first to really take me seriously and tailor a training programme to my needs. I’m now feeling fitter than I have done in a long time.’ Josh Higgins

‘Lucy is an extremely experienced and talented physiotherapist. The vast majority of physios do not have her capabilities when it comes to healing complex patients back to full recovery. Lucy is one of the few physios with the required skills to see very complex cases who need really specialist physio input. Often these patients present with a mixed picture which, will typically go on to make a full recovery in Lucy’s hands, without the need for surgery or ’round the houses’ referrals to other therapists. Every single patient I have sent to Lucy has been made better by her and all have nothing but the highest praise for her skills.’ Leading Sports Consultant Doctor

‘I have known Lucy and her clinic for over seven years and I am happy to say that she is one of the most outstanding muscluloskeletal physiotherapists in London.’ Leading Orthopaedic Consultant

‘I injured my knee while training for the London marathon, 4 weeks before the big day. I assumed that I would have to drop out but a series of intensive sessions ensured that I ran the marathon without any problems. She got to the root of the problem quickly, applied expert treatment and gave fantastic advice. On top of this, her approach is bright, efficient and cheerful.’ Rob Allen

To check out the ‘Your Marathon, Your Physio’ course of advice and exercise videos please click here.

Contents of Your Marathon, Your Physio: Your Marathon Guide

Six months to go

What running shoes should I buy?

Is there any truth in ‘no pain no gain?

What can I do now to motivate myself over the next six months?

Should I get old injuries checked out now?

What are the three most important things about a running programme?

What distance should I be aiming for every week?

How should I use intervals?

What should I be eating?

When do I need to see a running physio or running coach?

Five months to go

What stretches should I be doing?

What other exercises should I be doing?

Do I need to warm up?

Should I be taking protein or other supplements?

How does stress and sleep affect my risk of injury and illness?

Do back supports, knee braces, ‘skins’ or other gadgets work?

How do I know if I am seeing a decent Physiotherapist, Osteopath or Chiropractor?

Four months to go

How can resting my injury cause more harm than good?

How do I know if I am over-training?

Should I be doing Pilates, Yoga, swimming or other types of exercise?

Should I use ice or heat if I am injured or in pain?

What injuries can I run through and which ones should I get checked out?

When should I get a second opinion from another physiotherapist?

Three months to go

Should I worry about clicking joints?

Could stretching be making my pain or injury worse, even if it feels good?

I am behind schedule in my training, what should I do?

When should I go back to running after being injured?

When should I see a Physiotherapist, GP, massage therapist, Osteopath, Chiropractor, sports therapist or acupuncturist?

Two months to go

What should I eat and drink on long runs?

Can a physio help my injury at this stage of the game?

I have done no-where near 26 miles how am I going to manage it on the day?

What is carb loading?

One month to go

Should I run the marathon if I am injured?

Do I have to taper?

What physio or medical input can help me at this stage?

Can I take painkillers or anti-inflammatories and run the marathon?

Can you give me any last-minute tips for completing the marathon?

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