Brighton Marathon weekend runs from 31st March to the 2nd April, and that’s coming up fast! Whether you’re running the full marathon, the 10K or the mini mile, here at Hove Fitness & Squash we have some great ways to help you get race ready in the gym, so read on for our tips and tricks.
Cross Train For The Best Results
One of the best things you can add to your marathon training plan is cross training. This is essentially any additional activity that builds strength and stamina, outside of your main focus of – in this case – running.
Variety really is the spice of life when it comes to exercise, as most exercises will support each other. Getting your workouts in a variety of forms means you can build on the key elements you need to run a marathon – stamina, cardio fitness, and core and lower body strength, while reducing the toll your body can take if you get that training solely from pounding the pavements.
Some ways you could make the most of your gym membership to improve your marathon training are:
- Build up your core and lower body strength in our LBT classes on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Sundays.
- Stretch out sore muscles to aid recovery in our Pilates or Yoga sessions.
- Try our Cyber Arc trainers, cross-trainers, recumbent bikes and rowing machines to help you build cardio fitness and stamina in a low impact way.
- Give High Intensity Interval training a go with our HiiT, LBT HiT, and FiiT Zone classes, to help you prepare for the bursts of effort you’ll need to climb those tricky Brighton hills, push through any mental resistance, and sprint to the finish line!
Get An Expert To Check Your Form
Training for a big event like a marathon is the perfect time to give working with a personal trainer a go. When you’re training for long distance running it’s extra important to make sure you’re using correct form to avoid causing yourself injury, so having someone to catch any bad habits early is vital.
Our amazing personal trainers here at Hove Fitness & Squash, Charlie, Rob and Matt, will be able to assess and correct your form, keep you motivated to reach that finish line, and help you come up with and stick to a training plan tailored to your needs, in order to help you get those personal bests on the day!
Find Your Community
Running can be a very solitary sport, which is great for some, but if you find you feel more motivated having people to keep you accountable, then it’s well worth finding a running buddy or two!
We pride ourselves on our friendly and supportive atmosphere here at Hove Fitness & Squash, so it’s a great place to meet fellow runners and find somebody to train with.
Our Joint Club Director and Personal Trainer Matt Lambert is a keen runner and leads the fantastic Hove Hornets Fitness Club which has an active group of 150 runners so get in touch and get involved!
Fair Weather Runners
There’s no shame in being a fair weather runner! Not everyone has to enjoy toughing it out in freezing winds and torrential rain to be a runner. While it’s good to be prepared for any weather you might face on the day, if running inside the gym on the treadmill is more likely to motivate you to get those training runs in when it’s too cold outside then so be it!
The treadmill also gives you full control over your running environment, so if you know you need to work on hills you can do that without being limited to the geography around your home.
Likewise if the thing you struggle with is keeping a steady pace you can set the treadmill to the pace you’re after and keep that speed going so that on race day your muscle memory can take over and keep that rhythm going.
Therapy Treatments
When training for an intense feat of endurance like a marathon it’s important to take care of your body. Pushing yourself to the limit doesn’t have to mean pushing it over the edge!
We have an excellent onsite therapist, offering supportive treatments and therapy to help you stay at the top of your game. Why not book yourself in for an assisted stretching session after a long training run, and keep those legs in peak condition? Or treat yourself to a deep tissue massage after the marathon!
