If you watched the London Marathon this weekend and felt that familiar flutter that mix of awe and ‘could I do that one day?’ this blog is for you.
I’m Louise, and at Studio 44 Pilates membership i work withPilates for marathon runners over 40 who want to get the start line strong and stay there.
Whether you’re already entered for a spring race, quietly thinking about going in the ballot, or just inspired by 50,000 people doing something extraordinary on a Sunday morning, I want to share something I wish more runners knew before they start marathon training.
Not the stuff about what trainers to buy or which gel to take at mile 18. The stuff that actually determines whether you get to the start line feeling strong and cross the finish line still smiling.
Why Pilates for marathon runners over 40 is the missing piece of your training.
Here’s the thing nobody really tells you when the marathon excitement hits: more running is not always the answer.
I know. Controversial.
Bear with me.
After 40, your body is a different machine to the one you had at 25. Recovery takes longer. Tendons and ligaments need more time to adapt than your cardiovascular system does. What this means in practice is that if you ramp up your mileage too fast, and don’t balance it with the right supporting work, you’re not building a stronger runner, you’re building a more tired, more injury-prone one.
The runners who make it to marathon start lines consistently year after year, feeling good are almost never the ones who ran the most miles. They’re the ones who trained intelligently. And that means rest, strength and mobility are as much a part of the plan as the long run on Sunday.
Strength training isn’t optional. Especially after 40.
I know you know this. Most runners do, at some level. The problem isn’t knowledge, it’s time.
You’re busy. You’re fitting in your runs before work, at lunch, after the kids are in bed. The idea of adding a strength session on top of that feels like one more thing on an already impossible list. I get it completely.
But here’s the reframe, strength work doesn’t need to be another hour at the gym. It doesn’t need to be complicated or equipment-heavy or a whole separate production. Ten minutes, the right ten minutes done consistently, will genuinely change how your body holds up through marathon training.
Ten minutes of targeted glute activation and hip mobility before your long run. Ten minutes of core and single-leg work on a rest day. That’s it. That’s the difference between hips and knees that cope, and hips and knees that don’t.
Inside the Studio 44 Pilates membership, every session is built with busy runners in mind. Most are 10 -30 minutes. There are quick 10-minute options for the days when life is just a lot. And because everything is online, live Zoom classes you can join from your living room, or recordings to do when it suits you, there’s no commute, no class you have to rush to, no childcare to organise. You roll out your mat in your kitchen and get on with it.
Rest is not laziness. It’s where the adaptation happens.
This is the one that took me a long time to truly believe and I knew the science! Rest days feel unproductive. They feel like falling behind. Especially when marathon training, when the plan says ‘rest’ and your brain says ‘but I could just do an easy 5K…’
Don’t. Please.
Your muscles don’t get stronger during training. They get stronger during recovery. The repair and adaptation happen when you stop. If you’re always running, always doing, always adding you’re not giving your body the chance to consolidate the work you’ve already done. You end up perpetually tired and perpetually wondering why your runs feel harder than they should.
A rest day with a gentle Pilates session is not a wasted day. It’s arguably your most productive training day of the week.
Following a plan, changes everything
One of the biggest differences between runners who get injured in marathon training and runners who don’t isn’t ability or fitness it’s having a plan and actually following it.
A good running plan builds your mileage gradually, gives you cut-back weeks, and tells you when to rest. It takes the decision-making out of it, which is actually a relief when you’re tired and your brain is trying to talk you into an extra run.
Inside the Studio 44 Pilates membership, there are Pilates for Runners pathways designed to run alongside your training plan, literally. Whether you’re building a base now, in peak training phase, or tapering, there’s a corresponding Pilates focus that supports where you are in your running. It makes the whole thing feel joined up rather than two separate things competing for your time.
If you’re thinking about going in the ballot — start now
The London Marathon ballot is open, and the results tend to come out in the autumn. If you don’t get in this year, you might defer. If you do get in, training typically starts in earnest in January. Either way, now with post-marathon inspiration, sun coming out, motivation high, this is the perfect time to build the habits that will serve you when training starts properly.
Because the runners who find strength and mobility easiest to maintain through marathon training are the ones who already have a routine. It’s not a new thing they’re adding, it’s just what they do. Getting that habit bedded in now, in spring and summer, means that come January when the training ramps up, the Pilates is already part of your week. Non-negotiable. Easy.
That’s what the Studio 44 Pilates membership is built for. Not a quick fix before race day. A sustainable, enjoyable practice that fits around your running life and makes it better.
So, what next?
If you’re feeling inspired after this weekend, brilliant. Hold onto that feeling and do something useful with it.
You don’t need to sign up for a marathon today. But you could start building the foundation that means when you do, whether that’s next April or the year after your body is ready for it.
Ten minutes a day. A live class from your lounge. A pathway designed around your running goals. It’s all there, waiting for you.