Running the London Marathon this year – how strong is your core?  Increasing the mileage but finding you’re more tired with more aches and pains? Are you cross training?  Then why not try Pilates as part of your training.

So why should you do Pilates as part of your Marathon training?

Running is a very repetitive movement which can cause lots of stress and injuries on the body.  As you increase the mileage and become tired  so you increase your risk of injury.  Pilates can help your reduce the risk of injury by

• Strengthening your core –  Running is high impact and the strain is taken through the skeleton and muscles especially the spine and pelvis.
• Improve posture – most of us are weaker on one side so this leads us to run in an uneconomical  way putting more strain on our body and increasing the risk of injury.
• Body aware – by starting Pilates you become more aware of your body and posture,
• Increasing Glut strength – your powerhouse, the gluts stabilise your pelvis and help keep your knees in line too!
• Focuses on breathing – Pilates focuses on breathing as you perform the moves
• Focuses on Stretching – Pilates moves includes stretching which most runners forget to do regularly
• Focuses on mobility – especially in the spine and hip area

 

The advantages to your running

By strengthening your core will help improve your posture which tends to be one of the first things to go as you get tired. This in turn can have an impact on your breathing as the shoulders tend to hunch forward and you reduce the area for your chest to expand and get that much needed air around your body!  Strengthening your gluts will have a major impact on your running. Not only will it stabilise your pelvis and help build up your weaker side therefore reducing risk of injury.  It will also help improve your speed as you get stronger.  Think of your personal best, how good would that be to achieve at the London Marathon!  Stretching!  The thing we forget to do or we don’t do enough.  You have just run for an hour or two and now need to get on with your day.  Stretching is so important and will really reduce your risk of injury, Pilates incorporate this in all the classes.  Leaving the best till last Pilates have some lovely relaxing moves that mobilise the spine and hips and so when running will help reduce and relieve the tension in your back and neck.

London Marathon session plans give you lots of great advise for your running and training but not specifically about strengthening your core or Pilates classes.  Be ahead of the game and be the best your can be when you start your marathon – start Pilates now!  If you are still not convinced then read our blog “Why you should do Pilates”

 

Worried that it’s another thing to fit into your training plan?

Why not try our 10 minute Pilates

online videos.

You can do them any time anywhere!

Try our 7Day FREE trial HERE