Brighton Marathon 2012

[El Gordo]

Back to the main course.

I don't have much more to add in the way of congratulation. It's a self-evidently brilliant report. Actually stating so seems impertinent.

You might think I'm the least qualified bloke on the planet to offer advice but for the future, one thing I would suggest is some sort of purposeful strength training. I appreciate that gym activity is anathema to you, and I'm not talking about trying to out-grunt the weight-lifting obsessives. But going on from MLCM's interesting link to the improving marathon runner in his 70s, it's time to think of training smarter rather than just training harder.

You know where your weak points are. From what I've learnt about my own troubles, it's not just an age-related natural weakening of the muscles that increases these problems, but crucially, a reduction in joint flexibility. Without the old level of flexibility there to absorb the stress that the run is creating, it gets redirected through other, less well-used channels, leading to pain and injury. So think about focused exercises and a bit of strength training to improve joint flexibility and toughen up your hamstrings and calves.

It's as if the body knows that you've just celebrated your half century. Or maybe there's an element of auto-suggestion, but for some reason, so many of us start to get injured more and suffer more once that milestone has been reached and passed.