What can the 10,000 runners who will take part in next Monday's Dublin marathon expect? Fiona Tyrrell reports
When the gun sounds on Nassau Street at 9am next Monday more than 10,000 runners will take to the streets for the Adidas Dublin City Marathon. While getting to the finishing line is a victory in itself for competitors, getting everyone recorded, re-hydrated, reunited and recharged is a Herculean feat for the 700-plus volunteers who help organise the event.
The Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists (ISCP) will provide the only official pre and post race care for all participating athletes from its marquee, which is located close to the finish line on Merrion Square and has 50 physiotherapist beds, 100 physiotherapists and a team of doctors.
Athletes will be offered injury advice, soft tissue massages, assisted stretching, blister care and post race recovery strategies to thousands of athletes. All physiotherapists in attendance volunteer their services for the day.
The ISCP runs a triage system if there are serious injuries.
Spokeswoman for the society, Sinead Moffatt, has encouraged all marathon participants to avail of the services on offer: "Proper attention to the recovery of joints and muscles after the race is of paramount importance whether you are a runner or walker, whether it's your first or 21st race."
Normally the physiotherapists expect to see a lot of muscle tightness, muscle cramping, fatigue and muscle burn.
Blisters, of course, are a common occurrence. A lot of people who train for a marathon only train up to the 20-mile mark and when they run 26 miles they really feel the difference and blisters are often part of it, she says. The good news is that you will rarely feel them until after the race.
More serious injuries include knee pain. Marathon runners are particularly prone to anterior knee pain from the stress caused by repetitive use of the muscles to the front of their thigh.
Others will sustain tears in their calf muscle after putting themselves through so much, says Moffatt.
Slight tears in the hamstrings or quads are also common as are shin splints and plantar fasciitis - inflammation of the band of connective tissue which helps maintain the arch of the foot in the feet.
"All of these things are simply because you have been putting one foot in front of the other for 26 miles. Many people are completing one week's training in the space of one day."
If things start to go wrong on the day, Moffatt's advice is to slow down to an easy jog or even walk for a few minutes or half a mile. Doing some stretches can also help the situation, particularly if it's calf cramp or planter fasciitis.
"If it is bad you may have to stop but a lot of the time it is muscle tightness," she says.
To avoid any difficulties, the golden rule from physiotherapists is to do a proper warm-up. A warm-up will get the body physiologically ready for exercise. It gradually stimulates the cardio-respiratory system to increase blood flow to working muscles. This will increase flexibility, will prevent injury and increase stride length as well as prevent muscle tightness later.
Hydration is the next most important issue, says Moffatt. This helps prevent muscle tightness after the race. Have 500mls of water one or two hours before the race and have the same amount around 15 minutes before the race and 120-150mls every 15 minutes during the race - the equivalent to a cup of water.
Take good advantage of the water stations every three miles along the race course, she says.
A marathon is just as much a mental endurance test as it is a physical trial. "Take your time and don't rush," is the advice from Moffatt.
"Remember it is a marathon, not a sprint and stick to what you know. If you try to overdo it, you will loose your breath hit the wall at the 10- or 12-mile mark rather than the usual 20-mile mark."
Assessing your own breathing is a good way of judging how you are doing, says Moffatt. Being a little bit breathless is okay but if you are panting, out of breath or cannot speak a word, it is not good.
And once you have crossed the finishing line your three priorities should be re-hydration, getting some carbohydrates into you and getting a massage in the chartered physiotherapists' tent.
The ISCP will attend the RDS Marathon Expo on October 29th and 30th to provide information and give lectures on marathon racing. There will also be an advice stand for individual questions.