Now that our FAT Road Runners programme is in the thick of the action leading up to the 2022 marathon, we wanted to get some expert advice to share with our community about looking after their bodies from Auckland physio, Peter Lee!
Hi Peter, can you give us a little blurb about you and your sport history?
Sports Physiotherapist with over 15 years experience. Former Black Sticks Men Hockey Physiotherapist. Attended the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Currently ATP tour physiotherapist to the world's top tennis players. I run my clinic Baseline Physiotherapy in Freemans Bay, Auckland. I have 21 month old twin girls who keep me on my toes! I personally have completed three half marathons and plan to run my next one by the end of this year. I am definitely not a long distance runner!
What are the most common running injuries and how can we prevent them in training?
The most common injuries I see are all related to the lower limb. Mainly IT band, patella / achilles tendon, and stress reaction injuries to the shin and foot. Most often this is due to poor biomechanics, reduced muscle strength, high training load / intensity and lack of recovery completed post run.
At Road Runners we are focusing on the S&C. For you, how important is strength during marathon training?
I highly advocate for a good S&C program to help with marathon training. Improving your strength will allow your body to handle the higher training volumes with less chance of injuries and it will also improve your overall running performance.
Which key strength exercises do you recommend the most?
Hip stability is a must and it could start off with clams, bridges , crab walks and progress to more complicated exercises such as single leg romanian deadlifts on a wobble board. Straight and bent knee calf raises to strengthen the calves are great too.
What would be the top 3 stretching exercises for runners?
Hamstrings, Calves and Glutes / IT band
Do you have any other advice for our community?
Being proactive with recovery is key to injury prevention. Getting massages, foam rolling, stretching, good sleep hygiene, good nutrition and hydration helps significantly. Make sure you have appropriate running footwear!