Coach
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Coach's CornerKarl has asked me to do a bit on the forum regarding coaching, or was it what do you do when you're not at work and daytime tv has sent you over the edge !?!?!
Well given how soon after the London and Halstead marathons it is I thought that REST (something I've become a past master at these last 2 weeks) would be a good place to start.
Many of you now that ran London will no doubt have taken your first tentative steps back and are finding out just how well, or slowly, you have recovered from the race. One thing you realise coaching is that everybody has different speeds of recovery and that is something you need to bare in mind when you start back training again. If you feel any discomfort on your first runs back you should stop and take time out to allow yourself more time for your muscle fibres to knit back together. Every time we run these mucle fibres get torn and the natural healing process of sleeping each night and general resting helps them to repair. Obvioulsy though after an extreme event such as the London or Halstead marathon they will take much longer to knit back together so be patient with your legs and don't push them until you are sure they are properley recovered.
I have seen many instances of runners trying to push themselves too soon after a marathon and suffering as a consequence. In fact speaking to one of our club members today he told me of a runner who ran London then decided it would be a good idea to do the Nicola's 5 the week after, and having run that he ran a 5 km handicap race the following Wednesday just for luck !! Well, he now has two broken metatarsal in his feet so be warned, REST is good for you 
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Jez
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Wise words mate!
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Steffan
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This is the best idea ever on this forum.
Get well soon coach.
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mikemoreton
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I love resting. It is something I am good at. Pity that Jez still trains me, because that screws up the rest.
(just kidding Jez) I enjoyed the slopes today!!
Honest
Mike
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Graham
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No more marathons coach. Watch for a pw at Baddow TRAINING run tomorrow. Hope you're recovering yourself!!
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Coach
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Following on from my first posting which covered resting after a marathon, I thought it a good idea to move on with the next few weeks training once you've discovered your legs are still attached to your body !
It's easy to assume after resting post marathon that if you have too long off you feel that you'll lose all your fitness and start running like a couch potato - WRONG ! It's not unusual for your first week or two to feel like you're carrying lead weights round your ankles, but if you take time to come back slowly and not try and run too often you'll soon find you'll be back running strongly again in no time at all.
The important thing to remember is to listen to what your legs are telling you when you're running and if they tell you they aren't ready to be pushed then DON'T push them. Let them tell you when they're ready to start running hard again and doing quality work.
Many runners try and force themselves to run too hard too soon after a marathon and pay the price by getting injured, so don't let that be a situation you find yourself in. Set yourslef a goal race that gives you enough time to train for it and doesn't put yourself under undue pressure to get in shape in too short a period of time.
The coming months during the Summer are full of races up to 10 km so by using your distance work from your marathon training you can concentrate on shorter, faster runs and give your legs a break from the high mileage. Most importantly, make the most of the long evenings as this is the best time of the year to be training - off road and away from the exhaust fumes 
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