Running a marathon this weekend? Your race-week and recovery plan

If you're running the Nelson Mandela Marathon on Sunday, or any race this weekend, the hard work is done. Nothing you do in the last few days will make you fitter, but a few smart choices can make sure you start fresh and recover well. This is what I tell my own clients in race week, and in the week after.

The goal now is to arrive at the start line rested, not to squeeze in one more session.

• No new strength work. Skip heavy legs, lunges and anything that makes you sore. If you lift, keep it to light upper body and core, or leave it out completely.
• Short and easy runs only. A 15 to 20 minute easy jog with a few short strides is plenty to keep your legs awake.
• Move a little, every day. A gentle walk and 10 minutes of mobility (hips, calves, ankles) feels better than sitting still all day.
• Nothing new. No new shoes, no new gels, no new breakfast. Race day is the worst day to find out something doesn't agree with you.

You don't need a special diet, just a few sensible shifts.

• Lean a little more on carbs for the two days before: rice, potatoes, pasta, bread, oats, fruit. Keep portions normal, not huge.
• Go easy on very fatty, very spicy or very high-fibre meals the night before, especially if you know your stomach is sensitive.
• Drink regularly through the day. Pale yellow urine is a good sign. You don't need to force down litres the night before.

• Eat what you've practised, about 2 to 3 hours before the start. For most people that's something simple: oats with banana, toast with honey or peanut butter, or a bowl of cereal.
• Sip water, and use the bathroom before you line up.
• Start slower than you feel. The first few kilometres always feel easy. Your second half will thank you.

This is where most runners get it wrong, either by doing nothing at all or by going straight back to hard training.

• Keep walking. A slow walk the same afternoon and every day after helps tight legs feel better sooner than lying on the couch.
• Eat a proper meal within a couple of hours of finishing, with carbs and protein: a chicken wrap, eggs on toast, a bowl of pasta with mince.
• Get your protein in every day this week. Include a palm-sized portion of protein (chicken, fish, eggs, meat, yoghurt, beans) at each meal. It's what your muscles use to repair.
• Sleep. It's the most powerful recovery tool there is, and it's free. Aim for an early night on Sunday and Monday.
• Expect sore legs, especially going down stairs. That's normal for two or three days. Sharp pain, pain in one spot, swelling, or pain that gets worse instead of better is different: see a doctor or physio.

Give yourself the first three or four days off strength training. Walk, stretch, maybe an easy swim or cycle.

From about day four or five, if the soreness has mostly gone:

• Start with a light full-body session: about half your usual weights and sets.
• Upper body and core first. Your arms and back aren't tired, so you can train them sooner.
• Legs last, and light. Bodyweight squats, glute bridges and step-ups before anything heavy.
• Back to normal by week two, if your legs feel good.

Strength training isn't just for the gym crowd. Stronger legs, hips and core help you hold your form when you get tired late in a race, and they help your body handle the pounding of all those kilometres. Even two short sessions a week make a difference, and that matches the World Health Organization's recommendation of muscle-strengthening work on at least two days a week (WHO guidelines on physical activity, 2020).

Twice a week, once you're recovered. 2 to 3 rounds, about 30 minutes:

• Goblet squat or bodyweight squat: 10 to 12 reps
• Glute bridge: 12 reps
• Step-ups: 8 each leg
• Single-leg calf raises: 12 each leg
• Side plank: 20 to 30 seconds each side
• Bird dog: 8 each side

Keep it controlled. The goal is to get stronger over the weeks, not to leave every session wrecked.

If you'd like a strength program that fits around your running week, with a meal plan alongside it and a place to log your sessions, have a look at the plans on the Boost Fitness website. Good luck on Sunday. Start slow, enjoy it, and walk it off on Monday.