Words: Steve Moneghetti

It doesn’t matter what sort of shape you are in – if you’re injured you won’t make it to the starting line.

No matter what distance you’ve entered for the Gold Coast Marathon, it’s vitally important that you look after yourself to ensure you don’t waste the training time you’ve already put in.

Firstly, make sure your footwear is in good condition; a pair of running shoes normally is good for about 600kms depending on your biomechanics and foot strike.

Mix up your surfaces. In order of preference go for grass, dirt, gravel, bitumen and concrete, but try to avoid concrete as much as you can.

Substitute a running session each week with a pilates, yoga or stretching workout.

After a hard session, elite athletes have an ice bath or an ocean swim and if it is good enough for them, then it is good enough for you too.

If you miss a training run don’t try to catch up, but actually drop back to where you were two days prior to the missed day.

Keep hydrated to make sure your muscles have the chance to function efficiently and always run in well lit areas to avoid trip hazards.

The best time to stretch is after your run while your muscles are still warm and loose.

When you begin a run, give your body a chance to work up to your goal pace or even start out with a walk to let your body get going slowly.

And for those not running or walking this year, how about lining the various courses and cheering the participants along?

There are some great vantage points from Runaway Bay to Burleigh Heads you can watch from and I can tell you from experience that nothing lifts the spirits of a distance runner more than a cheer, a rousing bellow or a cheeky comment from the sidelines.