January marks the start of a fresh year. With three months to build peak stamina and strength for marathon day, getting your plan right is key to success.
Marathon preparation is about more than clocking miles – it’s about mixing up your routine, stretching smartly, and building both mental and physical resilience. In this post, we’ve asked employees and Champions from our Partner, Ordnance Survey, to share their tried-and-tested tips so you can go the distance. From loosening up with strides after long runs, to mastering hill work, strength training, and even mental preparation for race day, their advice will keep you motivated and injury-free.
Expect tips like:
- How strides can freshen tired legs after long runs
- The benefits of cycling, swimming, and strength training to mix things up
- Stretching routines to target key muscles like calves, hips, and glutes
And don’t forget to head over to Ordnance Survey’s Get Outside blog to find out about nutrition tips for marathon training.
So, grab your kit, fire up OS Maps to plot your perfect training routes, and start building towards your marathon goal. The road to race day starts now!
Peter Cave
Ordnance Survey’s Lead Information Security Consultant Training:
- End any slow long run (SLR) with some strides. It helps to loosen out your tight and tired legs. Strides are a slow acceleration to a sprint before going back to a walk. Do 5-6 if you can.
- Mix up your training with cycling and strength training if you can. Once a week will make a big difference, even if it means dropping a run!
- One of the best stretches I’ve ever done is a yoga pose called the ‘Low Lunge’. Mixed with the ‘Side Angle Pose’ (or ‘Parsvakonasana’), you get a really good hip stretch, and it also lengthens the quads, hamstrings and glutes. Another equally good one is the Pigeon Pose, although somewhat tougher.
- Lastly: your calves. They deal with up to eight times your body weight in force when you land, so make sure you get them nice and strong. Simple heel raises with knees straight and bent, as many times as you can, will get them stronger. If you can get to a gym, using weights will strengthen them even more.
Ella Cowen
Ordnance Survey’s Sustainability, Property and Facilities Lead
The long training runs can seem a bit daunting when they start becoming more frequent, it’s a lot of time! I recommend alternating between giving yourself some entertainment, like listening to an audiobook, and going without headphones. If your race doesn’t allow headphones, it’s good to practice without. That doesn’t have to be every training run, though, allow yourself some fun!
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Sam Taylor
Ordnance Survey’s Competitive Intelligence Enablement Manager and OS Champion
Prepare yourself for the excitement of race day. It’s perfectly normal to have nerves but remind yourself that you have done lots of running, so you can do this! During the excitement of the start, be careful not to get swept up in a higher pace than planned. You have plenty of miles to cover and if you start too fast, the ones at the end become way more of a struggle than they should be!
Alex Jackson
OS Champion
Make sure your training varies and try to include different forms of exercise, so it doesn’t become boring for your body. Personally, I go swimming and spend a good amount of time in the sauna. Saunas are amazing for the cardiovascular system, and they keep the experience fresh for me as well. For running, I work on the following exercises: hill runs, Fartlek training and long easy’s. Again, find out what works best for you. Stretching is also so important. You can go on YouTube and search different routines for stretching after workouts. Mentally for me I love doing the uncomfortable stuff, love going out in horrible conditions when I don’t want to train. All this means that, when it comes to race day, I know I’ve put in the work so all I have to do is finish and it should be easy. What I say to myself is: YOU GOTTA GET ON!
Gus McKechnie
OS Champion
My tip for marathon training is to have a strength and conditioning plan.Having cerebral palsy this helps protect me from injury, I like to cover mobility and co-ordination exercises in the gym as well.
As you prepare for marathon day, remember that smart training, recovery, and variety are key to staying strong and motivated. Whether you're mixing in strides, strength training, or hill sessions, OS Maps, Ordnance Survey’s mapping and route-planner tool on web and app, can help you plan routes of all lengths to suit every stage of your training.
Here are some great places to start for inspiration:
- Why Do People Run Marathons?
- Best Running Routes in Hampshire to Train for the ABP Southampton Marathon
And if you’re ready to put your training to the test? Sign up for the ABP Southampton Marathon today and take on your next big challenge. See you at the start line!
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