Going the distance: a veteran's advice for marathon season
One of Aotearoa’s greatest ultrarunners loves seeing people training during lockdown, but has some important advice to help them reach the finish line.
Throughout her 25 year career, Lisa Tamati competed in over 140 ultramarathons around the globe totalling over 70,000km of running.
She retired five years ago and is now a coach alongside her business partner Exercise Scientist Neil Wagstaff to over 700 athletes.
Running is one of the few activities New Zealanders can do at all Alert Levels. Lisa says it is common for people to get into running and go too hard, too soon.
“I’ve dedicated my life to running all over the world, says the 52-year-old from Taranaki.
“It’s one of the most rewarding sports you will ever get into. But most runners don’t come to us until they’re injured. Everyone thinks that running is easy and that you put one foot in front of the other and it’s a simple thing: You buy a pair of shoes and then off you go."
“It’s not. It’s a skill like ballet that you need to work on and perfect.”
Running injuries spike in spring
Marathon season has arrived. Between now and late November, there are marathons and ultramarathons on around Aotearoa. They include the Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington, Queenstown and Dunedin marathons.
ACC data shows from 2016 – 20 there were 73,870 claims accepted for running injuries which came at a cost of $46 million to help people recover.
In 2020 there were 14,294 new injury claims accepted for running, which cost $10.2 million. The number of new claims was the highest since 2017 and the cost was the highest in the last five years.
With lockdowns, there were 4,111 running injuries in Spring 2020 (September, October, November). This was the highest for the past five years. "This is encouraging,” says ACC Injury Prevention Partner Natalie Hardaker.
“The popularity of running events and running for general fitness seems to be increasing. Alert Level 3 and 4 are the ideal time to get into running, but it is important to have a plan so you can make the finish line. Make sure you build into your training slowly.”
Every year ACC invests around $80 million into injury prevention.
"We want to support all Kiwis in doing the sport and activity they love. Good physical preparation combined with rest and recovery will help you stay injury-free and achieve your goals."
“Stressed like never before”
Lisa hosts the health, fitness and medicine podcast 'Pushing the Limits' – a globally top 200 ranked show.
She is also an experienced international speaker. Lisa says stress plays a huge role in promoting injuries.
“When you’re stressed, your body is tighter, your immune system is down and your digestive system isn’t working as well."
“Learning to manage our stress levels is so important.” Lisa is currently coaching people in the corporate environment.
She says New Zealanders are stressed like never before during COVID-19. “I’ve been a speaker for around 15 years and these days I get so many requests on stress management and resilience. People are really struggling right now."
“Getting out in the elements for a run is great for your mental health. We need to be out in nature and in the sunshine and pushing ourselves. It’s part of our DNA. and is hugely beneficial to our mental and physical wellbeing.”
The toughest events in the world
Lisa has shown incredible resilience throughout her career. She competed in some of the toughest events in the world.
The likes of La Ultra, a 222km non-stop race over the two highest motorable mountain passes in the world in the Himalayas. “I’ve never considered myself as an elite athlete, that is someone like Lisa Carrington. I’m just mentally tough and I never give up.”
Lisa says she didn’t train correctly for the first half of her career until she had the guidance of a running coach. “He changed everything,” she says.
“Prior to that my mindset was really strong but I really had no idea what the hell I was doing.” Her running coach Neil Wagstaff cut her training distances in half. He replaced it with strength and mobility work, form drills, balance work and completely changed her diet.
“Having a holistic approach to your training is really important. You have to build that foundation.
“If you have that then you have permission to run the miles, if you don’t, then it’s like building a house on sand. You will get injured.”
She says it’s good to know if you get injured, your rehab costs may be covered by ACC.
“It’s an amazing system and fantastic back up to have for New Zealanders in their life should things turn to custard,” she says. “We’re lucky to have it.”
Making the finish line
Lisa says it’s common for weekend warrior runners to sign up for a marathon or half marathon without a plan. They try to cram their running in and end up injured and demoralised.
“Your fitness is really hard won. When you get an injury you are back to scratch again so preventing injuries is so important.”
Conversely, she says the feeling when you cross the finish line at the end of a long-distance running event is indescribable.
“When you achieve something that you set out to do it lifts the horizons to what you think you are capable of,” she says.
“It helps you be stronger and more resilient. Invariably you find yourself asking yourself what next? If I achieved that then you take on something else and that carries over in other parts of your life.”
“It helps you be stronger and more resilient. Invariably you find yourself asking yourself what next? If I achieved that then you take on something else and that carries over in other parts of your life.”
“And even if you don’t hit your goals, the effort should not be considered a failure because you have done 100 times more than the person sitting on the couch."
“You’ve grown, learnt and developed. There are times when I haven’t hit one of my goals but that’s OK because I was getting better."
“When you hit the finish line, you will remember this time during lockdown and how you stuck to your plan to achieve something that challenged you.”
Lisa Tamati’s tips for injury prevention:
Talk to a running coach
Downloading a plan off the internet is not doing it right. You need a personalised coaching plan. This ensures your programme is tailored to you, your lifestyle, age, injury profile and goals.
Shoes
When you can go to a store where the staff know how to fit running shoes properly. Shoes that are too small will cause blisters and shin splints. Also have the right shoes for your environment, trail or road.
Warm up
Most people work eight hours at home and just chuck the shoes on and then run slow for the first few minutes. That is not a warm up. You have been in a sitting position all day. Hip flexors have shortened and your hammies have overlengthened. You need to straighten everything and activate the muscles and open it up. A dynamic warm up will improve performance and make running more enjoyable, not to mention less injuries.
Strength / Mobility / Balance
Go to a gym if you can or have some basic pieces of kit at home like a kettle bells and resistance bands. You can also use a TRX and a foam roller or shakti mat. People don’t have time for a 1 hour yoga class every day but you do have time for 10 minutes of mobility work at home. Make it a habit. Do yoga, foam rolling and get a massage if that is within your means.
Nutrition
Eat whole, unprocessed foods and don't overdo the simple carbs. Avoid eating additives and preservatives. Getting your electrolyte balance right is important.
Warm down
Put aside time to stretch after your run. Build recovery days into your programme. The gains come during sleep, rest times not during the actual training. Don’t forget that the next time you are tempted to overtrain and under-sleep.
See what Lisa Tamati and Neil Wagstaff do:
For more information on general injury prevention information for sport
