The 2025 marathon season is in full swing, with the London marathon a matter of days away as 56,000 people get set to run[1] 26 miles of the capital’s streets. It’s an exciting time, but all this running doesn’t come without its problems.
According to insightful research by Deep Heat and Deep Freeze – the iconic and time-tested warming and cooling muscle and joint care range – 48% of Brits have had an exercise related injury[2] with the lower body seemingly taking most of the slack when it comes to these injuries. A third (31%) have had an injured ankle, 30% have experienced an injured knee and 29% have injured their foot. A quarter (25%) have dealt with an injured leg.
Physiotherapist, Pilates, and Musculoskeletal specialist, Clara Kervyn, and advisor to Deep Heat and Deep Freeze says: “Whether it’s your first time running the London marathon or you’re a seasoned pro, staying injury free needs to remain a priority. Aches, soreness and niggles cannot only stop you from running, potentially hampering your chances of nailing your preferred marathon time, but muscle and joint pain can really get in the way of other aspects of life too.”
Worryingly, 30% of Brits have missed out on work with two-thirds (66%) saying that muscle pain affects their day-to-day quality of life.
Elyn Marwick, Personal Trainer, Coach & Functional Fitness Specialist, and part of the Deep Heat and Deep Freeze expert hub adds: “Tackling these pains and niggles early on is important to help prevent them getting worse and leading to a full-blown running injury. But 83% of Brits have suffered from muscle aches and pains and sadly, 20% suffer every day. Plus, 68% have experienced a muscle strain or sprain.”
There are ways however that you can tackle joint and muscle health issues s and prevent running injuries, so you can keep on running comfortably, conquer all your training and cross that marathon finish line without hurting your muscles and joints (too much)!
Expert Tips To Avoid Injuries Before A Marathon
#1. Make time to rest: Every athlete knows the importance of rest and recovery. It’s during rest that the body heals and gets ready to go again.
“If you’re chasing a personal best (PB) at the marathon, don’t expect to get it by running every single day and never allowing your body – including your feet and legs – to recover,” says Clara Kervyn.
Only 44% of Brits say they rest when dealing with muscle pain but putting your feet up is one of the simplest ways to help to relieve tired, aching legs. A high 72% of people have experienced foot or lower leg pain and interestingly, many of these respondents blame too much time on their feet.
#2. Stick to your plan: Seasoned runners will know all too well that increasing the running load too quickly can also lead to injuries. A high 37% of Brits have been injured after jumping into a new sport or exercise without a plan, according to Deep Heat and Deep Freeze.
“Following a plan can help you to not only run quicker but also to run in such a way that helps you avoid injuries. For beginners, a running plan stops you from doing too much too soon,” explains Elyn Marwick.
#3. Warm up with heat: Are you warming up properly before you run? A good warm up requires more than just a few seconds of stretches.
Elyn Marwick says: “Only 26% of Brits devote time to warming up before exercise but, warming up before you run helps to increase blood flow to the muscles, boosting their flexibility. Warm ups help lubricate joints too, increasing their range of motion[3][4]. I would recommend warming up for at least 10 minutes if you’re planning on doing a long run.”
Clara Kervyn recommends leg swings to help mobilise the hips and stretch the leg muscles. “To do these, stand tall, holding on to a wall for balance if you need. Swing your left leg forward and behind you, extending the swing with each rep, and keeping your right foot firmly on the ground. Once you’ve done 10 swings, swap sides. To enhance this mobility, move, try swinging your leg across your body, in front of you.”
Make your warm up even more efficient by combining it with heat therapy. Deep Heat Muscle Massage Roll-on Lotion combines massage with heat therapy to help ease tight, knotted muscles. It’s great for your calves, thighs, shoulders, upper arms and any other parts of your body that get achy with exercise as a fast track warm up.
Prefer a rub? Deep Heat Heat Rub provides targeted pain relief and can be used before or after exercise. It also helps with stiffness including back and rheumatic pain, sciatica, fibrositis, sprains and chilblains. Plus, penetrating heat therapy through a rub helps to increase blood supply to relax and soothe in aching, injured and sore muscles.
Clara Kervyn adds: “For something stronger, try Deep Heat Max Strength which provides more than double the amount of the pain killing ingredient, methyl salicylate. It generates penetrating warmth in aching, injured and sore muscles. The Deep Heat Muscle Rescue Heat Spray also helps ease and soothe tight, tense muscles and works great alongside a warm up or at any point when you need to relieve discomfort. The targeted warming relief is thanks to Vanillyl butyl ether (VBE), which produces a thermal sensation on the skin by activating a specific thermal receptor (vanilloid).
“I also love the Deep Heat Pain Relief Heat Patch which is a long-lasting, adhesive patch, providing warming pain relief for muscular pain, strains, and joint stiffness for up to 16 hours.”
#4. Cool down: When you’ve finished your run, devoting just five to 10 minutes of your time to cooling down can make all the difference in preventing pain, aches and niggles, as well as being able run that future marathon. Elyn Marwick says: “Cooling down can help reduce muscle stiffness and soreness, releasing any build-up of lactic acid. You can try slow movement such as a gentle walk, alongside gentle stretches which help to increase muscle flexibility.”
Elyn Marwick adds: “If you have muscles and joints that ache after running or you find running flares up old injuries then try the Deep Freeze Muscle Rescue Cold Spray. It’s fast acting and has a scientifically proven cooling actioned. As a result, it helps soothe minor aches in muscles and joints. It provides all the benefits of ice-cold therapy without having to use ice itself!”
Just 20% of Brits currently use an ice pack on sore muscles and joints but cold therapy is a simple way to help you feel better, fast.
Explaining other products in the Deep Freeze range, Elyn Marwick adds: “The Deep Freeze Glide-on Gel is also easy to pop in your gym bag and is another great cool-down addition, providing scientifically proven cooling relief for minor aches in the back, neck, shoulders, legs, and feet.
“I also keep the Deep Freeze Cold Gel in my first aid bag at home to help soothe minor aches in my muscles and joints and when I want something longer term, the Deep Freeze Cold Patch, offers up to three hours of that soothing ice feeling helping to decrease blood flow which helps relieve discomfort in the affected muscular or joint area.”
No matter what your goals are for this year’s marathon, following these easy tips will help to support your body, care for your muscles and joints and get you to race day feeling your best!
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