Massage for Marathon Training: How It Supports Your Body.

Written By Peter Mercer
Running, sports massage,

Introduction

Marathon training places consistent physical stress on the body. High mileage, repetitive movement patterns, and limited recovery time can lead to muscle tightness, fatigue, and overuse injuries if recovery isn’t properly managed. Sports and remedial massage plays an important role in supporting the body through training — not just when pain appears, but as part of a proactive recovery and performance strategy.

How marathon training affects the body

Running places repeated load through the calves, quads, hamstrings, hips, and lower back. Over time, this can lead to:

  • Increased muscle tone and tightness

  • Reduced joint mobility

  • Compensatory movement patterns

  • Accumulated fatigue in soft tissues

Without appropriate recovery, these changes can gradually affect comfort, efficiency, and training consistency.

How massage supports marathon training

Massage and soft tissue therapy can help by:

Massage doesn’t replace rest or training adaptation — it supports the body’s ability to recover and adapt.

 

When massage is useful during marathon training

Massage can be beneficial at different stages:

  • Base training: maintaining tissue health and movement quality

  • Peak mileage: managing fatigue and tightness

  • Taper phase: keeping muscles relaxed without overloading the body

  • Post-race: supporting recovery and tissue repair

Conclusion

Marathon training isn’t just about mileage and pace — recovery plays a vital role in long-term performance and injury prevention. Sports massage can be a valuable part of a balanced training approach, helping runners stay consistent, comfortable, and moving well throughout their preparation.

Book an Appointment
Training for a spring marathon (Brighton, Manchester, London)? I’m in marathon prep too — I understand the grind and tight muscles that come with it 🏃‍♂ Targeted massage can help you keep moving, reduce tension, and recover faster
Tight quads? Let’s loosen them up. Swipe through for 3 simple stretches to help release tension in the front of your thighs, support knee and hip movement, and help you move more comfortably during training and everyday life. Quick tip: Keep
Long hours at a desk can create tightness and discomfort — even if you’re active outside of work. A short massage session combined with targeted stretches helps relive tension, reduce pain and improve mobility. 📍 Whitstable 🔗 Book vi
Tight lower back? Let’s loosen it up. Swipe through for 3 simple stretches to ease lower back tension, improve mobility, and help you move more comfortably. Quick tip: Move slowly and mindfully — you should feel a gentle stretch, never
Massage isn’t just about relaxation. It can help reduce muscle tension, improve movement, and support recovery — especially when life or training gets busy. If your body feels stiff, sore, or just needs some care, this is your reminder
Tight calves? Let’s fix that. Swipe through for 3 simple stretches to help ease calf tension, improve ankle mobility, and feel lighter in your legs. Quick tip: Keep your heel on the ground and move gently — you should feel a stretch but

Note: If you live in Whitstable, Tankerton, Seasalter, Chesfield, Herne Bay, Canterbury or Faversham or the surrounding areas and are looking for a treatment please contact me to find out more.  I offer sports massage to help with training, recovery, injury prevention and to ease aches and pains.  I also offer deep tissue massage treatments to help ease the aches, pains and stresses of everyday life.

Based in Seasalter, Whitstable, Kent, my friendly clinic is the ideal place to relax and relieve any pain you have. Sports massages are just one of the many treatments we offer our valued clients.

Find out more about sports massages in Whitstable or contact me today.

Peter Mercer
Next

Newsletter - March 2024