Running Fitness_March2010 by Digital Trip

Women’s running

Do you feel safe? Ever been wolf-whistled while running? Did it make you feel uncomfortable? Liz Yelling looks into the issue of women’s safety and offers some practical advice to help you enjoy your sport

Women’s running

unning is such a fantastic thing to do. It’s time-effective, relatively cheap and a great calorie burner. In recent years there’s been a huge rise in women’s participation rates in running and a corresponding growth in women’s-only events, women’s speciality kit and support for women to get fit and active. With women becoming increasingly aware of the importance of healthy lifestyles, and events that focus on participation rather than performance, more and more ‘everyday’ women have been lured into this brilliant sport. Starting to run can be hard to begin with and, despite all this opportunity, it seems that there are still a few obstacles to overcome. Many new women runners worry about whether they’ll be able to breathe, if they can make the end of the road in one piece, and what they look like and what others think of them. With all these different factors to think about, it isn’t surprising that many women runners feel uncomfortable about the potential for inadvertently finding themselves in a vulnerable situation while out running. It’s crucial to think about the importance of safe running as a woman runner. I certainly don’t believe that we, as women, shouldn’t run on our own, or run where we live in the countryside, towns or cities, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to think about looking out for each other, being aware of the dangers that women runners can encounter, and taking steps to minimise risk. I do a lot of my running alone and, although my husband always makes me tell him where I’m going and when I’ll be back, I kind of take it for granted that I can race quickly away from any dodgy situations.

Urban running Running in towns and cities can provide a degree of safety with fellow runners, lit 46 RUNNING FITNESS AUGUST 2007

pathways, security from having other people around and places you can run to quickly if you feel threatened. However, city running can still present dangers to runners. Drivers and cyclists aren’t always aware of everything going on around them and often don’t expect to see a runner dart across the road; some neighbourhoods can be more threatening than others, and some alleyways and quiet areas can be potential bottlenecks for ‘undesirables’ to pray on solo women runners. The key is to always avoid situations that may present danger or risk. Key urban safety tips • Avoid inappropriately revealing clothing. Some idiots still think skimpy kit is an invitation for their unwanted advances. • If you’re running at night, ensure that you are wearing bright or reflective clothing and assume that not all drivers will see you. • Plan your route before you go out of the door. Avoid potentially dangerous areas. Run in busy well-lit areas. Steer clear of notorious black spots or areas with no escape route. • Don’t be predictable. Have a variety of different routes and times at which you run. Try and avoid running in the same place at the same time, all the time. • Develop ‘safe spots’ along your regular running routes. These are escape and refuge points if you feel threatened. For example, friend’s houses, police stations, pubs, populated places. • Ignore verbal harassment. Be aware but keep running. Avoid confrontation in all situations. Stifle your ‘running rage’! Stay cool and calm, remain focused and in charge. • Tell someone where you are going and what time you anticipate you’ll be back. • MP3 players. Great for tunes to keep you company, but you still need to be aware of your surroundings and what’s happening around you. Stay alert. AUGUST 2007 RUNNING FITNESS 47

Women’s running

Urban running Running in towns and cities can provide a degree of safety with fellow runners, lit 46 RUNNING FITNESS AUGUST 2007

Women’s running Rural running Running in the open countryside can be a great relief from the hustle and bustle of the city. A chance to be at one with nature, breathe in the clean air, be invigorated and champion your running over the challenges of varied terrain, hills, mountains, streams, mud, and meadows. Yet, running in the countryside does create other potential dangers for women runners. The varied terrain can be more unpredictable than a pavement and the danger of tripping or twisting an ankle is more likely. When you run in the country you run with nature and wildlife. You may come across cattle, or other wild animals that you might feel threatened by (although they are probably more scared of you!). The weather can also be unpredictable and it can be harder to navigate. You are more likely to be alone for long periods and shelter, and places to find help and safety are less frequent than in towns. Key rural safety tips • Don’t get lost. Have a map if you’re unsure or unfamiliar with your surroundings. This is especially important in the countryside. • Take great care in wilderness areas. Follow signed walking routes. Stick to the path. Watch your footing. • Know the terrain and weather conditions you’re running in and prepare appropriately. Don’t get stranded with inappropriate gear. • Dogs: We’ve all heard the ‘don’t worry, he won’t bite, he’s only playing’ line from the owner as their dog leaps up whilst you are running past. If the unwanted canine persists, try stopping and calmly asking (insisting!) the owner controls the dog before restarting your run. Avoid confrontation! • Some paths may be multi-use and you could be sharing it with mountain bikers, horses and walkers. Be aware of others. Be sensible when running past or near animals as they can be unpredictable. • Always tell someone where you’re going and when you’ll be back. • If running in very remote areas leave a note describing when you left and where you’re going. • Look back at where you’ve come from. As well enjoying the view it’ll help you remember key navigation points if you need to turn back.

When you’re away from home: holiday running It’s lovely to be able to run when away from home. The flexibility of running means that it’s a great holiday activity for getting you to see new places. Many women like the idea of maintaining their running when they’re travelling with work or on holiday. But remember, just because 48 RUNNING FITNESS AUGUST 2007

General safety points to consider when you go out running • Carry some identification. ID tags can be securely and unobtrusively attached to your training shoes. • Carry a mobile phone or a phone card. Know the locations of public phones on your regular running routes. • Stay alert. Use your instinct. Listen to yourself and your gut reactions. If something doesn’t feel right or you feel uneasy, avoid it. Change your route. Turn around. • Safety in numbers. Training with others is a great idea. Run with a group, a running ‘buddy’ and friends or family. Get your family to accompany you on their bikes whilst you run! Non-running friends or family could drive ahead and meet you (cheer you on!) at a certain point on your route. • Always avoid confrontation and situations where you could be at risk. If in any doubt, don’t. • Develop a confidence when you run, and adopt a cool calm persona so you don’t look like a victim but a confident runner. you’re away from home it doesn’t mean you can let your guard down. Top ‘away running’ tips • Check with the hotel staff or a local person to find safe routes for exercise. If there isn’t an acceptable place outdoors, see if you can arrange access to a health club or gym. • Become familiar with your exercise route before you start. Get a map and study it. • Remember the street address of the hotel or place you are staying. Carry a card with your hotel/accommodation address. • Leave your room key with the front desk so you don’t lose it. • Appreciate, respect and be aware of the culture and the contexts of the new places you find yourself. Know about different traffic rules, wildlife, and customs. In some countries wearing a vest and shorts may not be acceptable. • ‘Out and back’ run routes are better if you’re uncertain where you going. • Watch the weather! Apply sunscreen if somewhere warm and stay hydrated. Being aware of the dangers makes you responsible for yourself and allows you to enjoy your running without worry. Now get those shoes on and go and safely enjoy your run! Rf

Multisport

Multisport ime flies. It’s hard to believe it’s that time of year already. The start of the football season in Britain typically signals the end of the track season for runners and the close of the triathlon racing season. A runner’s calendar usually involves track or road running in the summer, cross country, trail and road running in the winter, perhaps an autumn and/or spring half or full marathon. The annual running diet provides enough substance and variation to keep our running and racing appetites satisfied all year round. The triathlon racing calendar is different. It’s clearly structured around a summer racing season and a winter ‘off season’. This is largely determined by the climate. British waters aren’t the warmest to dip into for a swim between November and May! With the nights drawing ever darker and the clocks going back, the joys of cycling outside after work are shelved until spring arrives. Shiny racing bikes get carefully packed away for the winter. Long tights, hats and gloves get pulled out of drawers and open water swimming is a definite no! What is a triathlete to do? It’s not all doom and gloom, though. The great thing about the ‘off season’ is that it is full of options, change and challenge. With that in mind what should triathletes, or for that matter, runners that are budding triathletes, focus on in the coming months?

Time to reflect Getting motivated during the off-season can be a slow process for many triathletes. Martin Yelling shares some valuable tips on how to kick-start your winter tri training

“To really take steps forwards in your training, you should be prepared to ride the rollercoaster of training’s highs and lows” Rest, recover and refocus If your year has been structured well and you’ve peaked at the right times, then this time of reflection will be very welcome and you’ll want to use it to recover from your successful racing season. Active recovery training that is light, unstructured and not time-intensive can help your body re-energise and give you all important extra time for other things that have been neglected while you’ve been flat out racing. This is a time to eat the things you’ve deprived yourself of over the past few months, to spend time with family you may have unwittingly neglected, and to catch up with jobs around the home and at work that you should have done!

Reflect, analyse and plan October is the perfect time to review your season and think about the next one. Write down what happened in your most successful races. Detail what went well and why what you did worked. This is great for focusing your mind on success strategies and being able to build on them for the future. Think about how you can be even better at what you do. Avoid making long lists on what you feel you did wrong! Instead, always frame your season positively. We can all learn and have positive takeaways even when things didn’t turn out as we’d hoped or planned. Use this time to develop a plan of attack for your training and racing next year. 80 RUNNING FITNESS NOVEMBER 2007

NOVEMBER 2007 RUNNING FITNESS 81

Multisport

Time to reflect Getting motivated during the off-season can be a slow process for many triathletes. Martin Yelling shares some valuable tips on how to kick-start your winter tri training

NOVEMBER 2007 RUNNING FITNESS 81

Multisport

Multisport your training routine and will help your long term triathlon performance. There’s plenty to choose from including road races, cross country for the hardy among us (GB elite National duathlon champion and European bronze medallist Tom Lowe and GB elite triathlete, Will Clarke both use cross country in the winter) and trail running.

Open water swimming is a definite no!

Planning your ‘off season’ What could the off-season look like for triathlete / runner turning to tri? Here’s a look at possible breakdown and areas to focus on in planning in building up for a pre-Christmas 10k (B race) and January half marathon (A race). October, transition: take time to relax. Pack your bike away. Do a month of technique-only swimming and steady running. November, preparation: training to train. Continue to develop your swim technique. Get out your winter bike (old, heavy, mudguards and lights!) and ease yourself into high cadence, small ring riding once a week. Introduce one fartlek a week into your run programme for the first three weeks in November (30mins wk 1, 40mins wk 2 50mins wk 3) then shift to a structured interval session for the final week. For your first set of intervals try a pyramid set of 1min-2mins3mins-4mins-5mins-4mins-3mins-2mins-1min (with 90 seconds jog between each). Look to also include a steady paced run, an easy recovery run and a longer run building up in duration throughout the month. Mountain biking during winter: good for the body, good for the soul

Do something different Sometimes, time out can actually make us better athletes. Take the heat out of your regular triathlon training by having a go at something different. Hang up the tri suit, put your racing head in your pocket until next year and get out and try something you’ve little or no experience at! No pressure, funfilled cross training that helps maintain your fitness, keeps you mentally ‘sane’ (for those who don’t like to rest!) and gives you time to enjoy keeping fit, is good for the body and great for the soul. Try going to the gym, trail running only, riding a mountain bike, windsurfing – even kite flying can keep you in shape!

Treat your technique The off-season is the perfect time to back right off the volume and the intensity. There’s just no need to thrash your body now. Training is much better spent analysing your technique and making subtle, but sometimes significant, changes to your technique to help you become stronger, faster, more effective, and more efficient and an improved performer next year. Swim, get fish-like: spend time in the pool working on your stroke. Now is not the time to hammer out length after length. Invest in some quality coaching that includes underwater video analysis to really pinpoint the ways in which your stroke can improve. 82 RUNNING FITNESS NOVEMBER 2007

Spend time working on drills and skills in the pool to engrain new techniques until they become natural and a part of your swim stroke. Bike, master your steed: although having some time off your bike is a good idea, if you’re desperate to get back on it – or are new to cycling/triathlon – then time in the saddle during Oct/Nov is best spent working on your cycling skills, handling, bike confidence and pedalling technique.

specific training (for example, swim focus, bike focus or run focus cycles) as well as combination cycles of the three disciplines in balance. During these focused discipline periods, training volume and intensity is weighted towards swimming, biking or running with only ‘tick over’ maintenance or few key sessions in the other two areas. The favourable running event calendar, the inclement weather conditions, the need to take a break from the bike and focus on technique in the pool make pre-Christmas a fantastic time for triathletes looking to work on their running strengths or develop their event weakness to focus on running. For those goaloriented performers, setting yourself an out-oftriathlon-season running challenge can help keep you motivated, focused and ready for action when triathlon racing is out of action. Ironman age group triathlete Ian Corless has done just that. He’s set himself the challenge to run the London Marathon in 2008. Not only that, he’s also going to run a marathon a day for a week leading up to the event! Running goal-setting for triathlon need not be this crazy. Find an autumn or spring 10k, half marathon or marathon to aim at that can be worked into

“With the nights drawing ever darker and the clocks going back, the joys of cycling outside after work are shelved until spring arrives” Run: low intensity running for up to an hour will help maintain your fitness. At this time the emphasis should be on good form and running style. You shouldn’t be running tired.

Focused running to improve your triathlon Triathlon training involves preparing for three different disciplines and putting them together for success in one event. Training often involves planning periods of discipline

Cross country running is a useful way to build fitness

December, build up your swimming (winter base phase 1): continue to develop your improved stroke and add in one longer swim each week. Stick to the small ring on your bike. Look to increase the duration of your rides when the weather permits and search out technical routes to test your skills. It’s not about speed, but judgement and control. Towards the end of month, add a turbo trainer indoor interval session once a week to start to work your cycling specific fitness. Take your running that step further by adding increased structure toward your January A race goal. Bring in one tempo run each run, progress your interval workouts and build your long run duration. Include your 10k B race in this phase. For interval workouts try: wk1: 4x8mins (2mins rec). wk2:8x4mins (60s rec). wk3: 6x6mins (2mins rec). wk4: 5x8mins (90s rec). January/February, putting in the miles/race (winter base phase 2): extend your time in the pool and start to add in one squad session per week. Continue to build your ride weekly bike duration and start to add purpose and intensity to your weekly turbo workout. Develop your running further by sharpening up your interval sessions, (wk1: 2x3x3mins (90s between reps, 3mins between sets, wk2: 12x2.5mins with 60s rec) and getting faster on your tempo runs (wk1: 3x12mins at 10k race pace, wk2: 1x10k time trial). By now, your long run should have built up to 14-16miles. Remember to drop the duration of your runs and sessions in the lead up to your A race at the end of this phase. And then, before you know it... it’ll be tri time again! Rf

Train the same: stay the same! The year round availability of running races does have its downside. Many runners fall into the trap of training in the same way year round, year in, year out. It’s not hard to see how this can result in staleness, plateaus in performance, and low motivation. Don’t fall foul of being a ‘one way to train’ runner or triathlete. Try the following:

Run relaxed At key ‘downtimes’ in the year, take a break from structured running. Run when you feel like it, for as long as you feel like, at a pace you can enjoy. Just run because you can and not because you have to.

Ride the rollercoaster To really take steps forwards in your training, you should be prepared to ride the rollercoaster of training’s highs and lows. Peaks and troughs in training should be expected and planned for. You can’t be great all of the time. Plan peak performances to happen when you want them to.

Set clear goals The key here lies with planning and periodising your year around your key goals. Your training year should be structured to fit into cycles, some big (macro cycle), some shorter (micro cycle) each with a clear and focused purpose to help you improve and reach your targeted goal.

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Multisport

Open water swimming is a definite no!

Cross country running is a useful way to build fitness

NOVEMBER 2007 RUNNING FITNESS 83

Training

Liz Yelling’s c Liz reflects on Paula Radcliffe’s victory in the New York Marathon and finds there’s a lesson in there for all of us – whether we’re world record holders or not. Meanwhile, another reader is put through their paces this month n a battle with long-time rival Gete Wami in New York, Paula Radcliffe made a glorious comeback in one of the most exciting marathons of 2007. Paula has had many years running and her fair share of injuries – certainly something most experienced runners can relate to. As we get older, it becomes noticeably harder to recover between training runs; the same old sessions seem tougher and take us longer; we are more prone to injury niggles; and it just feels generally harder to get out there and hit the roads. Whether you are an elite athlete like Paula, or whether you just love to run, these little injury issues seem to chase us around. The challenge is to overcome these, get total

balance in our lifestyles and adapt our training and the way we look after ourselves, to minimise risk and maximise the time we are able to run – and the benefits we get from it. Paula, like most elite athletes, endures hours of intense physiotherapy and massage to keep her body in ultimate condition to withstand the miles she racks up. Unlike Paula, most of us have full time day jobs and family commitments where just being able to squeeze a run in can, at times, be challenging enough. What can the everyday, maturing runner do when niggles and aches start to creep in?

Meet Ian Ian (49) has been there and done it in running terms. He’s a hard-core runner. He has been on the running scene a long time, completed hundreds of races, trained twice a day, racked up mileage phases in excess of 100 a week and has recorded some very impressive personal best times, including a 67.35 half marathon. Now a veteran, he’s still as passionate and determined as ever to be the best he can be in his running. He also works busy 50-hour weeks as an HGV driver and is married with teenage children. This summer he has been nursing a foot injury that has forced him to take time off. De-motivated and feeling stale, Ian even played with the idea of quitting running altogether. Despite the rough spell (and we’ve all had them!), Ian got back on the roads and has had three months of consistent running, but doesn’t feel he’s firing quite right just yet. He feels flat and his running spark isn’t burning brightly. Despite this he’s set his sights on running a sub 73-minute half marathon before he reaches his 50-year milestone!

What Ian currently does: review Ian Van Lokven 34 RUNNING FITNESS JANUARY 2008

Ian uses the knowledge and experience collected over years of training and racing to coach himself. He tends to plan his training in

his head a few days in advance, or sometimes on the day of his runs. This has its advantages and drawbacks. On the plus side, it’s a highly responsive and reactive way to plan your running. You can monitor how you’re feeling and adapt your training accordingly. The down side of this is that it’s all too easy to talk yourself out of the key, hard sessions that really matter, to not build in sufficient, appropriate and progressive training and to not see clearly enough into the future to build training to reach a peak when you want it to happen. Without careful, diligent and disciplined selfcoaching, it’s easy to end up opting out, finding excuses, not doing enough or doing too much and falling into the trap of doing the same old stuff day in day out year round. Currently Ian’s training is often a watereddown version of the hard training he’s done over the years. Ian is realistic though. He knows he’d struggle to put together

Training

oaching clinic

10 x1,000m on the track in 2.55 like he used to. But he still loves to train seriously, often slotting in some tough sessions, although he does find they take a lot more out of him and he needs to allow longer to recover.

Diagnoses: what are the key issues? Ian is very knowledgeable about running and, over the years, has adapted his training well. He’s favoured keeping the intensity high but doing less of what he used to do. This watered down version of previous sessions means he is missing out some of the distance in his key sessions. High-intensity running carries injury risk so we decided to add some longer key sessions but drop the intensity slightly. Still hard enough to challenge Ian and give him a good workout but not go ballistic on every run! Ian would benefit from backing off the

intensity of his sessions and increasing the duration, building in some phased planning and striking a goal-focused balance between the types of training he does. Ian’s training is

Top training tips this month • Simply adapting the training you have normally done in the past may hold you back as you get older. Think about things differently. Change can be motivating and bring results. • Writing out a long-term plan and shorter cycles within this will give you a better overall view of how to progress your running towards your key goal. • Find a sounding board to bounce ideas and reflections off, someone who is interested in your running and will help to keep you motivated and on track.

a classic runner’s week: hard Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, long run Sunday. Ian also does his other weekly runs quite hard. We also varied the focus of Ian’s daily runs and he built in harder key session days followed by active recovery and base mileage days to allow recovery and adaptation between workouts.

What Ian does well • Over the years he has maintained a passion and enthusiasm for training and racing. • Despite work and family commitments, Ian is good at ring-fencing time for training. • Ian is realistic about what he can achieve now he is a more mature runner. • Ian thrives on the thrill and challenge of hard training. • Ian has great knowledge and experience of training methods and techniques. JANUARY 2008 RUNNING FITNESS 35

Training What Ian could look to improve and develop • Find better ways to plan and structure training towards long term goals. Be more specific with each phase and cycle of training. • Shift the emphasis of some key sessions (relative to position in training phase) to less intensity running for longer. • Move away from the mindset of hard running every day and introduce easy/hard training days to allow for recovery and adaptation.

Action: what we did We devised a structured plan to suit Ian’s half marathon targets that fitted with his weekly work and family commitments. The focus of Ian’s training has shifted away from regular high intensity workouts and towards more steady and tempo running. This is good for building base foundations, improving overall endurance and allowing progression as Ian’s training phase unfolds. The plan includes key sessions on which Ian can build on in the coming months as he approaches a 12-week training phase leading into his half marathon race. If, like Ian, you are also highly-motivated to push yourself in your running, doing some longer reps or tempo running before some faster work can naturally slow you down as you will be running for a longer duration. Most of Ian’s key sessions are not about pushing himself to maximum but running at a controlled tempo pace. This is more appropriate to his current phase of training and more applicable to the demands of his half marathon goal. The goal is to teach your body to run economically and efficiently for long periods of time. This training is aimed at pushing your threshold of comfort and your

ability to tolerate reasonable mileage and good intensity running. We also reduced Ian’s recovery between reps, so he is not focusing on running fast, but on maintaining controlled, consistent speed.

What happened? The results Ian found the input from the coaching clinic has given him a kick-start back into focussed running again. He has re-started a training diary and this is helping him review the past week and plan his future workouts with better focus and purpose. He says: “I can see the pages filling up and I want that to keep happening. Also, being able to report back to Liz who is interested in how I do in a particular session is very inspiring”. It’s great that, although Ian is used to being self-coached, he has found the input from a fresh set of eyes motivating. He is used to hard training, yet has found the different sessions and varied paced running has taken him nearly three weeks to get used to. Ian stuck to the training plan and feels that he is finally starting to see the fruits of his labour: “Now I feel these sessions are very effective and have made me fit quite quickly”. Ian also says he now understands the need for easy/hard training days: “It’s made me more aware of the need for easy days to get the most from key days. Whereas before I would run hard most days, now I need the easy day running after these sessions.” Change can be good! Despite having trained in a particular way for many years, Ian has enjoyed the new sessions and the different focus. Resisting the temptation to run hard all the time and running steady going into a tempo pace has been Ian’s biggest challenge but he’s responded well and with continued structure and a focus on planning phased cycles of training, he’ll reach his goals and continue to enjoy his running. Rf

Ian’s weekly training Mon

Tues

Wed

Thurs

Fri

Sat

Sun

50 mins

Hill session

40-50 mins

Two mins reps

Rest

Track: 6x200m

70 mins off-road

An example of Ian’s new training plan Session: 8th October 2007 Mon

Tues

Wed

Thurs

Fri

Sat

Sun

40 mins easy run enjoy / recover

10 mins easy, 10mins steady, 10 mins tempo, 10 mins easy

35 mins relaxed recovery run

WU 10-15 mins easy. (2 mins tempo, 2 mins steady) x5. WD 10 easy

Rest

WU (6 mins, 5 mins, 4 mins) x2 with 90 sec jog rec. WD

70 mins steady run focus on working the hills

Session: 15th October 2007 Mon

Tues

Wed

Thurs

Fri

Sat

Sun

45 mins easy running enjoy / recover!

10 mins easy, (5 mins steady, 5 mins tempo) x2. 10 mins easy

35 mins easy run

50 mins steady run

Rest

Hills: WU, 10 easy, 10 tempo, 5 x100m hills, 10 mins tempo. jog down rec. Wd

80 mins steady run

36 RUNNING FITNESS JANUARY 2008

Next month: meet Nicky Robinson Many women will be able to relate to beginner Nicky Robinson (29). In April 2007, she took up running to initially increase her overall health, wellbeing and vitality and hopefully lose weight. Nicky works as a job broker for a disabled people scheme and currently runs three times a week, including one run with her local club. While she admits to being near the back of the pack in her races she is motivated to improve and would love to run a marathon. She has found she has really got into her running and with the support and encouragement from her club members in Lincolnshire she has, for the first time, started to set herself some goals for improvement and racing. Nicky would like to be able to improve her running fitness so that she’s able to continue without stopping on a run. Longterm, she has her sights set on breaking the hour for 10k. We all started somewhere and I’m excited about helping Nicky on the road to achieving her running dreams. Find out next month what Nicky and I did together to help her improve her running.

Would you like to take advantage of this mentoring initiative and be coached by Liz for a month? Provide a brief (300 words max) written description of an aspect of your running performance that you’d like Liz’s support to help you improve. You should also include: Your name, age, address, occupation, number of years running, email and telephone contact. A brief outline of your training over the last month. An indication of your short and long term running goals. A statement why you think Liz could help you and what you would like gain from the mentoring project. Email your application to rf.ed@kelsey.co.uk, marked as Liz Yelling’s Coaching Clinic or submit the form online at: www.runningfitnessmag.com You can send your application in the post to: Liz Yelling’s Coaching Clinic, Running fitness magazine, Kelsey Publishing Ltd, 1st Floor, South Wing, Broadway Court, Broadway, Peterborough PE1 1RP. Submitted applications will be reviewed and one reader case identified for the mentoring project for the next month. Applications should be received by the 20th of each month. DISCLAIMER: Liz is not a qualified medical practitioner or sports injuries specialist and therefore is unable to provide suggestions for injury diagnosis, treatment, management or rehabilitation. Consult a qualified sports physician for appropriate guidance on these issues.

Training

Liz Yelling’s c oaching clinic Running faster for longer might mean upping the intensity of your running. This month, Liz takes her subject out of her comfort zone to find her natural pace s I run along the seafront promenade in my new home town in Dorset, I love the fact that I see so many runners. I am not the only person out there putting in the miles. This motivates me and makes me smile. I see people of all different shapes and sizes, some slow and some fast. Some are really pushing their own boundaries, sweat pouring off them as they pant along the sea front, while others are out there to admire the views, soak up the winter sun and reap a few health benefits well within their comfort zone. It is true: you can improve your running by sticking in your comfort zone. You will get fitter. Yet if your goal is one that involves you running faster, perhaps to catch that person ahead of you on the promenade (yes, I still do

that!), to keep up with your club mates on a Tuesday night, or set a personal best in your next race, then stepping out of your comfort zone is usually required.

Meet Nicky Twenty-nine-year-old novice runner Nicky is ready to start stepping outside of her comfort zone. After having unsuccessfully tried everything from step aerobics, dieting and using the gym to lose weight, she started running in April 2007. “I started seeing results and benefits straight away. I really noticed how my fitness increased and I lost weight, three stone in all. I am still seeing the results. The best thing is I never thought I would enjoy running as much as I do,” says Nicky. She has already achieved a fantastic goal in losing weight but now feels ready and able to raise the bar with her running. Like many of her fellow runners, she has set herself the goal of running faster. Nicky is highly motivated and, despite often finding herself towards the back of the field, she loves to race. She would like to improve her running fitness and overall stamina to prevent her from getting that feeling where she just needs to stop and take a breather. “Sometimes I feel like I just need a minute!” she says. Nicky’s big goal is to break the hour barrier for 10k: this would see her slash her personal best by 12 minutes.

What Nicky currently does: review

Nicky 30 RUNNING FITNESS FEBRUARY 2008

Nicky works full time from home so her days can be quite flexible. She leads an active lifestyle, walking her dogs, running and biking which is a pastime she and supportive husband Scott enjoy together. She also practises yoga once a week. Her current running routine involves three weekly workouts. On a Tuesday, she normally does a threemile run on her own and a longer run of up to 75mins on a Saturday. Intrepid Nicky has

taken the big leap many new runners fear – she’s joined her local running club. On a Thursday, she runs with Lincolnshire’s Barton & District AC and they’ve been terrific in supporting and motivating her. “I find the people at my club are great and very encouraging but I am always at the back,” she says. Nicky would love to get fitter and run faster and move out of the rear echelons of her Thursday group runs but feels she lacks some structure and specific guidance. She wants to run more but is not sure how to do this progressively and appropriately.

Diagnosis: what are the key issues? Nicky has made a great start by joining a running club where the social support and encouragement from her fellow runners is motivating and helps her stick with her running. Some beginners are put off by joining a club because of fears they’ll be too slow to keep up. Nicky has bitten the anxiety bullet and risen to the challenge of keeping up with her club mates! When running on her own, Nicky has slipped into a trap many

new runners fall into – she runs the same route week after week and each time tries to run it faster than before. Although motivating at first, this can be highly repetitive and inevitably ends in frustration and disappointment. A time trial around a set loop can be great when placed in a well-structured, progressive and planned programme. Specific timed ‘goal’ sessions can be used to build confidence and measure progress – but, if done too frequently, they can destroy confidence and dampen enthusiasm,

something that Nicky currently has in abundance!

What Nicky does well • She is very motivated and enthusiastic about her new goals. • She has developed a regular running routine that fits her lifestyle. • She’s a brave runner. She has joined a running club where she gets a variety of training that pushes her out of her comfort zones. FEBRUARY 2008 RUNNING FITNESS 31

Training

that!), to keep up with your club mates on a Tuesday night, or set a personal best in your next race, then stepping out of your comfort zone is usually required.

What Nicky currently does: review

Nicky 30 RUNNING FITNESS FEBRUARY 2008

something that Nicky currently has in abundance!

Training An example of Nicky’s amended training plan

Next month: meet Mark

Week 2 Mon

Tues

Wed

Thurs

Fri

Sat

Sun

Rest

Warm up: 10mins easy running. (1min fast, 90sec walk) x6. 10mins easy warm down

Rest

Club run: approx 6miles: focus on slowing down rather than stopping completely

Rest

Hills: Warm up:10mins easy. 8 x 2030sec hill. Walk down rec. 10mins Warm down

10 mins easy

Mon

Tues

Wed

Thurs

Fri

Sat

Sun

Rest

Warm up: 10min of easy running. (70secs good pace, 20secs faster, walk 90secs) x 6. Warm down: 10mins

Rest

Club run. Long run (6-8miles). Goal to keep going without stopping – slow pace better than no pace.

Rest

15mins Warm easy up:10min (5min steady run, walk 30sec, fast run 30secs, walk rec 2min) x 3 Warm down: 10min easy

Some might think ultra marathoner Mark Shepherd is an endurance madman. For most of us running a marathon is a huge achievement: for Mark it’s a small bite of the cherry. Mark is a running animal. He just eats up the roads and races up to 100kms in one go! Most people aim to build on their training volume but Mark is used to running for up to nine hours in one hit. He runs in excess of 400 miles a month and trains three times a day. He has terrific stamina and now he wants to inject some pace into his metronomic and efficient running style with the goal of improving over the shorter distance of half marathon and marathon. It’s not often runners step down a distance to the marathon, so I’m looking forward to learning from Mark about how to get stronger and more economical while I’m hoping I can help him use his strengths to his advantage over the marathon. Find out next month what Mark and I did together to help improve his running.

Week 3

What Nicky could look to improve and develop • Nicky has got to a point in her running where she is ready to move forward and do more than ‘just run’ three times a week. • To inject some pace change into her weekly runs to help her understand how to train at different paces. • Shift the focus away from doing the same thing (especially time trialling) and add variety into her weekly running through new sessions.

runs, I provided Nicky with a specific focus. For example, to work the hills or run how she felt rather than push hard all the time. We also introduced some short hills repeats into Nicky’s training to develop the strength needed to run faster. It’s all about doing things to make faster running feel easier! Nicky also wanted to run more often and wondered if just adding time to an existing

Would you like to take advantage of this mentoring initiative and be coached by Liz for a month?

Top training tips this month

• To develop strategies to help overcome the feeling of wanting to stop for a breather while out running.

Action: what we did I wanted Nicky to continue her weekly club runs and so I planned the rest of her weekly runs with this in mind. Nicky’s settled into something of a one-pace runner (10-11 minute miles) so she needed to practise running faster to teach her body how to recognise the additional physical signals and adapt to the extra pressure. A slower runner typically has less of a pace range than a faster runner, but it’s certainly possible to learn to run at different relative speeds regardless of ability. Running faster really pushes your comfort zone, but these are the money miles, the ones that matter! By making your body run faster you are developing your capacity to run quicker, improving the efficiency of your cardiovascular system and the strength of your muscles. Your tolerance to faster running improves over time. I set Nicky some short periods of fast running with some walk/walk and jog recoveries. The recovery allowed Nicky to rest sufficiently to be able to push her body harder during the repetitions. On her longer 32 RUNNING FITNESS FEBRUARY 2008

run would be better than including an extra run day per week. By increasing the frequency and adding an extra run she’d be putting in place the structure and routine for more regular running. It’s better to develop frequency first then start to build volume into each run. • Balance your training around your club sessions. Don’t just do a long run on a Sunday because that is what you are used to and think you should do. Have a look at the overall balance of your week. • If you want to progress your training, start by adding an extra run in the week. Don’t increase frequency, volume and intensity all at the same time. • Remember pace is all relative. Someone’s jog maybe another’s sprint so train at the right level for you.

What happened? The results Nicky had some initial reservations. I think she was expecting ramped up mileage and mega tough workouts! The plan we’d developed was actually less running time than Nicky was currently doing and she was concerned that there wasn’t enough. I loved her ambition and drive. Changing more than one thing at a time in a programme can bring about problems rather than progress. With Nicky, the goal was to increase the intensity first and the duration later. Running more quality than

quantity places extra stress on the body and it’s necessary to adapt to this before adding extra volume. Including shorter bursts of faster running allowed Nicky to feel confident she could run faster for that amount of time, while having the security that recovery was to follow each interval. I introduced two days of interval type running into Nicky’s schedule to help her develop a change of pace. As is common for many of us this time year, Nicky picked up a slight cold during the first week of the training. She sensibly rested when she didn’t feel 100 per cent and we resumed her training when her symptoms had gone. By week three of the training, Nicky discovered a fresh confidence in her ability to run continuously and had managed to slow down her run rather than stop completely. A slow pace is better than no pace! Nicky really attacked the faster running and at times has found that she runs a bit too fast early on

and thus struggles towards the end of longer repetitions. This is all about learning to control intensity and to master the anaerobic beast. It’ll stand her in good stead as she continues to build on faster running. Nicky is also discovering that she does have different paces and is learning what these are in relation to her own ability. “I think that I am starting to find my easy pace, my normal pace and my fast pace: I didn’t have these before,” she says. Nicky has found the coaching clinic has provided more structure and focus to her running, and rather then just going out and trying to beat her previous time, she is forced to think about different routes, incorporating hills and speed into her runs. “I’m convinced that I’m improving faster and having it down on paper means you don’t have to think about it: just look at the plan and off you go,” she adds. Rf

Provide a brief (300 words max) written description of an aspect of your running performance that you’d like Liz’s support to help you improve. You should also include: Your name, age, address, occupation, number of years running, email and telephone contact. A brief outline of your training over the last month. An indication of your short and long term running goals. A statement why you think Liz could help you and what you would like to gain from the mentoring project. Email your application to rf.ed@kelsey.co.uk, marked as Liz Yelling’s Coaching Clinic or submit the form online at: www.runningfitnessmag.com You can send your application in the post to: Liz Yelling’s Coaching Clinic, Running fitness magazine, Kelsey Publishing Ltd, 1st Floor, South Wing, Broadway Court, Broadway, Peterborough PE1 1RP. Submitted applications will be reviewed and one reader case identified for the mentoring project for the next month. Applications should be received by the 20th of each month. DISCLAIMER: Liz is not a qualified medical practitioner or sports injuries specialist and therefore is unable to provide suggestions for injury diagnosis, treatment, management or rehabilitation. Consult a qualified sports physician for appropriate guidance on these issues.

FEBRUARY 2008 RUNNING FITNESS 33

Training An example of Nicky’s amended training plan

Next month: meet Mark

Week 2 Mon

Tues

Wed

Thurs

Fri

Sat

Sun

Rest

Warm up: 10mins easy running. (1min fast, 90sec walk) x6. 10mins easy warm down

Rest

Club run: approx 6miles: focus on slowing down rather than stopping completely

Rest

Hills: Warm up:10mins easy. 8 x 2030sec hill. Walk down rec. 10mins Warm down

10 mins easy

Mon

Tues

Wed

Thurs

Fri

Sat

Sun

Rest

Warm up: 10min of easy running. (70secs good pace, 20secs faster, walk 90secs) x 6. Warm down: 10mins

Rest

Club run. Long run (6-8miles). Goal to keep going without stopping – slow pace better than no pace.

Rest

15mins Warm easy up:10min (5min steady run, walk 30sec, fast run 30secs, walk rec 2min) x 3 Warm down: 10min easy

Week 3

Would you like to take advantage of this mentoring initiative and be coached by Liz for a month?

Top training tips this month

• To develop strategies to help overcome the feeling of wanting to stop for a breather while out running.

FEBRUARY 2008 RUNNING FITNESS 33

Xxxxxxxx

Xxxxxxx

Cracking cross country

“Swap your Sunday grind on the road for a weekend run around a local forest, off-road park, coastal path or trail network”

Fancy a change this winter? Don’t mind a little bid of mud? Martin Yelling explains some of the skills that make a good cross country runner and what you can do to get ready for a life of grime ross country running has a long and established history within British running. It’s a constant feature on the annual running calendar and offers a welcome rest from the roads or track for many runners. The season typically starts in October and concludes around the time of the World Cross Country Championships in March. Traditionally cross country running is a great base and strength building phase of a running year. Master cross country and you’ll undoubtedly become a stronger runner! Watch the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in recent years and you could be forgiven for thinking that cross country racing is about running around manicured golf courses, playing fields and smooth, fast pitches with a few ‘obstacles’ thrown in for fun. Let’s not confuse this with traditional cross country running in its truest form. ‘Real’ cross country is not like

48 RUNNING FITNESS JANUARY 2008

road running on grass but quite different. It involves ploughing through deep squelching mud, fighting howling winds, sleet, and rain, skimming across waterlogged fields, clawing up heartburning hills, weaving through woodland, ditches and dykes and finishing exhausted, filthy and with a big smile on your face! One of the great things about racing cross country is that it’s impossible to clock watch. Times are simply irrelevant. It’s not about running for a personal best or sticking to mile splits. It’s racing in its truest sense: lining up on a damp, cold Sunday morning with fellow competitors, facing the elements, testing your physical boundaries and laying some awesome physical foundations to boost your running performance. The demands of cross country running are different from that of road running. In road running the key is be efficient, smooth, economical and fast over a good JANUARY 2008 RUNNING FITNESS 49

Xxxxxxxx

Xxxxxxx

Cracking cross country

“Swap your Sunday grind on the road for a weekend run around a local forest, off-road park, coastal path or trail network”

48 RUNNING FITNESS JANUARY 2008

Xxxxxxxx Usefull sessions for cross country training British endurance and cross country coach and PE teacher at Winchester College Nick Anderson uses some key sessions to help his athletes reach the top of their game. All sessions start with an easy jog warm up and conclude with a warm down. The first session (A) is done on the track and is designed to simulate the quick start of a cross country race, followed by a race-pace middle section and a final lungburner to conclude. It’s a great marker session and one that can be incorporated into training in the final few weeks prior to a key race. A Five x 400 (descending recovery 60s, 45s, 30s, 15s), then Four x 1k (90s jog recovery), then Five x 400 (recovery as previous). Easy jog warm down. Sessions B and C are more general. They are designed to replicate the demands of racing, pace and terrain change and can be built into a cross country training cycle at various points. B Four x three minutes, two minutes and one minute continuous running with a one minute jog recovery. Choose a rolling off-road route that includes hills, turns and replicates race conditions C 2k threshold, then 8-12 x 45sec one minute hill runs, then another 2k threshold. road surface. Cross country running requires the same levels of endurance economy, efficiency and strength but also demands the capacity to inject accelerations and pace changes and to run with broken rhythm over undulating, often difficult, challenging terrain. Great cross country runners have good all round leg strength, core strength, balance and are traditionally tough, resilient runners who tackle adverse conditions head on with

Xxxxxxxx courage, focused self belief, and dig in when things get hard. They may not always demonstrate a smooth, fluid running style but they are rugged, gutsy and determined with a strategy savvy mind that understands when to shelter from wind, how to run tight corners and twists and turns, when to attack and when to rest and how to push themselves. In March 2008 Edinburgh’s Holyrood Park plays host to the 36th World Cross Country Championships. This marks the 30th anniversary of the last World Cross championships to be held in Scotland (Bellahouston Park, Glasgow) and with its notorious winds, testing knolls and superb crowd support the occasion is set to be a real classic (www.edinburgh2008.org).

“Great cross country runners have good all round leg strength, core strength, balance and are traditionally tough, resilient runners who tackle adverse conditions head on with courage”

Classic cross country The ‘National’ The English National Cross Country Championships is a cross country institution and the ‘daddy’ of domestic cross country running. This event is steeped in tradition and history. Over the years the fields of the National have seen some epic battles and witnessed some heroic cross country performances.

Open events Normally staged by clubs these are often long established events that anyone can enter in advance.

Liz Yelling • Don’t pitter patter! Attack muddy sections and open up your stride to spend less time contacting the ground. • Drive up and off the top of hills. Take smaller steps and use your forefoot more to drive upwards and forwards. Use your arms to help generate forward movement.

appropriate to your age and ability and structured to help you achieve your goal.

• Never give up. Even when it gets hard you can always dig deeper. Learn how to find that place in your training runs.

Get off road! Hit the woods, trails, footpaths and fields at the weekends for your long run. Try this: swap your Sunday grind on the road for a weekend run around a local forest, off road park, coastal path or trail network. Even if you live in a town or city you can find green spaces to run.

The UK CAU Intercounties Top athletes who have been successful in their County Championships all toe the same start line for the equivalent of the British Championships. The UKA Cross Challenge A four-race series of high-performance cross country events for all age groups. www.ukathletics.net/competitions/ uk-cross-challenge Cross country leagues The main stay of cross country running in Britain. The national local league structure enables running club members to race regularly in their region.

Tips from the top! Winners of the Saucony National Cross Country Championships in 2007, Frank Tickner and Liz Yelling share their secrets to racing success

Cross country running is great for building strength

Training for cross country Variety is the spice of cross country life. The training you do needs to reflect the demands of the event and although the key training principles for improving endurance still apply there are a few key ingredients to include in your running programme to optimise your cross country performance. Remember that any programme should be progressive,

Play with your pace Fartlek – the Swedish word for ‘speed play’ – is great for replicating the fluctuating surging style of cross country running. Keep it relatively unstructured. Try this: 60 minute ‘Landmark’ fartlek. On an off-road rolling route do ten minutes easy running. Pick a landmark ahead of you on your course (e.g., a tree, stile, farm gate, etc) and run faster to it. Pick another landmark and jog to recover until you reach it. Repeat this continuously for 40 minutes. Vary the distance to your repetition and recovery landmark and the pace you run to them. Ten minutes easy jog to finish.

• Get strong. Being the best cross country runner means attacking the hard sections of the course to wear your opponents down, focus on the hills, the mud and the wind. Remember it’s tough for everyone, so make them work! If you’re finding it hard you can guarantee others are too. Don’t be afraid to push the pace on tough sections to make it harder. Grit your teeth and do damage! Swap the road for nearby trails

Be a mountain goat Hill repeats are the bread and butter of many cross country runners and are used to develop leg strength and endurance. Try this: Find a long grassy hill that takes about two minutes to run hard from bottom to top. Run 4x2mins ascents, 5x60s ascents, 6x30s ascents. Jog down recovery. Wear your spikes for this key workout! Rf

Frank Tickner • Run the hills. My favourite sessions is on London’s Hamstead Heath; four x 6 min hilly loops, with 90 seconds recovery. I do this early season to complement base mileage. I also run 15x1min hills each week during the season. • Know your race course well. Check it out. Have a walk around sections, laps, or the entire course and make a mental note of where the tricky sections are located.

Frank

• Wear the right kit on race day. Avoid overdressing. You’ll be surprised how warm you get even on a cold day. The last thing you’ll appreciate is lugging around a wet, sweaty cotton long sleeved top on your back. • Wear spikes! You’ll definitely need cross country spikes for races. Knowledge of the terrain, surface and recent/race day weather conditions will help you select the correct spike size (this could be anywhere between 6mm and 18mm!). • On race day try and keep off your feet and out of the cold as much as possible (not always easy at cross country events!) before the race but also get warm and dry when you’ve finished.

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JANUARY 2008 RUNNING FITNESS 51

OVERMATTER Not very muddy legs

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Spring Motivation

Lacking some enthusiasm now you’ve completed a spring marathon or finished the slog of a hard cross country season? Martin Yelling explains how you can bring fresh focus into your running – and try your hand (or feet) at a host of different events

pring is definitely a time for new growth in nature but it’s also a great time for us to think about the new running that we can do. After running in the dull and dark of the winter months, the days are now noticeably longer, brighter and warmer and we’re all starting to think about what lies ahead after in our running campaigns. Many runners focus on a spring marathon and once the straightforward hard work of the build up and the excitement of the race itself is over, it’s easy to suffer anticlimax, fall into a bit of a lull and running can seem like hard work. The key with keeping something up, staying motivated, focused and driven lies with having passion, purpose and intent. We all run for different reasons and our passions for running are multiple and varied. 42 RUNNING FITNESS JUNE 2008

Ask yourself why you run? Is it because you want to run faster or because you enjoy the company and social benefits? Or is it because you want to be healthy or that running gives you energy? Perhaps, it’s even because running keeps the pounds off, or, for some people, it’s something they’ve always done. For many of us finding a personally salient motivator, something that is important to us, our reason to run, gets us up and out of the door. Get some real purpose in your running and you could realise even better running successes.

Re-energise your running legs. Before you slip comfortably back into the same running routine you’ve done for years and slide into creating the same old predictable goals for yourself again and again,

perhaps now’s the time to take a broader look at what being a runner can offer you. Discover a fresh focus, a new or different goal and reenergise your running legs! Thanks to growing awareness of the importance of living a healthy lifestyle in a complex modern world, running is experiencing a bit of resurrection in popularity. The lofty heydays of the 1970s and 1980s ‘jogging boom’ are quietly filtering back into consciousness with new events popping up, established races filling fast and alternative opportunities and activities emerging in the running landscape.

Filling the gap! If post marathon blues are getting you down and you are seeking a taste of new or alternative running ingredient to spice up

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clean? Motivation

Some people just don’t like to get wet feet

your athletic menu then there is plenty to choose from. Instead of following your same well trodden running path again for the umpteenth year in a row why not set yourself a new running challenge?

Your options: New races-new places: Many runners return to the same road races year in, year out – despite it getting harder to improve year on year! Familiarity is a running comfort blanket. Why not seek out a new and different running event? Choose a course or venue that typically falls right off your running radar! Perhaps target a different distance, go long or get faster. Choose a different surface, go trail running, try a track race or fell run. Go wild: adventure racing. Adventure racing typically involves competing in teams in off road running, mountain biking, kayaking and orienteering. Adventure races present a chance to do something different with your running, keep up your endurance and develop skills and strength across a number of other endurance sports. Courses are typically very challenging and take place over a number

of days for the bigger events. Many major events involve coastto-coast challenges, mountain traverses, forest and desert sections. There are many different levels and categories of events for the complete novice through to the high level experienced adventure racer wishing to tackle the worlds top adventure events (www.arworldseries.com). For details of UK events see www.sleepmonsters.co.uk. These are a real chance to try something different and exciting in a team format that tickles your challenge endurance taste buds! ➤

“Instead of following your same well trodden running path again for the umpteenth year in a row why not set yourself a new running challenge?” JUNE 2008 RUNNING FITNESS 43

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Motivation

“Triathlon can actually be good for your running as training in other endurance disciplines gives your body a break from the impact and pounding of running on the roads” City Slickers: urban running: if getting down and dirty isn’t your thing and you prefer sticking to concrete and roads then adventure racing is also available in the urban jungle. The Rat Race (www.ratraceadventure. com) is a physical and mental adventure challenge that uses the city as its playground. It is a team event in which participants hike, bike, abseil, climb and kayak the streets, structures, waterways and urban landscape, whilst navigating their way around a course that’s only revealed to them hours before they begin. In 2008, there are events around the streets of Birmingham, Bristol, Brighton, Edinburgh, Newcastle and London with each event offering its own unique challenges. Personal challenge event: success in running is typically measured by how fast you run. The first thing you are asked post race is ‘what time did you do’? We are judged as a runner on how fast we can get from A to B! Time is definitely a performance outcome and for many this pursuit of personal excellence drives their running. Yet is time the best indicator of a successful runner for the majority of people who run and should time be the only indicator of success? Striving for performance improvement year after year (especially as age isn’t the only thing that overtakes you!) can be de-motivating and depressing rather than inspirational and encouraging. Arguably, successful running can be measured in alternative ways that are more closely aligned with achieving personal targets, for example, running without stopping for a longer time, building running into family life, running every day for a week or month, finishing a race strongly regardless of time, learning to understand and control your pace, or raising money for charity. To really embrace the personal challenge of running, why not set yourself a personal challenge that sits outside of your normal comfort zone, that’s not time dictated, where you don’t feel pressured or anxious or measured by external factors. A personal challenge goal is completely personal to you. Team Running Fitness Flora London Marathon runner Ian Corless did just that with his ‘8in8’ marathon challenge before this year’s race. Ian ran a marathon a day from the source of the Thames to the Thames Barrier along the Thames path finishing his journey with the London Marathon on April 13th (he finished 44 RUNNING FITNESS JUNE 2008

If you’re looking for a more urban adventure, try the Rat Race events

Triathlon can be a usefl alternative to pounding the roads in a mighty impressive 3hrs 34mins!). Ian set himself this personal challenge to raise money for Jane’s Appeal but also as he’d been looking for something new after completing numerous marathons and Ironman triathlon events. Personal challenge events can be ambitious or subtle as they are driven by you, the runner. Triple treats: Triathlon. Triathlon – swimbike-run - seems like a natural sidestep for runners. We’ve already got one third of the event cracked, right? If you’re tempted by the tri this year, then spend time swimming and cycling and practising the transition from one discipline to another. Don’t neglect what you are already good at and keep up some running but at the same time expect your running volume to drop while you spend time training for other events. Runners new to triathlon make the common mistake of trying to add swimming and biking to their training programmes rather than swapping out some running and replacing it with tri training. Triathlon can actually be good for your running as training in other endurance disciplines gives your body a break from the impact and pounding of running on the roads. For a full list of triathlon events in the UK see

www.britishtriathlon.org Going long: ultra running: if distance and duration floats your boat and the marathon just isn’t enough, then ultra running is a whole new endurance ball game. Runners typically compete in events over 50k and the sky is literally the limit for those endurance hungry animals amongst you. In the UK ultra running is gaining a small but hardcore following and has seen growth in popularity. Motivational athletes like ultramarathon man Dean Karnazes have driven recent media attention and ultra events offer a physical and mental challenge to runners of all abilities. They key here lies not with speed, but with perseverance, strength and inner drive, passion and desire to go the distance. Internationally classic events include the Western States 100, the Marathon des Sables, and the Hardrock 100. For UK events see www.extremerunning.org Remember, the key to getting more from the running that you do is to get a motivational goal that makes you really rise to the challenge. Don’t be afraid to broaden your thinking, change your training, shift your focus and explore new ways of becoming a better runner. Rf

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Negotiating the terrain can prove a little tricky

Bourne Advert

Extreme running events are not for the faint hearted JUNE 2008 RUNNING FITNESS 45

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TRAINING

NO HALF MEASURES

STRUGGLING TO SHAVE SECONDS OFF YOUR 13.1-MILE BEST? MARTIN AND LIZ YELLING REVEAL SOME OF THEIR SECRETS THAT COULD HELP YOU RUN THE PERFECT HALF MARATHON

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TRAINING

hether you are using a spring half marathon as a stepping-stone to marathon success or as a standalone target race, a half really is a great racing distance. Half marathons are far enough to be a stretch but without the extra training and racing demands of a full marathon. They are the perfect way to push a few boundaries, or run further or faster than before, yet are also a very realistic and achievable goal to work towards. Don’t take it lightly though - putting in some serious training miles and key workouts is a must to achieve a better half marathon.

The start of the Stafford Half Marathon

GETTING TO THE START LINE: YOUR TRAINING A strong aerobic foundation is the mainstay of a strong half marathon. Over the last couple of months, you should have been starting to rack up some steady road miles and learning more about what it means to run for longer. You will probably have been heading out for a few runs each week, all at an easy or steady pace and started to build up your longest run of the week. This is all great ‘aerobic base building’. Yet, if you’re looking for that extra edge to feel fitter and be better than before, or you’d like to make sure that you’re not just going to finish but to do it to the best of your ability then you should know exactly what ingredients you need to include in your training week.

IF YOU PLAN TO RACE AT YOUR BEST, THEN UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU COMPLETE YOUR HARDEST RUN IN THE LAST WEEK LEADING INTO YOUR HALF MARATHON PUSHING BOUNDARIES: PUSH THE PACE! Threshold running is your best friend for a great half. Running a better half marathon means being able to push the boundaries of comfort a little further that you might think is possible and running on the edge of your aerobic tipping point as effectively and efficiently as you can. It’s not like a marathon with its focus on controlled economy, nor a 5k where you are trying to run much faster. Running a great half marathon means opening the discomfort door a little wider and letting regular threshold running in. Threshold running is the type of running training you know you should do, but often don’t! It’s a pace typified by ‘controlled discomfort’ where a short snatched sentence is the most you can manage. If you can speak with effortless flow you’re not running fast enough, but if you’re gasping for every breath you’re over cooking it. Controlled pace in training brings about a stronger pace come race day. The fitter and stronger you get, the easier (relatively speaking!) your threshold runs will feel and you’ll be able to cover a greater distance in the same time and at the same (or ideally lower) effort level. Start by building the amount of time you are able to run at ‘threshold’ pace for by including some rest breaks then work towards being able to hold this intensity (pace/speed) for longer, continuous runs. You need a strong mindset for a half marathon

April 2009

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TRAINING GET TO KNOW YOUR RACE PACE The right training should see you really understand your pace and arrive at the start line with a clear grasp of how to run at your target race pace – whatever that might be. If your goal is to run sub 2hrs for the half marathon there’s little point in not knowing what running 9min 09sec per mile feels like. Don’t spring any surprises on your body on race day - it won’t thank you for it by mile nine! Knowing, understanding and experiencing your target race pace in your training will give you the confidence to set a challenging finish goal. BUT - don’t try and run the full half marathon at race pace in your training in the event build up! Assessing and understanding your potential race pace comes with repeated exposure (i.e., training!) at paces close to your goal often with rest periods in between. Knowing your race pace will help you practise this in training and get it right on race day. Try measuring out a mile course and running it at pace you think is a realistic race pace. What time did you do? Do you (honestly!) think you could hold this pace for 13.1miles? As the race draws closer, practise this pace by completing longer runs (3-5-7 miles) at this pace. With the right training comes the best grasp of the right race pace. Get your race pace wrong in the early stages and the second half of your race could see you struggling, rather than finishing strong!

Replacing fluid lost through sweating is essential

RACES AS TRAINING: MIND OVER MATTER If you are using the half marathon as a ‘training race’ to run at marathon pace, then you need a strong mindset. Don’t be dragged into a much faster pace, know what your race goals are for that day and stick to the plan. If you know you are not disciplined enough to hold back the pace, then maybe a training race will not be the way forward for you. Remember, for you it is about the marathon and that is the day that counts. Don’t worry about what other people do, or what they think when they see your half marathon result - run your own race. Where your half marathon is being used as a ‘practice’ race or as a ‘B’ goal to your later marathon or your ‘A’ goal, you should allow at least four weeks between performances. It’s a good strategy to have two halves in a marathon lead up. The first is a training race, perhaps eight weeks out from the big marathon day. It helps act as a benchmark for you, lets you practise pace and routines and gives you an indication of where you are training and preparation wise. You might even like to turn it into a long run and do a few easy miles post race. The second race, four weeks later, could be used to repeat these strategies to see how you have progressed or alternatively as a real ‘go for it’ race where you find out how fit you are. It’s always tricky to accurately predict marathon targets from half marathon performances but you can use them as a goal. There are many other factors that influence race results, for example, don’t choose the hilliest half in Britain to try and run a half marathon personal best or predict a flat marathon time! As a very simple guide, you should be able to run a half marathon race (with a taper and with focus) 5-10minutes faster than your marathon halfway target split time (eg target marathon time = 4hrs; half split = 2hrs; half marathon race time = 1hr 50-1hr55). Running a fast half marathon is as much in the head and the heart as in the legs and lungs. Although your engine might be capable of running faster than you’ve run before, if your mind isn’t ready to go the distance then you may stutter mid race. Confidence to run fast in a race comes from confident training. Give yourself race day confidence by completing workouts in training that prove your goal is attainable – just! Although negative thoughts may creep in mid-race when your legs are burning and your heart is pounding remind yourself that you’ve been here many times in training and can handle the pressure and the pace right through to the finish.

GREAT HALF MARATHON INTERVALS BUILD STRENGTH ENDURANCE, ARE BETWEEN 38 MINUTES LONG AND SHOULD BE RUN AT A PACE THAT IS QUICKER THAN HALF MARATHON AND THRESHOLD RACE PACE FASTER RUNNING The biggest mistake many runners make is not including enough training of sufficiently high intensity to make a real difference come race day. Remember, your training is done to make your race day feel easier. Dull training is all done at the same pace, with little variety and stifles motivation. Exciting training on the other hand is full of change, highly motivating and fun - and much better for you! High intensity or ‘speed training’ really helps teach your body to tolerate anticipated race day pace, intensity and duration. Interval (or repetition) running really strikes firmly at the heart of this and is a cracking ingredient for a faster half marathon. Great half marathon intervals build strength endurance, are between 3-8 minutes long and should be run at a pace that is quicker than half marathon and threshold race pace. They should be separated with varying amounts of controlled recovery depending on your phase of training.

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TRAINING TAPERING If you are doing a training run then the taper is not important for you at this point in your training as the aim of the race is to learn how to run at marathon pace on tired legs. If you plan to race at your best, then under no circumstances should you complete your hardest run in the last week leading into your half marathon. Your training has been done in the months and weeks prior to the event - not in the final few days before it! Ten days before the event, you will just want to ‘ease down’ or ‘taper’. This involves a reduction in the volume of your running in the week leading up to the race. Run for less time and less often than you would in a normal week. Practise your race pace for 2 x half mile efforts and include a few short (30s) acceleration runs three or four days before you race. Don’t be tempted to ‘test yourself out’ in the final few days before you race - if you’ve completed the training and the ‘miles are in bank’, your race will be a success!

FUEL YOUR RUN: ENERGY AND HYDRATION Don’t think it’s only marathon runners who need to think about energy and fuel to race well. It’s important for half marathon running too. Only the faster runners (those inside 1hr20 minutes) can really consider taking on board no fuel during the run. The longer you run for, the more important fuelling yourself becomes. Everyone, regardless of target time needs to focus on pre-race energy. Your body needs energy to run and this energy comes from the food you eat. On the day of the event you’ll need to eat some breakfast. A full cooked breakfast 30 minutes before isn’t a good idea! A light breakfast, some cereal, a bagel or toast two or three hours before the event is better and kick starts your metabolism and supplies your body with energy. It’s best to practise what you eat and when in your training runs pre-event to find out what works for you. Being a relatively small amount dehydrated (just 2%) has been shown to have a marked effect on endurance running performance so keep your fluid levels topped up pre race. Have an energy drink on hand to sip in the hours before the race and take advantage of the energy drink stations out on the course to keep hydrated during the race. If you are running a marathon, halves are great races to practise your re-fuelling and hydration strategies and see how they affect your body. Use feed stations to practise drinking on the go.

START LINE JITTERS It’s natural to feel nervous on the start line when surrounded by other runners. The start line of any race isn’t renowned for being the most positive place as runners share injury and ailment sob stories and tales of how bad training has inevitably gone over the past few weeks. Remember, all is not as it seems, appearances can be deceptive and too much tight lycra and too many tight shorts don’t make a great runner! Although we all like to be great listeners, now is a time to block out the moaning and focus solely on your race. Clear your head and remember your reason for, and focus on, your target goal for that day, e.g., to run at marathon pace for the first half miles and then pick up the 2nd half, or to run at marathon pace the whole way, or to aim for a finish time that is 10 – 15mins faster than your target marathon finish time, or to nail your walk-run strategy for the full half marathon! RF

April 2009

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Training

Planning for

success Do you ever get the feeling that you’re running for running’s sake? Even if you follow a training plan, do you even know why you’re doing what you’re doing? Martin Yelling takes time off from watching the West End’s next big thing to reveal the benefits of a properly planning training programme

kay, I’ll hold my hand up, I watched BBC1’s ‘I’d Do Anything’. For those readers ‘unfortunate’ enough to miss this reality spectacle, it centred on TV’s search for a West End stage star where plucky wannabe’s sang their socks off for 12 weeks to impress musical legend Andrew Lloyd Webber and become the next ‘Nancy’ in his new production of Oliver Twist. Compulsory viewing was largely due to marital duress (that’s a tactful way of saying the wife made me do it!) but what struck me most was the recognition (by a ‘panel of experts’) of the need for constant and consistent improvement and development over the 12-week competition period. Contestants weren’t expected to rock up in the first week and be brilliant, rather, each week they had to get coaching, to learn and focus, and over the 12 weeks, reach a peak performance to clinch show victory and seal a spot on the stage. Why are we talking about a television show, you might ask? Let’s draw an analogy with runners and running. Why is it that many runners expect to be able to perform all year round and get frustrated and/or disappointed when they don’t run well every race? What’s so wrong with having peaks and troughs, highs and lows in running performance and how do you go about planning for them in your training?

Essential planning: your guide to success.

We know that it’s probably a good idea to plan for long term performance but what are the essential training principles that are integral to getting planning right? Overload: This isn’t as daunting as it sounds! In simple terms, it means doing a little more running, putting in a little more effort, and pushing your boundaries a little further as you get fitter and stronger. If you just did the same type of running all the time then you would see initial improvements but then you’d 12 RUNNING FITNESS AUGUST 2008

plateau and not get much better as time progressed. It is through overloading your body that it learns to deal with the pressure you place it under. Over time, adaptations take place so that subsequent workouts feel easier and you can run further, and faster for longer. At least, that’s the idea. The underlying principles of overload are frequency, intensity and time, that is, running more often (increasing frequency/volume), running faster (increasing intensity) and adding more distance, (increasing duration/volume). The key is to mix these and the types of running that you do in the right quantities at the right times and the right way. You cannot simply keep overloading your system by running more often, further and faster without also running increased risk of injury and breakdown. Progression: This is very closely related to overload and is the area of planning many runners misinterpret. It means gradually and appropriately increasing the duration, intensity and frequency of your running to optimise long-term performance and allow gradual overload and adaptation. Get progression wrong and you’ll find your running is

Each training session you complete needs to have purpose

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Training

characterised by ‘stop-start’ performances, fragmented routines and frustration. Proper progression takes time, patience, discipline and planning (see periodisation below). Good progression is balanced, seamless and smooth. A key feature of getting progression right is not to increase the quantity (frequency and duration) and the quality (how fast you run) of your workouts at the same time, but rather to focus first on frequency. Build up how often you run; keep the intensity low and increase time in small increments. Then build volume, and add intensity, race specific workouts and final polishing! Specificity: This is all about keeping your training on track, focused and specific to your key goals. There’s little point in going out and running long and slow all the time if your goal is to run a fast 1500m or 5k. Each training session you complete needs to have purpose. That doesn’t mean to say that if you want to run a marathon you should go out and run a marathon every day! The specific

“A phased or cyclical approach to training involves breaking up your training year into manageable, focused chunks” focus of your workouts will depend on not only your long-term goal but also the stage/ phase or cycle of training that you are in and the key goals within that phase. Reversibility: The bad news! The saying “if you don’t use it, you lose it” rings true for this training principle. In simple terms, if you do not run with relative frequency (at least twice a week) then you will loose the running fitness you have developed. The really bad news is that it takes much longer to improve your running fitness than it does to loose it! As a general rule, missing one complete week’s training requires three weeks of effort to get back to the same level! Of course everyone has time off running. Sometimes, this is as a result of a planned rest or period of

recovery and at other times the break is enforced through injury, illness, or a shift in priorities. It doesn’t matter if you miss a few runs, when you pick it up next time you probably won’t notice, but make a habit of it and you’ll certainly find that your fitness has dropped. Recovery: This is explicitly linked to progression and overload and is probably the most crucial, but at the same time, the most neglected training principle. Recovery is a hugely important element you need to think about in your running training. But for it to be effective, you do need to actually do something to recover from! Going back to overload - when you train you are giving a shock to your system and the training benefit or effect comes after training when body repairs and rebuilds itself stronger. Effective recovery takes place if you allow your body sufficient time to rest and refuel. The importance of sleep and diet in recovery shouldn’t be underestimated. You cannot run hard every day. Stop chasing training times all the time and balance exercise and rest to overload your body, yet, at the same time, allow it to recover for its next run. If you simply increased the miles you ran, the speed you ran at and the number of times you ran per week without regular rest and appropriate recovery strategies, then your body would break down and you would risk becoming ill and/or injured.

Periodisation: train the same – stay the same.

There are traditionally a variety of different approaches to structuring a training year. A phased or cyclical approach to training involves breaking up your training year into AUGUST 2008 RUNNING FITNESS 13

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Training Building an aerobic base will provide the core fitness on which you can improve

manageable, focused chunks. Classically the concept of ‘periodisation’ involves organising an athlete’s schedule into time periods, usually based on an annual cycle, with a definitive transitional or recovery period at the end of the competitive year. Traditionally, within endurance running, coaching a season is broken down into four distinct phases:

Aerobic conditioning/base/ Aerobic conditioning/ adaptation phase I

Aerobic conditioning/ adaptation phase I

This phase progresses the aerobic foundations and begins to bring in some specific conditioning elements. It continues to build on developing the efficiency and economy of your running and builds muscular endurance. It’s all about starting to ask tougher questions of yourself and the running you do. Your previous base of steady and easy running will have put you in a strong position, that is, stable, robust, injury free to tolerate increased workloads and running speeds.

What does this look like?

Four to eight weeks in duration. Classic running in this phase involves steady running and at the end of the phase, hill running and longer controlled intervals that are aimed at boosting your aerobic capacity even further. Take heed of progression in this phase. The transition from one phase to the next shouldn’t be aggressive or sudden but should flow seamlessly, almost as if you don’t notice the subtle shifts in emphasis.

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Pre competition, aerobic conditioning/adaptation phase II

This phase really introduces focused specificity to your plan. It’s all about building on the successes of the previous two phases and introducing longer harder workouts and working further on developing your maximal oxygen uptake and running economy.

What does this look like? Four to eight weeks in duration. Tempo/ threshold running aimed at boosting your tolerance to the accumulation of lactic acid and long intervals and sustained paced runs become the norm. You should really be noticing changes to your running speeds, heart rates and perceived effort during this phase. Running faster for longer should be becoming easier! It’s a good idea to incorporate a ‘B’ or training race at the start and towards the end of this phase to act as a benchmark for progress and to measure improvement.

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Training Final points: • During all of the phases, it’s important to maintain a balance of recovery – stress – progression. Easy running is a key ingredient throughout. • It’s important when planning not to expect to run ‘well’ all the time. Does it really matter where your name appears in the results or what other people at the club or in your running group think? • Be prepared to accept where you are in your phase of training and acknowledge that you won’t (and arguably shouldn’t try to) be at peak fitness all the time. • Structure your running year around your most important events – your ‘A’ or key goals and allow yourself plenty of time to prepare for each of them. • Think your training through. To maximise the effort that you put in, structure your year, your month, your week and your individual sessions to get the best from yourself. You deserve it! Rf

“It is through overloading your body that it learns to deal with the pressure you place it under”

It’s important to build up how often you run

Sharpening/competition phase Essential to this phase is the development of faster running. Arguably, for effective muscular and neuromuscular recruitment, it’s important to include faster sessions throughout each phase but it’s in this phase it becomes crucial. This phase adds the final touches to your grand scheme and plan. It’s often in this phase that runners start to doubt the training that has taken place before and cram too much of the wrong types of training in too close to their big race.

What does it look like? Four to six weeks duration. Key sessions have longer recoveries and more rest/active recovery days between them. Race pace workouts take on new meaning as they really push comfort zones and stretch boundaries. The focus in this phase is on quality. As the main ‘A’ competition draws closer, volume drops significantly, and a taper period allows your body to reach peak performance. Remember, that a final recovery/ transition phase follows the culmination of your success in your key goal!

Effective recovery takes place if you allow your body sufficient time to rest and refuel

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Training

r o y z Cra

committed?

This month, Martin Yelling takes a look at a six-pack of running performance conundrums, traps and trivia and asks you to decide if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re plain crazy or clever committed for following them. Read on and draw your own conclusions

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Training CASE 1

CASE 2

CASE 3

“My body is a temple. I only eat organic produce. I don’t eat junk food. I steer clear of all refined sugars, avoid trans and hydrogenated fats and alcohol is on my banned list.”

“More miles, more miles, more miles. To become a better runner I run more miles. I am religious about totting up my weekly mileage; the higher the better.”

“No pain no gain – if it doesn’t hurt, it’s not doing me any good.”

For: It’s well established in medical and health research how a healthy, balanced diet that is stacked with natural, fresh, non-processed foods can help people combat illness and disease, live a longer life, look better on the outside and function better on the inside. But what impact does this have on my running performance? Let’s start with the basics. If I eat too much food, eat the wrong types of foods, at the wrong times and don’t exercise I’m going to store these extra calories, which will end up variously distributed about my body as fat. Ultimately I could end up with excessive body fat that I need to carry around with me. What I put in my body has a definitive impact on how I feel generally, but also how I feel when I run. Neglecting carbs (the body’s currency for energy), eliminating protein (essential for muscle growth and repair) and ignoring the vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants in fresh fruits and vegetables that boost immune system function can ultimately end in running breakdown. Failure to service and fuel my engine appropriately or adequately is failure to meet the needs of my body as a running machine. Against: Despite all the hype it’s actually very hard (and can be quite expensive) to follow a diet free from all preservatives, additives, sugars and ‘this and that’ sort of fat. It all sounds a little idealistic, over zealous and health fad-esque. There are some fantastic culinary delights that should be savoured by everyone, especially runners. It’s actually good for the soul and the spirit to sink a few beers every now and again, enjoy a glass of wine or two with dinner and tuck into a tasty pastry or scrummy chocolate bar. Who wants to be touted as a no-fun food killjoy or a fussy eater? A few cakes won’t kill off my PB or stop me dead in my tracks on the next run. Being a runner means I can pretty much eat what I like, when I like. I’ll take my chances with the occasional doughnut!

For: There’s a clear argument and world class evidence, in the form of recordbreaking running, that high mileage works. This isn’t just privy to the sharp end either; we all know someone who upped their mileage and saw significant improvements. If I want to get better at running, then I have to run! Historically, many of the world’s greatest distance runners have been advocates of high mileage. Logging many miles in a structured and calculated way sets clear mileage targets and putting in the extra miles makes me a stronger, more robust and better runner. If I want to achieve my best I’ve got to be prepared to do more than I’ve done before. I need to go beyond what I think is possible to reach higher levels of performance. Against: The high volume versus high quality debate is one that has raged on in the endurance community. High mileage runners are well known for their high injury rates and frequent sidelining due to overtraining and fatigue. In contrast, focussed runners who are not mileage junkies, who train smart and have clear goals for each workout, can outperform tired opponents. An obsession for mileage doesn’t create great runners; it generates an unhealthy reliance upon meaningless junk miles. The best training benefits come from purposeful running, not necessarily plenty of running. Verdict: CRAZY. High mileage is all relative to your experience, fitness, free time, work, family, real world and running goals. So, for the top-end elite marathon runners miles are important. But we’re not all fulltime athletes and too many miles shouldn’t take precedent over other life priorities. The key is to focus on personal goals, find out what works for you and then do it.

For: To get real improvement and better results I’ve got to train hard. Hard training inevitably involves some physical discomfort. It’s a principle of training that to get adaptation I’ve got to repeatedly expose my body to workloads that put it under stress. Too many runners give less than 100 per cent and so achieve less than 80 per cent of what they are capable. Comfortable, fun running won’t make me a faster runner. Hard training pushes physical and mental boundaries so that when race day comes I’m ready to face the challenge full-on and perform at my best. Pushing my body to its limits, to see what it’s got, teaches me that when I think I’ve gone as hard as I can go if I reach a little further and dig a little deeper there’s still something left to give. Against: Not all athletes run for better performance or are driven by personal bests. Some of us just love the feeling of being fit and healthy. Sometimes, the simplicity of being able to run is sufficient. Getting outside in the fresh air, escaping, collecting thoughts and having time to ourselves and with others is reward enough. Health-focussed medical research has shown that even light and moderate exercise is beneficial to health and wellbeing and that it’s not necessary to have the hammer down all the time. Training doesn’t have to be hard ALL of the time. Training really hard some of the time, with ‘controlled discomfort’, but easy at other times can actually reap better results. Verdict: COMMITTED. If your goal is predominantly faster running then training hard should be a regular feature in your running landscape. Don’t kid yourself that easy running with your mates will help you improve. However, it’s definitely an issue of timing and knowing when to train hard and when to back off, recover and let your body adapt to the stress you’ve placed it under. Train hard – train easy – race strong!

Verdict: COMMITTED. Whether you run or not, a healthy diet should be a lifestyle habit to keep your body working well. After all, it’s the only body you’re going to get. The key message here is one of balance and moderation and to eat for health and eat for running. Ignore the importance of adequate hydration at your peril SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008 RUNNING FITNESS 19

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Training CASE 4 “I like to start right at the front of all my races. The front line is the best place to be to get quickly away and into my running.” For: There’s nothing quite like being at the front of the grid. I get to cross the start line without any waiting or fuss. It takes the stress out of starting as there’s no one to zig-zag around and no pushing in the pack. Once the gun goes I’m off and can settle into a rhythm straight away. I’m not bothered when people pass me in the later stages of the race. They always give me something to aim at and keep me focussed on moving forwards. Against: Starting at the front of the field definitely puts me in line for hitting the front after 400m. But that’s not so great if I’ve still got 9,600m left to go! If I start on the front line – or close to it – in a road race, it’s very easy to get pulled along by a sea of faster runners in the first few kilometres. Starting too fast can really spoil my day, especially in longer races. When other runners, with better pacing strategies, start to pour past it can send me into a de-motivating psychological spin and make the final few miles drag rather than fly. Verdict: CRAZY. There’s nothing wrong with being ambitious and confident but, at the same time, setting yourself up for a bad race by being overzealous at the start is hardly sensible. Know your pace and your place. Practise running at target race pace in training and learn how it feels. Many races have zoned start areas for estimated finish times – use them! If you’re planning to be right up there at the finish as well as the start then the front line is definitely the place to be.

High mileage is all relative to your experience - we are not all Paula Radcliffe

“If your goal is predominantly faster running then training hard should be a regular feature in your running landscape”

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Training A healthy diet should be a lifestyle habit

CASE 5 “All this drinking during running races is for lightweights. I never drink anything during my long runs or races and it’s never hurt me.” For: I’ve read stories of former running greats who didn’t drink, but still ran superfast times. All this swerving across the road to try and grab cups of water that spill anyway, or bottles with lids that are difficult to get off; it’s just a waste of time and energy. The energy I waste avoiding other people, slowing down to take a drink and trying to get some of it into my mouth without choking, plus sidestepping to dodge discarded slippery containers, I might as well get my head down, save time and crack on with the running. Against: It’s very well established within sports and athletic performance research that dehydration and failure to replace lost fluids during exercise can result in significantly impaired performance – both physically and mentally. When we exercise we sweat to regulate our body temperature – it’s the body’s cooling mechanism. It pays to be adequately hydrated prior to an event, to replace fluids during the event and to recover well post-event with proper hydration. The longer I’m going to be out on the roads for, the more important proper hydration and fuelling strategies are. Verdict: CRAZY. Ignore the importance of adequate hydration at your peril. If you’re thirsty it’s too late. Regularly sip from a bottle of specially formulated sports/electrolyte drink in the two hours before your event. Check your urine is pale in colour to test if you’re appropriately hydrated.

“Ignore the importance of adequate hydration at your peril. If you’re thirsty it’s too late”

CASE 6 “Time off work and time on holiday is extra time for running. Even when I go away for a break with the family I still take my running shoes with me to get the miles in.” For: Running is great as an everyday healthy lifestyle habit, at home and away. Even when I’m away from home I get to see so much more as a runner. Running on holiday means I get to interact with a new country, culture and see things that would otherwise just pass me by. I’m so used to running at home, if I didn’t run on holiday I’d probably be a holiday grouch. My time running actually makes me a better father/husband/wife/mother and more able to spend quality time with the people I’ve gone on holiday with. Against: Time on holiday is time to give to my family, not time to work or run. Running takes up enough of my normal days, weeks and months when I’m at home? I’m getting my priorities right and chilling out by the pool with a glass of sangria and a bag of frazzles. Running priorities should be sacrificed for a week, so runners can think more about those around them. I’m leaving my trainers at home and enjoying the break.

You need to know when to train hard and when to back off

Verdict: COMMITTED. Just don’t be afraid to compromise. Your running shouldn’t rule your family time. Be prepared to be flexible. Run early in the morning, before the kids are up and ready to see the sights! Make your runs shorter so they use up less valuable vacation time. Rf

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RUNNING IN A

WINTER

WONDERLAND THE NIGHTS MIGHT BE DRAWING IN AND THE MERCURY IN THE THERMOMETER FALLING, BUT MARTIN YELLING SAYS THERE’S STILL PLENTY TO GET YOU UP AND RUNNING IN THE WINTER MONTHS. HERE ARE HIS TOP 10 TIPS ON STAYING MOTIVATED IN THE COLD SEASON

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ne of the great things about running is that it really is an all-yearround, four-season activity. Although the summer months where you were cutting through the warm air with the sun beating down from above might seem like a distant memory (a very distant one with our recent British summers!), running in the winter months offers a whole new challenge and sense of adventure and achievement. If the prospect of running with grey skies, harsh frost, hail, driving wind and penetrating rain during the winter sends more than literal shivers down your spine then read on. For those times when getting up off the sofa and putting your kit on is the hardest part of your winter training, we’ve come up with the Running fitness top 10 for banishing winter running blues, keeping you motivated, and making the prospect of tackling your winter running campaign easier! RF

EMBRACE MUD! GO EXPLORING

1 “DON’T HIDE YOURSELF WAY FROM THE BRITISH WEATHER AND JOIN THE GYM TREADMILL BRIGADE THIS WINTER”

Whether you have just finished a track season or tackled some summer road racing, a change in running surface can be great for helping your legs recover and developing long-term leg strength. Don’t be afraid to be adventurous and actively seek out new and challenging off-road routes. Running in the winter doesn’t have to be about pounding out road miles to the beat of the clock. Get closer to Mother Nature, go exploring in forests, off road, on dirt track and trails and instead run to the beat of your heart. Tree hugging optional!

GET THE RIGHT TOOLS FOR THE JOB

TESTING TIMES

Don’t hide yourself way from the British weather and join the gym treadmill brigade this winter. Instead, tackle the elements head on in a committed and bracing way! You wouldn’t attempt to rewire a plug using a teaspoon or fix your laptop with a hammer (despite feeling like it sometimes!) so why choose inappropriate tools for your winter running. The most important considerations for winter gear selection are warmth and functionality. Layering up with moisture wicking base layers, protecting your legs with light but flexible tights that allow a full range of movement and slipping on a lightweight, breathable running specific jacket [see our review on page 78] or gilet keeps the warmth in and the rain out! Don’t forget your head and hands either. A cap in the rain and a thermal hat and gloves in the cold keep your noggin and digits toastie and dry. The right footwear choice to match the conditions underfoot is equally important. With so many different types of running shoe on the market it pays to have different tried and tested reliable pairs of shoes suitable for road, light trails and tough terrain. Thinking you’re going to enjoy an off road run in wet and slippery conditions in your road racing flats will leave you looking and feeling more like Jane Torville and Christopher Dean than Kenenisa Bekele and Turinesh Dibaba!

Setting goals in training as well as in racing helps you measure where you are at and monitor your progress. Why not set up a regular time trial (say, every three or four weeks) and use it as a benchmark. You should choose your route carefully to avoid tricky sections of road, stop and start sections and areas where you might get frustrated if you have to slow down when striving for that personal best! Have a fixed start and finish point that stays the same all the time. Time (to the second!) your effort and keep a record of your progress. The key with being able to make effective comparisons with time trial runs is to try and keep other things constant and comparable. You might like to develop a series of time trial ‘routes’ of different distances depending on your race goals. Don’t try and run individual time trial PBs every time you leave your front door. These efforts should be built into a structured and progressive training plan and used to motivate and spur you on - not deflate and destroy you! December 2008

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“JOINING A LOCAL RUNNING GROUP OR ARRANGING TO MEET WITH A RUNNING PARTNER WILL NOT ONLY GIVE YOU SOME COMPANY ON YOUR RUNS, IT’LL ALSO HELP MOTIVATE YOU”

GET A RUNNING BUDDY/GROUP

Sticking to your running plan especially when it’s done solo can be tricky even for the highly motivated. Sometimes the sofa seems so much more appealing than a run on a cold and dark winter evening and getting out of the front door is the hardest part of then run. Knowing that someone else is waiting for you or you are meeting a group at a set time in a set place is a great way of giving you the kick you need to get going. None of us want to let ourselves or others down. Joining a local running group or arranging to meet with a running partner will not only give you some company on your runs, it’ll also help motivate you to get out and get more from your run workout that day.

BE SUNNY ON THE INSIDE!

Think positively. Sitting and watching a flickering light in the corner of your ‘living room’ can hardly be called living! Make optimism a healthy and regular lifestyle habit. Even though the weather might be dull and grey and your work colleagues might be duller and greyer it doesn’t mean that you should spiral into comparable dullness. Running is a wonderful tool for actually relieving stress and boosting optimism. Exercise releases endorphins that can actually make you feel happier! Surround yourself with positive, happy people and recognise the true value that running and being a regular runner brings to your life. Remind yourself of a personally salient motivator, something that strikes right at the heart at your reason for running and use it to ignite your passion to run. Run with passion, purpose and intent. Smile and take a big deep breath every time you leave for a run! It’s worth it.

“DON’T TRY AND RUN INDIVIDUAL TIME TRIAL PBS EVERY TIME YOU LEAVE YOUR FRONT DOOR” 6

‘MAN UP’

We British seem to winge and moan about the weather. When you’re next having a ‘shall I – shan’t I’ run moment as the rain beats down on the window remember that your skin is in fact waterproof and it’s only rain after all! Toughen up and get out there. It also gives you an incredible sense of achievement when the weather looks so tough only an idiot would go running! Imagine your sense of self satisfaction returning from that run you’d said you weren’t going to do, glowing and weather beaten but happy, warm and contented you actually got out there and did it! 36 Running fitness

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KEEP A TRAINING LOG

Nothing beats gloating in a little selfgratification than flicking back through the pages of a training diary and reflecting on just how far you’ve come. Seeing the miles you’ve logged and the runs under your belt gives real motivation to keep the momentum of running going and is a real confidence booster when it comes to race day. Running training diaries can be so much more than simple paper and pencil entries. An online blog is a fantastic way to record your training, document your running highs and lows and share your success stories with other runners on the same journey. You’ll soon develop a community of running friends who will be on your back when you don’t get out run!

Use a time trial for winter motivation

SHORTEN YOUR WORKOUTS 8

There are ways to get in quality workouts quickly to maximise running benefit and feel good that the run is in the bank. Have a series of sessions in your training repertoire that are over with in 30minutes! Winter 30 minute workouts are ones you can draw on when you know the run has to be done, when you’re stuck for time and just want to bank the basics.

FOR EXAMPLE,

1) 7.5mins steady – 15mins threshold– 7.5mins steady. 2) 5mins easy – 10x (60s hard 60s easy) 5mins easy. 3) 5mins easy – 5mins steady – 5mins threshold – 5mins hard - 5mins steady – 5mins easy. 4) 5min easy – 20min time trial – 5min easy. 5) 5 mins steady – (5x3mins:60s rec) 5mins easy.

GET A GOAL

We all know that having a clear goal is very motivating. Enter some different types of races. Don’t get hung up on fast times or quick races. Have a clear goal but take the pressure off. Try a totally new race, an obscure distance, an off-road run, or a fell race where the focus is more about completion, fun, personal challenge and getting your teeth into the conditions and the opposition (not literally of course!) than striving for a personal best or fast time.

STICK TO A ROUTINE AND A ROUTE

Don’t hesitate and procrastinate about what you are doing or where you going for your run. If you know what you are doing, have been specific with what is on your schedule, and know where you are going to do it, then you are less likely to spend time ‘considering your options’ at the front door and employing delaying tactics to talk yourself out of run. Stay motivated by spending less time thinking and just get on and do it! December 2008

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