From 5km to the New York Marathon

Last summer a participant on a leadership programme where we provide wellness initiatives visited London and did a bit of running.  18-months later she's about to take on the New York Marathon and sent a Twitter update from Brisbane airport this morning...

'In March I won a place in the lottery for the New York marathon. Over 1,000kms in training later...including literally blood, sweat and tears...I'm as ready as I'll ever be! Last stage of the 'journey' starts now...22 hours to NYC #tcsnycmarathon #marathontraining'

We wish her luck!

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12 Top Tips to be a Better Trail Runner

The popularity of running away from the hustle and bustle of towns or cities is booming but if you fancy a change of workout scenery, make sure you're prepared.  

Hitting the trails to run strengthens and tones the hard-to-work muscles that aren't always tested on smoother ground.

In this article I wrote for Women's Running Magazine, I make suggestions on how beginners can build a trail runner's body to cope with the demands.

Top tips covered:

• Hill training
• Strength training
• Activate your core
• Drills
• Improve your posture
• Flexibility
• Agility
• Circuit training
• Skipping
• Speed play
• Stability
• The importance of regular training

 

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Latest Time-Saving Tips for Busy Professionals

June's edition of Men's Running Magazine is on the shelves, containing our latest tips to Beat the Clock and stay fit in double quick time.

Regular tips include:

• A time-saving snack
• A short, effective workout plan
• A tip to help focus your exercise efforts
• Lifestyle advice for the time-poor
• A training tip from the world of elite athletes
• A training lesson from the world of business

Click on the page below to read the full feature.

Read previous instalments of Beat the Clock starting here.

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Beat the Clock Part 12

The March edition of Men's Running Magazine is out now and includes the latest tips in our Beat the Clock series.

Everything you need to squeeze fitness into a busy schedule:

• A quick snack
• A speedy training session
• Advice to maintain a healthy mindset
• Help to stay motivated
• A lesson from elite sport
• A lesson from business applied to training

Enjoy!

You can read previous instalments of the Beat the Clock series here

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7 Basic But Essential Running Training Tips

There's a lot of marathon talk around at the moment so I thought it worth a reminder of some of the fundamentals in the quest for a good performance over the distance.

There's a whole host of things to consider in the lead up to running 26.2 miles, and with a few people incurring minor injuries as their event approaches they enter the business end of their training plan, keeping the basics in mind is ever more important.

Incidentally, you don't have to be training for a marathon for these tips to help.  These guidelines are relevant to get the best out of training for any distance of running, or even when just running for fun!

1) Increase the duration of your long runs steadily and progressively over the weeks.  Do not be tempted to make a big jump up in mileage from one week to the next, even if you feel good.  Gentle adaptation for the body is best for staying injury free.

2) Complete one or two short runs during the week to supplement your weekend long run.  These can be hill training or interval training sessions for maximum results in the shortest time.   

3) Include one dedicated strength training session each week.  You can include some strength training as part of your hill or interval sessions but try to keep one session a week for strength / core / stability training.

4) Include plenty of stretching in your schedule.  I know, why spend time stretching when you could be running?  Trust me, your overall progress will be best if you can follow your weekly plan without interruption by injury, and stretching can keep many likely injuries at bay.  Include a few minutes to stretch after every session and also stretch various muscles as you move around your daily routine.

5) Make sure you are always well hydrated

6) Fuel yourself well at all times. Follow a consistent day-to-day healthy eating routine so that you can get the best out of each training session and also recover effectively.  This doesn't mean a puritanical regime, it means striking the right balance for you each week.

7) Know when to rest.  By rest I mean know when to take a day or two off training to allow your body to recover and adapt fully and also know when to get some sleep.  Recovery is as much a part of your schedule as running so make it count.

If you'd like more running related advice and some sample workouts take a look through our recent series in Men's Running Magazine on how to fit your run training into a busy schedule.

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Pushing the Boundaries of Performance: 3 Simple Guidelines

Following last weeks blog, 'Do you know what you're really capable of?' I thought it might be useful to share some tips on how you can discover what you might be capable of, both from a physical performance and a business performance perspective.

First, a short practical, personal example.  I'm currently training to attempt a personal best time at a half marathon.  It's a hilly course so I've been spending a lot of time recently running up hills.  Last week while running steady laps of a local hill I was thinking to myself that I'm quite pleased with how the time it takes me to lap this route has steadily dropped over the last few weeks, but I felt that I'd probably got to the stage where the laps were unlikely to get much quicker.  

Then, on lap 12 (it's not a long circuit) I was overtaken on the downhill section.  That wasn't great so I increased the pace a bit and got back in front on the flat part of the circuit, only to be overtaken up the hill again.  I used my fellow runner as a pacemaker and followed him up the hill (where he stopped) and I carried on to discover I'd completed the lap a good 20-seconds faster than ever before.  The rest of my laps were all quicker than my previous best time and I finished my run very happy and thankful to the guy who jolted me out of my familiar rhythm.

So, what's the point?  Basically, if you want to progress quickly in sport and in business, remember to follow 3 simple guidelines:

1) Get a training partner or get a mentor.  Someone who will challenge you and prevent you from falling into a comfortable routine.

2) Join a club or change who you spend time with.  Surrounding yourself with great performers and high achievers will spur you on to great things.

3) Set tight deadlines. Whether it's sporting events or career development, aiming to achieve success sooner rather than later keeps momentum and helps you see opportunities where others may miss them.

Finally, I guess the last piece of advice would be to find some hills.  Real or metaphoric, seek them out, discover a way to conquer them and move on to the next one.

Photo by LuciusArt Fotografie (Flickr)

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