7 Do’s of marathon training – base phase
As spring marathon training starts, I thought I’d give you some tips for this phase of your training. If this is your first marathon, you are probably feeling a little overwhelmed at the challenge you have taken on. If you’ve run one or two marathons before, or you’re...
Run Types
As you look to a new year of running, you may be like a lot of the runners I talk to. They want to get a bit better. They want to improve on last year. And for a lot of us, getting a bit better is all we need - we don't have a burning desire to be at the front or...
5 Tips for winter motivation
You know what it’s like... We don't even need to open the weather app because we can see it streaming down the widows. We can hear it bouncing off the Velux and as it cascades over the edges of our gutters. If we stand long enough on the pavement, our feet act like...
A better way to get a PB!
I've yet to meet a runner that didn't want to run faster and get a new PB. Sure, plenty will say they are not bothered by times and they just run for the fun of it. And in the next breath they are talking about the goal for their next race or parkrun is to be faster...
Better Night Vision – Proprioception
In an earlier post I mentioned that we can improve our ability to run better and safer in the dark. One way of doing this is to work on our peripheral vision, and another way is to improve our proprioception. “What's propieception?" you ask. The easiest answer is that...
The Running Form Blueprint
Here it is! I'm finally letting the secret out. It's what every runner has been waiting for. It's going to be an exciting a short post: There isn't one! Don't worry, I won't leave you hanging with that bombshell. But it's true. Just like diets, there is no...
Running in the dark
In the dark Now that the nights have really drawn in and it's dark not long after 4pm, most of us are running at least some of our weekly mileage in the pitch black. Of course, many of us take the sensible precautions such as high visibility clothing, a head or chest...
Niggle and snap
Too high With the number of people lacing up their shoes and getting out running continually on the increase, so is the number of running injuries. Three years ago, the available literature told us that up to 75% of runners will get a running related injury in every...
Hold your horses! Marathon pacing
You’ve done the months of training. You’ve put in hours and hours of running. You’ve dealt with the niggles, the doubts, the setbacks and now you stand in the pen at the start of your marathon. You are as ready as you’ll ever be, and all that stands between you and...
Switching to fat?
This article is designed to provide you with a brief look at our energy systems and why eating a diet low in carbs and high in fat may help recreational runners like you and me in our running performance. First, we need to take a look at our energy systems. Next, we...