Magic numbers don’t exist in training When runners come to me for help with their training, we discuss their goals. We discuss what their current running looks like and how much time they have available to train. And then, sometimes, they tell me that they don’t think they can run X time in their [...]
Half marathon training: Weeks 1-4 Four weeks of half marathon training done, and four weeks of working with a coach complete. It was a rocky start. I had an issue with my right foot whereby it was hurt walking around between runs but felt ok while running. It was really annoying and, as usual, I [...]
Autumn half marathon goal: Great Eastern Run Try again, fail again, fail better. If you’ve been here a while, you’ll know I’ve failed many times over at things. I failed multiple times before actually running a Boston Qualifier. I had so much fun doing that, I decided not to enter and now I’ve started failing [...]
Who coaches the coach? I'm a big advocate of coaching. Of course I am, you say, that's my job. But, I've never actually been coached myself. It was 2013 when I last followed a training plan. It was one from a book, and although I swapped some sessions around and adjusted paces when they didn't [...]
Summer of Speed: Regents Park 10k This past year I’ve had some successful races by not looking at my watch too much and running ‘on feel’. It’s been a way of shaking off the self-imposed limitation I’ve had when thinking about times I might be able to run. I had a chat with a coach [...]
What it’s like to lead a beginner runners group Sarah has led Lazy Girl Running beginners groups at Hampstead Heath and Downhills Park, Tottenham. I asked her to write a blog on how she’s found it. "I HATE RUNNING!" One of my runners let out a groan. "ME TOO!" I said quickly. Then caught myself. [...]
Running on holiday: you don’t have to When I work with a runner, I ask them for any holidays they have coming up and we plan their training around it. Sometimes, for runners who have a hectic regular life because of work or caring duties, or both, holidays can mean more time to train and [...]
5 Reasons You're Not Running Faster You're running too fast For distance runners (that's you if you're training for anything from a 5k to a marathon or beyond) you're training for endurance. You need good aerobic fitness. In order to train your body to go faster in your aerobic zone, you need to slow right [...]
Summer of Speed - a faster 5k and 10k Last weekend I ran the Regent's Park 10k. It's one of my favourite races, partly because it's held every month throughout the year, so I know that I can turn up when I think I'm in good shape and I want to have a crack at [...]
London’s Best Half Marathons One of my Tuesday night runners asked what the best half marathon in London is, which led to a discussion about all the races we’ve done. When we thought about it, there’s quite a few to choose from. So here, in no particular order, are our favourites. Those I’ve run also [...]
