“When you’re running as many miles as we do, recovery and limiting impact is a huge factor,” says Ieuan Thomas. “Road running places huge forces through your body on a daily basis, and that can take its toll as the mileage cumulates.

Running off-road can be a huge physiological help by taking some of that impact away. Plus, it gives you a much-needed mental break from the monotony of the roads and traffic.”

Celebrated coach James Thie feels he is “so lucky to have a brilliant trail system on my doorstep, and it’s one of the reasons why at 42, I’m still able to run pain free every day.”

“Road running can be very hard on the joints,” continues the man behind Thomas’ and Marshall’s sessions. “Off-road surfaces can help absorb some of these forces. Plus the other benefits are off-road normally means getting out into the countryside with great scenery and escaping the worry of paces and distances.”

Sessions you can do off road

Almost any session that you do on-road, you can also do off-road. The emphasis may just change slightly. You won’t be hitting track times when you’re off road, but the effort is the same. All three recommended similar sessions, maybe because of Thie’s influence on his athletes.

1. Long Hills – a staple of our winter training are what we call ‘Kenyan hills’. A copy of what the best runners in Kenya do in Eldoret. 75 seconds up, 1 min 45 back down x 10-15.

It’s a hard burn up the hill, and then not letting off to come back down. It challenges your body to be able to produce power when you’re tired, and promotes your body to recovery whilst still running at a reasonable pace back down. It’s a tasty one.

2. Fartlek runs – off-road trails are perfect for changes of pace, and lend themselves perfectly to unstructured fartlek. Attack each hill as you come to it, relax through winding sections, pick up the pace again on any flat sections.

Pick a tree and go hard until you reach it – the possibilities are endless. You’re basically keeping your body guessing, and the benefits can be massive.

Photo: Saucony UK

The different training effect trail running has to road running

“The main difference with trail running is that you have to focus a little more” says Thomas. “Road running is mostly predictable, it’s flat ground with turns you can see well in advance.

Trails aren’t always like that, they keep you guessing. This not only makes for a more enjoyable run (that will go by much faster) but also changes the run’s emphasis from pure aerobic endurance to more strength and stability, alongside the aerobic work.”

Plus, you get to explore new places and the trio share their favourite places in south Wales to hit the dirt.

Merthyr Mawr sand dunes is used by the group once a month or so and can be a really tough, but rewarding session.

It works completely different muscles to what you usually use during sessions, and helps to strengthen any weaknesses that you might have in these muscles. The session is beyond brutal though! A lactic filled mix of steep dunes, longer sand reps, and short, sharp sprints,” smiles Marshall. “Always a lovely cool down into the sea after though.”

Saucony ambassadors Ieaun Thomas, Tom Marshall and James Thie sometimes run on the trails in the Saucony Peregrine 10, Saucony’s flagship trail running shoe. Find out more here.

The post Rhedeg llwybr (we hope that’s Welsh for trail running) appeared first on Fast Running.

My first memory of running that stands out was a primary school sports day. I think it must have been Year 5 or 6, where we had a ‘long distance race’.

In reality it was probably about 300m, around a tree and back. I ‘outkicked’ the kid who was considered the fastest in the school. And by outkicked I mean cut him off over the last 50m. I definitely should have been disqualified!

When running became a sport. I started getting serious about running when I was 13. I did every sport offered to me in secondary school and was a pretty good basketball player, but never really trained specifically for any particular sport.

It wasn’t until I came third in a regional school’s cross country race and got selected to run for East Wales that I even thought about running being my main sport.

I was still playing local football at the time and used to run home from football matches (which was about two miles) just for fitness. I ran that regional race in a pair of football boots (one of which I lost halfway around the course), but I got the running bug.

The next week I joined Cwmbran Harriers and was fortunate enough to be coached by the late Dave Lewis who was producing some of the best young distance runners in the country at the time.

From that point on I pretty much quit taking any other sport seriously and became a runner. A few months later I had my first Welsh vest.

Why I love running. There’s just something about running that draws you in, and I don’t think it matters what level you compete at or aspire to. There’s definitely something cathartic about it, and it’s easy to see the improvements you’re making.

The main thing that really drew me into running in the first place was the simplistic, objective nature of results. You run a race and get a position or a time, and that’s what gives you a ranking.

I always found team sports far too subjective, especially when I was young and trying to be selected for regional teams etc, and you somehow missed out because the coach’s son got picked instead. I saw it all the time. But with running, for the most part if you win the trial race you get selected and I loved that simplicity.

As I’ve got older and become a more experienced athlete, running has become part of my personal identity, and it’s something that you share with the wider running community.

Photo: Paul Stillman

I get inspired more than anything by the people around me, and there’s nothing quite like seeing one of your best friends or training partners running well.

Running seems to draw people together much more than other sports, I think there’s just a level of respect as we all understand the effort and sacrifice that goes into training.

Becoming an international athlete. I’ve never been short on confidence. From day one of joining my first club, I believed I had the ability to become a GB International. Of course, I thought it was going to be over cross country at the time as that is what I seemed to be quite good at, but I always had that belief that it would happen.

If you would have asked my cocky 15 year-old self how long it was going to take, I certainly wouldn’t have said another 13 years though. And as I came into the senior ranks I definitely started to question whether it was going to happen for me or whether I’d hit my ceiling.

However, once I turned to steeplechase and started running some solid times and progressing once again that reality that it could happen started to seep back into my mindset.

My transition to the steeplechase. I stumbled into steeplechase (poor choice of words considering my injury history) more than anything.

I was working really hard as a 1500m runner but wasn’t really seeing any major improvements in my times. There was always something mystical about the steeplechase for me, I had the idea that I was a naturally quite a good hurdler too so I decided to give the 2k steeple a go at one of the regional meets and did quite well.

One of my roommates at university was a steeplechaser and helped me a lot too, although I don’t think I did a training session with hurdles for a couple of years after that. I’d say I truly became a steeplechaser at Western State Colorado University, where I did my post-grad.

They were known as ‘Steeple U’ and were a DII powerhouse, one of the reasons I decided to go there. I made huge improvements to my technique, did truly steeple specific sessions for the first time ever and knocked 15 seconds off my PB in a year.

It was a bit of a revelation for me and made that transition so much easier.

RELATED: Transitioning from middle-distance running to the steeplechase

Competing at the World Championships and the Commonwealth Games. The World Championships was incredibly special for me as it was my first ever GB vest, and on one of the biggest stages of them all.

It was a strange experience though as I’d collided with a barrier trying to time-trial the standard at a British League race in Bedford only a few weeks before, and I’d ended up tearing my quad. So it was a rush to even get me to the start line, and huge credit to the Welsh Athletics Physio team for making it possible.

Even so, I knew heading into the heats that my preparation just really hadn’t been that good. Looking back on it, I think I was kidding myself with how fast I thought I could run. So not making the final really shouldn’t have been a surprise, but at the time it was a tough blow running so poorly in your first British outing.

The Commonwealth Games for Wales was completely different, and by far the best running experience of my life so far.

View this post on Instagram

Working hard for more moments like this… #steeplechase #TeamWales #CWG2018 #commonwealthgames #throwback #waterjump #race #athlete #running #runner #runningmotivation #instarun #instarunners #runnersofinstagram #bebetter #motivated

A post shared by Ieuan Thomas (@thomasieuan) on Oct 5, 2018 at 1:10pm PDT

It’s my first time travelling with a full team cohort to a major championship and having a prep camp beforehand. As I work full-time I really don’t get the chances to go on training camps, so this was a special opportunity having a prep camp on the Sunshine Coast and coming into the race in fantastic shape.

The race itself again ended up a little disappointing but didn’t take away from the overall experience for too long. It just made me even more determined. Once you have a taste of these major champs you just want more of it, and as I continue to improve, I’ll be able to handle them and truly do myself justice.

Club athletics. I do feel a loyalty to my club because it’s my local city; I’ve lived in Cardiff for many years and I do feel proud to call it home. However, for me right now, there are not many opportunities that club running can offer that will benefit my personal running agenda.

I love competing for my club at events like the road relays, and winning the 6 stage with Cardiff a few years ago was incredible, mainly because I got to share that moment with friends and training partners who I have known and run with for years.

Clubs offer great opportunities for young and developing runners. The coaching setup is fantastic and Young Athlete and British League competitions allow racing practice to a certain extent, I certainly competed in them profusely as a young runner. However, once you reach a certain level, club competitions start to lose their relevance as you look to find faster races and better competition to take you to the next level.

My career high. There are two moments that really stand out for me immediately when thinking about this. Getting the selection call for World Championships – I can’t put into words how much that first GB vest meant to me.

Then, running my first Commonwealth ‘A’ standard last year at Stanford. This was a huge deal for me as I’d pretty much ‘put all my eggs in one basket’. I’d taken my maximum annual leave from work, and spent a huge amount on travelling out to California to race the Stanford Invite with the hope of running the qualifying time for the CWG.

I even went back to Colorado for a few weeks of altitude beforehand to give me the best chance. 100m into the race I was tripped and hit the deck. All the sacrifices I’d made to try and make the CWG flashed before me and I genuinely thought the whole trip was going to be a waste. I managed to get back up pretty quickly, get back into the group, come second in the race and run the standard. What a feeling that was!

My career low. Probably missing out on the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014. I’d run a B standard by five seconds on the very last day, but it wasn’t good enough.

I nearly quit the sport after that disappointment. I’m now glad I didn’t.

Like/dislike – track. Track season is my season, it’s what we build towards all year and it’s the season that means the most. It also means I finally get to race my specialist event, which only happens a few months per year.

Solo sessions are a dislike. Being a steeper often means being on a different schedule to the rest of the group and I do a lot of track sessions on my own.

Like / dislike – roads. Long winter session with the group are great. We have an incredible group of people based in Cardiff. Guys like Jake Heyward, Tom Marshall and Jake Smith are incredible to train with and make you up your game. I love the days when you’re feeling good and just rolling on the front of the pack, making everyone work that little bit harder.

View this post on Instagram

‪No better way to end the working week than some quality miles. Great to have @tommarshall1500 for company . . .‬ ‪#RunYourWorld #WeWhoRun #runnersofinstagram #instarun #saucony #running #selfie #colours #instapic #run #runningmotivation #trainhard #nodaysoff ‬

A post shared by Ieuan Thomas (@thomasieuan) on Oct 26, 2018 at 11:04am PDT

Morning runs in the winter are a dislike. Working full-time means if I’m going to double the first run needs to be at 6.30am. Most of the time that means layering up, grabbing the head torch and just getting it done. It’s not motivating to wake up when it’s dark and cold.

Like / dislike – cross country. Cross country is just fun, isn’t it? It reminds me of being a young athlete when I was actually good at cross country. I often go into cross races with not much expectation, just expecting a really hard race and a quality workout.

The mud is a dislike. My biomechanics are no longer favourable to deep, sticky mud. I’m much more of a rhythm runner, rather than a powerhouse cross country athlete, so when it comes to the mud I definitely struggle.

The future. I’ve been to the Commonwealth Games, European Champs and World Champs. So I need to get my Olympic berth to finish the set of majors.

I’m also not satisfied with how I’ve performed at major champs so far, so I still have my eyes set on more, and making sure that I make the finals at least.

My final piece of advice. Get a good pair of running shoes. Ladies – get yourself a good sports bra, measured to fit. Try not to increase your mileage too quickly. Set realistic goals and try and make running as fun as you can. It’s a simple sport.

Ieuan Thomas is a proud Saucony UK Ambassador, he is supporting the launch of the Triumph ISO 5, which are available to buy from your local retailer here or www.sportsshoes.com.

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patron. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post Why I run: Ieuan Thomas appeared first on Fast Running.

Tom Marshall, Ieuan Thomas and Jonathan Hopkins will go head-to-head at the Welsh 5k Road Championships in Whitchurch, Cardiff this Sunday (May 6).

Marshall, who competed in the 1500m at Gold Coast 2018 and also features on Fast Running as part of the Fast 10: class of 2018, is the defending champion and course record holder and will go up against Thomas and Hopkins, who both competed over the barriers in the 3000m steeplechase.

Among the leading women joining them is local athlete, Charlotte Arter of Cardiff AAC, who’ll be looking for a fast time ahead of racing on the track over 10,000m in a couple of weeks.

Marshall won last year’s race in 14:35 – and said: “I can’t wait to be back to defend my title at the Whitchurch 5k. It’s an event that is done right, with great entertainment, a quick course, and friendly people. I have a feeling this year will be a lot tougher with Hoops, and Ieuan, but I’m not there to make their lives easy.”

“Ieuan might be sub 4 (for the mile), but I’m pretty sure NIAC is short.” he joked.

“Tom’s the two-time defending champ and beat me to the title the last time I ran in Whitchurch,” responded Thomas, who won the Newport Wales 10k last weekend. “Johnny took me down on the Gold Coast. Does that make me the underdog? Absolutely not.

“I’m the only one of the favourites who knows what it feels like to dip the 14-minute mark. I may not be able to outkick the milers, but I sure can outrun them.”

Jonathan Hopkins has the fastest time this year, running a personal best of 14:05 in Armagh back in February, and is looking forward to making his debut at the event: “I’ve always wanted to compete at the Welsh 5km Road Championships but it hasn’t quite worked with my racing plans over the past few years.

“Looking at my racing schedule post-Commonwealth Games, it was the ideal place to get myself back going for the 2018 track season. The field is strong at the front which makes the race exciting. Competition motivates me more than anything and I’m looking forward to battling it out with Tom and Ieuan on Sunday.”

Others with the potential to mix it with the Gold Coast boys, include Carwyn Jones, Cardiff AAC, who was third last year, and Abed Teweldebrhan of Newport Harriers, who was third in last week’s ABP Newport 10k.

RELATED: 5 lessons that have helped me improve as an athlete

In the women’s race defending champion Alaw Beynon Thomas is back but will face tough competition from fellow Cardiff AAC runners, Arter and Clara Evans.

Arter recently represented Great Britain at the World Half Marathon Championships in Valencia, and won the Brighton 10k in a PB of 32:17.

“I’m looking forward to getting back to racing again at Whitchurch, it’s been 3 weeks since I raced at the Brighton 10k and it’s a good chance for me to turn my legs over a little bit quicker ahead of the Highgate 10k in a few weeks’ time,” she Arter. “This will be the first time I’ve run the Whitchurch 5k, and I’m really looking forward to it.”

“Charlotte will look to use the 5k as preparation for the Highgate 10k on 19th May where she’ll be looking to qualify for the Great Britain European Championships team.” Commented Chris Jones, National Endurance Manager. “For the boys it’s a rebuilding phase after an intense period during the Games.

“This is an exciting opportunity for them to race each other on the road, before their thoughts turn back to the track, and hopefully pushing for European selection, especially Jon and Ieuan in the Steeplechase.”

Over 2000 local runners will race alongside the elite runners around the closed roads of Whitchurch with a great atmosphere expected again, supplemented by live music, street food stalls, and a supercar parade.

The post Top Welsh runners set to battle for 5k road crown appeared first on Fast Running.

Neath Harriers’ Carpenter stripped a massive 15 minutes off his previous best to win the men’s crown at the inaugural ABP Newport Wales Marathon on Sunday (April 29).

Carpenter’s 2:33:32 win was the first competitive victory of his career as he put in a vital burst 7K from the finish to finally break the resistance of brave Jonathan Barnes. Slowly, but surely, he created a gap and eventually came home 41 seconds ahead of the Cheltenham & County Harrier.

In the women’s race, local hero Cockram of the Mickey Morris Racing Team, beat her previous best by more than four and a half minutes.

“I am really chuffed with that – it is the first win of my career,” said Carpenter, who is a regular on the parkrun circuit in south Wales. “I will definitely come back in the future, although I will enjoy this first.”

Carpenter averaged 5.52 minute mile pace across the 26.2 miles and reached half-way with the Cheltenham & County Harrier Jonathan Barnes in 77:11.

Marathon debutant Luke Williams was back in third some 44 seconds off the pace, with Time Iveson a further minute behind.

Second-placed Barnes also ran the race of his life as he stripped more than 15 minutes off his previous best, coming home in 2:34:13. San Domenico Running Club member, Williams, was third in 2:37:22.

There was also a massive step forward for Cockram as she took the women’s title in 2:44:58 to win by more than 14 minutes. It was a major triumph for last year’s Welsh Trail Half-Marathon champion given here recent run of injury problems.

Eryri Harriers runner Andrea Rowlands finished second in 2:59:00 with Carla Swithen just outside the three-hour mark in 3:02:06 for third.

“I only got one 20 mile race in my training since my last marathon in October and that was last week. I haven’t done much running since January,” said Cockram, who spent four years at Tulsa University.

“I’ve been doing three-hour stints on the cross-training machine and three hours on the bike to keep fit and I just came into the race hoping for the best. I’ve had Achilles tendonitis and a knee niggle.

“I got injured at the Commonwealth Games training camp and I wasn’t expecting a PB. The crowds were fantastic and carried me through.

“This is the best win of my career and I’ll be back next year looking to break the 2:40:00 barrier.”

Thomas and Felton win 10K

The ABP Newport Wales 10K attracted a high-class field and gave Commonwealth Games and World Championship steeplechaser Ieuan Thomas the chance to blow away the cobwebs following his return from the Gold Coast 10 days earlier.

The Cardiff AAC athlete dominated the race and came home to win in 29:43 – 13 seconds outside his target of 29:30.

That gave him a 72-second winning margin over Morgan Davies, of Swansea Harriers, who was second in 30:55.

There was a local athlete on the podium in Abed Teweldebrhan, of Newport Harriers. He finished third in 31:32.

“The time bonus was in the back of my mind up to 5K. I had a plan to go out and try to run around 15 minutes for 5K and I came through in 14:48 feeling pretty good,” said Thomas.

“At that stage, I felt the 29:30 time bonus target was achievable, but in the end, it was just a little bit too windy.

“I was out on my own and I couldn’t maintain my rhythm, but I had great fun and the support was amazing. It was awesome seeing the streets lined with so many supporters and hearing all the drummers.

“The atmosphere really was fantastic and it really urged me on. The Gold Coast is definitely now out of my system after that.

“I can’t remember shivering so much on a warm-up before a race. Everyone was making fun of me for saying how cold it was, but I’ve been a little bit spoilt after six weeks in Australia.”

Rachel Felton, of Shaftesbury Barnet, was the first woman home in 35:04 to improve her recent third place at the Brecon Carreg Cardiff Bay 10K.

“I had a less than ideal build-up to this race and I even e-mailed the organisers on Thursday to say I probably wouldn’t be able to run,” explained Felton.

“I hadn’t run for two weeks, but I wanted to see what sort of shape I was in and so I changed my mind in the end. I felt good and I was happy with the time.

“There was a bit of a breeze, so I tucked in behind the men, but the atmosphere was really nice and I will definitely be back. It was well organised and I really enjoyed it.”

Emma Stepto of East Cornwall AC, was second behind Felton in a time of 36:09, while Cardiff AAC’s Lucy Marland was third in 36:17.

The post Runners impress at inaugural Newport Wales Marathon & 10k appeared first on Fast Running.

Ieuan Thomas and Charlie Hulson will contest the inaugural ABP Newport Wales 10k, which follows the ABP Newport Wales Marathon on Sunday (April 29). Together the two events will welcome over 6,000 runners to compete in Wales’ third City.

Hulson, who is also hoping to race in the Mid-Chesire 5k on Friday, will chase another victory over 10k on the roads to add to his 2018 race titles from Chester, Telford and most recently at the Brecon Carreg Cardiff Bay Run. The Liverpool Harriers’ lifetime best of 29:12 could also be on his mind.

RELATED: England’s fastest 5k returns on Friday

Thomas was just one second behind Hulson in Telford and is now keen to see if he can turn the tables on his fellow Welshman in Newport. Steeplechase specialist Thomas competed at his first Commonwealth Games earlier this month, finishing a strong seventh in the heat of the Gold Coast.

The Cardiff AAC athlete will also be looking to revise his previous best time of 29:13.

Other top local athletes in the men’s race include Cardiff AAC’s Carwyn Jones, Swansea Harriers Morgan Davies and Newport man Abed Teweldebrhan. The 22 year-old from Eritrea has been steadily improving in recent years and is edging ever closer to the illusive 30-minute barrier.

Bristol & West AC duo Owain Jones and Luke Evans should also be in the mix.

Both the marathon and the 10k will start and finish in Newport City Centre, taking in picturesque loops of the Gwent levels, a site of special scientific interest.

The women’s contest over 10km will feature Rachel Felton who is a regular feature in South Wales based road races, most notably competing at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in the city two years ago.

Rebecca Robinson of Kendal AC and Bristol & West’s Kate Maltby both have fine pedigree as mountain runners and both are equally as swift on the roads. Robinson has a best mark of 33:09 to her name with Maltby’s best set at 33:29. The trio will be joined by 2014 British Half Marathon Champion Emma Stepto who is the fastest on paper but with her lifetime best of 33:02 set four years ago.

Lucy Marland of Cardiff AAC and Kate Roberts of Swansea Harriers will lead Welsh hopes here. The pair have faced each other many times in the past and most recently when Marland finished just seconds ahead of Roberts at the 2017 Welsh Cross Country Championships.

Matthew Edmonds of MMRT, Andrew Tuckey of Bridgend AC and Stroud AC’s Jordan Frapwell will head the men’s fields for the marathon. Edmonds is a Newport based former professional boxer with a marathon best of 2:33:30. Tuckey is an ultra-distance specialist who was 8th at the 2013 IAU World Trail Running Championships competing for Australia and Frapwell will debut over the distance but will be perhaps the most likely to challenge the more experienced duo of Edmonds and Tuckey.

Natasha Cockram hails from the same East Wales based club as Edmonds and finished 8th in her only previous outing over the distance. That came in 2017 at the SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon. Cockram will now look to beat her 2:49:37 clocking from the Irish capital.

Andrea Rowlands of Eryri Harriers won the Snowdonia Marathon in 2014 and is a sub 3 hour competitor who will hope to challenge Cockram.

The post Thomas & Hulson to renew rivalry at Newport Wales 10K appeared first on Fast Running.