The front of both races had some exciting racing with a slow start in the women’s race capitalised on by Irish-born Australian Sinead Diver leading the first half before Brigid Kosgei of Kenya posted the fastest second half of a marathon ever for a female with a 66:42.

Kossi was ahead with only Vivian Cheruiyot for company in the closing stages but the two Kenyans were eventually separated by almost two minutes with Kosgei’s winning time of 2:18:20 ahead of Cheruiyot’s 2:20:14.

The men’s race was a closer affair with three men, Eluid Kipchoge, Mosinet Geremew and Mule Wasihun, still together at 40km and all on course for sub 2:03 at this stage. At this point Kipchoge, the greatest marathoner of all time, calmly moved across the road to grab his last drink bottle and seemingly stepped it up a gear.

Photo: Eddie Keogh for Virgin Money London Marathon

Crossing the line with his trademark ear to ear grin in 2:02:37, it looked like he was going to just keep going. Afterwards the humble champion said “It was a very tactical race as everyone was there, but I know how to win this race and I was confident and didn’t feel it was in doubt at any point. I’m happy to make history, I’m happy to make it four wins.”

“The crowd in London is wonderful, in the last Kilometre when everyone is shouting it’s just amazing, it made me so happy to cross the line.”

Geremew set a new Ethiopian record and become the second quickest marathoner of all time, but had to settle for second place on the day as well.

Photo: Ian Walton for Virgin Money London Marathon

The best of British and Irish

There were two British under 2:10 for the first time in a while, with Mo Farah finishing fifth in 2:05:39 and Callum Hawkins posting a huge PB to finish 10th in 2:08:14. Farah seemed to struggle after falling back from the lead group and had a tough day at the office. “I didn’t feel great at the start but I followed the pace maker.” said the multiple Olympic champion. “I felt good at halfway and by twenty miles a gap was there. My aim was to reel them back once the pacemaker dropped out but wasn’t able to.”

Hawkins was on course for under 2:07 for a large part of the race but battled strongly in the closing miles to record a new Scottish record of 2:08:14 that eclipses Alistair Hutton’s 2:09:16 set 34 years ago. The Scot said afterwards that “It felt amazing coming down the Mall and greeted by the crowd, it was tough out there but I felt comfortable throughout, but I don’t feel too comfortable now. I’m delighted with my time and it’s great to have qualified for Tokyo.”

Photo: Ian Walton for Virgin Money London Marathon

Charlotte Purdue ran a brilliantly paced race from the gun, sticking to her pre race plan and digging deep in the final miles to finish 10th and post a smashing PB of 2:25:38 to go third on the British all time list behind only Mara Yamauchi and Paula Radcliffe.

“I didn’t have a time in mind, I was more worried about my place, I don’t normally look at prize money or finishing times but I was really keen to ensure I got into the top 10 and I am so happy that I did this.” said Purdue whilst recovering at the finish. “I’m over the moon to be back in London and to slash my PB.”

“It was difficult in the last mile but I kept telling myself I never have to run again, I just have to finish.” was how the first Brit home convinced herself to keep going. “But I will run again, that’s not me announcing my retirement.”

Tish Jones was the second British female home in exactly 2:31:00, which is the qualifying mark for the world Championships later this year and it seemed Jones was slightly unaware as she celebrated across the line! Another 2:56 knocked off her PB from London last year is a fantastic result for the Belgrave Harrier.

Three Irish men posted sub 2:20 times with Mick Clohisey the first home in 2:15:06, followed by Gary O’Hanlon in 2:17:32 and Sean Hehir in 2:18:58. Heather Noone was the first Irish lady to the finish in 2:48:35 which is another 2019 PB for the late comer to running who could be a brilliant prospect for the future.

Photo: Ian Walton for Virgin Money London Marathon

Sinead Diver held on for 2:24:11 and seventh place, although there were tweets afterwards to remind that the Irish born athlete was ‘born in Ireland, but made the athlete she is in Australia” and represents her home country. But still plenty of Irish fans were cheering her on from start to finish and she’s got a cracking home accent still.

The quick times missed on the telly

After the top ten had made it home the coverage went straight to the other end of the race and we were denied the chance to see some of the the hardest working athletes cross the finish line.

The women’s elite race did show the finishes of Hayley Carruthers and Lily Partridge who both looked to have less than ideal days, but gave it everything they had. Carruthers had to crawl across the finish line and collapsed shortly after later tweeting that “today I learnt how NOT to run a marathon” but still managed a PB of 2;33:59, whilst Partridge ran 2:31:35 after starting and running for loftier goals under 2:30.

Photo: Ian Walton for Virgin Money London Marathon

Sonia Samuels (2:36:50) and Tracey Barlow (2:36:26) both ran well under 2:40 and Welsh marathoner Natasha Cockram clocked 2:40:31.

Running in the mass start there was a stand-out performance by Stephanie Davis, who ran 2:32:38 to place second in the female rankings for the separate race. Louise Small also ran well in the mass start with a 2:39:43.

For the men there were several excellent performances and PBs in the elite and mass start. Dewi Griffiths was running with Hawkins for a long time but slowed to a 2:11:46 outside of his best, but it is good to see the Welsh runner back racing well over the 26.2 miles.

Jonny Mellor posted a 2:13:28, Josh Griffiths ran 2:14:25 and Scotland’s Robbie Simpson ran a new PB of 2:14:56. Andy Davies (2:15:37), Nicholas Torry (2:16:21), Tsegai Tewelde (2:17;00) and Paul Martelletti (2:17:29) all ran well and John Gilbert ran 2:19:03 from the mass start with Ben Johnson and Alex Milne missing out on the 2:20 barrier by three and eight seconds respectively.

RELATED: Smiling can make you a better runner

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With the internet providing hundreds of different news sources and most people just keeping up to date with Twitter, you can find any forecast you like if you look hard enough. We decided to scour the world wide web and find the best forecast for Sunday’s marathon.

The ever trustworthy BBC sometimes gets the weather right (expect for that hurricane that Michael Fish underestimated a tad) and they have a fine prediction of 10-14 degrees celsius, light cloud and a moderate breeze from the north west. Perfect running conditions you might say, if a touch windy.

All the reports we checked had the wind coming from the north-west so what does that mean? Amateur meteorologist and four time finisher Danny Kendall, more commonly known simply as #Danny, is gunning for sub 2:30 on Sunday and told us that “the prevailing westerly winds mean there will likely be a tailwind at the start, so don’t get too carried away. Then you might feel a little headwind in the final miles, but nothing too bad.”

What do the Norwegians say?

One of my favourite weather websites is yr.no. The Norwegian website provides decent weather predictions for all around the cold and with the wild weather of Norway you’d want to be getting it right. Our Scandinavian friends actually have the wind forecast as a bit windier at six metres per second than the BBC’s four metres per second and temperatures ranging between nine and 11 degrees celsius.

Weather.com, who must be good with a website name like that, have the same as the Norwegians although they write it in the more alarming style of 22km/h, which seems faster than six metres per second, but is actually exactly the same.

The running experts

England marathon coach Tom Craggs feels “it’s ideal weather conditions for a marathon with around 10-13 degrees during the race and although there will be a light headwind in those final miles it won’t be enough to make a difference.”

“After last year’s hot weather there will be no excuses this weekend” continued the coach, “it’s going to be perfect for some fast running and we can all be hopeful to see some PBs.”

Crawley AC marathon record holder Paul Navesey suggests “to not get carried away with the slightly downhill start and tailwind, just run your target pace and accept the sightly easier ride early on”. The 2:18:16 man was second at Brighton Marathon this year and suggests “saving a little something for that horrible little slope at 20 miles”, just like the ABT training group member had a little something left to win a print for second on the south coast.

“It’s going to be perfect weather in London” said 2:39 marathoner Julia Davis, who’s just set a new course record for the South Downs Way 50. “Remember to vaseline your feet though, even if it’s not super hot, that’s my top tip for fast road running.”

Don’t worry, be happy

The key now though is not to worry too much. The weather will be how the weather will be, it is how you react to the conditions that is most important. Previously we have highlighted performances like Stephen Scullion at London marathon last year and Robbie Simpson at the Commonwealth Games as exemplary displays in running the race in front of you.

Be bold, start cold. When choosing your outfit for the race, which you’ve hopefully tests multiple times on long runs already, don’t be worried about being a bit chilly at the start. You’re dressing for the hottest part of the race, when you’re working hard. Unless you’re Kate Carter, who’ll be toasty in her panda outfit from the gun.

Four days until @LondonMarathon when I will be running dressed like this. If you would like to sponsor me (and if so thank you) please head here >> https://t.co/tJxWWBWefF pic.twitter.com/dfNtnhANXk

— Kate Carter (@katehelencarter) April 24, 2019

The taper is finishing, the training is in the bank. The well is full and Sunday is the day to empty the tank. All that is left to do is not get too carried away at the London Marathon Expo (a bit late for Sir Mo it seems) and channel your inner Eluid Kipchoge. Be calm, smile big and have a great day on Sunday.

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The post London Marathon weather forecast: PB conditions appeared first on Fast Running.

Carruthers ran 28:35 for the 5.31m long leg, the third fastest of the day at Sutton Park behind only GB’s Jess Judd’s 28:07 and UK-based Danish international Anna Moller’s 28:01.

Crucially, that also represented an 18 second improvement over the same distance from just a fortnight before, when the 25 year-old ran the fastest long leg at the Midlands road relays on the same course.

The 2:36 England international marathoner has certainly not been neglecting the speed sessions in her build up to London.

While the 2019 World Championships qualifying event is undoubtedly her A race, she has used shorter distance events to boost her training to give her as much of an edge on the competition as possible.

Regular low-16min parkruns alongside a 9:26 3k at the Armagh International – together with long marathon miles – surely helped Carruthers post her superb 71:57 PB at the recent Big Half Marathon too.

So what does the Birmingham-based athlete’s training look like in a marathon build up? 

Hayley’s marathon training

“My training is pretty simple,” she reveals. “My coach, Dan Robinson, is the first to say there are no magic sessions. While we plan it out together it is also really adaptable, and takes into account how I’m recovering from sessions.”

Robinson is based at the University of Wolverhampton’s Department of Sport and Physical Activity, where Carruthers spends much of her time outside of work in the gym and talking to the renowned sports psychologist, Professor Andy Lane.

She continues: “A typical training week includes one session of shorter reps on the track, one of longer road efforts or a threshold run, a parkrun and then the traditional Sunday long run. 

“I probably average 80 miles a week. That’s quite enough for now, but I’m fully aware how other marathon runners do well over 100.”

It’s important to remember at this point that Carruthers only entered the sport seriously less than 18 months ago, reducing her marathon PB from 3:22:58 in 2017 to her current 2:36:48 best last autumn under the coaching of Gary Warhurst.

Since teaming up with Robinson soon after she has built on those first crucial training building blocks in impressive style. It’s all about the speed work, she says.

“Before this build up I’d never really done speed work and my training was much more one paced,” she explains. 

“Now I can be doing mile reps at 5:15min/mile pace on a Tuesday and on Wednesday doing a recovery run at 8:30 pace.”

Hayley’s gym work is her strength

It’s in the gym where Carruthers really is a step ahead of many of her competitors, though.

“Despite the attention it gets online, I still think a lot of runners neglect this side of the sport,” she observes. “I know I would struggle to get through the training if I didn’t pay attention to strength and conditioning.

“The fact I have a strong background in the gym means I appreciate the value of being strong and resilient.

“I do small amounts of S&C throughout the week, with one longer session on a Thursday evening. Rhys Lincoln (Hayley’s S&C coach who works at the University of Wolverhampton and is also a professional Ozzie Rules player) is the expert and I take his advice. I’m lucky that I get to use the university’s S&C suite, which is a great facility.

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Physically strong. Mentally indestructible. . . . Today was a great day. Double run. Strength and conditioning session with @rhys_lincoln_. Psychology session with the Prof Andy Lane. Sports message Truly blessed to be surrounded by such a fantastic team at @wlvuni. Stronger everyday towards @londonmarathon . Standing on that start line… I will be ready. #londonmarathon #strongereveryday

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“Rhys is there for the main session and lets me have lots of stuff remotely. We also have a Whatsapp group that is used largely to abuse Dan for being hopeless at some of the exercises!”

Fuelling long marathon miles should not be overcomplicated

In the modern world of commercialised running, sports supplements and running nutrition advice is abound. 

Carruthers is keen to keep this area of her life as simple as possible, and just eat real food. While she does not shy away from sports drinks such as Maurten, it is her day to day diet of whole foods that keeps her going.

“One of our keys with this is not to overthink,” she confirms. “There’s so much literature and advice out there which I think can become overwhelming. 

“I try to eat unprocessed foods and largely just rely on hunger, which is pretty constant at the moment! I have an awareness that I need a good balance of protein and carbs, but nothing is ever measured, and I certainly never deprive myself of anything.”

Heeding the importance of mental strength in sport 

As any seasoned marathoner will know, being physically well trained for the race is only half the battle. 

The mental side cannot be neglected, but it is surprising how little time many runners put aside to prepare themselves for the negative voices that often rear their ugly heads in the latter stages of the marathon – or even earlier if outside forces are at play, such as adverse weather.

Carruthers has always been well aware of the need to be prepared for those potential race-upsets. 

She has read and listened to sports psychology books and podcasts widely since she began her rapid climb up the ranks of the sport’s elite.

“I do love a mantra,” she admits. “My dad is always a good source for those. ’Run Brave’ was his motto for the Big Half. I knew he was waiting at the end so I tried to think of that throughout the race. I also try to envisage some of the hard sessions I have done and think how I have got through tough times before and I can do it again!

“I listen to podcasts in the car when I am driving to and from work too. I really like ‘Let’s get running’ and ‘Marathon Talk’, they always have really interesting and varied guests and are relatable.

“I read a lot too. My favourite running-related books are ‘Achieve the Possible’ by Greg Whyte and ‘This Mum Runs’ by Jo Pavey, but I’m also enjoying ‘Notes on a nervous planet’, which is a brilliant non-running book.”

It’s impressive the Birchfield Harrier finds time to do anything else outside of work, running, gym work, reading and listening to podcasts, but that she does.

The role of sports psychology in running 

When she’s not doing all of the above, Carruthers meets with Prof Lane on a regular basis to help her prepare for the mental challenges of running and racing at such a high level.

A V50 athlete and a 2:57 marathoner from his V45 days, Lane is a sport and exercise scientist as well as a sports psychologist. 

“I want to learn in all areas,” Carruthers explains. “Dan works with Andy on a daily basis and, seeing as he is one of the most well-respected psychologists working with runners, it makes sense to tap into his knowledge.”

Carruthers is all too aware of how lucky she is to have such a strong team around her at the University of Wolverhampton.

“Given that I am also working (Hayley is a full time research radiographer at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham) it is really fortunate I have the university’s facilities and Dan, Rhys and Andy right on my doorstep,” she says gratefully.

“Dan and Andy have given me a whole toolkit of strategies to help with the mental side of things and I try them out in sessions to see what most suits me. It’s good to have different things to turn to in a race so you aren’t reliant on one thing.

“As I go along I realise it’s ok to be nervous, but that doesn’t mean I will run badly!”

With just one running event on the calendar between now and the London marathon – her birthday parkrun at Walsall Arboretum on April 20th – Carruthers has time to work on those nerves and use that pre-race energy to her benefit.

Is a World Championships qualifying time on the cards? We’ll have to wait and see…

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The post Hayley Carruthers’ marathon training is mentally and physically strong appeared first on Fast Running.

Hayley Carruthers is one of the biggest revelations in British elite distance running in years. Progressing from a complete novice of the sport less than 18 months ago to becoming one of the UK’s strongest endurance athletes gunning for a GB vest, her rise to the top has been meteoric.

Now the Birchfield Harrier is preparing for the biggest race of her life so far – the London Marathon and World Championships qualifying event – with nothing to prove but everything to gain.

The relatively recent addition to one of the UK’s strongest clubs on the track and road was keen to run her best for the Harriers in the recent Midland Road Relays, despite being in heavy marathon training, and did so in style.

Running the fastest long leg of the day by a massive 105 seconds, she was also more than two minutes clear of the next athlete on the first leg. Birchfield won team gold.

Proving her strengths lie not only over the long distances but are top class across the board, Carruthers ran a fine 9:26 in this year’s Armagh International 3k to finish ninth in a stacked field, and has also run seven parkruns between 16:14 and 16:47 in 2019.

Her parkrun best is a lightning quick 15:59 recorded last December at her local event at Walsall Arboretum, the third fastest ever in the UK behind only Charlotte Arter and Jess Piasecki.

Looking ahead to the impending London Marathon

With just over four weeks to go until she attempts to take the next step up in competition, how is Carruthers feeling about the exciting task ahead?

“It’s my first time in this sort of environment and I know that a women’s only race could be a very different experience,” she says, referring to the fact this will be her first time on the elite start line in the London Marathon.

“At the moment we’re just trying to get as fit as possible while staying healthy. There are some fantastic athletes with much more experience than me who, on paper, are favourites for the team.

“That said, of course I’d love to be in a position to compete for the World Championships team in the last few miles. I think it’s important to respect everyone but not really fear them – that can stop you performing at your best.”

Many of those athletes Carruthers refers to who will be toeing the start line in London alongside her are the same big names she competed against at the recent Big Half Marathon.

While the race was won convincingly by Charlotte Purdue, who retained her 2018 title in 70:38 ahead of club mate and Olympian Steph Twell and Welsh half marathon record holder Arter, Carruthers was just seconds behind in fourth.

Photo: Stephen Lee

Her time of 71:57 was a near three minute PB, a result achieved in the middle of one of the windiest periods of the winter and with no specific taper leading up to the event.

She explains what the race meant to her: “I hadn’t raced much in the build-up to the event, so, despite the weather I really wanted to make the most of it.

“I knew I was much fitter than when I ran my PB at the Great North Run last year. I also knew some of the sessions we’d done had prepared me for that level of discomfort you get for an extended period in the half.”

Carruthers finished ahead of London marathon-bound Lily Partridge and Sonia Samuels, as well as her England team mate Helen Davies. While the ambitious athlete is obviously keen to do the same in the English capital on April 28th, she also hopes the top British women will work together going forward.

She explains: “Hopefully we have a group of athletes who can help each other get better over the next few years, and improve standards across the board in the marathon.”

Hayley’s athlete/coach set up with Dan Robinson

The 25 year-old has gone from strength to incredible strength since joining forces with her coach, Dan Robinson, who is studying towards a PhD researching how to cope with fatigue in endurance sports, particularly marathon running, at the University of Wolverhampton’s Department of Sport and Physical Activity.

An accomplished athlete in his own right, Robinson holds PBs of 31:18, 69:51 and 2:29:55 for 10k, half and full marathons.

Carruthers met Robinson at her local parkrun last August when she was training for the Toronto Marathon. She would later go on to run a 2:36:48 13 minute PB in her first outing in an England vest last October (while still being coached by Gary Warhurst), six months after slicing a huge 35 minutes off her marathon time in London.

Dan and Hayley’s first run together was at that same parkrun when he offered to pace her to her first sub-16:50 5k (she ran 16:46). The pair haven’t looked back since.

“I am really happy and feel really lucky to have Dan as my coach,” Carruthers enthuses. “We quickly became pretty good friends and kept in contact from a sport psychology aspect.

“He offered some amazing support to me to help fight the mental battle of marathon training. We get on so well – we have a lot in common besides running – so it felt only natural to join forces.”

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My #medalmonday is devoted to the man behind the magic I truly couldn’t ask for a better coach in so many ways! Thank you for investing your time into teaching me how to run faster . . The @officialbighalf was such a fantastic course and I would highly recommend it! I will definitely be back! Maybe next time I might taper a little for it but with it being my goal B race, there was much more to learn than running a PB. I have learnt so much yesterday about myself and racing and even more in the build up towards this race, you wouldn’t believe. #marathon #halfmarathon #athlete

A post shared by H A Y – C A R R U T H E R S (@mileswithhayley) on Mar 11, 2019 at 2:52am PDT

Dan gets the very best out of Hayley

How does their coaching set up work so well? Pure enjoyment, happiness and having 100% trust in each other, says Carruthers.

“We have a very relaxed approach and adjust the training accordingly on a day-by-day basis to ensure no burnout,” she goes on. “I never look at the next week of training because it used to cause me to worry about a session and that is exhausting in itself.

“However, I have never dreaded a run while being coached by Dan because we keep it achievable – but also very tough. I’ve stopped looking at the sessions planned for the week because it can sometimes make me very anxious that I can’t do the session!”

Effective communication is a crucial component

As with any successful coach-athlete partnership, communication is key to continuous positive progression.

“Dan soon understood what I was capable of, so, as I grew to trust him more, the anxiety around ‘performance’ in a session was quickly alleviated,” she explains. “He regularly says to me ‘just do what you can’ and that is generally a lot more than I think I can. We train together most of the time too as he’s also training for London!

“I’m constantly in awe of his endless knowledge around coaching, training, physiology and psychology.

“I’ve learnt so much in such a short space of time, especially learning to accept the good with the bad days and that it is what it is – you can only do your best and keep showing up.

“I’m definitely still a work in progress though. I tell Dan I’m retiring about three times a week. I think he just tunes it out at this stage!”

Fitting training around full-time work as a radiotherapy cancer researcher

When asked if she thinks her full-time working set up puts her at a disadvantage compared to full-time athletes, she is quick to dismiss the suggestion.

“It may be that in the future I take a break from this to put more time into running, but I don’t think it would necessarily be healthy for me to be a full-time athlete,” she says.

“Also, working at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham keeps my feet firmly on the ground – the work I do there is much more important than times or positions in a running race. Running isn’t going to pay my mortgage either!”

It seems her coach is not just there to set her sessions and provide Carruthers with the best training partner she could ask for though.

He is also there to remind her that she is not the first top athlete to juggle a demanding job with world class performances.

“Dan is always banging on about how Ian Stewart (Scottish long distance Olympian) was the World Cross Country champion while working in a factory, so I definitely don’t think I’m at a disadvantage!”, she laughs.

The power of parkrun

Another key element of Carruthers’ progression up the UK rankings at every distance from 5k to the marathon is parkrun.

Running an impressive 17:40 debut in her first event at Walsall in December 2017, it quickly became clear to her that while parkrun could provide her with the ideal environment to get quicker over 5k, it was also a fantastic social enterprise for runners of all abilities.

“Everyone there is equally important,” she summarises. “There’s just as much support for people getting round their first run as for people trying to chase a time at the front. I also believe it is such a great environment for people to start off in. You can push yourself but without huge pressure.

“I also love volunteering at Walsall parkrun, we have such a great family there now and everyone is so supportive of each other, it’s lovely. The community element of parkrun is the big thing for me.”

Imposter syndrome

Intriguingly, parkrun has also helped Carruthers deal with what she refers to as ‘imposter syndrome’ at major races when she is rubbing shoulders with Olympians and World Championship alumni such as Twell and Purdue.

“While everyone is very friendly but focused on what they have to do at big races like the Big Half, as with any unfamiliar environment you experience some nerves and maybe a bit of imposter syndrome,” she explains.

“However, I think the spirit of parkrun is a good reminder that we are all just human beings doing what we enjoy. I get nervous like anyone else, but Dan and I always talk about this as something we choose to do for enjoyment!”

Financial support

While Carruthers is not a lottery funded athlete – yet – she is grateful for the support she does receive from a number of avenues.

“I’ve been really lucky to get help from a number of places and it’s well beyond anything I ever expected,” she says enthusiastically. “TFT Management have been great at getting me into races, while the kit drops from Start Fitness are like Christmas!

“I’m also fortunate to get some funding through the British Athletics London Marathon partnership, and the England Athletics Marathon Development Programme (which Dan is involved with at the University of Wolverhampton) is really supportive too.

“There are lots of athletes who have achieved so much more than me who seem to struggle to get support, so I certainly don’t take anything for granted.”

The London marathon – taking a balanced approach

So how is this very grounded and humble athlete feeling about her London marathon training block now the big day is fast approaching?

“This is definitely the hardest phase of training so far and I can feel pretty tired,” she says. “While I still do a lower volume than some other runners, recovery is most definitely a priority.

“We monitor that very closely and the training is constantly being adjusted. There is always time to hang out with family but equally they are all very supportive (and will all be at the London marathon). I am going on holiday with some of them after the race, so there’s that to look forward to.”

It’s clear Carruthers has a tight knit support network around her and a coach who not only trains her but also trains with her, providing valuable encouragement and immediate feedback on a daily basis.

When the 25 year-old toes the elite start line in London in four weeks time alongside her British counterparts, who, along with the formerly mentioned athletes include Tracy Barlow, Natasha Cockram and Tish Jones, she will be in just as strong a position as any of them to claim one of those world championship qualifying spots.

Hayley Carruthers and Dan Robinson will be hosting a talk entitled ‘Psychological skills to improve your marathon’ at St Mary’s University in Twickenham, London on April 12. Tickets for the event can be booked at eventbrite.co.uk.

Keep an eye on Fast Running for a follow-up piece on Hayley’s marathon training, the importance of sports psychology in staying mentally tough, and her strong emphasis on strength and conditioning for runners.

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 No goal too big for high flying Hayley Carruthers  appeared first on Fast Running.