In conjunction with Sporting Pride, Athletics Ireland hosted their first ever LGBTQ+ inclusion project.

The reigning National Marathon Champion is known for her success over the 26.2 mile distance, who over the last few years has been focusing on getting that Olympic qualifying time. She currently sits at number five on the all-time Irish list (2:32:34), and at age 33, is still young with many good years of running ahead.

Cooke took the time to talk to over 100 registrants who tuned into the webinar about her experience in Ireland and America as a gay athlete and how that has shaped her experience.

If you thought Ireland was a conservative place until recent times, well Arkansas, where the Cork-woman attended university, could be described as equally conservative. Timing had Aoife in her first year of college when she came to the realisation that she was gay. 

Only eyes for sport at first

As a secondary school student in the early 2000s, she was so engrossed in sport, “I wasn’t interested in boys, but it didn’t bother me too much”. Coupled with the fact that she didn’t know anyone else who was gay as a teenager, which, given the time, doesn’t surprise anyone, it wasn’t until she left Ireland and met people who were gay and became friends with them that “it was there that I came to the realisation that I am gay myself, and I had to let people know really.”

This realisation and subsequent coming out didn’t hinder her athletically, “I think it helped my running in a way, and in Arkansas there was no gay life anyway. I wasn’t going out to gay clubs or anything. It might have been different if I was in Dublin!”

Cooke made the all-too important point that what is going on in your personal life always shows up in your running, and once she came out she was happier in herself. “As an athlete, if you are happy with yourself and your life is going well, your performance reflects that.”

Easier away from home

“It might have helped that I was away from home, it was kind of a new life for me and people didn’t know me from when I was a child. It was easier to come out and be myself over there.” She told her family when she came home and “I was fortunate in the sense that I never really worried that they would really have a problem with it.”

The conversation turned to whether she experienced any negative feedback from the athletics community, or the community in general.

Cooke recounted one story, which isn’t an easy read. In Arkansas she was friends with a group of gay people. One girl was already out, Aoife came out soon after arriving, and another friend in the same group came out not long afterwards. They got a lot of stick, it was “as if she was spreading it”. There were people who were “less than accepting” over there. 

It did lead to some awkward experiences for her. There have been times when she worked in offices where she “had that hesitation to tell people.”

Photo: David Fitzgerald sportsfile

Easier to keep quiet?

She would ask herself “do I need this awkward situation right now.”

Also in the athletics community, “it can happen in the sport if you’re out at races and people are asking you in general , you know do you have a boyfriend, and you’re like oh god, what do I say to that now. Situations like that can cause a fear or anxiety.” 

That example of being asked about boyfriends is something we can all be guilty of. The impact that seemingly harmless questions can have on an LGBTQ+ person is a good lesson on the importance of using inclusive language that ensures everyone feels free to be themselves.

On the whole though, the Eagle AC athlete didn’t find she faced many sporting barriers as a gay athlete. “I’m a bit biased here but in general when you go running to any sort of local race… runners are very supportive of everything.

There are all types of people go to these races. People who have all their different goals… Every person has their own individual goal and their own story as well. Everyone is so open to telling you where they’re from and what got them into running.  So, me being a lesbian runner was never an issue. I’ve been overwhelmed by how supportive people have been actually.”

Is this specific to the running world?

Running has a different vibe to other sports and it’s definitely a place that welcomes everyone, all types of people and personalities.

“There are probably stereotypes about LGBT people. Like a gay man can’t play soccer, and in the locker room there can be issues. That can make people hesitant to get involved in sport like that.”

“I feel fortunate, I haven’t come across negativity personally but that’s not the case for a lot of people.”

To support those around us, Cooke suggests letting people know that there is support out there. There is “a lot out there that is confidential, if you’re not ready to be open about it yet.”

There are also various support groups, Cooke recommends looking at the Sporting Pride website, which is a volunteer run LGBTQ+ community organisation who focus on developing sport within the LGBTQ+ community. 

Sporting Pride aim to use sport as a medium for breaking down social obstacles.

I have said before that sport is a great equaliser, one of the few places that you can leave your misconceptions, prejudices, stereotypes, different backgrounds and issues at the door and just enjoy the sport for what it is.

There are Frontrunners groups in Cork and Dublin. Aoife is a coach in the Cork group, describing them as a “great bunch of people. It’s a running group and a social group – they wanted me to reiterate!”

Through Sporting Pride, any LGBTQ+ person can represent Ireland on the international sports stage, and the focus is on participation rather than competition.

Some big events coming up are the European Games in Copenhagen 2021, the Gay Games in Hong Kong November 2022. More information can be found about those events, as well as lots more, on Sporting Pride.

There are also various support groups, Cooke recommends looking at the Sporting Pride website, which is a volunteer run LGBTQ+ community organisation who focus on developing sport within the LGBTQ+ community.

The post Standing Proud appeared first on Fast Running.

LINK: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2020.00102/full 

New research has shown that there were more similarities than differences between heel-strikers and those who land on the midfoot or forefoot. Specifically this was with World Championship marathon runners.

The study, available for free download from the open access journal, Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, analysed 28 men and 28 women competing in the marathon at the 2017 IAAF World Championship, held in London. The athletes analysed included six British and Irish runners.

The athletes were analysed using 3D techniques. Their running biomechanics were measured near the end of the loop on the last two laps. Half of the athletes analysed in each race were heel-strikers. The other half were midfoot or forefoot strikers.

No discernible differences

Surprisingly, there were no differences in step length, step frequency or speed between how each group landed. However, the midfoot and forefoot strikers did land with their foot a few centimetres closer to the body. In turn they relied more on distance covered during flight.

Nearly all of the technical differences between heel-strikers and midfoot-strikers unsurprisingly occurred at first contact with the ground, with the rest of the running movement virtually identical.

Men and women had similar running styles.  Men’s faster running speeds occurred mostly because they had longer steps. The main visual difference between the sexes was that men bent their knees more when swinging them forwards under the body in recovery.

Neither mid foot or heel striking preventing a slow down

As expected, nearly all athletes slowed from the second-last to the last lap.  Neither footstrike pattern helped to prevent this.

Heel-strikers are advised that changing to midfoot or forefoot-striking is unlikely to provide any improvements in marathon performance, and to work within their natural style to develop cardiovascular and muscular endurance.

What to take away?

Fast Running Coach Robbie Britton suggests “this isn’t information to change how you’re running, but just goes to show that if someone suggests they’ve “cracked the code”, it’s just not that simple.”

“We’re all really different and if you’re a forefoot, mid-foot or heel striker and you’re not injured then take confidence in your running  from this research.”

Interested readers can contact the authors for more information by emailing Dr Brian Hanley (b.hanley@leedsbeckett.ac.uk).

Want to run faster? For just £30 per month athletes are provided with a Final Surge plan for each day of the week, coaching advice from Robbie Britton and Tom Craggs, as well as access to the unique Fast Running Performance community.

If you would like more information on joining the project, click here. 

The post Heel striking makes little difference to marathon appeared first on Fast Running.

“In the best shape of my goddamn life” is the Strava caption the fifth fastest Irish marathoner chose for her Sunday Long Run, the last marathon run of this training segment.

Except there was no marathon at the end of the build up, and there will be no Olympics. Her 20 mile run lasted exactly two hours with an average pace of 6’02/mile. The 15 miles she ran at marathon pace were a smoking 5’32-5’43. This author can probably run one mile at that pace.

On the last hurrah, she commented that “At that point I knew there wasn’t any racing going ahead so me and the lads said this is our race so lets just give it all we have.” The Olympic hopeful was due to run Vienna in a bid to run the automatic qualifying standard, but Vienna was the first running event to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Her best remains, for now, at 2:32:34.

“Given everything that’s happened since, it’s understandable that these races have been cancelled so I can’t be hanging up on it too much.”

Is Cooke less upset now that everyone is affected by the cancellations?

“Yes and I know that sounds a bit selfish, but yes,” she laughs “Vienna was the first one to cancel, I was a bit upset then, but then they all started coming out; Hamburg, Rotterdam, London. There are going to be no races until who knows when, so there is no point. I had back ups, I was entered into Hamburg and Manchester as well and obviously they’re all gone, so I tried.”

What does an athlete do when she is in the shape of her life and cannot race?

Close but no cigar. But it doesn’t mean she doesn’t get the benefit of the 100+ mile weeks and a stint at altitude in Iten, the Home of Champions.

“It is frustrating I am not going to lie, I would have loved to have gone out and see what I can do. I feel I was in 2’28 or 2’29 shape if I was able to do Vienna. I said look I can just give up now or maybe make this an opportunity and build on this fitness that I do have.”

A rock of sense, the Irish athlete reasons that “In my head I know I am in 2’28 or 2’29 shape and if I had run a marathon it is possible that I could have ran that. The natural progression of any athlete is to improve. Ok I didn’t have the marathon at the end but I am in that shape and I can work on that. It’s not gone to waste, it could work out in my favour.”

Processing the reality of the situation took a while, naturally.

“I did grasp at straws for a little bit. When Vienna went, it was the first one but I had my backups. And then we were looking at Manchester and the UK are not really taking the virus seriously.

“That did get cancelled which I think is fair enough. I think last Thursday when [An Taoiseach] Leo Varadkar came out with the school’s closure, it really hit home, the seriousness of everything. And I was like even if Manchester was to go ahead, would it be a responsible thing to do? I was debating it in my head for a while and they ended up cancelling it anyway.”

That probably made a morally difficult decision a bit easier, despite the consequences.

“To be honest, I am ok with it. There are a lot bigger things going on. My athletic career goes well beyond this year. This wasn’t it. I hope it goes on for another few years. It’s a blip, a setback, but all athletes have to expect that in their career anyway. I just didn’t expect it to be this. An injury or an illness would have been a lot more frustrating actually.”

The Cork woman puts things into clear perspective. “Loads of people are having this predicament, not just athletes and not just me. People have weddings booked, it’s huge. People’s lives are being turned upside down.”

Photo: David Fitzgerald sportsfile

Sonia O’Sullivan called for the Olympics to be cancelled, so athletes can have clarity.

“I know for me it’s gone because there are no qualifying races between now and the deadline. I’ve scratched it off, it’s not a possibility [even] if it does go ahead. I am not marathon training anymore. But for any athlete who has qualified, or is still trying to qualify, they do need that clarity on whether they are training for something.

“Here [in Ireland] it’s not too bad, we can still go out and train, but in places like Italy, France and Spain they can’t. So is that fair that they can’t train to the best of their ability?”

“People spend years training for it and now it’s interrupted, and that’s not just athletics that’s every sport. Team sports can’t train together. I do think they need to put athletes’ minds at ease. I know they’re talking about the supporters and the media, but really it’s the athletes who should be the ones taken into account the most.”

Closed Games?

Speaking of a compromise whereby the Games would be held in a closed stadium, like some sports are doing at the moment to keep leagues running, would that be feasible in her opinion?

“Would I even want to go to an Olympics where there are no supporters? I don’t think you can even perform to your best without supporters and the atmosphere.

The supporters around the course in Dublin [2019] drove me around, I don’t know if I would have done what I did without so much support. It does drive you on especially in those last miles, you need that uplift to get you through it. It would be a bleak Olympics if there were empty stadiums.”

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 In the best shape of your life and no where to race appeared first on Fast Running.

The Berlin Marathon is a big deal. 47,000 runners, a glittering elite field and consistent world best times. Some may be drawn to the Ye Olde charm of Boston, but there is no doubt that in global road running Berlin is The Big Show.

Yet if the ocean of twitchy, nervous runners that line up on the Straße des 17. Juni on a  September Sunday morning think they’re about to run the best marathon in the world, they’re kidding themselves. It isn’t even the best marathon in Berlin. It isn’t even the best marathon in Berlin that weekend.

The real Berlin marathon

Because the previous afternoon a different group nervously twitched behind that same start line. Not quite the gargantuan hoarde which lines up on the Sunday but, at 5,000 people, a considerable crowd nonetheless. In almost every respect the two events are the same; the same organisers, the same headline sponsors, the same pints of alcohol free Erdinger at the finish. All but 7 of the their 42.195 kilometres are identical. 

The only significant difference is that those racing on the Saturday are wearing rollerblades.

This past Saturday I was one of those with wheels on their feet. My debut roller marathon marked the end of a twelve year haiatus from the sport, having spent god knows how many hours of my teens jumping down stairs, mucking up benches and walls with liberal applications of candle wax and being chased out of the Eastgate Shopping Centre in Inverness while trying to buy sweets.

The author looking like a ‘pro”. He did ask if we could use the word “bell-end” on Fast Running. Photo: John Kelly

Not quite your youth offender skaters

Looking around, I found little in common between those I was skating with in Berlin and those with whom I’d terrorised innocent highland security guards. This new lot, though not all outwardly athletic, were clearly dressed for an activity which differed from the one I had been used to.

Aero helmets and skin suits were in. Wallet chains and Linkin Park t-shirts were notable only by their absence. 

Even accounting for the sad lack of metal band t-shirts, anyone who, given the option, opts to run the Berlin Marathon, rather than skate it, is an idiot.

Why the skate marathon is better

Before they’ve even tied their laces on the first day of training, the skaters have a much better deal. Runners taking their chances in the lottery must get their entry in in October and stand around a 1 in 11 chance of getting in.

By contrast, my inline skate marathon entry went in one morning in June while as I sat in bed with a cup of tea. In half an hour we’d sorted race entries, travel and accommodation.

No waiting around, no uncertainty, no I got in but my wife didn’t, and no need to tweet that it’s the  47^th straight year you didn’t get in and the lottery is clearly rigged!

The runner’s entry stress is mirrored by their race day experience. A 6am alarm to eat whatever miserable high carb gruel they think will help their performance, followed by hours spent cheek by jowel with 50,000 similarly misguided “athletes” in Vaporflys, getting hearty lungfuls of deep heat and body odour and agonizing over whether it’s worth the trauma to make a last minute dash to the portaloo.

By the time they finally crawl across the startline some time before 10, the carbohydrate you got out of bed for four hours earlier has come and gone.

Time for a lie in

The skaters, by contrast, don’t start until 3:30 in the afternoon. A lie in, a relaxed stroll round an art gallery, a boozy lunch in an unbearably cool Berlin cafe; these are the race day rituals of an inline skater.

There’s ample space to sit and put your skates on, the queues for the toilet are mercifully short, and dropping your drop bag takes mere moments. In fact, the worst part of the skate marathon, at least for those languishing in the final start wave, is having to hear the same 60 seconds of AC/DC’s Hells Bells 8 times.

Eight tiny, inevitable disappointments that they haven’t slipped in one For Whom the Bell Tolls.

The race itself

Skating through Berlin is a joy. Try rollerblading the course of any UK marathon and at best you’ll need a few new fillings. At worst extensive skin grafts and a couple of plaster casts. Rolling through Berlin is like skating on a snooker table. Floating on air in your finest silk slippers.

And even on the occasions when tram lines distrupt this frictionless reverie, all you can think is I bet those form part of a well integrated, affordable public transport system. Famous landmarks whizz by and then, before you know it, you’re done.

A skater will finish in around half the time of a similarly competent runner. (Bart Swings 56:49 course record comes out just shy of 45kph).

This year, in the pissing rain, Felix Rijhnen ended Swings’ six year winning streak. World and European titles, world records, Olympic medals; he’s still no Finlay Wild.

And then off, into the continental evening to find another hip and happening eatery in which to knock back pints of hefeweizen and trade tales of glory. Even with the later start time, the skaters are two pints to the good before the runners, wincing and clutching at cramping quads, have even made it downstairs into the s-bahn station. Idiots.

*Ally Beaven is a Scottish hill runner who loves long and technical ultra distance mountain races and reckons he could go under two hours for a marathon, but it would all be down to his special shoes. If you feel like more dry humour, inline skating and hill running is a mix you need, follow Ally on Twitter.

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 you’re doing the wrong Berlin Marathon appeared first on Fast Running.

Talent obviously plays a role when it comes to sport but what sets talented people apart?

I’m sure most runners have heard about “the zone” but what really is this? I’m also sure I’m not the only runner who has been asked “what do you think about when you run?” most of the time I can’t give an answer, or I just brush it off with the answer “nothing, I just zone out”.

What really got me thinking is when I then got asked “How do you think about nothing and what do you mean, zone out”. Maybe zoning out is “the zone”, the state when we are not concerned about ourselves or our surroundings, in fact the state that we just don’t think!

What got me thinking even more is the thought that I am perhaps just weird, as running 40 laps of an 800-metre reservoir for a Sunday long run sounds terribly boring and even a little insane but somehow, it’s over before I know it.

I have lost count of how many times someone has told me they waved to me when I passed them on a run and I ‘ignored them’. More often than not I am completely unaware of passing someone whilst on a run or passing a car I know. 

Why is this?

Sports psychologists often refer to elite sportspeople as someone who thinks differently to their competitors which then sets them apart.

However, psychologist Dr. Beecham put’s it differently suggesting ‘the reality is not that they think differently, they simply don’t think. There is an absence of thought, cognition and emotion’. It’s as if the unconscious mind moves faster than the conscious mind forcing us to run in “the zone”.

RELATED: You can’t do it all on your own, the importance of good support

The mind is controlling the body, almost as if the brain is the computer system and your belief system is your software. So, you could be gifted and you could be in great shape, but if the way that your mind is functioning is counter to that, you’ll never realise your physical potential.

How do we get in “the zone”?

I think the healthier your mindset the more likely you are going to be able to go into “the zone”. Whilst I experience it on a lot of my runs it is still something I am yet to consistently experience in races.

This is probably because my conscious mind takes over, not giving my unconscious mind a chance to take control. 

When we aren’t in “the zone” and our conscious mind is in control and we are thinking, this is when we need to think differently. Thinking of doing things differently to the average person is necessary to be better than average. We live in a culture and society where we are obsessed with ‘better’ no matter what area of life we are referring to.

The problem with ‘better’ is it is only about the future, not about the now. Performance and everything you do is in the present moment. Whatever situation you are in, even if it’s not an ideal situation you can still make the best of it.

Comparison is the thief of joy

In one of my previous blogs I talked about how comparing yourself to others can be detrimental as it takes you away from your current self. The comparison game also applies to comparing your current self to your previous self and future self.

I know I have underperformed on several occasions because I have been thinking about the things I still needed to do to build myself; the miles, the speed work, the weights etc. that I still needed to do to get faster, when I should’ve been thinking “this is me now, this is now, so let’s do this”. This way of thinking means my conscious mind is more active, disabling my unconscious mind to take charge thus preventing me from going into “the zone”. 

It is impossible to be “ready” or perfectly prepared for every race you stand on the start line for, especially with marathon running.

You can only peak and be ready a couple times throughout the year. Instead of trying to perfect everything, sometimes it is better to think about optimizing everything which will then in return get you closer to perfection.

If we strive for perfection all the time and constantly compare, it will drive us insane. If you consistently do your best in the present, overtime you will develop and ultimately get better and get closer to perfection. 

Photo credit: Porthcawl 10km

Don’t play the comparison game

Hopefully we can all say we are in a better place than our previous self but sometimes things happen along the way that can set you back. For example, you might be slower now than last year, but this doesn’t necessarily mean you are not a better athlete now. This is why we should not use the comparison game.

Perhaps you have had an injury or illness that has set you back or perhaps you have tried a new training method which you haven’t yet adapted to, or you have tried and realised it isn’t the right method for you. There are always going to be barriers along the way, we are human, we are dynamic and we are always changing.

Even the best athletes will go from having a lot of confidence to having little. Instead of comparing or thinking we aren’t good enough we should ask ourselves “How do I get back?” or “How do I improve?”. It goes back to looking at the bigger picture and reminding ourselves that everyone has a bad day, or even a bad month or year. 

The training diary

This then brings me on to the importance of keeping a training diary and also setting goals. Keeping up to date on my training logs has not been my strongest point over the years, however it is something I have realised is so important to optimise myself.

It can be a great tool to figure things out such as what works for you, what doesn’t work and can also be a reminder of the good work you have done and a reminder of why you are doing what you are doing. I try to record as much as possible in my training diary including mileage, workouts, paces, recovery, how I felt, the weather, occasionally my weight and any other factors that I feel necessary including sleep and hydration (two things I am trying to improve on so are often a written weekly goal).

Goal setting should be one of your goals

Goals are another important part of being an athlete. Training your mind is just as important as the physical aspect of running, and doing so can begin with goal setting. They help to keep us focused and driven by giving a sense of direction and meaning.

It’s important to set short, medium, and long-term goals so that we have direction and measures to follow and motivate us. It’s essential that when setting goals, they are SMART meaning- specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time- based.

RELATED: How to be SMART about setting your goals 

I have found goal setting a lot easier to do since working with my coach. My coach knows what is realistic but also challenging and the fact that I trust him and we share the same goals helps to maintain the accountability and the belief that they are possible. 

No matter what level you run at, it is possible to go into “the zone”. Don’t let your conscious thoughts get in the way. Enjoy what you are doing and instead of trying to think your way through your running route, allow your subconscious to be your guide. 

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 Getting in the zone appeared first on Fast Running.

The 36th edition of the  Snowdonia Marathon Eryri takes place on  Saturday, October 27 and this year’s race in Llanberis, Wales will welcome 3000 runners from all over the world.

Each year sees a new chapter in this classic Welsh event unfold as runners take on some of the most testing terrain imaginable for a road marathon as they ascend and descend through the scenery of Bwlch Llanberis and Nant Gwynant to name but two of the race’s  breathtaking scenic treats.

There are few marathons in the UK that can claim to have the same history. The race proudly boasts to have had some of the greatest battles and performances over the years, from some of the UK’s top mountain and marathon runners.

Names such as Jeff Norman, Martin Cox, Rob Samuel, Andrea Rowlands and Lizzy Hawker have graced the event, with Norman’s time of 2:28:02 from 1985 surely ranking as one of the great marathon performances in the UK from the last four decades.

Returning champions to face off

This year returning champion Dan Jones will go head-to-head with 2016 winner Russell Bentley in what promises to be a great battle on the roads of Snowdonia, as both will want to make it to the top of the podium once again.

Local-man Bentley has been rounding into some great form after completing the Berlin Marathon in September, finishing second at the Chester Marathon in early October and running a season’s best half marathon time of 68:26 in Manchester last weekend.

Jones will be equally tuned-up for Snowdonia. The Team Bath man has had some solid autumn performances and after finishing second to Bentley in 2016 he returned to take the title in emphatic style last year.

Lancashire man Gary Priestley will make Snowdonia his debut marathon and with a personal best half marathon of 68:23 the Salford Harrier will also look to challenge for honours next weekend.

An interesting entrant in the men’s race is Julius Mwangi. The Kenyan runner was a 2:15 marathoner back in 2004, but has raced lightly in the last couple of years, and his first visit to the Snowdonia race will only add to the international flavour.

Rowlands the queen of marathon and ultra in Snowdonia

Former winner Andrea Rowlands is looking to take yet another women’s crown. The Eryri Harrier has had a great season over ultra-distances, winning both the Snowdonia Trail Ultra and Ultra Trail Wales this summer and will be difficult to beat on a course she knows very well.

Third place runner from 2017 Sarah Cumber will once again challenge for the title, along with 2017 5th place woman Emma Wookey.

36th race for 75 year old Iorwerth Roberts

Race evergreen Iorwerth Roberts will also be back in 2018 for his 36th race, as the 75 year-old is the only runner to have competed in every single event since 1982. A recent win at the Bangor Half Marathon showed that the Glan Conwy man is once again ready to take on Eryri.

The 2018 event will also see the usual one-hour S4C TV highlights package on the Sunday evening, and with social media reach at an all-time high for the race, this year’s marathon is set to truly reach a global audience. There will also be a Facebook live feed to view and supporters will be able to keep up-to-date with their chaosen runner via the TDL Race Tracker.

Junior races too

Race-day also sees the continuation of the highly popular junior races which will take place in the village centre, finishing on the same high street location as the marathon and will be sponsored long-term, partner Buff and by race merchandise providers Cowbois.

Other event sponsors for the 2018 race are headwear specialists Buff and High 5 Sports Nutrition, who will keep the runners fuelled over the gruelling 26.2-mile route, along North Wales BMW and Mini dealer Halliwell Jones who will provide the race with lead vehicles and new partner Runderwear.

The race once again partners with cancer charity Tenovus and they will be bringing their mobile unit along for participants and spectators to learn a little more about the fantastic work they do.

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us. 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 Champions return for the Snowdonia Marathon Eryri appeared first on Fast Running.

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon announced on Thursday (June 14) that four-time Olympic gold medalist, six-time world champion Mo Farah will join the 2018 Chicago Marathon elite competition.

In 2012, Farah became the first British athlete in history to win an Olympic gold at the 10,000m, and he is just the second athlete in history to pull off back-to-back gold medals in both the 5000m and 10,000m at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games.

The Chicago Marathon marks Farah’s third go at the distance and his first 42K on U.S. soil. He joins defending champion and former training partner, Galen Rupp, at the front of this year’s elite pack. Farah and Rupp made history together at the 2012 London Olympics, finishing with the gold and silver in the 10,000m.

“Mo and Galen are two of the greatest distance runners of all time,” said Executive Race Director of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon Carey Pinkowski. “They come to Chicago following in the footsteps of incredible runners like Khalid Khannouchi, Sammy Wanjiru, Moses Tanui, Paul Tergat, Steve Jones and more. These two runners have competed at the highest level of competition and I’m confident they will come prepared for what’s shaping up to be an epic showdown.”

Farah made his marathon debut in 2014 in London, clocking 2:08: 21 to finish eighth. He refocused his energy on the track and the 2016 Rio Olympics before tackling the distance again this spring. He finished third in London with a new personal best and a national record, 2:06:21.

Farah dazzled fans at the 2016 Rio Olympics when he experienced a dramatic fall, tumbling hard to the track, in the 10,000m. Instead of panicking, he found his feet, rejoined the pack and ran away from the rest of the field to win gold. In addition to his Olympic and world titles, he has landed on the top of the podium 20 times in the Diamond League track competitions.

Farah holds national track records in the 1500m, 3000m, two-mile, 5000m and 10,000m, and British road records in the 5K, 10K, 20K, half marathon and marathon. In 2017, Farah was named BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year.

Setting ideal conditions for fast times

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon in 2018 will re-introduce pacers – “rabbits” – into the elite competition after breaking from the tradition for the past few years.

“The championship style of racing that spectators enjoy will continue as the race enters its final miles,” Pinkowski said. “The epic 2010 duel between the late Wanjiru and Tsegaye Kebede – arguably one of the greatest finishes in marathon history –underscores the importance of the tactics that still exist and flourish in paced races.”

Pinkowski and event organizers decided to transition back to pacers to leverage the speed of the course, to work towards setting up ideal conditions for the top tier elite athletes confirmed so far, and to respond to feedback received from runners.

“We listened to the athletes and they want to come to Chicago because of our tradition of fast times and our legacy as a world record course,” continued Pinkowski. “If athletes want to run in races without pacers, there are several opportunities for them to do so.”

The post Mo Farah and Galen Rupp to battle at Chicago Marathon appeared first on Fast Running.

The 26-year-old British international is best known for running across the mountains in Europe, and an occasional outing at the London Marathon.

This includes a 2:15:04 best this year that earned him a place at the World Championships. Unfortunately, injury ruled the Scot out of London 2017, but he is now back training and racing and ready for the next goal.

When not running over a range of terrains, he can be found in the kitchen exploring different tastes of the world – and since adopting a vegetarian diet this love for cooking has grown even more.

Simpson chats with Fast Running about mountains and roads, training, cooking and what prompted him to give up meat.

What is it about mountain running you love?

I love being in the mountains, travelling around and seeing different places. This summer I was training in different parts in Switzerland, and at one point I was training up at 7000 ft at a little ski resort.

It was just amazing waking up every day and seeing all the jagged mountain peaks with the sun rising.

After the mountains, it has to be the trails. I have always enjoyed the trails and even when I am training for a road marathon I still spend most of my time off road in the forest running.

Do you find mountain running benefits your road running?

There are pluses and minuses. Because of the strength I build from the mountains I never have a problem with long runs on the road, especially hilly courses and holding the same pace throughout.

It definitely benefits the longer distances and endurance side of things, but you do lose your speed initially. If I go straight into a 10k of the mountain running season I really struggle to run a PB.

What is your favourite distance on the roads?

Marathon definitely. The half marathon is a good distance to race over for training, but I just feel a lot more comfortable at the longer distance. At the marathon level, I am just able to push that bit more and compete.

And what is your favourite distance in the mountains?

I think the marathon as well, but I do like the short steep races too. They are often about 10km in distance and take about an hour to complete because of the ascent.

With the longer races its good to have that bit more time to ease into the race, and then push at the end when others start to fade.

Does your training change between mountains and roads?

It changes quite a bit. I tend to race a lot in the mountains during the summer, so my week could look like a race at the weekend, followed by a session on the hills on a Tuesday something like 8 x 3 minutes uphill. Or it could be on the flat, something like a progression run.

In the winter it is more marathon focused for the roads. So instead of doing three-minute reps uphill I would something similar on the flat. I would also have a longer tempo runs up to 18 miles sometimes.

In terms of long runs, when its summer its more about vertical metres on hills than miles, but when it comes to the summer it’s about getting the miles in on the flat.

In a week when training for a marathon my weekly mileage would average 110 miles, whereas when I am focused on the mountains it’s more like 80 miles just because of the vertical climbing.

Did you ever compete on the track?

Only a bit when I was under 13 or under 15. But not really, the nearest track was in Aberdeen but even at that, I lived quite far away from it.

So I just didn’t get the practice on the track growing up and the competitions were always far away. Saying that I always just preferred to be out running in the forest instead of sitting in a car to get to a track.

What advice would you have for anyone considering the mountains?

Just go and give it a go. Unfortunately though in the UK there just isn’t the same amount of traditional mountain races that there are in the rest of Europe. I lived outside of the UK for three years because of the races in Europe. It would be worth giving that a go.

A lot of people can sometimes be put off by thinking they are not good technically downhill, but actually, a lot of the big international races are uphill only. But guys from a road or track background tend to do very well in those races because you need that speed as well as the strength.

A lot of people confuse it with fell running, but it is not the same at all and takes a different set of skills. You can do very well in it if you are from a road, track and cross country background.

If you like hills just give it a try.

What is the biggest lesson you have learnt in your career?

Recently the amount of training I do and the importance of not overdoing things. You can get away with it for a while but then the injuries to come. Even if you feel good after a race it still doesn’t mean you have recovered – you do need to take to rest.

What are your interests away from sports?

I am quite into cooking and experimenting with different recipes. So I might explore that passion a bit more at some point.

On the subject of food, what’s your pre and post race nutrition like?

Pre-race, the night before I tend to go for pizza. I make my own before most races, and pizza is always a good choice after the race too. I have been a vegetarian for a year now so I avoid meat on my pizzas.

The morning of a race it would be oats – not porridge  – I make my own with different fruits and seeds.

So how have you found life as vegetarian?

It’s great actually. At the beginning, I wasn’t too sure, but I wouldn’t look back now. It has got me a lot more interested in cooking and my health. Before I just would have cooked a bit of meat and had whatever alongside it. Whereas now, I spend a lot more time exploring different foods and all kinds of different recipes.

In terms of performance, I used to get a lot of stomach pains when running I was never too sure as to what it was – if it was dairy, eating too much meat or something else. But since I have cut out meat and milk my stomach troubles have just disappeared – so this has been great for training.

For recovery, it has been good for me too. People always say you need loads of protein etc. but I’ve found get more than enough from plant-based sources and if anything I recover better now after sessions.

You mentioned you don’t drink milk anymore, do you avoid all dairy?

No, I still have a bit of cheese on pizza. The main thing was because I like oats a lot I was then drinking a lot of milk every day. I actually cut milk out a long time ago, so from the age of 18 to 20, I have been using plant-based alternatives.

The only dairy I eat now is the occasional bit of cheese.

What motivated you to adopt a vegetarian diet?

The environment side I think is really important, something that a lot of people don’t realise. At university, I was studying countryside management and it included a lot of environmental topics, including farming and the impact deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions have on the planet.

When you learn and do some research it really makes you think a lot. It’s really the scale of it, there are so many people across the world eating meat and dairy to excess and the impact of this is huge.

I think the one stat that is publicised now a bit is that the impact of the livestock emissions has a more damaging effect on the planet than the whole transportation industry combined.

People are starting to realise this a bit and acting, and even just eating less meat and dairy products can be a big help.

I am from a farming area myself, and when its a way of life and your livelihood I can understand peoples reluctance to giving up or reducing the amount of meat produced. But a lot of the problems is the intensive farming – the sheer scale of it in some places. A lot the crops that are growing around the world are just to feed livestock, and this has caused a lot of deforestation around the world.

I am have nothing against the agricultural and farming, I just think there are different options that we can and should look to. There are other things that we could do with the land.

Do you think more people will reduce or stop eating meat anytime soon?

In the western world, we have always had the tradition of eating meat regularly, and it’s become a bit of status thing. Other parts of the world are now developing, that traditionally they may not have consumed much meat, but as they are becoming more wealthy they are following the example of the western world.

This demand on a global scale is what’s responsible for so many issues around the world.

The industries play a large part too, promoting that you need to eat this much meat or drink this much milk – when actually this is all driven by profits and not your actual health.

But there are more people starting to adopt a vegetarian or vegan diet, and I anyone who I have spoken to has only positive things to say.

Apart from a bit of cheese on pizza everything that I cook is vegan, and this type of cooking opens up a whole new world if you try it. It good to try these things and just see how good food can be. When I was living over in Europe a lot of athletes I meet were vegetarian or vegan.

The post Robbie Simpson: Mountains, roads and vegetables appeared first on Fast Running.