Pre race energies 

Everyone likes to get obsessive about the weather and what they eat the night before their race, and with high stakes like the trials, of course this was no different. 

Clara Edwards, laughs ‘us runners really are a funny bunch’, ‘ it was so funny seeing all the athletes arrive with their cooking paraphernalia in the lobby. I saw microwaves, I took a toaster for my breakfast, the only thing that didn’t get bought was a kitchen sink!’ .

Reading AC’s Naomi Mitchell recalls that “everyone was in really good spirits and excited to race. We were all trying to gauge the weather on our warm up loop to see how windy it was going to be” and Rosie Edwards found “the energy around the race was so positive and I think every athlete was grateful to be there. It felt different to all other marathons. There was a positive atmosphere and gratitude.”

The level of attrition from this lead pack was possibly higher than usual on the slightly lonely looped route in Kew. Credit: Nigel Bramley

Going in confident

The only one already with a qualifying time, Steph Davis had been waiting a long time to run this race and had plenty of time to think about what might happen.

But rather than focussing on the magnitude of the task the Clapham Chaser made sure she just had a “pre-race chat with my coach and played through different scenarios in my mind so that in the moments before the start I was only focussing on the warmup and the final bits of preparation”.

That said, she did “change outfit about three times” thanks to the very mixed forecast.

Of course this was no normal race situation and for marathon debutante Becky Briggs there was not only the first time nerves but also the fact that “the concept of a start line felt so unfamiliar” and they had to do “our warmup strides with a mask on”.

Imagine racing the trials in the middle of a pandemic as your first marathon – and as the youngest competitor!

Running into the wind

What might not have been completely clear from the online coverage was that while the course was indeed a fast one, and the potentially sharp corners had been carefully smoothed out, there was quite a headwind on the longest straight section of the route. 

As we now know, the race ranged from textbook, to tantalising, to unexpectedly wonderful, to frustratingly awful for the women taking part. Understandably some didn’t want to think about it again because it was all a bit too raw, but others were able to share some of the positives and negatives of the day.

Elite marathoners are not immune to stomach and nutrition issues and that does seem to have been a common theme of this race.

Some just had to battle with the trials of being female – Charlotte Taylor-Green had bad stomach issues due to being on her period but refuses to be upset by it “you can’t control everything – my body and health is priority and I did what I had to for me… I want to continue running for a long time, there’s no rush”. 

Clara Evans, Naomi Mitchell and Becs Gentry working together with their pace group. Credit: Nigel Bramley

Not every plan works out as you want

For Naomi Mitchell the day didn’t pan out as she hoped either, “early on I had some frustrating stomach cramps but was finding the pace easy. I decided to drop back and let my stomach settle but…the wind meant I couldn’t get back into a rhythm and ended up slowing”. 

Youngster Becky Briggs had an impressive start and kept going with the pacers for as long as possible. Many commented at the time on her gutsy attitude and it was only at half way that she took the decision to drop back a bit after realising that the pace was too intense.

Unfortunately it was too late and the damage was done “it was like I hit a wall, I didn’t take nearly enough fuel in the first half and really paid the price for that”.

Becky Briggs tackling hard solo miles in the second half. Photo: Nigel Bramley

It’s an easy mistake to make when everything is feeling good and Becky told us that she nearly gave in at 21 miles (which she’d completed at 2:32 pace). “My mind and body were really fighting each other but I was determined to get to the end“.

One wonders whether a bit more of an atmosphere might have helped her out at this point and Bekcy agrees “it would have made a huge difference. All the marshalls there did a great job, but nothing beats a roaring crowd all the way round. There were some really lonely parts of Kew”.

Instead she battled on with just the covid-safe crew doing their best to help out, “around 10k to go was really bad, my vision had blurred and I was stumbling around but I kept telling myself ‘Becky you do not give up, that is not who you are’ “. And she did, completing the race in 2:38:58 after walk-running the last 5 miles.

Training the gut for race day too

Sarah Inglis, one of the pre-race favourites had a similarly gruelling trudge to the end, but she doesn’t think even a crowded mass-marathon would have helped her ““I had a similar experience in Arizona (her debut of 2:29:41) with no crowds. I don’t think it made much of a difference.. If it had been my first race I’d have said never again”.

She puts her experience down to not training enough with the gels she planned to use “the first bit felt easy and within myself but I felt sick from miles 16-18 and I couldn’t take any bottles or fuel and my pace just dropped off…I tried self talk, mantras, everything but the negative talk became overwhelming and I was so glad to see the finish line.

“My grandmother said she felt so sad for me when she saw me sat on the curb at the end.”

Becky Briggs leading the pace early on in her marathon debut with Sarah Inglis also at the front of the lead group with Steph Davis. Photo: Nigel Bramley

The race begins at 20 miles…

Wales’s Clara Evans had a much less dramatic experience but still had her own issues with nutrition, she felt “incredible to 30k (her 25-30k split was only beaten by Steph) but my fuelling strategy just wasn’t right. I’d never raced with what I used on the day and I think I’ve learned the lesson that it doesn’t work for me. Perhaps in normal times I‘d have had a chance to trial them in a half marathon but it wasn’t to be. I was being sick a lot from 20 miles and I just couldn’t take on anything which was a massive shame as my legs had more to give.”

Evans had moved up into third place with 5k to go but lost about a minute on the last lap and when it was finished I was just happy it was over”. Despite that, she ran a storming time and qualified for the Commonwealth Games.

Not everyone had a tough day at the office

Rosie Edwards shows that flexible fuelling can pay off. She “was surprised when the whole field seemed to go out with the 2:28/29 pacers but held back and stuck to the plan”.

By mile nine other women were coming back to her and she passed through halfway in 1:15:48. But it wasn’t all plain sailing. By mile 15 she did “feel pretty rough, really rough like my legs were going, but I had an extra gel on me in case I missed a bottle (which I hadn’t) so I took it as a boost and it worked like a miracle”.

When the pacer stopped at 33k she knew it was time to concentrate “I was waiting for the wall and it never came…I was trying to do the maths” to see if she could get the Commonwealth Games time (spoiler, she did). “The last lap was so fun and I was still feeling good until the last 800m. I thought I was about 10th, just scraping the CWG standard but I was so excited to finish third in 2:31. Crazy”. 

The star of the show

Finally of course there’s Steph Davis for whom the planning and training all came together in what looked like an effortless display of race execution. But even she wasn’t immune to gut issues –  “I felt controlled throughout the race – apart from when I got stitch around 4k in! I usually have a pretty tough stomach and rarely get stitches, so this threw me a little, I was shouting to my coach to switch my energy drinks to water so that was a last-minute scramble!”

After that though things settled in. “The first half felt quiet so I had no idea how everyone was feeling behind me…we went through half bang on pace. Although I felt relaxed I didn’t want to do anything too early as the second half of a marathon can feel very long if you make mistakes early on!”.

As we watched the coverage, it looked like Steph made a conscious decision to break away just after 13 miles but she says “I don’t remember actively making a decision…I think it happened when we moved into single file to let the men’s race past.”

“I wasn’t aware of how big my lead was and I couldn’t take anything for granted until I’d crossed that finish line! Of course this race wasn’t about time but rather getting that top-two placing and it was only “at around 500m to go I passed a big clock and knew I was close to my PB. I was delighted to bag a small one!”.

Post race feelings 

Celebrating success and learning from less-than perfect performance are an important part of the racing cycle.

For Naomi Mitchell, the initial blow of seeing a race which didn’t reflect her training has led her to reflect that “I have now experienced what is needed to gut out a tough race and I’m sure this will be of benefit to me in the future”, though she also says she learned that “racing in the wind is much harder than I thought!”. 

Steph Davis celebrates winning the women’s marathon and securing her place to run the marathon at the Tokyo Olympics. Credit: Nigel Bramley

For Becky, her big takeaway has been that fuelling a half marathon is very different to a full marathon and needs some practice in training. That said, “giving up on my dreams is simply not a choice. I’m even more determined to get the marathon right one day and show what I’m capable of”.

Lockdown difficulties my have played an impact

A long chat with Sarah Inglis as she endured her hotel-lockdown upon re-entry to Canada found her frustrated but upbeat. All things considered, a late flight to the UK (she arrived only a few days before due to teaching duties and suffered bad jet lag) and “getting complacent” about her fuelling are the two things she thinks made the difference.

For now, she’s going to turn her thought to the track and will try to qualify for the 10,000m. “I’m excited” she says, “I did a 10k PB in a time trial in the build up to this and I’ve got nothing to lose”.

Clara Evans (who ran the biggest PB of the day) clearly has more to offer in future races, “I don’t think I’ve ever felt so fresh as I did the day after this race” but was delighted to see three Welsh PBs in the top 5 of the race.

“I may need some time to improve to get to the games, but the success of others is what has made this happen as we all push each other to improve. My coach Chris Jones has been instrumental in the progress for the Welsh standards in distance running”.

Like many she feels that the trials offered a new and more prominent way to showcase British talent,  “I hope they keep these events standalone.. I feel like everyone can relate toThommo and Steph’s journey’s… this would have been lost amongst a bigger race”. 

Always chasing better performances

Rosie Edwards may have smashed her PB and got third place but she’s not immune to a bit of “what if”, “I do feel like I played it safe for too long. Perhaps I could have gone a few miles earlier, but then I may not have finished as I did. I am excited to be braver in my next one”.

The final word has to go to Marathon Trial champion and the only auto-qualifier for team GB, Steph Davis.  “I always take two weeks off to fully recover and mentally reset. My focus now is to have a healthy build to the Olympics and stay injury free – that’s a pretty good motivator to take your recovery seriously!

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Born in Mogadishu in Somalia, he has not once, but twice escaped civil war to seek a new life in the Netherlands.

The first time he fled war he was just six years old. Then, age 15, after a three-year spell at a strict Islamic school in Syria, and a few years back in Somali, he escaped again, ending up this time in a rural Dutch community where he was “the only black guy in the village”.

Despite his difficult start in life, Nageeye says his experiences living in such different countries and cultures were not all bad.

“People think my story is very sad,” he says. “But I always think about what would have happened to me if I had stayed in Somalia. I saw the life there, so I always appreciate when I can be safe and do my thing. I don’t have to worry, I have freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of thinking.

The world is struggling

“In the Netherlands, it’s one of the best countries in the world, yet you see so many people complaining, and you think, come on, half the world are struggling, they don’t have what you have, so be thankful.”

Until he was 18, Nageeye, who was a serious soccer player, had never done any formal running. He was just trying to stay in shape during the off season one summer when a friend of his Dutch guardians suggested he run a 5K race.

Despite having no idea how to pace himself, he won. After the race, when the announcer asked him which club he ran for, he gave the name of his football club, which caused some confusion.

Clearly immensely talented, he decided to race again and was soon winning bigger races. Then he decided to start training. Less than six months after first running a 5K in his football kit to stay fit, he won the junior national cross country title and signed a professional contract with Asics, and joined the Dutch management company Global Sports.

Training with the best

It just so happens that Global Sports is the same company that manages Eliud Kipchoge in Kenya, and today Nageeye is part of the same training camp in Kaptagat, training alongside not only the marathon world record holder, but also the half marathon world record holder, Geoffrey Kamworor. 

Living in the Global Sports camp in Kenya has led to a steady improvement in his times.

When he first joined in 2015, he had a best marathon time of 2hrs 11mins – a time that made him “by far” the slowest runner in the camp. But now, after running 2:06 last year, he says he has just about earned the respect of the other athletes.

Interviewing him for my podcast, The Way of the Runner, I ask him what is best piece of advice the great Eliud Kipchoge has ever given him.

“Before, in training, I was looking at the watch all the time,” he says. “I mean, some days you feel OK, and think you’re running 3mins 10secs per km [5mins 05secs per mile], then you look at your watch and you see that it’s 2:56 [4:44 per mile] and then you get nervous and you’re like: ‘It’s too fast, I won’t be able to finish.’ And then you slow down.

“So Eliud saw that a couple of times and he said: ‘Why are you looking at your watch? Just run with your feeling.’

“And since then I never look at my watch on a run. I just start it, and then that’s it. And then you run in freedom.”

A cloud over Kenyan athletes

This sort of pace can feel almost unbelievably fast to some of us, and unfortunately today all these stories of wonder and awe about Kenyan runners are now slightly coloured by the dark cloud of drugs.

In the last few years a large number of athletes from the country have been sanctioned for doping violations. I ask Nageeye why he thinks this is, and what can be done about it.

His first point is that there needs to be more testing in the region. He says there are so many athletes and so few testers that even someone who can run 2:08 or 2:09 for the marathon and win big city races in Europe, may only be tested once a year. But also, he says that in Kenya a key problem is that there is not enough shame associated with doping, both from the wider society and also within the running community.

“In Holland,” he says, “a person [caught doping] will feel ashamed. Your teammates, your colleagues, even your own family will be really disappointed in you. But here in Kenya they don’t think that much about it.

“Society is not aware of it. So when a Kenyan or Ethiopian is caught doping, they can disappear. They can peacefully have other jobs, keep their own money. Nobody will harass them.”

He says that since the primary motive for most people running in Kenya is to lift themselves out of poverty, until they see banned athletes losing their farms, losing their cars and having to pay back their winnings, some people will think it’s worth the risk.

Training solo

Since the coronavirus pandemic, Nageeye has had to move into a rented house in the nearby city of Eldoret, after the government shut down all the training camps as part of the country’s lockdown measures. While he says life in the camp can often be “really boring”, he says he misses his training companions.

“Normally there is this rhythm to training,” he says. “You don’t have to think. You just wake up, you go running, come back, relax in the camp. But now you have to do it all alone, so you have to get up and think, how long should I go? How fast?

“With the group, sometimes you feel a little bit tired or lazy, but then you just follow the group and somewhere along the way you feel OK again.”

He says that for the Kenyans, who have got used to training all their lives in big groups, getting out and training alone is especially difficult. So perhaps that’s one tiny glimmer of hope for the rest of the world’s marathon runners to cling on to during this ongoing crisis?

“Definitely,” he says. “For real, they will struggle.” 

• For the full podcast interview with Abid Nageeye.

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In 2019 she ran Hong Kong, Boston and New York marathons, jumping from 3:29 in her 2016 London debut to 2:37:01 in New York for 18th place in the race and 18th fastest performance in the UK. Not only that, but she ran a half marathon PB (1:16:46) in the first half of the race!

Becs was brought up as a multi sport athlete and has also run ultra marathons. Now she’s focussed in on road running and has been training in a way that we don’t often see, running a high percentage of her 100-120 mile weeks on a treadmill.

That’s predominantly because when she teaches runners remotely via the Peloton platform she runs for at least 60 minutes each class and then goes outside at other times to do tempo and long runs. Not only does she have to run on the treadmill but she has to be able to talk too, so that adds its own training benefits. We caught up with Becs in January to find out more about her marathon journey and what she plans for 2020 and beyond.

Fast Running: What were you most excited by in your running or training last year?

Rebecca Gentry: I was incredibly excited to run NYC Marathon as my home race. Having moved to New York at the end of May 2018, it fast became a very special place and having cheered until I lost my voice at the 2018 race I was so inspired by the community to shine as well as I could.

I trained in a very different way for the race due to my role as a Peloton Tread instructor, finding myself completing some very high mileage weeks and a lot of double or triple run session days but always luckily felt strong. I was certainly driven to deliver my best possible race by the community and the crowds on the day.

FR:What are you most excited about looking to the year ahead? What are your key goals?

RG: My main goal is to stay fit and healthy. Following a very busy year with three marathons, one ultra marathon and a half marathon, as well as teaching over 340 Peloton Tread classes, my body was in need of a break from running as I was stubborn to accept that at the end of 2019.

Having taken that time now I have seen such a shift in my energy and mindset that I am committed to ensuring my training cycles are clear and supported with recovery. My focus is going to be on the half marathon distance for 2020, which is new, but thrilling to see where I can challenge myself over the shorter distance.

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There are no words, just deep gratitude. • NYC Marathon 2019 2:37:01 • Thank you to everyone who supported me along the way, through my training to cheering your behinds off today. The streets of NYC were alive and I know that’s what got me to a 12 minute PR. • I ran with a smile. I truly flew. I am so freaking proud of myself. • @christianbrecheis Mile 21

A post shared by Becs Gentry (@becsgentry) on Nov 3, 2019 at 2:48pm PST

FR: What do you think about the women’s marathon scene in GB at the moment? Who are you most excited by?

RG: I think the GB women’s team is in a great place right now, I am very excited to see Charlotte Purdue perform in 2020. She is seriously such a strong runner both mentally and physically. Jess Piasecki (Coulson) has shot to the forefront of the spotlight with her insane debut marathon performance in Florence (ed: 2019 when she ran 2:25:29 in her first completed marathon), setting her straight in as the third fastest British female of all time. I see no reason why she can’t shine to the top.

FR: Why do you think the GB women had such a great year last year?

RG: I think every year in sports the athletes grow and learn from the past. Sports as a whole has migrated to a more holistic approach to training and perhaps the intense scrutiny and pressure being taken off the runners gave them the chance to settle back into doing what they love – running and training hard – and their passion and spirit was able to shine through stronger.

FR:Who do you think is flying under the radar but destined to surprise everyone this year?

RG: Jess Piasecki – her journey from cross-country to 26.2 is epic and I can’t wait to see what she has in store to show us for 2020.

FR: What do you think about the decision not to preselect anyone for the Olympic team

RG: I am sure it is a very detailed decision making process. There are a great deal of talented runners out there and so I am sure the team will be populated by those the coaches deem to be the best and strongest to represent the country.

FR: Will you be running the London Marathon and if so, are you willing to share your goal for it?

RG: I will not be running it this year – I considered it for a while after NYC and was contemplating going for a sub 2:30. However, I sustained a minor foot injury which put me out for eight weeks, and I do not think I could perform my best in the timeframe now.

FR:What shoes do you train in and race in?

RG: I run in Nike Turbo 2 Rise or Nike React Infinity and race in Nike Next%

FR: Are there any supporters that have helped you over the last year that you’d like to mention

RG: Nike Running both in LA – specifically Blue Ribbon Sports – and Nike NYC have been incredible support to me, ensuring I have the right kit to train and race in, and of course Peloton who are always there to support my running and my recovery.

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The post Becs Gentry flying high in NYC appeared first on Fast Running.

There’s a really exciting race coming up in April, a race within a race, but it’s got nothing to do with Eliud Kipchoge and Kenenisa Bekele. Gill Bland, and all of us at Fast Running, are getting really excited. 

A race gantry stands in the mist, the sun rising behind it. Figures can be seen dimly in the distance, getting closer, running. Fast.

Speeding towards us, silhouetted against the glow of a new dawn until out of the shadows a herd of women runners emerge, striding forward shoulder to shoulder arms pumping and heads held high, charging forward into the new decade.

That. That is what the women’s marathon scene feels like in the Great Britain as 2020 begins.

Role models for the masses

Gone are the days when there was one female marathoner we could look up to. Gone are the days when there were a couple, maybe three whose names we would recognise on the elite start list at London Marathon.

To those of us who love running 26.2, last year left us with score of fast ladies to look up to.

It was Charlotte Purdue, an established name, who first grabbed our attention in 2019 and gave a hint of what was to come when she threw down the gauntlet at London Marathon in April. Her 2:25:38 put her 3rd on the all-time list and bumped the profile of women’s marathoning up beyond that of superfans like me.

In the same race Tish Jones ran a 2:31:00 (3 min PB), Hayley Carruthers rinsed herself to get a 2:33:59 (near 3 min PB), getting global coverage in the process for THAT finish and Steph Davis of Clapham Chasers burst onto the scene running a 2:32:38 off the mass start. Not only were there some fun stories to cover, but the times were looking great too.

2019 continued apace with various European marathons bringing new runners to the fore. By the end of the year the top 50 was littered with names of women who seemed like they had popped up out of nowhere fully formed and running a storm.

However, a little bit of cyber stalking revealed that these were all women who had worked hard, put the hours in alongside jobs and families and injury rehab and all sorts of challenges to run breakthrough times that the rest of us dream of.

Photo: Leigh Quinnel

A controlled 2:30 from Twell

As well as the newbies, names that had been threatening to rise up for some time finally had their year. Steph Twell had said that her debut at Valenica 2018 (2:30) was ‘controlled’ – she backed up that claim by smashing the Olympic Qualifying time in Frankfurt in Sept.

It had looked like Purdue had her Olympic spot sewn up, with Twell being the main other contender until Jess Piasecki finally put those injury demons behind her and showed us what she had at Florence, bettering Charlotte’s time by 10s and throwing everything up in the air.

Right up until the last days of December the ladies were duking it out. In the end only a time north of 2:47:39 was enough to make the 2019 Top 50.

There was Rebecca Gentry, who kept us on the edge of our seats during her gutsy 2:37 New York performance, Jenny Spink who ran a 5min PB (2:31:14) with the most amazing grin on her face in Frankfurt, Ali Lavender (2:41:18 in Berlin) and duathlete Georgina Schwiening (2:35:22, Valencia) all piqued our interest as seeming new comers.

Elsey Davies had been waiting to show us her form for a while and finally knocked it out of the park with a 2:33:24 (Valencia) and Natasha Cockram shrugged off a nasty kick from a horse in race-week to smash out a 2:30:49 in Dublin. Oh, and then Steph Davis came back for another bash and only went and ran the Olympic standard. I could go on.

THAT finish from Hayley Carruthers Photo: Ian Walton for Virgin Money London Marathon

Not just fancy shoes

The post Is British women’s marathoning at it’s most competitive ever? appeared first on Fast Running.

The 2019 National Marathon Champion (2:32:34) left the states after three years with osteopenia and completed her education at the University College of Cork. On the US programme she noted that there was a huge focus on short term results, but “when you’re not running well it is a different story”.

Cooke, who comes from Ballincollig, took a few years off competing in her mid twenties but never stopped running. In 2015 she decided to do the Cork Marathon to get back into it and ran a 3.15. That was followed with a 2.46 in Amsterdam in 2017 under coach Emmet Dunleavy.

At the end of a difficult 2018 she left her office job where she knew she was not happy and began to work for herself as a Personal Trainer. It suits her much better and the flexibility allows her to train at a higher level. She is now coached by John Starrett from Tralee.

Working towards Toyko, but with plenty of good years to come

Before her victory at the National Marathon Championships, which puts at least one foot on the plane to Tokyo 2020, she says her biggest achievement in athletics was probably winning the National Novice cross country individual title.

Now, with a 14 minute marathon personal best under her belt, and in her own words, still young at age 33, she sees things in her future that she would not have seen before.

Age is an interesting topic in athletics at the moment, and when I put it to her that she has a good 10, if not 15, years of good running ahead of her yet, she couldn’t agree more.

Have the pressures grown?

With her focus on a spring marathon, probably Dusseldorf to try better her time again, I ask: does she feel more pressure to perform now that there are tangible opportunities in front of her?

“At the end of the day I have come a long way from where I started, a very long way. If I make it I make it. If I don’t I’ll be disappointed but at least I know I gave it my best shot.”

She also noted that given her age, if things don’t go well this year and she doesn’t make it to Tokyo she will still have another shot at the Olympics. “I have confidence that if I can stay injury free then I can do a better time than I did in Dublin, but you don’t know until you go through the training”.

Her plans include a 6 week trip to Iten, Kenya, for her first altitude training camp.

Inspired by Sinead Diver

In terms of dreaming of what she is capable of, seeing someone like Sinead Diver come into her own these last few years makes her think “wow I can have at least another ten years and she is still improving”. Their similarities are encouraging. Both did not compete in their mid twenties and came back to, or in Diver’s case, took up the sport in later years.

“She is fresh because she only started a few years ago and she is hungry for it, where as if you keep going from being a juvenile all the way through you know, you get tired and your body gets tired.

The best thing about taking the time off especially in college, you can go out and enjoy yourself and don’t have to worry about getting up going running 15 miles in the morning. I got the best of both worlds I had my time as a college student and now I get to have my time as an athlete.”

The USA and injuries

Female athlete health is a hot topic right now, and as time goes on more and more former collegiate athletes are coming out with their own versions of what Mary Cain experienced at the Nike Oregon Project in terms of nutrition deficit and bone health.

Aoife never felt pressure to lose weight but “definitely wasn’t taking care of myself” nutritionally.

She puts this down to a lack of education rather than a culture of weight-loss on her college team – “nobody was taking into account what I was or was not eating.” There was no advice on food, despite it being a crucial factor in performing as well as general health.

It is also very hard to eat well in America with so much fast food available. As a scholarship athlete her meals were provided in the canteen but it “wasn’t the best quality stuff”.

Photo: David Fitzgerald sportsfile

When you’re good, you’re good

Cooke made the point that in America it is very results driven, if you are running well they are all over you but it can be lonely when you’re not.

When she had to stop because of injuries she did not get a whole lot of support, which is why she came home prematurely in the end. “I’m there and I am injured and I can’t run and there is nobody helping me”. Luckily she has totally reversed the osteopenia now and has good bone density again.

On the maelstrom of media attention on this, what is her reaction? “I can’t say I am surprised.” There are “so many other things to take into account” apart from weight. “You can’t just stop eating and run well”.

“You don’t drive your car with no fuel in it. It might give you some short term gains but long term, no way.” Part of the problem is the pressure the schools are under for quick results as they paid out for scholarships, “they might get some results for a year, but then the next year, what are you going to do?”

Lifetime goals

Getting to the Olympics is”to the fore at the moment”. She would love to run the standard in the spring rather than rely on ranking. It is a big leap but she is confident that with her trip to Kenya and how training has gone so far that it is doable.

Her last two marathons saw her knock 30 and 14 minutes off her previous bests, so three minutes does sound achievable.

The 2:32 marathoner feels she is only at the start line of her career as a senior athlete and beginning to tap into that potential that has been there all along.

“Before Dublin I would have said let’s see what I can do, but now you know there is no limit. It boosted my confidence a lot and knowing that I am a 2.32 marathoner helps a lot.” Nobody can take that time away now, nor the Dublin national marathon victory.

The sky is the limit and as Sinead Diver shows, a 2:25 marathon isn’t impossible for am Irish born runner. “It could happen in four or five years.” We’ll be watching her future marathon career with excitement.

Bláithín is a middle distance and cross country athlete who has been known to accidentally run into trees. She is in total denial about having to work for a living – you can follow her attempts at run-commuting to work on Strava.

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Are you running London, Manchester, Brighton, Boston or any one of the fantastic spring marathons next year? We’re opening a limited amount of spots on the Fast Running Performance Project, a community coaching scheme that provides a bespoke training plan along with top class coaching from Tom Craggs and Robbie Britton.

We’ve described the process here, but we’ve refined and improved after working with a great bunch of athletes for 2019. Each month your training plan is built around your own commitments and needs, using the excellent Final Surge platform. Then there is a the FRP Community page where you share your journey to a shiny new PB with all the athletes and our team of coaches.

Our goal isn’t just to give you a one off training plan and leave you to it. We want to help athletes learn how to adapt their own training around busy lifestyles and obstacles that arise in any normal marathon build up. Building consistency is key and with our help you can give yourself the best possible chance of a new personal best on race day.

Get a head start on the 2020 marathon season. Photo credit: Tom Craggs

What to do now?

Click on the link here and fill in the form. Simple as that. We don’t want to wait until after New Year’s Eve to start, it’ll be before the first week of December that we get the ball rolling. We’ll provide training plans that are exiting, specific to your goals and achievable for you as an individual.

Tom and Robbie have Masters Degrees in Performance Coaching, as well as a host of other UKA coaching qualifications and a huge range of experience in getting people to the start and the finish of marathons, both key parts of marathon coaching.

Regular video Q&As as well as answers to any questions you have on a day to day basis come through the community group and there will even be other guest coaches and athletes who can help out and prepare you both physically and mentally for the adventure ahead.

So don’t delay. There will again be limited spaces on the Project, although a few more than last time.

The cost is a mere £30/month for a personalised training plan, community coaching and your greatest possible chance of getting a personal best at your Spring 2020 marathon.

APPLY NOW

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The post Fast Running Performance Project 2020 Launch appeared first on Fast Running.

Setting off like she was on a mission from the very start, Kosgei crested the finishing tape in 2:14:04 (unofficial). This is, for me, a better performance than Kipchoge’s 1:59:40 in Vienna yesterday. Simply fantastic running.

From the first 5km split it looked like something very special could be on, with the 64:28 half marathoner (although that was at the Great North Run and not record eligible) going through in 15:28. That’s around 2:10 marathon pace, although she settled into 2:14 pace and went through halfway in 66:59.

When the pacemakers dropped away around the 30km mark some expected the Kenyan to slow down, but that wasn’t the case at all. The 30-35km split was 15:57 and that’s just four seconds slower than Mo Farah ran for the same segment, albeit a few minutes earlier.

Jonathan Gault, of LetsRun.com, reported on Twitter that Kosgei then went on to run her 24th mile in 4:45, which is sub 2:05 marathon pace. That speed so late in the race is simply phenomenal. 40km passed in 2:07:11 and at this point you start to believe that this weekend marathon history is really being made.

Breaking into the top 30 overall, Brigid Kosgei smashed Paul Radcliffe’s 2:15:25 set in London back in 2003 wth a 2:14:04. That’s around 5:07 per mile for the 26.2 miles.

The men’s race

The men’s race was won in 2:05:45 by Lawrence Cherono, in a sprint finish with Dejene Debela, Asefa Mengstu and Bedan Karoki. Sir Mo Farah finished in eighth position in what must be a disappointing 2:09:58 for the 2018 winner.

It was anyone’s win coming into the final stretch, but Cherono had the legs of the other runners and all four finished within eight seconds.

Farah was off the pace of the leaders by half way, running 62:54 and forty seconds back from the lead. It may not sound like a lot, but it’s a lifetime when there are six world class marathoners in the lead pack. Farah had training partner Bashir Abdi for company, but the Belgian pulled away in the second half and went on to finish fifth in 2:06:14.

It is worth noting that both Kosgei and Cherono are managed by Federico Rosa and Associati. The Italian athlete representative was also responsible for representing Abel Kiprop, Jemima Sumgong, Matthew Kisorio, Agatha Jeruto and Rita Jeptoo, all of whom have been banned for doping offences. In 2016 Rosa himself was charged with doping offences, but the case was later dropped by authorities in Kenya.

Fionnuala McCormack PB

Irish international Fionnuala McCormack finished an excellent fifth in 2:26:47 to take a huge chunk off of her 2:30:38 PB from Boston marathon earlier this year.

The cross country star is a runner who seems suited to the hard work and grind of the marathon distance and it was great to see her pass through halfway in 1:12:56 and hold strong for a 2:26:47 finish.

We believe this puts McCormack third on the all time marathon list for Ireland, behind Catherina McKiernan (2:22:23) and Irish born Australian international Sinead Diver (2:24:11), although technically McCormack’s mark is second all time as Diver ran her time representing Australia.

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The post New Marathon World Record for Brigid Kosgei in Chicago appeared first on Fast Running.

Current work from an academic team has found that the pacing profiles adopted by world-class endurance athletes differ by event, and that men and women tend to adopt different tactical approaches.

The study, available for free download from the open access journal, Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, analysed the pacing profiles of recent IAAF World Championship and Olympic Games competitors over 800m, 1500m, 5000m, 10,000m, marathon, and the 20km and 50km race walks.

According to the study authors, Professor Florentina Hettinga (Northumbria University), Professor Andrew Edwards (Canterbury Christ Church University) and Dr Brian Hanley (Leeds Beckett University), most athletes adopted varied pacing profiles as opposed to the even paces that are regularly recommended for optimal performance.

Mixed pacing during racing is most common

Although adopting varied pacing can be physiologically and psychologically more taxing, it is implemented by the world’s best athletes to “shake off” their rivals. In the 5000m and 10000m, the separation between medallists and other top 15 athletes occurred in the last 20% of the race for men, but with half of the race or more remaining for women, highlighting that different tactics can occur and need preparing for in training and build-up races.

Aspiring world-class athletes should note that the fluctuations in pace adopted in championship racing are not frequently encountered in paced races like the Diamond League. It is not unusual therefore for a nation’s top athlete to enter a major championships with a strong season’s best time but struggle to qualify from their heat because they have not prepared for the tactics adopted by more seasoned championship racers.

How does this vary race to race?

The middle-distance races were particularly interesting in terms of how uneven their paces were: nearly all 800m runners ran the second lap slower than the first, whereas 1500m runners tended to use a gradual build-up from 600m to 1300m – over both distances, athletes decelerated in the last 200m, supporting the adage that the winners are those who slow down the least as the race reaches its climax.

The authors also found that, in the road events, the pacing trajectories of medalists can take completely different paths from lower finishing athletes from the outset, indicating that the specific impact of opponents on each race distance is likely to differ.

As such, marathon and race walk events might be less about head-to-head competition than being more akin to contested time-trial performances, especially given that each marathon and 50km race walk athlete is likely to fatigue at a different stage of the race. The unpredictability of the longer races therefore means relying on others as impromptu pacemakers can be a risky approach.

What does this mean to athletes and coaches?

Fast Running coach Robbie Britton says “that the research shows that middle distance running in the modern era is less about “who can run the fastest”, but who is physically and mentally prepared for the varied pacing of championship races. This can be built into training, but also into a competition schedule too.”

“If a runner is solely preparing for the champs in rabbited events, fast paced from the start and resulting in quick times, then they’re not getting ready for the championship optimally. It’s also important for the athlete to learn how to react to these fluctuations themselves, something Joseph Mills and Jim Denison looked at in their 2013 work highlighted as problematic in controlling coach-athlete relationships.”

“Athletes need to be training for the type of pace variation they’re likely to see in their championship races, but also learning from experience too. Experimenting, and even getting things horribly wrong, in the build up can be really valuable when the moment comes in a big event. Knowing how to react to the race is more important the shorter the distance. In ultra running it’s more chilled, like the comments made in this research about 50k walk and marathon, it’s more like a “contested time trial”.

Interested readers can contact the authors for more information by emailing Professor Florentina Hettinga (florentina.hettinga@northumbria.ac.uk), Professor Andrew Edwards (andrew.edwards@canterbury.ac.uk) or Dr Brian Hanley (b.hanley@leedsbeckett.ac.uk).

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The post The science of pacing and tactics in world-class distance athletes appeared first on Fast Running.

Sondre Moen established his name on the international running scene back in 2017. First he clocked 59:48 minutes on the half marathon distance. Only a month later, he won the Fukuola Marathon in Japan to set a a new European record of 2:05:48.

On that occasion, he defeated both Stephan Kiprotich from Uganda, a former Olympic and World half marathon Champion, and Bedan Karoki from Kenya, who earlier that year came second at London Marathon.

Now he has the third fastest half marathon time in Europe ever.

Back to the top

Since his breakthrough, Sondre Moen has been injured for periods, but now he is back in shape and ready to run fast at the CPH Half.

“It is a flat course with Nordic weather conditions and a strong field that will be running fast. That is what I’m looking forward to about the CPH Half. And if it’s the right day, I might even set a new personal best,” says Sondre Moen.

RELATED: Fast Running interview with Sondre Moen

Ups and downs

So far, Moen has had a season of ups and downs. A season that includes several victories and personal bests, but also a non-voluntary pause due to injury, which makes it difficult to compare his current shape with his shape back in 2017, where he was very fast on both the half marathon and the marathon distance.

“My season started out well as I set a new Norwegian 5 km record with a time of 13:37. In March, I won a half marathon in Gdynia clocking 61:18 on a hilly and windy course. My training went well, but then I was injured, and was unable to prepare for the track season,” says the Norwegian super runner.

None the less, Sondre Moen has just won the Norwegian 10,000 metres championships and came in third on the 5,000 metres.

Focusing on longer distances

His focus is on the longer distances, which is where his has his strengths as a runner.

“My weakness is the fact that I’ve never had a great sprint finish, and that is why I started focusing on the longer distances. My strength is that I have always been very efficient and enduring in a pace around 2:55/3:00 minutes per km. I like to run for hours in a fast pace but without a sprint finish, which makes me a better over long distances such as half marathon and marathon,” says Sondre Moen.

Sondre Moen’s dreams for the future are about the marathon distance.

“I have a great base after 10-15 years of training, and I am confident that I will be back stronger than ever. My dream is to win an Olympic marathon medal,” says Sondre Moen.

A typical training week

This is how a typical training week would look like to Sondre Moen:

Monday: Long track intervals and massage

Tuesday: Two light jogs and strength training

Wednesday: Two moderate long runs

Thursday: Short track intervals or fartlek

Friday: Two light jogs and massage

Saturday: Long run or a specific marathon run of 30-45 kilometres

Sunday: Recovery run

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The post An insight into 2:05 marathoner Sondre Nordstad Moen appeared first on Fast Running.

I’m a Brummie born, Cambridge-based distance runner who runs like the karate kid, and you may remember me from such races as, the Cambridge Half Marathon. The goal of these blogs will be to document my planned journey to the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022. 

My running journey started on the streets of Birmingham and will hopefully finish there, with the most important 26.2 miles of my life. So far. To start with I want to share a little bit about myself, my background and why I’ve chosen the marathon.

Where it all began

I grew up in South Birmingham, under the shadow of an icon of British industry: the now demolished MG Rover Plant; a site that once employed 25,000 people. As a typical feral boy, I spent most of my time ‘playing out’ on the streets, or at the park with a football. However, my Dad, Richard, introduced me to the idea of running around in circles, from an early age.

I joined my first running club, my beloved Birmingham Rowheath (now BRAT), when I was 10 or 11, enjoying everything from high jump to 800m. The emphasis placed on diversity and camaraderie, I believe, was hugely influential on my love for, and subsequent success in, the sport. For that reason, I firmly support the continued exposure of our junior athletes to as many athletic disciplines and team sports as possible. 

Top Tip: Any parents out there, push your kids towards sprints, relays, throws and middle distances. The more variety the better. 

Success as a junior

Personally, I enjoyed relative success as a junior, with multiple English Schools and National medals over 3000m. I was coached by Nick Price, who spent most of his time holding me back and stopping me burning out. Next came four enjoyable years at the University of Birmingham, which were decorated with individual and team British University Championships (BUCS) medals, an England Cross Country vest, and a first-class undergraduate degree in geography, which was followed by a Masters of Research.

However, after years of tussling with an intense exercise-induced stitch pain (caused by Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome), under achieving in races was becoming more common, and ever more heart-breaking, despite having traumatic surgery in 2012.

At this point, I had started to believe a consultant’s earlier prognosis that “You’ll probably never be able to run at the level you think you’re capable of” and I, for all intents and purposes, ‘quit running’

It nearly all ended there

The summer after I submitted my thesis was one of reverie, featuring non-stop raving and festivals; but then a change of scene, a new job and a new city, Cambridge… and in many ways, it could not have been further from home.

Fresh to Cambridge, and with no connections outside of work, I headed down to the local athletics club, Cambridge Coleridge AC. On a dark and windy winters night, I rocked up at a training session and bumped into Mark Vile, a true character who has moulded Cambridge and Coleridge into a force to be reckoned with in distance running. 

After some subtle interrogation, and an anecdote about the u17 National Cross Country in 1864, Mark reliably informed me “you’ll be training with our group”. It was from here, that with fresh surroundings, a very relaxed mental outlook, and loads of fast juniors to keep me on my toes, that my athletics revival began, and my love for the support was rekindled. 

Top Tip: We train because we love the feeling that running gives us, the friendships it brings and the successes it can yield; the day running becomes a chore, a restriction or a burden to our lives, is the day we need to question when our liberating hobby, became a cage.

The Dream

December 21st, 2017 marked the day a dream began.

After a year of feeling my way back into running, and enjoying some unexpected success with my new club, Cambridge and Coleridge, I was presented with a watershed moment.

True to form, Birmingham was backing something big, bold and radical, but perhaps a little risky: we’d stepped in to host the Commonwealth Games 2022.  

And, perhaps seduced into a hazy nostalgia by my glass of wine, on Christmas Day 2017 I decided I wanted to be there, and not as a spectator.

Groundbreaking preparations for Birmingham 2022

The Marathon

But why did I make the decision to choose, arguably, the most unforgiving athletic discipline of all them all? 

Well, I do make a habit of enduring pain, or perhaps seeking it out, in my running, as anyone who has watched me race will testify. But, I think, it’s this doggedness and determination that makes me most suited to the marathon.

Indeed, I am a rarely the quickest or smoothest runner in the field, but when I toe that line, my competitors know I’ll be there, karate chopping unerringly towards the finish line.

The plan

Unusually for sporting goals, I had time on my side, four and a half years to be precise. Therefore, I decided to split these 4.5 years into three 18 months cycles, which for entertainment purposes, and somewhat morbidly, I named The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. 

The Good: January 2018 to July 2019

Why the Good? The good is a time in which I have gradually increased my weekly mileage from 35 to 60 miles, and increased the intensity and duration of key workouts, increasingly focusing on tempo work. However, I still largely stuck to 5k and 10k races. 

As a result, I have become quicker and stronger and my results have been beyond what I could have expected.

The good: culminating in a Great Britain vest in the European 10,000m Cup

The Bad: August 2019 to January 2021

Why the bad? The bad, because now is the time to start adapting my training into that of a marathon runner. The time for talk is over, the action starts here.

I have four major goals in this period:

• Valencia Half Marathon
• National Cross Country Championships 
• The World Half Marathon Championships; and
• An Autumn Marathon TBC

Please keep your eyes peeled for my next feature, in which I will report back on my training in ‘the bad’.

The Ugly: January 2021 to September 2022

Why the ugly: you’re not a 5k runner anymore, and you shan’t train like one. 

This phase will be do or die, I’ll have tasted a slice of the 26.2 cake and now I’ll need to run a quick one. Time to enter full marathon mode.

I’ll have three major goals in this period.

• Autumn Marathon: Commonwealth qualifying time
• London Marathon
• Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022

Next up

In his next instalment, Jack discusses his ongoing transformation into a Marathon runner, and unlike a Gok Wan makeover, this is going to take a little more than a fitted pair of jeans…

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The post The Road to Birmingham: the long way home appeared first on Fast Running.