In the past, the London Marathon has been the place that elite British marathon runners had to prove themselves. They had global competitors and the support of around 750,000 spectators and 40,000+ participants to spur them on.

This time they will have just the organisers, some coaches and Kew staff around as they cover the 12 and a bit laps of a 3.3km looped course. For those who took part in the elite only version of the London Marathon last year there are some similarities (hopefully not the weather) but this is still going to be a very different kind of experience that which most of these runners have ever experienced. 

How to qualify for the Olympics

In order to qualify automatically for the GB Olympic marathon squad, the runners must have the qualifying time (2:11:30 & 2:29:30) and be one of the first two finishers. If they already have the qualifying time from another race within the qualifying period and finish top two, that would also guarantee a place.

There is a third place on each squad which is at the discretion of British Athletic, though for the men’s team that’s already taken buy Callum Hawkins.

So, Lateral Flow tests allowing, let’s take a look at those who we expect to be  toeing the line:

Photo: Alex Donald

Charlotte Arter (Cardiff AAC)

Marathon Debut
HM PB 69:40

After having to withdraw from pacing duties at the Elite London Marathon last year, this is Arter’s first experience of the full 26.2.

Hailing from Cumbria but representing Wales, she was the parkrun women’s world record holder (15:49) until recently and has excellent credentials over shorter distances.

With a half marathon PB of 69:40 and some really good training in the bank (with Clara Evans alongside) she will definitely be one to watch. Arter has completed an eight week marathon build up and told Fast Running she is “happy with how the training’s gone. I haven’t done any crazy mileage, just had some consistent training”.

Without any big city marathons to compare the experience to Arter is focussing on just “clipping off the laps. I want to enjoy the experience… it’s going to be a PB whatever I run!” However, she’s not shirking and aims “to stick with the Olympic pace for as long as possible”.

While her base speed is a lot faster than the rest of us, your first marathon is always a huge unknown and Arter is no different –  “I have no idea what I’ll be thinking on the start line” but “at the end I’ll probably be thankful it’s all over! Hopefully I’ll want to do another one. Then food, shower and downtime. So really – elite or not elite – we all want the same thing at the end of a marathon!

Arter is supported by Welsh Athletics and London Marathon Events. Coached by Chris Jones.

Tracy Barlow (Thames Valley) 

PB 2:30:42 London, April 2017

After working her way down from a 3:52:59 marathon in 2011 Barlow put in the work and brought that time down consistently. 2020 saw Barlow run a HM PB in Barcelona (72:12) and a 10 mile PB in Preston (58:25).

With recent Major Championships experience from World and European Champs and a die-hard attitude, as evidenced by her London Marathon 2020 performance of 2:34:42 when many others dropped out, Barlow will be interesting to watch in what will be a tactical race. Tracy’s 15th place at the 2018 European Championship makes her the most recent highest British finisher in a major championship marathon. 

Coached by Tom Craggs.

Photo: Provided by athlete

Becky Briggs (City of Hull)

Marathon Debut
HM PB of 72:54 Antrim Coast Half Marathon, 2020.

Still in the U23 category, she’ll be a youngster in the pack. Briggs says that training has been going well – “I’ve completed sessions I never thought I could, it’s been so different to anything I’ve ever done before“.

Though the laps of the course might be daunting, Briggs has been putting in plenty of laps of Bushy park for her training and is hoping that will help. When asked what her goal is she said “ to finish and do myself, my coach, my parents, and the distance justice!” 

Saysky Athlete. Coached by Geoff Watkin.

Natasha Cockram (Micky Morris Racing Team)

PB 2:30:49 Dublin, 2019

Cockram knocked it out of the park when she won the Elite London Marathon last year in a time of 2:33:19, which could have equated to a faster time in better conditions. She also set her Half Marathon PB of 75:27 last year in Llanelli so is clearly building good form. She is the Welsh Record holder for the marathon.

Supported by London Marathon Events Coached by Tony Houchin.

Oxford Half Women’s winner Stephanie Davis

Stephanie Davis (Clapham Chasers) 

PB 2:27:40 Valencia, 2019 (Olympic qualifying time)

Having already run the qualifying time, if Davis finishes top two then she’s guaranteed a spot on the Olympic squad.

Born in Glasgow and now living in London working for and supported by Lazard Asset Management, she ran her first full marathon in 2018 (Berlin, 2:41:18) which she followed with a 2:32:18 off the mass start at London Marathon in April 2019. She is part of the scottishathletics Marathon Project targeting the Commonwealth Games, Birmingham in 2022.

Supported by London Marathon Events. Coached by Phillip Kissi.

Rosie Edwards (Rotherham)

PB 2:40:49 Frankfurt, 2018
HM PB 72:24 Las Vegas, Jan 2021

Edwards’ training has been going well, with the athlete feeling she has become “more consistent with marathon pace and with my longer sessions as the block progressed, so that was a big stepping stone for me”.

While solo training has been a hard grind “long term I think it helped me”. She’s looking forward to seeing where she measures up against some of the top British runners and has been practicing looped training runs to prepare for the course. Asked about her goals for the big day, Edwards told Fast Running “I want to be involved in the race, especially the second half and place as highly as possible. I’m also aiming for the Commonwealth Games standard”.

Coached by Robert Hawkins.

Clara Evans (Cardiff)

PB of 2:46:03  London, April 2017
HM PB 72:21 Antrim Coastal Half Marathon, 2020

Technically coming out of retirement apparently, Evans hasn’t run a marathon since 2017 but has been training for a while with Charlotte Arter. The Welsh international ran a sub 33 10k PB on the track this year so her speed is clearly on the up. 

“I’ve been happy with the long runs and the long sessions. I’m extremely grateful that I got a taster race to (the 10k) to check form and I’m extremely happy with where I am. I’d have loved to have got in an altitude block for this race in Kenya but obviously the global situation has made that difficult”

Evans also commented that she’s “looking forward to catching up with the other top British girls” – they must normally see each other quite a lot on the circuit so this will be a chance for friendship (and rivalries) to be rekindled.

Evans feels “the course looks very nice. The only down side is that it’s not a course that’s been run before and I sometimes feel like you never really know how fast a course in until someone has been there and done it”.

Her  aim is to run the commonwealth games selection standard and get a benchmark for that early, because there are plenty of fast Welsh ladies chasing the target. Her boyfriend Paul is on pacing duties at the race.

Coached by Chris Jones.

Photo: Provided by athlete

Becs Gentry (Peloton)

PB 2:37:01 New York Marathon, Nov 2019

The Peloton(tread) queen has stated in instagram posts that she is targeting an Olympic spot and is likely to be taking a pop at 2:30 after dropping to her PB of 2:37 from 2:53 in Feb the same year. Her training is a little different to the standard way of doing things because of her work-day duties but there’s no doubt there’s plenty of talent in there ready to be unleashed.

Annabel Gummow (Winchester)

Marathon Debut
HM PB of 74:50 Watford, Oct 2020

It looks like Gummow was tuning up to race a marathon in 2020 as she ran Hillingdon 20, a standard London Marathon tuneup race that takes place in March, in 2:00:35 last year. The former GB international has been running well over the longer distances and is an exciting prospect for the 26.2 mile distance. 

Coached by Christopher Wooldridge

Photo: Inge Johnson/Canada Running Series

Sarah Inglis (Lothian Running Club)

Scottish Inglis lives and trains in Vancouver, CA and looks to be in great form after placing 9th and running a 2:29:41 PB at the Marathon Project race in Chandler AZ, USA in Dec 2020. Only 11 seconds off the qualifying mark in Arizona so certiainly capable of a hitting the fast time needed.

That Arizona result is also particularly relevant as it was also a looped course with no public allowed to support. Inglis has been happy with her progress after the last build and has been getting used to even bigger volume sessions.

The Scot’s only negative from this build? “it’s been shorter as I’ve had to recover from my last race in Dec”. Inglis, like the rest of us is excited about the field. “it’s so open and that’s why I think that at 30k+ there is still going to be lots of girls fighting for those two spots”. Her goal, in case it wasn’t obvious is to get one of those spots!

Supported by London Marathon Events. Asics athlete. Coached by Mark Bomba.

Tish Jones (Belgrave Harriers)

PB 2:31:00 London, 2019

Ran 2:36:35 in the elite only London Marathon last year and her 2:31 PB is from the previous year. Was due to complete in the World Champs in Doha, but unfortunately had to pull out with a leg injury. As with most, it’s difficult to tell current form but the marathoner always brings her best on race day and will be another who could surprise.

Supported by London Marathon Events. Adidas athlete. Coached by Geoff Watkin

Naomi Mitchell (Reading AC) 

PB 2:33:23 London (elite only), Oct 2020

Based in Reading as an accountant for KPMG, after plugging away around the high 2:XX’s for a few years  Mitchell’s breakthrough race was Frankfurt 2019 when she ran 2:37 which she attributes in no small part to a lack of GPS. 

Mitchell has been “really pleased with the consistency of my training…I’ve been able to build mileage as well as the amount of marathon pace work compared to last year” though like many of the other entrants (and us), she’s not enjoyed the cold winter training!

Mitchell is looking forward to making the most of the quality women’s field “to work well of one another for some fast PBs”. Of her goals, she says, “I always set a few different ones, depending on how I feel as the race gets going. I’d love to slash my PB and target the qualifying time”. 

Coached by Nick Anderson

Photo: Vitality Big Half

Lily Partridge (Birchfield Harriers)

PB 2:29:24 London, 2018 

Partridge looks to be back in good shape recently. She won the Antrim Coastal Marathon (71:36) and the Vitality Big Half (70:50) last year but DNF’d at the elite only London Marathon in cold weather conditions. Some injury issues over recent years have seen difficulties over the marathon distance, so we’ve not seen a real benchmark for her for a while. However, the recent half and a track 10k suggest she’s in form.

Her PB is from *that* hot year in London so it’s potentially worth a bit more and she’s one of the most experienced runners on the startline. You would expect Partridge to be int he mix for top two spots for most, if not all, of the race. 

Supported by London Marathon Events. Adidas Athlete. Coached by Alan Storey.

Charlotte Taylor-Green (Clevedon)

PB 2:36:54 Dublin, Oct 2019

Taylor-Green’s PB came 5 years after running her previous marathon which she finished in 3:20. She set a 5k PB in 2020 but is pretty new to marathon training. The Clevedon athlete  is “pleased with how my body has adapted to endurance training, along with the mental toughness of training solo for so long”.

Like many of the athletes she wishes she’s had better access to facilities over the last year but Instagram suggests she’s been doing what she can in her home ‘gym’. The last time Taylor-Green ran in a British Champs it was in 2017 for the 3000m steeplechase so it’ll be exciting to see what happens.

She’s not particularly excited about the turns and wisely notes that there’s a chance the women suffer from “getting overtaken by the men – I hope we don’t get pushed out of the way”. Given that she still classes herself as a novice at marathoning, she says her goal is any improvement on her previous best.

Coached by James Thie

The post Women’s Marathon Trial: Who’s Running? appeared first on Fast Running.

After my last blog I asked readers what they would like to see in my next piece of writing. One reoccurring topic that came up was “How do you mentally deal with injury”.

I received several messages from runners at all levels asking for advice and talking about their mental health struggles during difficult times. This is something most athletes experience at some point in their career and is something I have had my fair share of experience with. 

We often read about success stories of coming back from injury, but there seems to be a lack of information on the injury/illness phase. Recovery often focuses on physical rehab, but it is also important to include the psychological aspect to get through these difficult periods.

When help is needed the most

Injury or illness periods are a time when we all need the extra help, coping mechanisms and support to get through. After writing my dissertation on the barrier’s athletes face on getting mental health help and as someone who has experienced long periods out through both injury and illness, I hope to offer some advice to help others through the inevitable barrier every athlete will face at some point in their career. 

As an overview of my own experience, a few that have stood out was my first stint of illness during my second year at university where I spent a year or so fighting through and getting over glandular fever.

My second stint was during my fourth year when in the doctor’s words I had a “career ending” injury which took me a good two years, if not longer to get back to fitness. My most recent injuries came at the worst time- one week prior to London Marathon and then came a horse kick four days before Dublin Marathon. 

Injuries and illnesses are devastating to athletes and even more devastating when they come at the end of a long training block, just before a race. The injury itself is often apparent resulting in all treatment and rehab to be focused on the physical aspect. But what about the psychological aspect that just took as big a knock (if not bigger) as the actual injury itself?

Feeling the weight of injury

When things go wrong it can be easy to get weighed down with negativity and even become irrational. It is easy to give up on your goals and completely lose sight of why you have just spent the past few months pushing your body through gruelling workouts. It’s times like this when we need to realise these feelings are normal and there are ways to treat them just like there are ways to treat the physical injuries. 

I think the first step to take is to realise is although these feelings might seem extreme, they are in fact are normal.

If you don’t experience any feelings then you probably aren’t as committed to your goals as you should be. Each athlete may react differently but there are several traits that are common responses for a lot of athletes which include anger, depression, low self-esteem, fear, anxiety, isolation and even denial. Injuries seem unfair and on the surface it’s impossible to see past the negatives, however it is important we find positive strategies to cope with the set-backs.

It is also important we learn from each injury just as we would learn from each race or training session. 

Coping Mechanisms

Something I struggled with during my first two stints (glandular fever and my knee injury) was not knowing what was wrong. I knew something was wrong but doctors couldn’t tell me what. All my test results came back normal which in one sense was good but this caused great frustration as I knew something was wrong.

The frustration then turned into low self-esteem and a lose of sight on my goals. It got to the point where I even tried telling myself I was just being weak and it was just in my head.

I tried to run in denial and get through the pain which then lead to me telling myself I wasn’t strong enough to cope with the demands of an elite athlete as the more I went on the harder things got. The biggest take I got from both these experiences is- you know your body better than anyone else!

Test results and health professionals can be wrong sometimes. If you can’t get answers continue to search for the answers until something makes sense. Feeling pain or feeling unwell is not a weakness, giving up is a weakness, so don’t give up- somewhere or someone will have an answer. 

Set smaller, achievable goals along the way

Another struggle I faced, was post-surgery when everything seemed impossible and all my previous goals seemed unrealistic. I had the goal of running the commonwealth standard yet I couldn’t even walk! This is when the use of short-term goals is important to help focus on the current situation.

However small a goal may seem it can keep you motivated.

Once I could walk, a goal I had post knee surgery was to be able to push the pedal on a stationary bike in the complete circular motion- this took me weeks of sitting on a bike pushing the pedal down then repeating. When I finally had the mobility to push the pedal all the way around, I was so happy that the feeling of accomplishment is still so clear in my mind several years on that achieving what seems like an insignificant goal has stayed with me. 

Use cross-training to help overcome the challenges

Prior to running Newport Marathon, just when training was starting to come together, I picked up another knee injury. After the normal irrational reactions, I was able to maintain my focus through cross training. If you can’t run but can-do different forms of exercise to maintain your fitness this can act as a great psychological relief as well as give you all the physical benefits that come with it. 

When I got injured one week out from London, I experienced the feeling of denial. I had trained for months; I had just got over the flu so to then get injured as well was too much for me to accept.

A marathon is perhaps the worst race to try and deny an injury as trust me 26.2 miles will show you there is no way to hide from an injury or illness. The disappointment of my performance at London left me in a far greater emotional state than what accepting the injury and withdrawing from the race would’ve left me.

Listen to your body

The biggest lesson I learnt from this was always listen to your body. You are better off accepting an injury and dealing with it right away rather than acting in denial, prolonging recovery and dealing with the mental knock from a bad race on top of the original negative emotions that already came with the injury. 

Something else that I have also found a major help when dealing with injuries is surrounding yourself with the right people. You know you have a good coach if he or she will support you through injury unlike several coaches who just write their athletes off during injury. Injuries can be isolating as you are taken away from something that you normally do every day.

If you have a coach or teammates who don’t want to know you when you are injured this will only elevate the feeling of isolation further. Isolation then leads to further negative feelings, turning injuries into a vicious psychological cycle. It is so important to surround yourself with positive people and people who believe in you. 

Injuries can make you a better athlete

Prior to injuries I took running for granted and definitely took my running goals for granted. Injuries have made me resilient and have made me value every day I can run. Therefore making every day count.

The big injuries have made me level headed and have helped me to overcome other barriers and smaller injuries. For example, before Dublin marathon when I got kicked by a horse 4 days prior to race day I was able to stay level headed and keep a positive mindset despite the undesirable circumstances.

Without the other injury barrier’s, I have had to overcome I think my reaction to the kick would’ve been far different and impacted on my performance and perhaps I would’ve never have broken the Welsh record. 

Also remember how far you’ve come

When something is hard, I think to myself, I’ve overcome an injury that doctors said would end my running career, if I can do that I can definitely get through a minor injury, hard work out or hard race!

Rewinding back to when I was struggling with glandular fever and then when I had my first knee injury, whilst Olympics was always my dream it never seemed realistic. But now Olympics is a realistic goal, to look back and remember the months I was bed bound and the months I couldn’t walk it seems unrealistic to think that was actually me.

Injuries and setbacks have really taught me anything is possible if you truly want it and if you have the right mind-set and work hard for it. 

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The post Coping with Injury appeared first on Fast Running.

Well, what a weekend. Abroad and on home turf British and Irish athletes turned out amazing performances. These are the kind of weekends we love, the weekends when we see all the hard work come to fruition, the weekends that keep us glued to race trackers and twitter feeds as we shout and will our fellow athletes on. So, settle in and bask in the glow of an amazing few days of racing.

Twell secures Olympic QT at Frankfurt

Where else could we start but with the Frankfurt Marathon? The GB lineup of Twell, Carruthers and Spink was always going to keep us entertained and it didn’t disappoint. After making her marathon debut last year in Valencia where she ran a controlled 2:30 it was clear that Steph Twell would be after an Olympic Qualifying Time.

She went out with intent and paced the race perfectly to finish 8th in an awe-inspiring 2:26:40. That time means that she tops the Scottish all-time list and according to Scottish Athletics she is the eighth Scot to set an outdoor National record this year. In addition she moves to the 5th on the UK all time marathon list ahead of Priscilla Welch and Liz McColgan.

Hayley Carruthers looked to be going out with a similar intent of getting an Olympic qualification time but faded a little from 15km and pulled out after 30km having been passed by Jenny Spink. From frustration to elation, you only have to look at this video to know what the 2:31:14 (13th) run by Spink means to her;

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Still don’t have the words… but so happy to have run well today. Still can’t believe it 2:31! . . . #frankfurtmarathon2019 #runningintothefinish #PB #facesaysitall

A post shared by Jenny Spink (@spink.jenny) on Oct 27, 2019 at 6:03am PDT

Her recent Cardiff Half boded well for this race and she certainly delivered with her four minute PB. The top 25 had two more british ladies in the form of Naomi Mitchell who ran a 10 minute PB to finish 20th in 2:37:51 and Claire Lynch (21st in 2:38:22). Also inside 2:45 was Paulina Golec in 2:43:55 with Claire Grima running 2:45:22. The overall winner was Kenya’s Valary Aiyabei in 2:19:10.

Hawkins PBs with strong performances from Scott and Navesey

It wasn’t just Twell who was giving Scotland something to pay attention to over in Germany – Derek Hawkins showed that he is coming back strong from injury, running a 2:12:49 PB to finish in 10th place.

The England team of Aaron Scott, Paul Navesey and Peter Le Grice were also in action. Aaron Scott finished just outside his PB with a strong performance of 2:17:05 with a lot of solo running in the second half after his training partner Josh Lunn stopped after 25km. Navesey clocked a new PB with a negative split crossing the line in a super 2:17:16. Le Grice went out very hard and was not far off his half marathon PB pace through 10km on 2:09 pace but paid later in the race before but toughed it out to finish.

In  highly impressive marathon debut Dominic Shaw finished in 2:18:36 followed by Alex Bampton in a big new PB of 2:21:54. Also sub 2:25 were James Connor (2:22:07), Kenny Wilson (2:22:39), Jo Turner (2:23:56) and Ben Cole (2:24:46).

Irish athletes Eoin and Tommy Hughes broke the father and son world record with Eoin clocking 2:31:30 but beaten by a stunning 2:27:52 from his father. The overall winner was Fikre Bekele in 2:07:08

Lockley, Partridge, Gray and Mitchell impress in Valencia

Before the Valencia Half Marathon organisers were talking up an attempt on the women’s world record. Alas, a fall early on left favourite Sifan Hassan to finish in a surprising second place finish behind Teferi Sora who won it in 65:32.

After battling SI issues for a while it was great to see Lily Partridge show a return to the kind of times we know she can run. Her 71:58 will give her confidence for the final stages of her buildup before she returns to run the full marathon in December. Emma Mitchell of Ireland had a good day, running a sizeable PB to finish in 72:28.

It was a successful day for the gents too – Isle of Man’s Ollie Lockley returns home with a storming one minute and 44 second PB thanks to his 63:01 and 31st place finish. Jack Gray was the next Brit in 63:15 in a big PB in what was only his second run out over the 13.1 distance. Owen Hind ran 66:53 and other men to break 70 minutes were Paul Piper (68:28), Jim Allchin (68:48) and Matt Sharp (68:54).

 

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Valencia HM 2019! Relieved to be back running something respectable and my body felt strong throughout. 5 weeks to go.. time to turn respectable into good #halfmarathon #marathontraining #valencia #adidas

A post shared by L I L Y | P A R T R I D G E (@lilypartridge) on Oct 27, 2019 at 5:57am PDT

Cockram and Scullion break national records at Dublin Marathon

It wasn’t just those racing abroad that had their speedy shoes on this weekend. The Dublin Marathon has always worked well for Natasha Cockram and this year was no different as she knocked yet another chunk of time off her marathon, finishing in 5th place in 2:30:49 despite being kicked by a horse on Wednesday and running with a huge bruise on her leg. Hardcore.

Surely this makes her one to watch for the future (the time, not the bruise). For a big chunk of the race she was well inside the Olympic qualification standard and should not be considered a contender near year. Her time saw her break Susan Tooby’s Welsh National marathon record.

In a wonderful debut performance Charlotte Taylor-Green finished in 12th in a time of 2:36:54. Pretty impressive for an athlete who until recently was very much focused on middle distance running. Katie Wood was 18th in 2:43:12.

Steve Scullion had the run of his life to finish 2nd in a time of stunning time of 2:12:01 in what is a new Northern Irish record. His performance along with that of Mick Clohisey (2:13:19), Hugh Armstrong (2:14:21), Sean Hehir (2:16:01), Eoghan Totten (2:16:08), Aoife Cooke (2:32:34), Ann-Marie McGlynn (2:32:54) and all the other fabulous performances from Irish athletes this weekend will be picked up in detail in our Irish roundup.

Overall, it was Ethiopia who dominated the podium. Motu Gedefa won the women’s race in 2:27:48 followed by Mesera Dubiso (2:28:29) and Denbeli Shuke (2:29:51). The men’s race was a more mixed affair as Clonliffe Harriers Stephen Scullion ran a two minute best to place second (2:12:01), behind Morocco’s Othmane El Goumri (2:08:06) and ahead of Ethiopia’s Mengistu Zelalem (2:12:05).

Credit: Dublin Marathon

Super quick times in Leeds

The headline from the Leeds Abbey Dash 10k has to be the stunning piece of racing produced by Charlotte Arter (Cardiff AC). She ran 31:34 to not only win the race but also put herself in between Wendy Sly (31:19 in 1983) and Laura Weightman (31:39 earlier this year) to place 5th on the all-time GB rankings for the 10k.

Loughborough Student Abbie Donnelly clearly benefited from the extra hour in bed too as she appears to have knocked a mind bending two minutes and 30 seconds off her PB when she stormed home in 32 minutes flat for second place.

To put that even further into context, she beat Beth Potter who wasn’t exactly off-pace given that she ran only two seconds off her best and finished in 32:05 for third. Indeed Jess Judd, who has been on fine form this year and ran a solid PB herself, was outside the medals with her 32:11.

Charlotte Arter and the rest of the Welsh team at Leeds Abbey Dash. Credit: Welsh Athletics

Not to be outdone by the ladies, Omar Ahmed was also looking to give an update to his Power of 10 column. The Birchfield Harriers’ athlete broke the tape in 28:38 which was a nice comfortable 15 second upgrade on his previous best, though a not so comfortable lead over the line.

It was Stockport’s Ross Millington who was chasing Ahmed down all the way to the end to shave one second off his own PB, finish one second behind the winner and finish in 28:39! Ducking out of Cross Country duties, Adam Craig of Inverclyde AC was third in 28:45.

In total 26 women broke 35 minutes and 28 men went sub 30. Notably nine men ran inside 29 minutes – in addition to the top three – Cris Jones (28:47), Adam Clarke (28:51), John Sanderson (28:51), Alex Teuten (28:54), Josh Grace (28:56) and Carl Avery (28:58).

13 women cracked the 34 minute barrier. In addition to the four athletes already mentioned these were Samantha Harrison (32:34), Danielle Hodgkinson (32:55), Clara Evans (33:17), Jip Vastenburg (33:19), Annabel Simpson (33:30), Steph Pennycook (33:38), Kirsty Longley (33:40), Rachael Franklin (33:51) and Hannah Viner (33:58).

Hawkins on show in the Scottish National XC Relays

On Saturday Cumbernauld House Park was host to countless Scottish athletes who lined up to put best spiked-foot forward for their teams at the Lindsays Scottish Athletics National Cross Country Relays. Both genders were running 4 x 4000m and as always, it was a very competitive race.

Topping the team podium in the women’s competition was Edinburgh University’s Hare and Hounds thanks to Johnson, Nankivell, Jaffray and Page running a 58:40. Nearby rivals Edinburgh AC were next in 59:59 and Bronze went to Giffnock North A.C (1:00:07).

It was Central AC whose 49:16 showed their continued dominance as they took the gold for the men, in part thanks to a great run from Jamie Crowe who was the only athlete to run under 12 minutes for one leg of the race. Callum Hawkins was back from Doha to compete for Kilbarchan and he and his team mates took Kilbarchan AAC to silver in 50:00. Inverclyde AC finished in the 50:16 to claim bronze.

Masters medals went to Corstorphine AAC, Cambuslang Harriers and Edinburgh AC for the men and Bellahouston Road Runners, Kilbarchan AAC and Edinburgh AC for the women.

Callum Rowlinson takes a big win at Snowdonia Marathon

A strong starting field at the Snowdonia Marathon suggested that John Gilberts’ 2:33:38 from 2015 might be in trouble. However very tough conditions was always going to make that hard but Callum Rowlinson got very close with an exceptional 2:34:14 which was some way ahead of his closest rival.

Daniel Connolly (2:38:26) was next home after conquering the punchy final climb to 1,200ft at Bwlch y Groes and the quad destroying downhill finish. Martin Green took was third in 2:41:18. James Thie is normally used to indoor tracks and shorter distances but he was out in the Welsh mountains to take on his first ever marathon. He finished in 2:59:19, commenting that it was a ‘humbling’ experience after he went through 20 miles in the top 10 and then struggled towards the end finishing in 22nd place after a heavy fall on the final descent.

The women’s course record (2:57:55 by Hayley Munn) was also untroubled and looks pretty invincible. This year’s winner was Andrea Rowlands who finished in 3:09:18. Anna Bracegirdle was second in 3:09:54 and Danielle Higham thir in 3:13:23. A full report on the race will be published tomorrow.

The World 24hr Championships in Albi, France sees awe-inspiring performances

Camille Herron, of the USA, ran a world record of 167 miles (tbc) to secure the win in the women’s competition, with her trademark fast starting style paying dividends once again.

In the men’s race it was a slightly more controlled start than usual for Aleksandr Sorokin of the USA. The Lithuanian has dug deep to medal in the past but never won a gold. The British men’s and women’s teams both eventually finished fifth, after looking like they were comfortably chasing third place they lost rankings in the latter stages.

As is the nature of 24hr running, it is often how you deal with the inevitable adversity that shows the character of the performance and the fact that all 11 GB Athletes were still out on the 1491m loop at the end was a great sign.

Jessica Baker ran a total of 227.558km, Cat Simpson 220.301, Wendy Whearity 217.174, Alison Young 211.113 and Sarah Morwood 186.169km For the men Paul Maskell ran 251.261km, James Stewart 250.696, Dan Lawson 244.732, Steven Holyoak 234.590, Grant MacDonald 227.734km and Mike Stocks 209.145km.

Credit: Robbie Britton

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Day in and day out I hear people give the excuse of they don’t have time to do something and more specifically they don’t have the time to run or workout. But is this really the truth? We all have an excuse for not doing something but it all comes down to time management. 

Life is temptation, it’s all about yielding, resisting, yes, no, now, later, impulsive, reflective, present focus and future focus. 

The most common excuse for not exercising is “no time”. However, clinical psychologists have concluded that typically it is lack of motivation, lack of enjoyment, negative associations or low self-esteem that prevents someone from doing something rather than lack of time. 

Don’t spend too much time wishing for 25 hours in a day

When waiting for an appointment I came across a magazine offering its readers help on how to find an extra hour in the day.  The idea was to shave bits of time off everyday activities, add it up, and we’ll have time for the good stuff.

I questioned this entire premise of this piece, one of my favourites was being extremely judicious in microwave usage: it says three minutes to three and a half minutes on the package- always go in on the bottom side of that.

Another favourite, which makes sense on some level, is to DVR your favourite show so you can fast forward through the adverts. That way you save five minutes or so every 30 minutes, so in the course of watching two hours of TV, you find 20 minutes to use for running. Another way to find 20 minutes (and of course the 30 seconds you saved from going on the bottom end of your microwaving)…don’t watch two hours of TV a day!

Time going backwards

I believe this idea of saving time here and there to get to everything we want to do is completely backwards.

We don’t build the lives we want by saving time, we build the lives we want and then time saves itself.

There are 168 hours in a week. Even after you subtract 56 hours to sleep and 50 for work, you’re left with 62 hours. We have the power to fill our lives with the things that deserve to be there. If you truly want to start running or working out, you must place it high on your mental to do list. Then you need to put it in your physical schedule, by planning your week before you’re in it.

Guilty as everyone else

I am just as guilty as most, I have a busy schedule- working full time, running full time along with all the other normal day to day commitments. I love running and I have no problem getting out the door for my workouts and recovery runs.

I enjoy running so I make it a priority, however the other aspects of running, such as stretching, I find boring so often find myself using the excuse “I don’t have time” when in reality this is not the reason for me neglecting this aspect of being an athlete.

I found I will plan my day out around running, working, dog walking, looking after my horse, general every day chores and running again with “no time” to stretch.

Yet if something unexpected comes up such as a flat tyre, I’d somehow have time to get all of my original activities done  as well as spend 2 hours getting to the garage, and waiting for a new tyre to be put on. This unexpected situation showed me time is highly elastic. We cannot make more time, but time will stretch to accommodate what we choose to put into it.

Cockram has another way to save time, always be at the finish line before everyone else. Photo credit: Porthcawl 10km

Prioritise your time

I have learnt the key to time management is treating my priorities as the equivalent to my flat tyre. I need to make stretching a priority. Everything we do, every minute we spend, is our choice. The times I have told myself “I don’t have time to stretch” really meant, “I don’t stretch because I find it boring therefore, I don’t make it a priority”.

Granted there maybe consequences for making different choices, but we are smart people, and certainly over the long run, we all have the power to fill our lives with the things that deserve to be there, whether that be running for health reasons, or for a physical challenge, competitiveness or anything else.

If you want to run, make it a priority; set yourself goals and understand why you want to do it, realise the positives you will get from it and see it as a highlight of your day. If you make it a priority you will never need to use the excuse of “you don’t have time” ever again.

Natasha Cockram features in the ‘Fast 10: class of 2019’ and over the course of the year will share her running journey. You can follow Natasha on Twitter and Instagram, while further information about the ‘class of 2019’ can be found here.

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 Time waits for no woman appeared first on Fast Running.

Across the seas

Whilst the Kenyans swept the titles in the Beach to Beacon 10k, the strong British performances meant we didn’t fade into the background. On what can only be described as a beautiful day, 6,413 runners took to the roads in Cape Elizabeth.

The race was started by Joan Benoit Samuelson, winner of the first Olympic women’s marathon in 1984, to realize her vision of creating a major international road race in her home state and her legacy is a fantastic 10km race that draws global talent.

Purdue and Piasecki amongst a lead pack containing fellow Brits Tish Jones and Lily Partridge. Photo: Kevin Morris

There was a hint of a breeze, but the sun shone, as did Charlotte Purdue, Callum Hawkins, and Jess Piasecki. Purdue, a recent 2:25 marathon runner, proved she has some impressive speed in her too. The British international claimed bronze in an incredibly high-quality field in a time of 32:16. Not far behind her in sixth place was the Stockport athlete, Jess Piasecki, in 32:51.

Fellow Brits Tish Jones and Lily Partridge were also in the lead group battling it out with the world class field. Jones hung on for a superb 33:09 for eighth, whilst Partridge slowed to post a 34:47.

Scotland’s Hawkins continued to add the success across seas with a fifth place finish that saw him just dip under the 29-minute mark in 28:55. Older brother Derek ran 30:50 for 18th place. 

Photo: Kevin Morris

On home turf

Back in the UK there were some shining stand-out performances in London over 10k. Lauren Deadman of Havering Athletics was the first female finisher at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park 10k.This was more than just a ‘jog round the park’ as Deadman crossed the line in 35:55 to claim gold for the women. Andrew McCaskill gave a similarly impressive performance, giving his all to bag himself a strong lead. McCaskill finished in a time of 32:53, over 3 minutes ahead of the second male. 

Just a stone’s throw away was the RunThrough Victoria Park 10k. GB International Tracy Barlow, was not only first woman across the line, but also the first overall winner. Barlow ran a rapid time of 34:26, claiming the win by over 3 minutes! 

Over 25 laps…

Once again Paul Navesey proves his excellent 2019 form in the final few months leading up to Frankfurt with a 33 second PB on the track. Athletes took on the challenge of 25 laps of the track in the Brighton birthday Boy’s 10,000. The Crawley AC athlete claimed gold by over two minutes in a speedy time of 30:24 to continue his recent run of PB’s. We caught up with Paul last week and heard all about his journey to Frankfurt.

The clear silver medalist was Craig Halsey of Brighton & Hove AC in his track 10,000m debut. Halsey crossed the line in 32:34 whilst the last place on the podium was claimed by Chichester Runners & AC’s Chris Bird. 

Going long 

In the rocky Scandinavian mountains, British international Jon Albon secured another convincing victory at the highly technical Tromso Skyrace in Northern Norway. 

It was great to see Adidas Terrex’s Holly Page back racing over a longer course and the fell runner finished in an excellent second place. We’re looking forward to hearing about this in her next Fast10 blog!

At the Centurion Running North Downs Way 100 there was a new course record of 15:18:41, taking over 20 minutes off the long-standing record of Ed Catmur. 

Photo: James P. Elson – Centurion Running

In the women’s race Karen Hacker finished in 20:40:38, almost an hour ahead of second place after a strong finish.

Down the distances

The Soar Summer Mile in the prestigious Olympic Stadium was another night to remember with an abundance of PB’s. 

The final Soar mile race of the night was won in a cracking time of 4:01.97 by Tonbridge AC’s Dom Brown. Brown showed his strong form in his first ever 5,000 last weekend, running 14:06, and continued to prove this strength on Friday night. Thames Harrier Josh Carr ended the night on a high with a PB of 4:04.08. Just over a second behind him, claiming bronze in 4:05.54 was Kieran Clements. 

The fastest woman of the night, claiming an easy win, was Revee Walcott-Nolan. The Luton athlete claimed a 7 second PB of 4:37.27 and was the first across the line in her race. 

Clare Elms deserves a mention for setting a new world record for the W55 mile in her 53rd race of the year!! The Kent AC athlete ran a very impressive 5:10 to add to her repertoire which includes 18 other world or British records set in 2019 alone! Elms’ records span everything from 800m to 5k on the road. 

A weekend where 10k’s were plentiful

Adding to the success on the road were some rapid male times in the EDF Energy Lydd 10k. Ross Skelton of Hastings AC stormed across the line in an incredible 30:04, getting himself ever closer to that sub 30 goal. Skelton earned a convincing win as Marshal Smith in second place was 2 minutes 54 seconds behind him in a very respectable 32:58. Achieving third place in 33:29 was Aaron Wilson with a three second PB. 

The Barry Island 10k saw some names to watch take on the road. Josh Griffiths won the scenic 10k, adding to his collection of 10k wins this year. Griffiths came home in an impressive 30:22 with Aaron Richmond behind in 31:49. Fast Running’s Fast 10 Class of 2019 athlete, Natasha Cockram, took the title in the women’s race in 34:42, only 8 seconds off her personal best. See a full report here.

The 14th Rye Summer Classic series 10k had another stand out performance to add to the list. The U23 Tunbridge Wells Harrier, Billy Hobbs, ran 31:55 taking a substantial 30 second chunk off his previous 10k PB set at the Leeds Abbey Dash back in 2017. Billy also beat the 30 year-long course record held by Tony Baldock by a whole second. 

RELATED: Dash to a 10k best in Leeds this Autumn

What has been described as one of the UK’s most beautiful city runs, the Asda Foundation York 10k, took place on the streets of this northern city. The runners clearly weren’t distracted by the city’s beauty as plenty of fast times were ran.

Leeds City AC took gold in both the women’s and the men’s race with Graham Rush running 31:20 and Lorna Young a cracking 36:17. Just over half a minute behind Rush was Cameron Strachan in third with 31:51 and Kristian Watson of Heanor Running Club was next across the line in 32:55. Completing the women’s top three was Sarah Hunter of Ackworth Road Runners in 38:56 followed by Georgina Weston in 39:23. 

Once again, the Self-transcendence 10k, part of the London Sri Chimnoy race series in Battersea Park, saw the gathering of many fast club runners. The men’s race was dominated by Serpentine AC claiming both first and third place. Nicolas Besson won by a 42 second margin in 32:08 with Victoria Park and Tower Hamlet’s William Woodcock taking second in 32:50, a new PB! Adding to the Serpentine’s success and the number of PB’s on the night, Benjamin Tolputt claimed third place in 33:04.

The women’s podium was PB’s galore with all three top women claiming a new lifetime best. Mary James of South London welcomed a nine second 10k best to get her first-place prize, whilst Catrin Tyler in second place took an impressive 72 second off her personal best. Completing the trio of PB’s was Susan McDonald in 37:54.

To conclude a busy weekend of 10k races was the Ray Harrison Memorial 10k. Yohannes Eyob was the first male athlete to cross the line in 32:53, whilst Tracy Milmore of Birtley AC took gold in the women’s race in 37:20. 

parkrun

Jonny Hay and Hayley Carruthers are your fastest athletes at UK parkruns this weekend (August 3rd). Full top ten rankings here.

If you would like to run faster at parkrun, top tips to help runners of all abilities can be found here.

RELATED: 7 ways to run faster at parkrun

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 Purdue flies onto the podium at US Beach to Beacon 10k – Weekend round-up appeared first on Fast Running.

Swansea Harrier Griffiths is in pole position for the Healthspan Wales 10K title after racing to victory at the inaugural Healthspan Porthcawl 10K last month. Griffiths kicked on in the last kilometre to triumph in 29 minutes 54 seconds, and will be out to clock another sub-30 performance at another of South Wales’ iconic seaside locations.

The man he beat to take the Porthcawl title, James Hunt, will be out to get revenge on the Island. The 2018 Welsh Cross Country champion will be hoping to use his experience on the undulating course to make up the four second gap that separated the two that day.

Cheltenham’s Phil Wylie and Exmouth Harrier Tom Merson are the two other members of the field to have dipped under the 30 minute mark, and both will be battling to claim a podium place on Sunday morning.

Evans and Cockram go head to head

In the women’s race, Cardiff AC star Clara Evans will be out to make a breakthrough performance over 10K in Wales after racing to a third placed finish at the London 10K earlier this year. But she will face stuff competition from another Healthspan Porthcawl 10K champion in Natasha Cockram, who made a smooth transition from the marathon to the shorter distance to claim her first 10K triumph of the year in 34:51.

Returning champion Rachel Felton will not give her crown up without a fight and will be looking to go one better than her previous Healthspan Wales 10K Series race at the ABP Newport Wales 10K, where she finished second.

Distance running fans will remember the name Carl Thackery from his heyday in the 1980s and 1990s. The former long distance specialist won team silver at the 1992 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 1992 before claiming individual and team bronze a year later in 1993. But on Sunday, his daughter Calls gets her chance to shine on the roads of Barry Island.

And the Hallamshire and former University of New Mexico runner will be hoping spring a surprise on the rest of the field after winning the 2019 Great Grimsby 10K earlier this year.

International masters competition

The second edition of the race will also incorporate a Masters International clash between England and Wales.

Race Director Steve Brace said: “The challenging course at Barry Island makes for a pair of fascinating races. Josh Griffiths will know all about the nature of the route after coming home in third last year and he will be hoping it takes some of the other runners by surprise.

“There will be plenty of fierce competition at the front end of the race before more than 3,000 runners aim to overcome their own personal challenges and set new personal bests. It’s shaping up to be another fantastic festival of running, so I would encourage the local community to come out and roar the participants along the course.”

The post Griffiths aiming to continue 10K streak at Barry Island 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.

Griffiths, the Team Wales Commonwealth Games and Team GB World Championships marathoner found himself trailing at the half-way mark in the spectacular new event on the seafront at one of Wales’s most popular resorts, but had the strength to hit back and post another notable victory.

“James took it out and made me work really hard. I didn’t get ahead until the final minute and it was his first time under 30 minutes, so hats off to him,” said Griffiths, the Welsh 10K road champion.

“I wanted to win, and it is always nice to get under 30 minutes, but he really made the race. That is my first 10K win this year and it is always nice to cross the line first.

“The support all the way around the course was simply fantastic and some of the best I’ve had around Wales and it was the perfect setting. I wanted to kick on in the Healthspan Wales 10K Series so I’m happy I got the victory.”

So close, but so far

While Griffiths was able to chalk up his first race win of the year at the third leg of the Healthspan Wales 10K Series, Cardiff AAC runner Hunt was left with the bittersweet feeling of having run the race of his life, but still coming home in second place. Not that he was too bothered – he pocketed a £200 cheque to take away on holiday with him later this month.

“Josh just came on strong in the last kilometre and I couldn’t hold onto him. I was leading at half-way and I’d dropped the group,” said Hunt, who was able to celebrate a 20 second PB.

“I was out in front, couldn’t hear anyone behind me and I thought I was going to stay away. But Josh is a solid runner and came back at me.

“Even so, it is a huge PB for me and the first time I’ve dipped under 30 minutes, so I’ve got to be happy with that – and a £200 cheque for second place.

“The support I had around the course was unreal and this is a major breakthrough for me. I feel as though I can go on and push my boundaries again.

“I did my first half for a while in Swansea a few weeks ago to build up my strength and that clearly helped me. Now I can look forward to the Cardiff 10K and maybe even the Cardiff Half Marathon in October.”

There were almost 4,000 runners on the start line and when they finally got away at 10.30am the conditions were perfect. The tide was in, the sun was shining and Welsh sporting legend Iwan Thomas got everyone underway.

Marathon specialists for the win

Photo: Porthcawl 10km

The women’s race was also won by a marathon specialist in Natasha Cockram. The winner of the inaugural ABP Newport Wales Marathon last year, she led home the experienced Jenny Spink, a former British World Half Marathon Championship athlete, to take the tape in 34:51 to win by 29 seconds.

“I’ve struggled a bit with injuries over recent weeks after running in the London Marathon. I ran when I probably shouldn’t have in London and I had to take a couple of months off afterwards,” said Cockram.

“But I’ve been back running again for the past three weeks and I’m just happy to be back racing again. It wasn’t about the time, and It wasn’t that quick, but for me it was just about getting back into a race.

“We were pretty much together in the first half, but then I felt her dropping off a bit and just pushed on. I can’t thank my physio enough for getting me back after the knee injury, and also Welsh Athletics and Sport Wales.

“The aim is to run a marathon again later this year, but before then I want to do a few more 10Ks and maybe the Cardiff Half in October.”

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Now in it’s sixth year the JCP Swansea Half Marathon takes place this Sunday. The flat, fast course is attracting an increasingly deep field to South Wales. This year is no exception with past winners Matt Clowes and Tracy Barlow leading the elite entries.

South Wales man is the favourite

Clowes of Cardiff AAC was last year’s winner in 64:44 before going on to set a personal best of 63:26 at Cardiff Half in October. With a win at Speedway 10km on Sunday in 29:55 and a season’s best of 64:03 local favourite Clowes will be the man to beat. Clowes leading challenge might come from 2:14 marathon man Josh Griffiths. Griffiths, whose half marathon best of 64:54 was set at Barcelona this year, finished second to Clowes at last weeks Speedway 10km.

Recently selected for the England marathon team for Frankfurt Nick Torry is having a fantastic year. His time of 2:16:21 set at VLM saw him move to fourth on the UK V40 all time rankings. Torry has a half marathon best of 64:23 and ran 65:34 to win Paddock Wood Half in April.

The other leading contenders include England international Peter Huck. 65:01 man Huck has seen limited racing this year ran but 30:32 at Brighton Marathon 10km in April. Tom Merson ran 29:52 to finish 2nd at this year’s Bristol 10km. The Exmouth man was also winner over the hilly course at the 2019 Plymouth Half Marathon in 66:03. Both are expected to get stuck in at the front of the field.

Barlow and Cockram head a fast women’s elite field

GB international Tracy Barlow defends her title after setting a new course record in last years race of 73:50. Barlow comes into the race in good form having run 33:44 at the London Vitality 10,000m and winning a silver medal at the England 10,000m championships.

South Wales’ Natasha Cockram will be a strong challenger. The MMRT athlete won Vienna 10km in April in a new PB of 34:24. The 2:34 marathoner can be expected to take a serious chunk out of her half marathon PB of 77:53 and she knows the course well finishing fourth in last year’s race.

James Thie coached athlete Charlotte Taylor-Green will be one to watch. The Bristol & West athlete has a big range with a 2:06 800m and a 10km best of 34:42 set at this year’s Brighton Marathon 10km. Taylor-Green is moving back into longer distances with her eyes on the marathon this Autumn. Her speed will certainly make her a threat on Sunday.

2:37 marathoner Hayley Munn and Swansea Harrier Alaw Beynon-Thomas, who was second at the recent Speedway 10km, will also be expected to mount a strong challenge.

Tracy Barlow winning in 2018

The post Top field set to compete at Swansea Half Marathon appeared first on Fast Running.

Runners love to brag about the simplicity of running. As the saying goes, “All you need is a pair of shoes and a path to run down” Just you and the trail. It’s a beautiful concept. At its core the act of running is that simple.

There is only one person who can make your legs move, who can force you to wake up before the sun begins to rise and who can choose to keep going and dig deep, even when quitting seems like the better option. Unlike many sports, however, success in distance running doesn’t depend on someone passing you the ball. I’ve come to learn although it might seem like an individual display of toughness, courage and strength; if I am serious about competing at the international level it is impossible to do everything alone.

Not just putting the shoes on and out the door

We are pushing to go faster and achieve new goals. We don’t just go out and run, our training is carefully planned out, each day has a different purpose whether it be recovery runs, interval workouts, tempo runs, long runs, mid long runs- all at specific paces with specific rest periods, cross training at a specific heart rate, weights focusing on specific muscle groups and so on. Not only is it important to get the training right, you have nutrition, recovery, equipment (shoes), a sound mental game and everything else in between to master.

On top of these already in-depth areas there are always barriers that are going to get in the way that can further complicate things.

I am an independent person, and don’t like to inconvenience anyone. I have always kept things as simple as possible. I do all my training solo and spent time self-coaching but last year I finally accepted the fact that if I wanted to up my game, I needed a coach. This was the best decision I made and it was the start of a growing team.

After joining my coach, Tony Houchin, I set a personal best in every race I had run until London Marathon where I had a heart-breaking performance. Tony prepared me in every way possible and workouts were going well and feeling easier than ever. I was the fittest and fastest I’ve ever been, however the final 3 weeks I came up against barriers I’m sure all athletes experience at some point in their career. These barriers really made me realise people are more than willing to help without it being a chore or inconvenience to them. It’s made me step back and appreciate the help I have and has made me realise I am not in this sport alone.

Overcoming the unexpected

Three weeks prior I came down with the flu which wasn’t ideal but working in an office where at the time it seemed every other person had some sort of cold or virus meant it was almost inevitable no matter what measures I took to try and protect myself. Trying to see the positive side, I was just glad it was three weeks prior and not race week.

However, just as I thought things couldn’t get worse, race week came and my knee suddenly started hurting. Then the realisation that my physio who often works his magic and fixes me within an hour was away on a Welsh Athletics training camp, meant I went into panic mode.

This is perhaps what has really made me realise the importance of a strong network. Communicating with my normal Welsh Athletics physio, Adam Rattenbury, along with Sport Wales, led me to work with Sport Wales physio Dan Grimsted. Although I had never met Dan before and he did not know me or my body he really made me realise the willingness of others to help. Dan worked on me for hours at a time, every day the week leading up to London and not only that, he went out his way to work around my work schedule.

My work colleagues were also helpful and supportive in helping to cover me while I rolled in late or left early for treatment. It really felt like a team effort to do everything possible to get me to the start line. I could not be more thankful for Dan’s hard work that week as without it I would not have made the start line.

Although even with the help of Dan, London did not go to plan and was the closest I’ve ever come to not finishing. I don’t regret giving it a go when perhaps I should’ve made the decision to withdraw.

It left me broken with disappointment and pain but I learnt so much from the experience, one being the importance of a team, another being no matter how fit and well your training is or has been going if you are not 100% healthy on the day it is impossible to give yourself a fair chance on a world stage and also the importance of the other aspects of being an athlete, other than just running; such as recovery, injury prevention work and so on.

The fire still burns strong

It was odd, when I went through a rough patch of racing in previous years, or suffered injuries it would leave me thinking- ‘is this really what I want to do’? But after London all I wanted to do was get back running to be able to race another marathon. I think this is because previously without a team, coming back stronger from a bad race or injury was a big barrier to face alone and hard to find the mental strength and motivation when things weren’t going well. But things are different now. I

have so many people around me supporting me and helping me through this journey. It makes everything seem possible and motivates me even more to come back stronger.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t spend the first week after London crying myself to sleep and feeling frustrated about barely being able to walk. But when I finally got over the initial disappointment, I was actually excited to change things and become a better athlete. Getting the flu so close to a big race is bad luck but is something most athletes will experience at some point.

For me getting an injury could’ve been bad luck but maybe could’ve been prevented if I had incorporated preventative measures into my training week. Without wanting to blame myself I will be the first to admit I have been terrible at staying on top of the little things. I’m sure I am not the only one who finds stretching and rolling boring!

Not only that, I have kept things so simple I have never incorporated much more than just running and the odd core routine into my training week. I have little knowledge about strength work and that’s something I have been excited to change. Not being able to run has almost been a blessing as it’s forced me to focus on the other aspects of becoming a better runner. Over the last month I have had the best support team I could have wished for.

Welsh Athletics and Sport Wales invaluable

The support from Welsh Athletics and Sport Wales has been invaluable. It has become my second home (so much so that when I get in my car after work my phone tells me “15 minutes to get home” a little confused as I know my commute is far longer than that I checked to see why my phone is telling me this…turns out it thinks Sport Wales is my home!)

Adam Rattenbury (Welsh Athletics Physio) has been a massive help and has pieced my body together on numerous occasions. And again, has got me back on my feet and back running. Through Welsh athletics and Sport Wales I have also started working with strength and condition coach, Chris Chucas.

Not only am I hoping some strength work will further improve my performances, as a team we are working to do preventative work by working on my weaknesses that are likely to be the cause of the knee problems I have experienced. Working with Adam and Chris has motivated me to stay on top of stretching and rolling, so much so I’ve actually started to enjoy it as I can already feel the benefits.

With all this it’s a given that when trying to compete at your best, runners training for a big race end up spending a lot of time away from home, running the roads or traveling across the country or around the world to races and training venues. We spend hours at a time training, then require time for recovery and replenishment. On a normal week day, I am up at 4:45am, out the door by 5am and don’t return home until 8pm and some nights even later, which means the little time I do spend at home is spent sleeping.

Friends, family and beyond

A typical training cycle can command your entire week’s schedule which then dictates your family and friends’ schedule. It leaves me little time for normal daily essentials. My parents play a massive role and support me in every way possible whether it be helping to fuel me, doing my washing or looking after my dog. Without them there is no way I would be able to sustain a full-time job alongside training. I’m also fortunate my friends are understanding of the demands of being an athlete and they don’t pressure me into going out but will always include me even after having to turn down every other invite.

Natasha with her father, a key part of her support team

From my coach, to my physio, strength coach, family, friends, club and even the support from people I don’t know, it all means so much and is all contributing to this team effort!
Running really is like a recipe where you need to have all the right ingredients and right balance in order to reach perfection.

I am still working on my recipe to success. However, over the last year I feel the support system around me has grown massively and has been a huge contribution to improving my recipe to success.

Surround yourself with people who know more than you and surround yourself with people who share the same values as you or with those who want to help you get to where you want to be. Studies have proven connection and social support has a positive impact on performance and resilience along with increased motivation, goal adherence, positive emotions and enjoyment.

Natasha Cockram features in the ‘Fast 10: class of 2019’ and over the course of the year will share her running journey. You can follow Natasha on Twitter and Instagram, while further information about the ‘class of 2019’ can be found here.

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The post You can’t do it all on your own appeared first on Fast Running.