With the restrictions of lockdown slowly starting to lift, we can start look back on what the experience has taught us. During such unknown and uncertain times there are many things that we had to change in relation to running.

We also had to alter many aspects of normal life in ways that were beyond our control. Of course there are many things we will never return to unless we have to. Despite this there will be some lessons which we can take forward.

Plenty of people have found themselves appreciating the little things in life and finding joy from things they never would have considered previously. Others have used the time to experiment with their training and make changes they have always thought of doing.

This may have included incorporating cross training into your week, structuring your week differently, or allowing more time for recovery. With the return of some aspects of normality, what positive lessons have you learnt from lockdown? And which of these will you take forward?

The true reason

Something I am sure many of us have started to think is what running truly means to us. We are so used to chasing races and results, that it can be easy to lose sight of what the sport really means to us.

For many of us however, the love we have for the sport is so much more important than race results. For Scotland’s Mhairi Maclennan, lockdown has improved her outlook on running.

“For me, lockdown has sort of been a blessing in disguise. It has given me the time and space to step back and breathe, to step off the treadmill and focus on my health as well as re-evaluating what running means for me in my life. I think a lot of athletes are rationalising the purpose of their running when we find ourselves in a place where material goals and tangible success is removed and therefore redundant.”

I for one, told myself at the start of lockdown that I wanted to regain my love for the sport. I never fell out of love with it, but I found myself getting more and more worked up before sessions and putting too much pressure on myself. As a result, running was becoming a source of stress rather than joy at times.

I found the release of pressure lockdown brought allowed me to regain my passion. It helped me remember why I got into it in the first place. It wasn’t purely because I enjoyed working towards results.Lockdown has helped show me that I truly loved the sport (I won’t deny racing is one of the most exciting parts of it!).

MacLennan at Podium 5km in 2018 Photo: Pete Brown

Motivation tester

One thing lockdown has done is test our motivation. Something few of us experience, except when injured, is the inability to race even when we want to. Racing often drives us and it can be hard at times to feel motivated without it.

Whilst on the odd occasion it is ok to listen to yourself and not force yourself to do what you don’t want to do, you don’t want to get into the habit of it.

It is important to stick to your usual routine, so it doesn’t come as a shock when normality returns. There may be no racing on the horizon at the minute, but we want to be ready when it does return. So keep pushing on.

13:08 5000m man Marc Scott says how important it is to do just that. “My first lesson of lockdown is to keep training. We are going to be allowed to compete when the time is right, and you want to be ready when that may be.”

Despite this Scott highlights the importance of still applying common sense;

“It’s important that we realise the severity of the virus and help to keep one another safe by following all guidelines in regard to training with one another.”

Ultimately, there is no point pushing the limits of what we have been told is safe potentially putting yourself and others at risk.

Don’t hold back

With the increasing amount of time on our hands, lockdown has allowed us to focus on the things we might previously have neglected and give our all to becoming the best version of ourselves.

Olympic Marathoner and owner of Run Stars, Sonia Samuels, says lockdown has taught us all not to hold back in becoming the athlete we want to be. Embrace doing all the extra 1%’s and try to establish a routine that you may be able to take forward. If you want something, go after it, but most importantly remember why you love it.

“Lockdown is a unique opportunity for athletes to regenerate and work on their weaknesses and strengths. A chance to become the athlete they want to be;

• s&c rehab for ongoing niggles or just general strength improvements
• work on base fitness without having the pressure to race
• improve or try out new areas/ ideas in training
• work on mental preparation for performing in future races and workouts
• explore new running routes we wouldn’t normally do.

Lockdown allows us to reflect on why we run and what we love about the sport. We can have an appreciation of what running brings to our lives both physically and mentally.”

 

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Making my @gozwift debut. Thumbs up from me. @sammo800m #zwift #getfit #getactive #challenge #bikelife #rideyourbike

A post shared by Sonia Samuels (@soniajsamuels) on Apr 28, 2020 at 12:45pm PDT

 New experiences in lockdown for Samuels

These are only a few lessons that lockdown may have taught us. Whatever yours are, are you going to use them to shape yourself as an athlete into the future?

For just £30 per month athletes are provided with a Final Surge plan for each day of the week, coaching advice from Robbie Britton and Tom Craggs, as well as access to the unique Fast Running Performance community. If you would like more information on joining the project, click here. 

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This afternoon should be a time to relax and prepare mentally for the task awaiting you in the morning. It is often said all the hard work is done, but there are still ways to hamper your chances for tomorrow. We asked some of the best marathon minds around on how they manage race day and what advice they could share.

Below are tips from a 2:09 marathoner, this year’s Manchester marathon winner, England and GB internationals, top marathon coaches and a pastry expert from Sussex who ran 2:18 at Brighton already this year.

Don’t get over excited

We all hear it, everyone tells you not to start too quickly. Easier said than done in the excitement of a big city marathon, but maybe the voices of those more experienced ringing in your ears might help out.

England’s 2:38 marathoner Dani Nimmock told us that  “Despite how good you will feel in the early miles stay controlled and take on carbs so you can finish strong then brace yourself for the worst so when fatigue hits you’re prepared to fight through it!”

With a 2:28 marathon Sonia Samuels is one of Great Britain’s best ever and has an excellent record of running well over the marathon distance. “After a taper week or two your legs will feel raring to go” suggests Samuels, “but stick to your race plan and pace, resisting the temptation to push too early. Be ready to push at 20 miles!”

Photo: Virgin Money London Marathon

Don’t get carried away downhill

The slightly downhill early miles of the London Marathon are mentioned by both 2:09 marathoner and former London winner Mike Gratton, as well as recent 2:18 man Paul Navesey.  Other races have fast starts too and it might be tempting to “bank” some time for the second half but coach Gratton highlighted that “in London, even effort might mean a slightly faster first four miles as it is overall down hill, but then it is important to get into a groove at goal pace.”

Crawley AC’s Navesey says to “accept the easier miles earlier on and save the extra energy for the final push after 20 miles.” Several mention the importance of being strong later on in the race with Gratton saying “getting the pace right will have the psychological advantage of passing fast starters from 18 miles on.”

Coach of the AB Training group Allison Benton goes beyond the controlled start and suggests to “know your honest, true target pace” and then “stick closely to that pace for at least the first 18 miles, no matter how easy it feels.”

Winchester AC’s Louise Damen speaks from experience when she says ” as you have tapered, carbo-loaded and are full of race day adrenaline, it’s all too easy to run the first 10km or so too fast.” The 2:30 marathoner insists “don’t fall into the trap of trying to ‘bank’ time earlier on as you will burn through your glycogen stores at a quicker rate and this could make the final few miles pretty challenging”.

I can still hear the words of coach Tom Craggs ringing in my ears when my watch pinged a 5:20 mile at the start of the Valencia marathon. “Start easy, you’ll feel good but don’t get carried away”. That made the last few miles a lot harder work than they needed to be.

Adapt to the race in front of you

As discussed by myself in a recent article, you need to run the race you’re in. Don’t get too caught up worrying about last year’s times, that your club mate is ahead of you or where “Bob from the track” thinks you should be at mile seven. Focus internally on your own effort and do the best you can on the day.

Benton, coach to a host of strong marathoners like Navesey, England’s James Westlake and Kevin Rojas, reminds us to “adapt the target pace in advance based on the expected weather – be honest and ruthless about the impact of heat,” and don’t calculate your gaol pace on “‘what you think you can do because the crowds will inspire me'”.

RELATED: Run the race you’re in

RELATED: PB conditions forecast for London Marathon weekend

“Focus on your own race. Dont worry about what the others around you are doing.” is sage advice from Great Britain’s Aly Dixon. “Theres always going to be other people going through good patches and bad patches so don’t run your race by them. Do what YOU need to do.” The 2:29 marathoner should know, having raced in championships across the globe and having just finished 16th at the tough Boston Marathon.

Fight and smile to the finish

There’s no hiding it, the final miles can be tough, but prepare yourself for them. If you race well, pace sensibly early on and fuel well then those final few miles can be a glorious series of overtaking manoeuvres to a personal best.

“The race really starts at 20 miles so keep your powder dry until that point and then push on” says 2:16 Lincoln Wellington man Aaron Scott. “Trust your training and don’t be held back by any pre-conceived time limits.”

RELATED: Aaron Scott manages 120 mile weeks alongside full-time work

Photo: Cardiff Half Marathon

Recent Manchester marathon winner Jenny Spink tells us “in the last 10km, when it’s feeling tough, imagine a training run route that you have done time and again and tell yourself that you can do this.”.

This is backed up by Professor Andy Lane of Birmingham University. The celebrated sports psychologist suggests “focus a mental loop on the runners feet ahead of you; imagine they are running your feet.” Not sure what Eluid Kipchoge should do about that though?

“For many runners it’s the relationship wth fatigue and anxiety. Both are normal feelings for a marathon as the goalie challenging,” continues the academic. “Accept that fatigue is not negative, but how it should feel.” Know that everyone is feeling that fatigue and you’re just going to cope with it better than those around you, you will excel when it gets tough.

Bristol & West’s Spink uses distraction techniques when it’s tough.

She adds: “This could be saying names of loved ones over and over in your head or focusing on trying to overtake someone just ahead or getting to the next landmark.”

If you break down the task at hand, just dealing with one mile, one kilometre, one lamppost at a time, then it makes it more manageable chunks for your mind to work with. Even one step at a time if need be.

Enjoy the day

Last, but not least, enjoy the day. This is what all the early mornings, hard miles and tired legs have been for. Make sure that when you are on that start line you look around and wish those around you the best. You are all united by one goal of doing your best over 26.2 miles. It’s fun, I promise.

If it gets tough later on, then smile. Science has even told us that smiling helps, but you don’t need science to put a big grin across your face. Embrace your inner Cheshire cat and smile to those cheering from the side lines. Feel the energy of the crowd and use it when you really need it. Control those emotions early on, but don’t be afraid to let them push you on to the final few miles.

“Dare to believe. You have done the hard work, believe that you can do it!” is Jenny Spinks’s final piece of excellent advice.

RELATED: Smiling can make you a better runner

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The post Marathon race day advice from the experts appeared first on Fast Running.

With different major events, including the London Marathon, Commonwealth Games and World Half Marathon Championships all on the horizon, organisers have done a fantastic job to bring together such a collection of athletes for the UK capital’s new half marathon event.

With British Championships also to be contested the field is stacked and alongside Lily Partridge, Aly Dixon and Charlotte Purdue are Sonia Samuels, Tracy Barlow, Rebecca Murray, Louise Small, Jenny Spink and Faye Fullerton.

Lily Partridge is the fastest over the distance with a 70:31 best from the Reading Half Marathon in 2015.

In the years that followed the 26-year-old’s fastest times have been 73:44 and 72:10, before a course record 71:09 at the Seville Half Marathon in January. A clear marker that Partridge is not far from personal best form once again.

The Spanish city is a happy hunting ground for the Aldershot runner who clocked 2:32:09 there in her marathon debut last year. After the disappointment of Berlin in September, Partridge makes a return to the distance in her first London Marathon next month.

Also competing on April 22 and on Sunday is clubmate Charlotte Purdue, who has recently returned to the UK from altitude training in Australia.

Purdue who ran three marathons last year in a time of 2:30:34 or quicker, including a 13th finish at the World Championships, ran a half marathon personal best 71:29 only months ago in Japan and will be full of confidence going into this weekend.

Commonwealth Games bound Aly Dixon and Sonia Samuels are familiar with the streets of London and will be determined to lay down a marker before travelling to the Gold Coast. Dixon is the second fastest in the field with 70:38 from 2014 and clocked 72:29 in her last outing over the distance at the Great North Run in September.

Having spent time at altitude earlier in the year, the 2:29:06 marathoner is now back the North East of England in marathon specific training and is looking forward to a good race on Sunday.

“I hope to race well and see where that puts me,” Dixon told Fast Running. “I’ve only raced once since I got back from Kenya and that was only over a 2.25mile relay leg. I ran exactly the same time as last year despite being on the last day of a 116-mile week compared to only 90 miles in 2017, so I am feeling good.

“The other girls – Lily, Charlie and Sonia have shown good form over 10k and half marathon distances recently so it should be a good race between us all. I will just see what I have on the day and try my best.”

Samuels, the second marathoner in the England Commonwealth team, has shown age is no barrier last month in Barcelona running a fantastic 72:39 having last hit the 72-minute mark in 2013.

RELATED: Aly Dixon has an “unfinished” chapter in her marathon story

With Mo Farah and Callum Hawkins set to battle in the men’s race, The Big Half on Sunday has the potential to be one of best ever long distance events in the UK. A full preview of the men’s race can be found here and includes an update regarding concerns with the weather.

In the elite men’s wheelchair race, British legend David Weir will renew his rivalry with Marcel Hug. Hug to victory in a stunning sprint finish at last year’s London Marathon.

Hug’s Swiss compatriot Manuela Schar – the 2017 London Marathon champion and course record holder – headlines the elite women’s wheelchair field where she will face British Paralympian Jade Jones.

The post Britain’s best distance runners set for The Big Half appeared first on Fast Running.

Connor crossed the line in a big personal best 61:12 to finish eighth on the streets of Barcelona, with Ethiopia’s Mule Wasihun taking the win in a course record 59:44 that was previously held by Eliud Kipchoge.

The 25-year-old, racing for only the second time over the distance, shows no signs of slowing down after an impressive cross country season in the British vest.

Connor improves on his previous best of 64:12 that dates back to the Great North Run in 2016 and now moves to number eight on the UK all-time rankings.

The Team New Balance Manchester runner was closely followed by another second timer over 13.1 miles – the impressive Luke Traynor with another PB.

Traynor’s time of 61:55 takes a huge two minutes chunk off his 2017 Manchester Half Marathon winning time. The young Scot’s time is the third fastest ever by a Scottish runner and well under the 65-minute qualifying mark for the World Half Marathon Championships next month.

2:12 marathoner Jonny Mellor also made it into the top ten crossing the line in 63:17, less than a minute outside his 62:23 best in New York last year, while Daniel Studley finished 18th in 64:23.

Irish runners Kevin Dooney and Paul Pollock finished 24th and 28th respectively in times of 64:56 and 65:40. For Dooney, who features in the ‘class of 2018’ it was a PB by over a minute.

While Swiss runner Julien Wanders clocked a PB 60:09 to finish second and move to fifth on the European all-time list.

Elsewhere, Eoghan Totten finished 32nd in 66:14 and Nick Samuels finished 40th in 68:18.

Olympian marathoner Sonia Samuels was the leading British runner in the women’s race clocking 72:40 to finish seventh among a top field.

Most impressively the time was just four seconds outside her 2013 best – an encouraging performance for the 38-year-old ahead of the marathon at the Commonwealth Games in April.

Katrina Wootton was in hot pursuit and crossed the line ten seconds after Samuels with a personal best 72:50. Wootton’s eighth-place finish takes over 30 seconds off her previous best.

Irish Olympian Lizzie Lee wasn’t far behind in 11th with a four-second personal best 73:23.

GB World Championships marathoner, Tracey Barlow, also sealed the qualifying standard for the World Half Marathon Championships crossing the line in 74:23 for 16th.

Julie Briscoe was the first W40 with 76:08 with Gladys Ganiel from Northern Ireland posting 77:38 to finish 25th.

Victory in the women’s race went to Bahrain’s Tejitu Daba in 68:36, with Ethiopian Dibabe Kuma second with 68:37 and Rwanda’s Salomé Nyirarukundo completed the podium in 68:48.

Moving from the roads in Barcelona to the indoor boards in Boston, there were personal best performances from Chris O’Hare, Jake Wightman, Steph Twell and Sarah McDonald among others. Catch up on the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix action here.

The post Ben Connor and Luke Traynor star at Barcelona Half Marathon appeared first on Fast Running.

Jonny Mellor along with Ben Connor and Sonia Samuels head the 12 British runners set for the streets of Barcelona this weekend. While Olympian marathoner Paul Pollock is the leading Irish runner of six.

Mellor, who clocked a 62:23 personal best last year in New York will hope for a good performance in the Catalan city as he continues his preparation for the London Marathon in April.

Joining Mellor on the men’s start line is Team New Balance Manchester teammate Connor who will compete in his second half marathon. The 25-year-old has had an impressive cross country season over winter and most recently finished fifth at the Great Edinburgh XCountry.

Luke Traynor, who finished eighth at the Antrim International Cross Country in January, is another second timer over the the distance. In his debut outing over 13.1 miles last year the 22-year-old won the Manchester Half Marathon in 64:07.

Elsewhere, Paul Martelletti, Daniel Studley, Eoghan Totten, Nick Samuels and Thomas Stevens are the other British men hoping to impress.

Paul Pollock, who recently spoke to Fast Running about his aims for the year ahead, is the fastest over the distance among the British and Irish with 62:09. In his last race, the Irish national cross country champion, clocked a 29:12 personal best on the roads of Madrid.

The 31-year-old will be joined by fellow Irish distance runners Kevin Dooney and John Travers. Dooney, who features in the ‘class of 2018’ has a half marathon PB of 66:05 from 2017 and most recently competed at the European Cross Country Club Championships.

Travers, 26, has a PB of 67:42 and will full of confidence after beating Olympian Mick Clohisey at the Raheny 5 mile road race last month.

In the women’s race, Samuels, who most recently ran 33:26 over 10k in Madrid on New Year’s Eve, will be aiming for a strong run now back down at sea level following altitude training in Kenya.

The Olympian has a 72:36 PB and her main target this year is the Commonwealth Games in April. Joining Samuels is British World Championships marathoner Tracy Barlow.

London Marathon bound Barlow has a 72:48 best and along with Samuels will compete alongside Britain’s best female distance runners at The Big Half next month.

The pair will be joined on the Barcelona start line by Jenny Spink (73:02) and Katrina Wootton (73:25), winner of the Chichester Priory 10k on Sunday (Feb 4).

Irish female distance runners set for the 28th edition of the race are Maria McCambridge, Lizzie Lee and Gladys Ganiel. McCambridge is the quickest over the distance with 72:26, while Olympian Lee and Ganiel have bests of 73:27 and 75:08 respectively.

Going for the top podium spots the leading entires in the men’s race include Kenyan’s Leonard Langat and Meshack Koech, Ugandan duo Moses Kurong and Abdallah Mande, and Mule Wasihun of Ethiopia.

Meanwhile, in the women’s field, Kenya’s Susan Kipsang, Bahrain’s Mimi Belete and Ethiopian pair Tejitu Daba and Dibabe Kuma will be among those battling for the top podium spot.

The post Mellor, Samuels and Pollock among top names set for Barcelona appeared first on Fast Running.

Elsewhere Adam Clarke and Kristian Jones clocked a quick parkrun times over Christmas in Hastings and Swansea respectively.

Glynneath 5 mile, Wales, December 26

Swansea Harriers came out in force for Boxing Day’s Glynneath 5 mile race. Jonathan Hopkins and Kris Jones had a great battle for the top two spots. The pair were only separated by five seconds with Hopkins the victor in 23:54 ahead of Jones in 23:59. Lestyn Harrett of NTPC Wales finished third in 24:54.

The women’s race also went to Swansea Harriers with Caryl Jones clocking 27:28 for the win and a new female course record. Alaw Beynon-Thomas also the Swansea club was second in 28:20 and third went to Clara Evans of Cardiff AAC in 29:11.

Ronnie Walker Saltwell 10k, Gateshead, Saturday, December 23

Abraham Tewelde (Saltwell Harriers) won in 32:40 ahead of Conrad Franks (Gateshead Harriers & AC) who finished just four seconds behind in second place with Durham City Harrier Daniel Jenkin third in 33:23.

Olympian marathoner Sonia Samuels won the women’s race in 35:41 from Danielle Hodgkinson (Birchfield Harriers) with 36:09. Completing the podium was Charlotte Penfold (North Shields Polytechnic club) in 37:44.

The Chevin Chase, Leeds, Tuesday, December 26

At the 39th edition of The Chevin Chase, Chris Smithard (Central AC) took the win in a time of 38:43. Joe Baxter (Pudsey & Bramley AC) followed with 39:32 and Matthew Merrick (Bingley Harriers & AC) finished third in 40:00.

Sharon Barlow was a clear winner in the women’s race clocking a time of 46:39, followed by Ruth Moran (Horsforth Harriers) in 48:29.

Guernsey Boxing Day Open, Tuesday, December 26

Guernsey’s Commonwealth representative and GB international athlete Lee Merrien showed his class to finish over two minutes ahead of a strong field in the annual Boxing Day cross country race. The event which is held over a traditional 4.75 mile course, saw Merrien clock 24:40, Dan Galpin followed in 26:42 and Peter Amy was third in 27:07.

First woman home and ninth overall was Louise Perrio with 28:14, Laura McCarthy followed in 30:50 and in third, Vanessa Rodrigues posted 33:55.

Parkrun – nationwide

Over the festive period parkrun proved as popular as ever with the most noticeable performances being;

Men
Adam Clarke (Aldershot Farnham & District) 14:14 at Hastings.
Kristian Jones (Swansea harriers AC) 14:27 at Swansea Bay.
Jonathan Tobin (Swansea Harriers AC) 14:41 at Swansea Bay.
Paul Martelletti (Victoria Park Harriers) 14:52 at Barking.
Richard Horton (Poole Ac) 14:58 at Long Eaton.

Women
Lucy Matthews (Newcastle Staffs AC) 16:39 at Kingsbury Water.
Rebecca Murray (Bedford and County AC) 17:18 at Luton Wardown.
Emma Stepto (Cornwall AC) 17:59 at Penrose.

The post Fast running amongst the turkey and mince pies this Christmas period appeared first on Fast Running.