We all know there is a long list of things we can’t do in England for the next 4 weeks. These include, racing in person, going to the gym, training in groups or even making race plans for the future, as we don’t know when normality may return.

However, we’ve done it before, so we know how to make the most of a bizarre situation. All we seem to be told about on a national level is what we CAN’T do, but what about what we CAN do?

How can we, during “lockdown 2.0”, maintain our motivation and drive and keep on top of our fitness whilst training alone from home? Here are a few suggestions on how you can make lockdown as bearable, and close to normal as possible. 

Virtual racing

Love it or hate it, it’s probably here to stay. We got used to it before, so we can get used to again.

Whilst it isn’t the same as real racing, the camaraderie and sense of unity it brings at this isolated time, is something to recognise. The newly found world of virtual racing has shown the ability of the running community to come together and support one another when we are unable to have imminent races to work towards.

So, with this in mind, what virtual races are there in the upcoming month that you can get stuck into? Maybe even get yourself some handy new virtual PBs.

What’s coming up?

If you don’t want to be confined to completing over one weekend, the virtual Cardiff Bay Run is offering you the chance to run a 10k, from anywhere, at any time throughout the month of November.

You’ll even get sent a medal and a T-shirt for finishing; who doesn’t love a race T-shirt? (Some of us prefer trees – Ed.) The distance does need to be completed in one single run, but there is no time limit.      

RELATED: Trees not tees offer alternative to racers.

If Fast Running editor Robbie Britton won the 5k category last time, there must be a reader who can go quicker! Photo: Stuart March/Centurion Running

For those looking for distances up to ultra-level, the Centurion One Community is an excellent opportunity for athletes to end their running year on a positive note. The second of the One Community events (the first took place in the first lockdown) will run from 23rd-29th November.

The event takes place over 7 days, and is for anyone, of any age, anywhere in the world. It’s not all ultra either, with the distances available spanning from 5km to 100 miles and can be completed in one single run (with lockdown rules), or cumulatively over the week of the event.

There are plenty of other events you can get involved in listed on PO10 or you could try some virtual racing on Zwift if you have a treadmill handy.

Train with one other

Under the guidelines of lockdown the second time round, the ability to train with one other person has been maintained. This means you no longer have to struggle alone if you are finding training difficult at this time.

Whether you team up with someone locally to enjoy some long runs together, maybe a few sessions, or even a testing time trial, you can still enjoy that extra company.

You can also catch up with your coach over an outdoor session, to keep that connection strong. Whilst it may not be the same as the big groups you are used to training in, it is a massive improvement from not being allowed any company in lockdown number 1.

If however, you are unable to pair up with someone else, keep the contact and check in with other running friends to remind yourself that you aren’t alone. 

Be careful not to get carried away with any new weights regime, but you can get a remote physio appointment if you do.

At home circuits

Gyms might be shut once again, but there is no need to neglect that all important strength and conditioning work that all runners love ;).

For many, the act of leaving the house and going to the gym makes S&C work seem so much more manageable and feel more motivated for it. However, with gyms now a no-go zone, we’ll all have to be disciplined to get that strength work done, as it is so important to staying injury free and running happy!

If you either struggle to know what to do or lack motivation to get off the sofa as you don’t enjoy S&C, online circuits or workout videos may be the way forward. There are thousands of workout videos to follow on YouTube, but these are a few we recommend. 

#TeamThieCircuits with focus on legs tonight with a grantee to raise heart rate & get muscles working! https://t.co/ax5PT78CnN
Plus join us for our #Firebreak4 for @FareShareUK free entry link: https://t.co/wWsWIHqBsY

— James Thie (@TeamThie) November 2, 2020

For a vast array of weekly circuits perfectly suited to runners, give TeamThie’s online circuits a go. You can stream them live at 6pm every Monday or catch up in your own time on any of the previous videos. Each circuit is roughly 30 minutes long, so there is no excuse for not being able to fit it in.

GB ultra marathoner and personal trainer Ali Young does a great variety of virtual workouts which you can sign up to as well, check out her Instagram for more information.

For short and sharp 20-minute workouts, head over to The Running Channel’s site. They have a few workouts to choose from which you can quickly smash out in your lunchbreak, or before or after work. 

Keep stretched out

With S&C potentially not being done as much as you would when gyms are open, and less contact with coaches or others who usually see you training, it is key to stay on top of stretching.

Whether you do a little bit every day, or a spend slightly longer less frequently, find out what works best for you. To avoid boredom or feeling unproductive, I even try and read or get some sort of work done at the same time. Otherwise, I watch a series to pass the time! Stretching is another one of those little things that helps keep niggles at bay, so if you can get into a routine of doing it, it will seem less time consuming. 

Gemma Steel also like a bit of yoga and pilates.

RELATED: Gemma Steel on yoga, pilates and balance

Stretching can also be made slightly less dull by doing yoga. There are plenty of YouTube channels offering generic yoga, as well as yoga specifically for runners, so you can easily give it a go. We recommend trying Yoga With Adriene, who offers yoga for every mood you could imagine, or Cat Meffan, who provides slightly more intense yoga sessions for all time frames. 

Whilst it is key to keep on top of the little extras to reduce injury risk, this time around we can still make trips to the physio.

Thus, if you do have any niggles or injuries you are worried about, be sure to get them checked out. It is always better to veer on the side of caution, especially at these times, as we all need to keep running for our mental sanity! 

Ultimately, try to stay positive, and use running to your benefit. Despite the ‘doom and gloom’ nature of the news, look for the little positives, and remember, at least we can go for a run to get away from corona for a while! There is always something we CAN do, even when we’re always told about what we CAN’T. 

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

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

The post Lockdown 2.0: What can we do? appeared first on Fast Running.

What was one of defining moments that helped me make the transition from a club runner to an international athlete? It might surprise you to learn that trying pilates is right at the top of the list.

A coach at Charnwood Athletics Club suggested it, and after attending my first class I was intrigued and returned. A few sessions later and I was hooked.

It was a pivotal moment and the catalyst that transformed me from an average club runner with potential, to gaining my first British vest.

I have had no major injuries, during my career, apart from ongoing Achilles tendonitis, which I accept is my own cross to bear, and I owe a lot of that to pilates for keeping me relatively injury free (touch wood).

Every runner has weak body areas, no one is the perfect running machine, and even elite athletes have flaws that have to be worked on. At the very least you should be working on your core regularly, your body will thank you for it. The great thing about core work is, the more you do the greater the rewards, which will all result in you functioning much better and economically as an athlete.

For me personally, it’s not just pilates that is now ingrained into my routine and life. I swear by the holy trinity…pilates, yoga and body balance.

They are my religion and have breathed new life into my running with a new awakening and body awareness that I am grateful to have discovered.

Not only has it improved my running but it has reduced my anxiety levels and the pressures of the sport. I am much calmer which can only benefit my running and life in general, as well as my wellbeing.

Stepping into a yoga class is all about breathing and encouraging the air to travel into the deeper lobes of the lungs. It’s very important, particularly in today’s high paced modern world of technology, to step back, take a breath and just focus on this very simple act of breathing. We take it for granted because it is an automatic response.

Believe it or not, even when I am running I can forget to think about breathing, but by focusing on the process of drawing in more air with every breath it really makes a big difference. The more oxygen you can get to the muscles the faster and more efficiently you will run – so it makes sense to work on this.

Finding your new balance

I have found that yoga, pilates and body balance (which is basically a combination of the two) are all great for improving running related concerns such as flexibility and stride length. But it’s not just the physical benefits, I also gain a lot of mental strength from the practices.

After a fitness yoga or body balance session, I feel completely reinvigorated and ready to take on the world – or a speed session at least!

My mind is clear and all the tension in my muscles have completely disappeared. My legs actually feel so light and lose.

I find my arm carriage has improved, I am running more upright, and able to take in more oxygen at a greater capacity with less effort. My shoulders are also relaxed rather than tensed, which is great during a tempo run, as I naturally use a lot of energy through my upper body.

My hip flexors are less tight, meaning I can lift my knees higher and they are more aligned. This also helps limit rotation in the hips, so if my body is facing forward and aligned then the result should be faster running!

I could go on and on about the benefits of fitness yoga and sing its praises forever, but I think you get the idea now. So how do you get started?

A few of my favourite basic poses

Tree pose – Stand on one leg with palms to prayer and ankle flexed towards the knee.

This is great for promoting leg and ankle strength. It gets the finer ankle muscles working and helps my stability in cross country where the ankles are particularly vulnerable on the undulating terrain.

Scorpion – Great for hamstrings which are a notoriously weak area in runners. It also gets the glutes working which is the powerhouse of the body along with the psoas major muscle.

The leg is raised off the floor and ankle flexed towards the ceiling. It is crucial to strengthen the glutes because when it comes to sprinting (although a pain in the butt literally). Strong glutes will help prevent overcompensation in other areas and help prevent injuries.

Downward facing dog –  My favourite pose. Easy to do and a great release stretch for calf muscles and lower back.

It is also a good pose for stretching the psoas major muscle which is the thick band that fits around the torso.

This is a major core muscle for runners as it connects to the glutes and many other muscles. So it’s very important that it is functioning correctly to keep everything aligned while running.

Cobra – Also a nice pose to release tension out of the lower back. You lie on your front, toes pointed, glutes tightened and lift the torso from the elbows.

Twisting from the psoas it strengthens the back muscles as well, so a good all round body stretch.

Happy baby – A nice pose to end a session. You lie on the back and tuck the knees into the chest and grab hold of your feet with ankles flexed.

It is a relatively painless one which is why it’s called happy baby – I think!

Pushing through the pain
These are only a select few of the many rather amusingly named yoga poses, but there is an endless amount of moves that I find of benefit. My advice would be to find a good instructor who is enthusiastic and inspiring.

I have been lucky to have found both in Tracy Smith at my local ‘Hermitage Leisure centre’. She’s extremely knowledgeable and a keen runner herself, so knows which muscles to target that relate specifically to running.

Because running can be a very solitary sport, I find it’s good to join in with a class rather than doing the poses at home on my own. The Hermitage Leisure centre is that place for me, and it’s a breath of fresh air to be with the locals. I enjoy the banter and seeing them look after their health is very inspiring too.

The group setting also helps breaks up the monotony and helps push me beyond my pain threshold – an area definitely to be developed if you want to be a good long distance runner!

I am a big believer that running is all about finding the right balance between miles, recovery and conditioning. If you can do this then your halfway there.

Balance is key to everything in life and there are no secrets, I can’t stress that enough. The old saying ‘prevention is better than cure’ is also true, so invest as much time you can in strength and conditioning.

I know the last thing you probably feel like doing after a run is stretching but your muscles with thank you for it in the long term!

So get yourself to a local pilates, yoga or body balance class, or all three if you can. I have to say I am a fully converted believer in the yoga Gods!

Finding your balance can be tricky, but once found, there will be turning back for you too…Amen to that!

The post Gemma Steel’s holy trinity: pilates, yoga and body balance appeared first on Fast Running.

Yoga has brought me so many benefits, physically and mentally. The impact it has had on my running has been immense, before yoga I did not listen to what my body was telling me, not paying any he’d to stiffness or niggles.

Yoga has taught me to listen to what my body is telling me, how it is feeling in any particular moment, it has added discipline to my stretching and recovery after my runs. From a physical point of view the strength and flexibility I have developed on the mat; namely in the core, quads, hamstrings, and hip flexors, is unquestionable and this has enabled me to run more efficiently and stay injury-free.

So should you try yoga?
I say yes, yoga is for everyone from the mum to the athlete and there is a class that will suit every individual’s need. From yin yoga to vinyasa, there is an array of classes to choose from. My tip would be to find the local yoga practices in your area and give them all ago until you find one that meets your needs.

So what lasting benefits has yoga brought me?
Yoga has helped to correct my running form, I have overcome muscle imbalance in my body, strengthening my stabilising muscles, my core and lower back have never been stronger. Yoga has given me a progressive, effective method of stretching out and realigning my body before and after a tough run. Yoga has vastly increased my proprioception (my body’s awareness of itself interacting with space ie: uneven ground) and also my innate reactions to correct for these moments. Also, I am a lot more aware of how my body feels at any particular time, and what I need to do to adjust it, even mid run.

One of the deepest benefits yoga has brought me is a new found mental focus, and awareness of self. While practicing yoga, a big emphasis is placed on focusing on your breath and mindfully awareness of your postures. I have brought this focus outside of my yoga practice which has affected the way I think and focus in everyday life now.

Rolling it up
Now that the intensity of my training is back to previous levels (prior to the injury), there is a trick in how I am practicing yoga. It is not logical or practical to mirror an intense running routine with an intense yoga routine. Your yoga practice should have a converse relationship with your training: Currently as I am ramping up mileage and churning out hard workouts I am sticking with relaxing and slow stretching classes. When my training eases up again most likely come this winter, I will increase the intensity and frequency of my yoga workouts.

Sage Rountree (a yoga instructor, triathlon coach) says it best in her book The Runner’s Guide to Yoga, “Runners are conditioned to push through pain, but bringing that competitive attitude to yoga can be a recipe for disaster.” “Focus on yourself, not what the person on the mat next to you can do,” and realise there’s plenty to gain from a less-than-perfect practice.

So many runners are hard on themselves when they have an off day, whereas in yoga you’re encouraged to accept the body and mind that you have on that day and push it as far as it will go. This is a valuable way of thinking that has brought a new found ease to my running. I would like to finish by saying that runners should start to think this way too, and accept the body and mind that you have on that particular day, don’t worry about your pb’s or what you have done in the past – simply appreciate your running, and enjoy it each and everyday.

The post Running and Yoga: A good combination? part 2 appeared first on Fast Running.

Yoga has the potential to do so much good; improving strength, flexibility, and mental focus that it’s surprising that so many runners don’t know a downward dog from an upward dog.

We hear from one runner, about his experience combining yoga and running.

In October 2016 I sustained a fairly big injury (from a runners perspective). I was cross training on my bike, and in process of climbing up a hill when I felt a tear at the back of my leg. I would later learn that I tore a tendon, namely the popliteus tendon. At the time I played down the seriousness of the injury, thinking I had simply overstretched the top of my calf, not thinking for a second that it would impact my running. I was determined to continue with my training, and for the following 4 weeks I attempted to run through the pain. I was kidding myself, and each time I was forced to stop with the pain. I would wait impatiently for a couple of days and try once more, only to pull up again.

This was the first injury I had picked up in over two years, and because of this I lacked the awareness to recognise what my body was telling me. The knock on effect of this was that I did not have the self discipline to allow the body to rest, rushing back too quickly each time trying to run. Eventually I could take no more and had to face up to the seriousness of the injury, so I went to a local physio, who diagnosis was that I had damaged the populates tendon in my right leg, and advised me to rest completely for four weeks. Running was out of the question during this time, stretching being the only resistance I should put on my leg.

However, the physio did suggest I try a yoga class. I thought why not, after my repeatedly failed comebacks I had nothing to loose so I looked up local yoga practices and found one close by. Unaware of what to expect, I kept an open mind, because I didn’t really have another option that was productive to fill my previous ‘running time’.

I was determined to give it my best if I could get past the first class. The first practice I attended was a slow class, focusing on long slow stretches (It seems like a long time ago now but this was my first ever hearing of a pigeon pose) and breathing techniques.

I was surprised how much I got from the class, I left feeling renewed not only physically but also mentally. I wanted more, and that first week I attended four different classes. Two of the classes where more physically challenging than I had anticipated, but I found this rewarding. The feeling of pushing my body out of its comfort zone brought back the feeling I have felt all too often with endurance running.

Being exposed to these different types of yoga classes opened up my eyes, and I devised a weekly routine that give me the mix of the slower relaxing classes (focusing more on stretching and breathing), and faster, more physically classes (focusing on balance and pushing the body into shapes it wasn’t accustomed to). For the next four weeks I followed this routine, and week on week I noticed a notable improvement in my flexibility, balance, focus and ‘awareness of self’.

One of the most valuable things that I have learnt from yoga is the idea of always being aware of our body, and how it feels in any particular moment. Yoga became my new running, and I looked forward to it everyday. I never imagined that I would experience similar feeling for yoga that I have for running.

After this initial month and after another visit to the physio I was slowly able to start running again. I ran only on flat surfaces, avoiding hills and taking two recovery days between runs, trying not to do too much too soon. Now that I could run (somewhat cautiously) again, the automatic thought was to stop going to yoga, I had running back in my life, I didn’t need yoga anymore. However after experiencing the benefits yoga has brought me, both physically and mentally during the 4 short weeks I could not just stop going, could I?

Read Part two

The post Running and Yoga: A good combination? appeared first on Fast Running.

This yoga practice will help runners stabilise joints and release IT band stiffness.

Perform this 30-minute practice twice a week to cultivate balance and find ease.

The post IT Band Relief with this Yoga Routine appeared first on Fast Running.

The sequence focuses on the areas of the body that get tight from running, mainly hamstrings, hips, hip flexors and thighs. We then end with a few moments of relaxation.

This recovery yoga routine can be used to help aid recovery after a long run, or race but can also be used as a way to work in a quick yoga session after a shorter run. At the Veg Runner we never forget the importance of mental wellness, and this yoga recovery routine will also leave you feeling relaxed and give you an overall feel good feeling.

The post Yoga routine to aid a runners recovery appeared first on Fast Running.