Foster, who is part of Team Hour 7, is rather quick running up and down hills, with a penchant for going to dark places for a long time. It’s been an up and down year for the Yorkshireman, with victories in Gran Canaria, Italy and the UK, but injuries stopping play at other times.

We asked the standard set of questions, but these aren’t you standard set of answers. Get ready for your eyes to be widened. The secrets of high performance are coming forth.

*Please note that some answers may contain sarcasm. Taking sarcasm at face value can be dangerous for your health. Be wary kids.*

What’s your approach to nutrition and hydration for peak performance?

The night before a race I will eat past the point of sickness and flush myself with caffeinated energy drinks until my body fits itself into a state of delirious exhaustion. I ‘wake’ up screaming, hungry for rest knowing that all that stands in the way of blessed repose is the arbitrary goal of self-indulgent competition with similarly befuddled and narcissistic braggarts as myself.

When ‘just’ training (FYI my ‘training’ is NEVER ‘just’ training, I tackle each and every session like it’s my last and race my former self at every opportunity to slay the demons of my wretched, fragile ego) I follow a strict ‘sweet-savoury-sweet-savoury’ protocol based on years of my own research wholly unsubstantiated by any grounding in academia.

The theory, nay TRUTH, is as such, eating a sweet then a savoury, then a sweet, then a savoury allows you to eat FOREVER.

Let that sink in.

This photo needs no explanation. Photo: Geoff Lowe

Can you discuss your pre-race rituals or routines?

I stare at a photo of Joss Naylor and visualise EVERY F**KING INCH of the course I’m about to blitz for the exact amount of time that I expect that course to go on for.

I run ultras. You do the math.

Oh, and I do it without blinking.

How do you set and work towards your running goals?

I look at what Usain Bolt achieved then belittle it. I wouldn’t demean myself by crushing such a 100m record as his, what’s the point? I’m here to challenge myself and, frankly, NOTHING challenges me.

People say “aim for the stars”…piss off. I see stars as stepping stones to my ultimate goal of winning the Grasmere Guides race. Nothing else matters.

George not being shit at the La Thuile 25k race. Photo: Giacomo Buzio

What advice would you give to aspiring runners looking to improve their performance?

Simple. STOP. BEING. SHIT.

Stare at your bathroom mirror every morning and repeat that mantra whilst self-flagellating with a Walsh PB adorned whip.

How do you adapt your training and racing strategies for different weather conditions?

I put on or take off my 1950s Ron Hill, unwashed, split shorts. I train and race so fast that I am able to create my own weather conditions. If (IF) people can get within 100m of me they can SOMETIMES catch the briefest of slipstreams to propel their pathetic frames to some bullshit PB, but what does that really achieve?

To quote a famous person, “there’s no such thing as bad weather, only shit bastards who can’t run for f**k”.

That ‘famous person’ is ME by the way.

George bemoaning the lack of rain to make him look more epic. Photo: Geoff Lowe

What mental strategies do you use to overcome race-day nerves or challenges during a race?

I wrestle a monster that I created in my home laboratory that’s a cross between a Tiger shark, a black bear and a Portuguese Man-o-War for 6 hours. I would do it for longer but the monster needs a break. That’s pretty f**king mental eh?

To find out more about Team Hour 7 check our their website here or jump on that there Instagram. 

The post How to be THE best appeared first on Fast Running.

For me, however, it is those memories which fuel the motivation to get to the daily grind, building the necessary winter base to have the ability to be competitive when the sun shines once again.

The 2021 track season was fruitful. 7 races brought 3 wins. Most importantly, I had a significant breakthrough having dipped under the 1m 50 seconds mark for 800m. Akin to breaking 30 minutes for 10k or 4 minutes in the mile for the first time, once it’s done, the monkey is off your back and you can once again run freely.

At the second BMC Grand Prix of the year at Sport City Manchester, I lined up for my second race of the season.

The rust-busted with a race win in the opening Grand Prix meeting earlier in the month, the conditions were perfect to finally put 1:49.xx next to my name on the results.

In a race I should have won (as my coach reminded me on the finish line!), I didn’t see 1:49.xx, rather 1:48.85. A big personal best but a bitter sweet race having failed to come first. As the season progressed, I chipped away the PB by a few tenths, finishing 2021 with 1:48.49. Another appearance at an Olympic qualifier meant another key goal achieved for the summer.

Onek in action in the 800m Olympic Trial. Photo: Mark Hookway

What brings you to the 800m?

The attraction of the 800m, aside from the warped desire to hurt oneself, is the shear variety of the event. The same, but to a lesser extent, can be said of the other middle-distance event – the 1500m.

So much can go wrong. So much does go wrong. A lapse in concentration and the race is gone. Slightly overcook first 400m and your race is run by 700m; the home straight is a slow and painful death march to a beat you have no wish (or ability) to hear.

Prior to this year’s delayed Olympics Games, the smart money would have been on the US athlete and World Champion Donovan Brazier following an unbeaten 2020 and a very strong 2021. He subsequently failed to qualify for the Games, falling foul of the brutal “only the first 3 past the post” selection criteria.

“Middle” Distance

Being a ‘middle’ distance, the 800 and 1500m events provide the perfect mixing pot of those aerobically proficient and anaerobically robust. Some excel in the former, others lean towards the latter.

The result is a start line featuring a range of body types, but more importantly unpredictable and exciting racing.

It’s a great time for British middle distance running at the moment, with 14 men achieving the 800/1500m standard for this Olympics year and Keeley Hodgkinson and Laura Muir bringing home Olympics silver medals from Tokyo on the women’s side.

Depending on which study you read the aerobic/anerobic energy system split for a trained male 800m runner is around 60-70%/40-30%. As there are significant percentages in both systems, the resulting training regime for the 800m runner can be markedly different, depending on the coach, athlete type (400-800, pure 800, 800-1500 type), and the athlete’s response to the different training stimuli.

Personally, I top out at around 65 miles per week in the depths of winter. Between athletes in our group, this total will vary by roughly +/- 15 miles per week, assuming all athletes are fit. I’ve come across some athletes running as few 40 miles a week, and it’s not hard to find old articles noting the eye-watering miles* banked by Ovett and Cram in years gone by.

This mix of ideas further contributes to the unpredictability of the event, a quality something sprinting or long-distance events don’t tend to exhibit.

*Readers should note these miles were recorded in the 1980s

Winter training is already underway, with athletes focused on 2022. Photo: Dave Proctor

You gotta have faith

Nevertheless, whatever the chosen approach, I believe it is critical the athlete trusts the training.

Apps like Strava and Garmin connect allow for fantastic insight into the training of a pro, a semi-elite or club-mate, but I also fear it contributes to “grass is greener” mentality.

With so much out of your control that can (and inevitably will) go wrong, controlling the “controllables” such as communication with the coach becomes imperative. Changes to training should be discussed and implemented with both athlete/coach buy-in, introduced sequentially, and over a medium to long time horizon so that benefits (or lack thereof) can have the ability to develop and be correctly identified.

There are no secrets to this game, no silver bullet or miracle training schedule that always yield unbeatable results. Consistently working hard is the only answer. With or without Arwen blowing a gale.

The post A long journey of 800 metres appeared first on Fast Running.

Although it may appear that I just transitioned seamlessly into mountain running but that’s far from the truth.

In this blog I thought I would share an insight into how my training has changed and been adapted over the last few years in my quest to become as fast as I can on the trails and mountains.

Disclaimer: I still consider myself a rookie so this is by far expert advice but I have learnt a lot so thought I would share a bit of my journey.

Taking the plunge

The decision to give mountain running a bash came after I’d been on a training camp to Font Romeu in the Pyrenees. My now good friend Aly Dixon was out there training and made a comment on how comfortable I was on difficult terrain and running downhill.

I had never really considered myself in this way but I guess I spent a lot of time training on the Cornish coast path growing up which might have helped. From that trip it sparked an interest and I decided to give the World Mountain Trials a go when I got home. My goodness, was that a humbling experience.

I was returning from injury but was reasonably fit and in about 34 minute 10k shape so thought I’d be in for a shout but I was so naïve to how unconditioned my legs were to mountains running. Not even a mile in and I wanted to curl up and roll back down the hill.

As we continued up the 3.5 mile climb at gradients of 10-20% my calves felt like they were going to explode. I have never suffered so badly in a race before, it felt like I was running through the hot lava of hell. Imagine entering a gnarly cross country after having a month of no training and times that by 1000, that’s how bad I felt.

What goes up…

I staggered extremely slowly to the top and managed to descend fairly fast mainly because I wanted it over and done with. Exhausted in the last mile I fell over my own foot and hit my head. I left that day in total awe of mountain/ fell runners. It’s the sort of thing you have to experience yourself to really appreciate how tough it is.

It didn’t put me off though, I just knew there was a lot of hard work to do if I wanted to get good at it. The Cornish coast paths helped towards confidence on technical terrain but you don’t have the same relentless long climbs you encounter in the mountains. That was my main weakness.

Then the realisation came that I was stronger over a longer distance. Being able to run at a decent pace in the hills without fatiguing too much, provided I was well fuelled, was a strength. So the focus became the World Long distance trials.

The pandemic and lockdown was good in a way for my transition as it meant I could work quietly on my mountain speed so when I returned to my next mountain race I had a lot of specific training under my belt.

Photo: Jordi Saragossa/Golden Trail Series

What was changed?

1. Elevation, elevation, elevation

It’s simple really. To get good at what you want to do, you have to do more of it. So to get good at the long climbs I knew I had to make the effort to travel to places where there were long steep hills. This means frequent drives to the Lake District or there is one particular hill near me that covers 800 feet in a mile that I would use for long hill reps. I think the things that has helped me most are up hill tempo sessions alongside long runs with lots of long climbs. My favourite uphill tempo is running up Skiddaw in the Lakes (5 miles up). It’s good to have a climb you use a lot as it’s a good marker of fitness. I can really feel how I have progressed over time as the first time I did it I could barely move for days but more recently I ran up and down it twice (clocking 20 miles) and was able to train as normal in the following days. I built my total elevation in a week gradually to avoid injury and can now do 8,000- 10,000 ft a week.

2. Gym gains

When I was competing on roads, I was able to tolerate high loads in the gym but I found with mountain running because it is a form of strength training in itself it was too fatiguing and the legs felt overloaded and heavy. Switching to single leg exercises and adding more plyometric work was much better. For me, single leg weighted calf raises (bent and straight) are a key component, without them and with all the hill running my achilles would definitely have a tantrum. The plyometrics also have a noticeable benefit and I feel helped me feel I am able to propel myself better uphill.

3. “Time on feet” not miles

My mileage has dramatically dropped but actual time training is about the same or more. No mile is comparable in the mountains as the terrain can be technical or elevation crazy. The gruelling terrain can also take its toll on the body so cutting my running miles and supplementing on the bike has worked wonders.

4. Fuelling

I have had some massive bonks in the hills. In the early days I totally underestimated how quickly you plough through energy. I guess compared to running on roads, running is less efficient and energy demand higher. There have been some hairy situations trying to navigate my way off mountains with blood sugars of close to zero.

Always try to carry extra food on longer runs, just for safety reasons. I have also trained my gut to tolerate large volumes of sugar so I can be well fuelled during racing without being sick. For this I use Maurten energy in races, a combination of the 320 drink mix and gels aiming to get 80-90g an hour.

5. Speed

I still do a key speed session each week. There are plenty of fast sections in most races where the race can be lost or won. I tried to be in shape for both road and mountains at the same time in the beginning but learnt it was not possible the hard way through injury. It’s very hard to have your cake and eat it with both so although I can’t be in PB shape for the roads whilst training for mountains I like to stay sharp to know I can still kick if needed.

I am still on a massive learning curve but the most important thing is that I am absolutely loving the change in direction and it’s been a breath of fresh air to change things up.

The post The road up the mountain appeared first on Fast Running.

My name is Goose, I’m 10-years-old and I’m an English Pointer.

I’ve lived with my humans since I was 8 weeks old. Apparently English Pointers are quite posh, but my humans seem quite common – we live in a small terrace house with no butler or staff. Thankfully I’m the only dog so I’m confident in my role as the most important dog in the house.

My chief interests in life are naps wrapped in a duvet, walks with lots of sniffing time and stealing from picnics. I like other dogs and humans very much, but humans are my favourite. Particularly humans with sandwiches.

The importance of routine

These days I’m a dog of routine – I like my first walk to be at 7am ideally, followed by a second 2pm stroll and finally, a before-bed wander. I find consistency is key to avoiding too much stress and having sore legs.

These walks can be substituted for a longer nap if it’s raining. Who wants to walk in the rain?! I’ve trained my humans to give me food or snacks on request – sometimes I’m not peckish til mid-afternoon and I don’t like eating the food in my bowl if it’s not fresh. We operate a feed-on-demand policy at home. I go to the kitchen and wag my tail and usually someone feeds me.

I’m a bit fussy about food, so if any drops out of my bowl onto the floor, I can’t eat it. Maybe commoner dogs do but, as I’ve said before, I think I’m quite posh.

Back in the day

Back in my youth I did a lot of running with one of my humans. These days, I’ve retired from running as I’m a bit stiff and frankly can’t be bothered running around unless there’s a squirrel or pheasant involved. Even then, it’s more of a short burst to prove I’ve still got it.

When I see my human put on her running kit in the morning, I know it’s time for an extra snooze in bed. When I did run, I occasionally went MIA after a pheasant or squirrel which tended to cause a fair amount of fuss. Especially if I made my humans late for work, or a wedding (too much fuss that day I’d say).

Plyometrics are very important for some athletes too

My chief interests in life reflect my dog-philosophy.

Firstly – naps are good, especially after a long walk with lots of sniffing. Naps help me to keep mentally sharp – essential when flushing out unsuspecting pheasants. They also help my muscles recover, ready for my next walk. If you ask me, humans don’t nap enough.

The key to a good nap is a quiet house, a full belly of food and not having any worries in my head. Although, to be honest, I don’t worry much about anything.

Secondly – walks are ideally for sniffing good smells, having a nice chat with other friendly dogs and for enjoying the scenery. Walks on a strict timeline or in a rush are not for me.

Life is for living and my nose is definitely made for sniffing. Rushing will lead to missing beautiful sunrises and sunsets, the opportunity to chat to a new dog that might have moved to the area or a particularly pungent scent that needs investigating. My advice to humans with dogs is to slow down and smell the squirrel.

Lighting can be be key for a good nap

Sometimes you need to actively share other people’s picnics

Finally, and perhaps most importantly – stealing from picnics is my one true love. My humans have unfortunately become very good at scouting out picnics before I do but luckily, I have a good memory and so can run back along the river to find picnics I’ve noticed earlier.

This year I managed to eat a whole bag of scotch eggs before an annoying lady put me on a lead. My human – the non-running one – was very upset, especially as he got shouted at by the annoying lady. Those scotch eggs were 100% worth it though. So moreish! I’m all for my normal healthy dog food but sometimes one does need a good snack to liven up the palate. Stolen snacks do seem to taste better too.

I’d love to write more but I am feeling a bit sleepy – it’s mid morning and my usual nap time.

The post The ideal athlete lifestyle doesn’t exist… appeared first on Fast Running.

Recently I returned from a short sojourn in France where I was running in ‘le Grand Trail des Templiers’, an 80k trail race with 3600m of elevation gain, as part of the aptly named ‘Festival des Templiers’ in Millau, Occitanie. It was my second ‘ultra’ distance trail race of the year and my second ever.

At this stage in my thinking, tired from 20 hours driving and sheltering in a cafe in the incessant rain of north-west England, and now given the postponement (again!) of the World Championships until November 2022 and the subsequent imposition of re-selection, it may be my last ‘ultra’ too, such is the degree of energy, both mental and physical, that it takes out of you.”

After my first ultra, the 100km Lakeland Trails race in July, I read a comment on the England Athletics Endurance Twitter feed regarding the use of the race as a trial for the GB trail running team from one user stating, “What a waste of money. That’s hardly athletics. Tell me their best 5k 10k times.”

“What’s your 5k time bro?” “Uphill or downhill?” Photo: Sam Hill (@hill_adventures)

A lot of hard work unseen

A hurtful and harsh statement given the effort and dedication that we put into the sport; back-to-back 4, 5 and 6 hour training runs in the mountains squeezed in on weekends ‘off’, long uphill tempo sessions, 100-mile+ training weeks all while trying to hold down a ‘normal’ life with the pressures of a full-time job, relationships, family etc. What could you expect from Twitter though I guess?!

In my inexperience of these distances I feel that I am able to bring a degree of ignorance that lends itself to a unique take on what it is like to race them. During the 7+ hours it took to race ‘Le Grand Trail’ on Sunday I had a lot of thinking time.

My thoughts circulated in a fashion that I now realise was popularised by the vision of psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in a theory known colloquially as ‘The 5 Stages of Grief’. My internal dialogue in the race went as follows…

Denial

Surely we can’t be running this fast only one kilometre into an 80 kilometre race? Are 3 minute kilometres normal? Shit, I hope not. Ah, here’s the first climb, phew. Good we’re slowing a bit…to 5 minute kilometres, on a 3 kilometre climb with an average gradient of 18%. We’ve hit the top and are immediately back into 4 minute kilometres. Is this what death feels like?

Anger

Fuck, this IS what death feels like. Why are people forcing the pace this much? What is wrong with them? Chill out guys, we’re less than 10 kilometres in and have a long way to go. Whose idea was this? Why aren’t my legs working?

Bargaining

Okay legs, just get me through to the 50k mark in a respectable time and then we’ll just take each kilometre as it comes, right? We’re at the 50k mark? Okay, quick body assessment, we’ve done 50k with 2100m climb in 4 hours 18 minutes, no wonder I feel a bit rough. Lets just get to the next aid station / hill top / flat bit / kilometre / fuck it, tree (!) and we’ll re-assess ok? Can you do that legs? Oh no, is that cramp?

Depression

Only 30k left to go. Wait. How much?!? Nearly 20 miles and I’ve been on the go for over 4 hours already. Oh man, this sucks. I’ve been running on my own for the last hour. I’ve gone off course, costing me three or four crucial minutes.

My soft flasks weren’t at the right aid station. My poles are missing at one of the aid stations. It’s all going to shit. I won’t even finish top-20, let along top-10, my secret goal. What’s the point? What, actually, is the point? This isn’t ‘athletic’. If someone comes past me now I won’t be able to go with them. The cramp that was a memory of races long past is here. It’s in my calves and hamstrings on the flats, and in the quads on the uphills and downhills.

Come on legs, FFS. This. Sucks.

Acceptance

Well, fuck it, this is it. There’s the top of the very last climb. I’m walking it. Top-10 is not happening now, I’m close but not enough. I think, if my rusty French is to go by, that I’m in 11th. There’s one final, fast and frantic downhill to go all the way to the finish line. I won’t be dropping out now obviously so let’s just get it done eh?

This last ‘descent’ has a bit more climbing in it than I thought. Is that someone behind me? See you mate, well done, good luck to you, I can’t hang with you. I’m. Done.

We’re unsure what stage this runner is in, but it’s a beautiful spot for any of them. Photo: George Foster

Coming back for more?

This race has a reputation for being fast. An athletic course that draws the best mountain runners in the world, Robbie Simpson (no slouch on the roads, with a Commonwealth Games bronze medal in the marathon), Jon Albon (winner of countless races of all distances), Ruth Croft (mountain running royalty) to name just three.

This is a BIG deal to a lot of people.

Will there be more ‘ultras’ in the future? Who knows.

I like the idea of them; I love running and being out for as long as possible doing such is obviously hugely appealing. They take a heck of a lot out of you and require an immense amount of dedication. Can I sustain this in the long-term?

Frankly, I’d do it for runners of all abilities and distances just to shut up the Twitter naysayers. We’ll let out legs do the talking.

The post Ultra-running and the 5 stages of grief appeared first on Fast Running.

My debut for England and final race of my season was to be the Antrim Coast Half Marathon and after a really successful summer, I found myself in top shape and still improving. Paces in sessions did not get much faster, but my HR was getting consistently lower.

Two weeks prior to the race I went to the EA Marathon Training Weekend organised by Tom Craggs and we did lactate testing. The aim was to see how it varied around MP and whether it was in the target area of 2-2.5mmol/l at MP. Getting up towards 4 is meant to be the turn point, but basically generally the lower the better.

My baseline lactate (taken after a warm-up and drills) was the highest of anyone tested at 3.2mmol/l! Maybe an error, since it then decreased after the first 2k rep at MP plus 10s/km (3:20/k) to 2.8. The final rep at MP minus 10s/km (3:00/k) had it up at 6, but relative to the baseline and first rep, it had not gone up much.

The last rep was at about HM pace. However, despite the high lactate, my HR was low. Even at the end of the last rep, it was still well within the tempo range, though it certainly didn’t feel like a tempo. The results were interesting, but I knew they were hardly definitive of what I could do in a race.

Don’t let the number dictate everything

It matches how I always feel in training. A few weeks prior I’d done Wrexham 10k, but I hadn’t tapered and I was using it as a training run; I ended up only running 30:30, but it felt hard. This turned out to be slower than my pace at Antrim. After taking an easy week and with race day adrenaline, my effort perception for a given pace is completely different than in training.

Of course, the effort perception is also linked to how the race is going and determines how I experience the race. If it’s going well, I’ll generally be suffering, but in a positive way, unlike when a race is going badly.

In the build-up to a race confidence can be a fickle thing. I completed my last pre-race training session on the Wednesday evening prior to the Sunday race and I felt as confident as I ever have. I knew I was in top shape and I felt mentally really ready for the race and actually I didn’t really want my season to end after the race.

I guess this is how it should be. However, in the space of 12 hours everything flipped. I did my usual taper session, but my legs were really stiff overnight and the next day. I did a recovery run in the morning and the muscles on the outside of both lower legs had a dull ache upon loading.

The only thing I could compare it to was the weak and dull feeling I had post marathon i.e., not at all where you want your legs to be 3 days before a big race! I tried to tell myself it was just my body in shutdown before the race, but it had me worried.

Know your race course

The course is quite unique. After an initial climb, the first mile is very quick, before then proceeding around Larne town, which is quite undulating, with miles 3-4 uphill. It then goes back to the Coast Road heading north to Ballygally and the turnaround.

The Coast Road itself is relatively flat. Similar to Armagh, the race really takes care of you with the provision of airport transfers, accommodation and meals. With everyone in the same place, it generates a real buzz.

The weather forecast was for low winds from the north/north west i.e. headwind on the way out, tailwind on the way back, just the way you want it.

After finally deciding on a getup time of 5am for an 8am start, I headed out soon after getting up and went for a shake-out. I think depending on when you do a shake-out, its purpose is slightly different.

If the race is later on, I’d do it at easy run pace for 20min. However, with a race start of 8am, this was not about getting an easy run in, it was not about warming up, it was about waking up. I walked then broke into nothing more than a shuffle at around 9-10min/mile – seriously, I covered 1.62k in 10 minutes!

There was that dull ache again and there was also a strong breeze, it was definitely not the still day that had been forecast.

Nigel wasn’t the only person who had a good day at Antrim. Photo: Antrim Coast Half Marathon

In high company on the start-line

Prior to the race start we heard the top female, Yalemzerf Yehualaw, was going for not just a WR attempt, but for sub 64 minutes! She had 2 professional pacers and so the strategy was clear.

Stay with that group for the way out, then hammer it home if possible. I was aiming for sub-64, but ideally wanted closer to 63:30.

After my legs were seemingly switched out for a fresh pair, we set off in a big group, trying to stay out of her way as we definitely would not have been thanked for tripping her up! Her pacers did a great job of looking after her and keeping the pace nice and strong.

Can it feel too easy?

There were times that it felt too easy, but there was nothing to be gained by heading to the front. After being spoilt with hotel meals the past 2 days, I was actually more worried about feeling slightly sick from all the rich soups I’d had before each meal! I just wanted the initial part of the race to be over and to be heading back, the Coast Road really seemed to drag on.

“My mind was a reluctant passenger, but my body was getting the job done.”

Right near the turnaround two of the Irish team runners starting pushing on and I sensed this was the move to get the time I really wanted.

After letting things play out for a couple of minutes, I made a move to go with them and soon we were hammering it back. From 13k to the finish, every k was comfortably under 3 minutes and we were clawing our way back to 3:00/k pace (63:18). I’d not had too many bad patches up to this point, but there was no let-up in the pace on the way back and it was taking a lot of concentration to stay with them.

Stay focused and hang on for the ride

I managed to stay focused though and soon after 10 miles it was down to 2 of us. Around 12 miles I found myself getting dropped as we headed up the final rise, before a short sharp downhill and onto the promenade for the last 1400m or so.

I flew down the hill and caught back up, then soon there was a clear message from my brain to ‘go’. After briefly wondering why I’d not waited until later, as this was really starting to hurt, I started focusing on a big goal of mine – the club record.

According to my watch with a big last k it was possible and I really pushed hard to the finish, but after being bang on with the k markers my watch was measuring 70m long by the finish and as I rounded the final corner, I saw it was going to be just out of reach (only by 10s).

Still, a massive PB and whilst in many ways the race was perfect, there was a very big negative split with a final 10k of 29:29 (first 10k was 30:22), so maybe that club record can still be got. For now, I’m very happy and look forward to the autumn road races and winter XC!

The post An England debut to remember appeared first on Fast Running.

The 2021 athletics season has come to an end and as I look back and analyse the year, it is easy to look at the things that didn’t go well rather than the constant improvements I have made and also the consistency of my performances.

My highlights of the year have been, South of England Champion, England Champs Bronze Medallist, England International 4x400m Relay Champion, ran 6 of my top 10 all time performances in the 400m this year, 400m PBs and also ran my fastest 200m times since 2013.

My proudest moment this year was definitely winning a Bronze medal in the 400m at the England Championships, which took place at Bedford International Athletics Stadium on the 17th and 18th of July.

Getting it done in the heat

There were two rounds of the competition, the Heats were on a Saturday and the Final was on a Sunday. It was probably one of the hottest days in the year, but I really enjoy running when the weather is hot and I am use to training in those conditions, being in South Africa early on in the year.

I’ve competed at the England Championships many times before from the 100m up to the 400m and have never won a medal, my best performance prior was 4th place in the 400m in 2017.

So was very happy to get a medal and execute a ‘good’ race.

I set out to actually win the race, but you never know what will happen on the day, all you can do is put yourself in the best possible position both physically and mentally.

Executing well on race day

I tend to do a lot a breathing exercises leading up to a race to calm the mind and also a few days before visualise how I want to execute my race plan.

I feel I executed the race plan well on the day but there were a few things I could of changed, but I guess as an athlete we are always searching for more.

I won my 400m heat on the Saturday and felt good going in to the final, running the first round a day before has it’s advantages as you already feel warmed up for the final, if there are rounds, I tend to run faster the next day.

Running back to back days of the 400m can be tough, so you have to take special care and manage your body the best way you.

I tried to sleep early, eat well, made my own food rather than go to Nandos which I loved to do when I was younger, made sure I warmed down after my heat and also going in to the final the next day, conserving as much energy as possible from the travel to the stadium to my warm up.

Did I also mention I also ran a new personal best of 53.23!

Being a strong part of the team

By winning a Bronze medal at the England Championships, I was selected to compete for England in 4x400m relay at Manchester International on the 18th of August.

The event took place at Manchester Regional Athletics Stadium which is right next to Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium.

This was my second time competing for England in the 4x400m relay. The first time was at Loughborough International and we won the relay in 2019.

We also won the relay in Manchester and I really enjoyed being part of the England team again, the England staff were very supportive, which really helped me to be calm and I wanted to give my best for the team.

I ran on the first leg, which they say is the ‘hardest leg’, but I treated it similar to how I would run a normal 400m and was determined to pass the baton to my teammate first, which I did successfully.

I am happy with how my season has gone overall but not satisfied.

Photo: Provided by athlete

Keeping motivated throughout the season

Watching the Olympics was great, but it was a reminder that I had not reached my main goal of the year, which was competing at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Finding the motivation to keep going throughout the season was difficult, but was determined to finish the season healthy and strong, so was grateful that there was an England Championships to aim for and also an opportunity to be a part of an England team.

As I look to winter training, with four International Competitions to aim for in 2022, the European Championships, World Indoors Championships, Commonwealth Games and World Championships.

I am excited about the next few years leading up to 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and I’m looking forward to continuing to learn, grow and progress.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me this year, special thanks to Performance Plus Sport, a charity who has supported my athletics journey over the past three years and has played a huge part in the athlete I am today.

The post And that’s a wrap appeared first on Fast Running.

It’s taken me a while to be able to write this which sounds more dramatic than it is!

If you’ve been following my blogs and social media, you’ll know that I had a rocky Spring. I tripped in a cool down in April and banged my knee. After a lot of rest, some attempts to train and race (I dropped out of the Thames Path 100 at 40 miles) I got a MRI in June and found that I’d fractured the bone under my cartilage in my femur and had lots of tibial bone bruising.

There have been quite a lot of changes to my racing plan since then, but I eventually settled on competing in the Irish 100km Championships in August.

Trying to string some string weeks together

I felt like I’d had my fair share of bad luck this year so was keen to get a decent result down. I strung some good training weeks together throughout the summer and did a great long run on the Isle of Wight on the Red Squirrel Trail in very hot conditions in July.

I’m a big kid and I love spending time with my nieces and nephews so following my 35 mile long run I decided it would be fun to go along to an inflatable water park.

In the back of my head I could hear a small voice saying things like ‘recovery, injury-risk etc’ but I decided to ignore that small voice.

Unfortunately, a large man slipped on the platform 2 metres above me, hit me and then we both tumbled into the water. I felt a bit rough that evening but put it down to being dehydrated and drinking champagne (the best recovery drink?!). The next morning I woke up to find that I had pretty severe vertigo and a very sore head. This continued for the next 2 weeks.

It never rains, it pours

Just as I was starting to recover and thinking about doing some decent training, I had my second vaccine. I trained as a vet at Cambridge and like to think of myself as a scientist first and foremost.

I’m a huge vaccine fan. I think it’s incredible that the vaccines have been produced and I think that everyone who can have one should.

Sadly, I was one of the few who had a vaccine reaction – huge rash, lymph nodes in my groin and armpit huge and feeling like I’d been hit by a bus. Another training week gone.

Photo: Provided by athlete

A light at the end of the tunnel

The good news in the middle of all of this was that Northern Ireland gave me a late call up to the Anglo Celtic Plate team. My first senior international vest! It’s hard to put into words how much this meant to me.

In the back of my head I was starting to wonder whether my body was asking for a break but I was really motivated to push on and try to do my best for the team.

Luckily I had a week off coming up with my family in the Cotswolds. It was now 2 weeks until the race and I was keen to get some last-minute work in. I trained hard during the week and other than feeling really tired (hanging out with nieces and nephews is super fun but exhausting) I did some great running.

Another hurdles to jump

On the last night I had sudden onset extreme nausea and missed our final meal together. Instead, I lay in the car trying not to puke. I thought I might have eaten some dodgy whitebait so hoped it would pass. Sadly it didn’t!

One week out from the race I spent the weekend in bed taking anti-nausea medication and trying to eat intermittently. It resulted in some difficult conversations between me and my husband during the week.

He thought I was crazy to race but I couldn’t get my head round not trying. It’s fair to say that my mum was also on my husband’s side. We flew to Dublin for the 100km and I had a tearful evening before as I felt so rough.

Tom Craggs, my coach, emphasised how important it was that I was healthy but he also knew how much the race meant to me.

Head out and see what happens

I’m quite a nervous racer so I had my usual pre-race dodgy tummy which felt pretty normal. I managed to eat some breakfast and nibble a few crackers before the start. I was keen to get going as I knew I was unlikely to feel ok for very long.

Up to 20 miles or so I felt fairly good – on the pace I was hoping for, and I was drinking and feeling ok. Just after the 20 mile mark I started to feel really nauseous and regurgitate anything that was in my stomach. I’d brought some anti-nausea medication with me so took that and tried not to panic.

Unfortunately it progressed and the only thing I could intermittently keep down was flat coke. In endurance running flat coke is also known as ‘the little red ambulance’ and it certainly felt like it. At one point I confided in a fellow Northern Ireland runner how bad I was feeling. He gave me a great pep talk about how tough I was and somehow I kept moving.

It’s in the head, not the legs

I can’t remember much from 26 miles onwards. Repeatedly it felt like I couldn’t run another lap (the course was 1.14 miles long) and I did a lot of self-talk and negotiation in my head. I repeatedly just ran to the next corner or next section of the lap. I tried to keep smiling and moving, even if I was moving slowly.

By some miracle I finished and unexpectedly won the silver medal in the Irish Championships. Our team won bronze and I got the NI and Ulster record for 100 kilometres.

Photo: Provided by athlete

The next few days weren’t pretty – my parents were so worried they almost didn’t put me on a flight home, but I thought the prospect of 3 hours in a car was worse than a 1-hour flight.

I’ve never gone so deep mentally or physically in a race. Since then I’ve had 2 weeks off running and am just starting to jog again. I’m still intermittently nauseous but starting to feel a bit better. I’m still not sure it was the right thing to race but I’m proud that I toughed it out. When I eventually start to feel myself again I’m excited to see what I can do when I’m feeling good.

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My mother is what a close Scottish friend once called a ‘nippy sweetie’. 

The sort of person who bakes and cooks obsessively for anyone who might be ill, is happy to spend her spare time helping me do work on my house and is generous to a fault.  She is also the person who regularly tells me I look like I’m auditioning to be a tramp in Oliver Twist, wonders aloud why I’m so wrinkly so young and for years has likened an obsession with running to having a serious mental health condition.

She once told me ‘People are talking about you running, out in all weathers, in the rain. You’re lucky they haven’t sectioned you by the side of the road’.

“It’s not good for your knees”

Requests for base layers, socks or a head torch on my Christmas list have been ignored for years. Attempting to get out the door early to run has been met with tuts of disapproval when I’m home for the weekend.

When my mum and dad came to watch London marathon she wondered if she’d have to spend the whole morning watching the race and could they not pop to Oxford Street instead (my proud father veto-ed this in a rare moment of victory).

On the phone when I’ve previously complained about being tired after an on-call weekend my mother has told me I’m running too much and that I should concentrate on work (she also has a Puritanical work ethic). Until the last couple of years, suggesting exercise other than walking was like suggesting a 4-day week.

A peculiar turn of events

It has been bewildering therefore to find that my mum has not only taken up running but is running back and forth on the beach, five mornings every week.

It has been less shocking to find out that she’s quite a talented runner.  She is the most competitive and bloody-minded person I’ve ever met, and I’m married to an Olympic gold medallist. There’s no way I’d take her on at bridge or table tennis – her other new skills in retirement. 

In addition to our regular phone call news exchange which mostly consists of my mother listing all the people who are sick or have died recently in the North Coast of Northern Ireland, we now also discuss pre-run defaecation and running kit.

My dad tells me that she has singlehandedly kept Sweaty Betty in business during lockdown, with the purchase of some very nice matching running outfits. My grey and very unmatched kit looks sad by comparison.

Mum has placed dibbs on my Nike Next % trainers when I’m done with them although I’m not sure how much advantage is to be expected on Portstewart Strand. 

How about some intervals?

Some of our conversations have been very funny. I suggested that interval training might help improve my mum’s speed, but she remained unconvinced despite an explanation of the physiology behind it.

Needless to say, no interval training has been carried out. And she has no memory of ever having any negative feelings towards running previously, much to my amusement. Recently mum told me that running is like brushing your teeth – the day doesn’t feel quite right until you’ve done it. I have to agree with her.

Perhaps what is most unexpected of all, is how much pride and pleasure I feel that my mum enjoys running so much.

Running with my mum on the beach feels really special and is something I never imagined I’d do. Long may it continue! 

The post Running with Mum appeared first on Fast Running.

I can’t claim to be an expert on avoiding injuries, but I can say I’ve found something that works for me. Hopefully by sharing that, others can find what works for them also. You probably know most of this already, but it may jog your memory on some aspect you’ve been neglecting.

Learn from your injuries

In 2015 I picked up a very persistent peroneal niggle (a muscle I’ve been particularly plagued by in the past, on the outside of your lower leg). I found I was able to run through it, literally for several months.

However, inevitably as it wasn’t getting better, it eventually caught up with me. I remember it flaring up after a track session. Of course, I kept on running, but then the following week I felt it go during a road session.

After hobbling 1.5miles back to the car I could barely walk for a few days. That resulted in about 5 weeks of no running, then a slow build-up, so overall of course you lose a lot of fitness.

Whilst I think I could have avoided this with what I know now, it was part of the learning process at what was an early stage in my running career. Your number one goal when you’re injured should be to make sure that specific injury never happens again. For me that almost always means adding in exercises to my strength work routine. If you do pick up a niggle…

Nip it in the bud

If you’re running through something for months and it’s not improving, chances are it will get you in the end.

You’re much more likely to get side-lined by the niggle you know about than something that crops up out of the blue. These days, the first thing I do when I get a niggle that can’t be resolved with self-massage or foam rolling is get advice from a Physio.

Seriously, if you don’t have a friend who is a Physio – get one (or pay for one Nigel – Ed.) All I ask for are exercises (I don’t stretch at all, but again maybe that’s individual). Whilst I know strength work (see later point) is an area a lot of people neglect and the last thing you want is more to do, you need to view it as black and white.

Either you do this exercise for five minutess a day until you’re strong, or you get injured. You do have to be disciplined, but you don’t need to do strength work every day forever, it’s just whilst you strengthen your weakness. At that point maintenance is probably just a couple of times a week. Either that, or risk something long term, leading on to…

Stay healthy

Your number one goal should be to stay healthy i.e., not injured. Every now and then you may have to modify your plans to stay that way.

It could be skipping a session or modifying it to make it easier on your body. You will perform a lot better if you have consistent training behind you, than if you smash every session. Two unspectacular training sessions a week and plenty of miles will go a long, long way over a number of years, vs one summer of great training.

What you can handle in training is very individual, but you will quickly learn your limits. The riskiest runs are almost certainly your structured training sessions and the long run. So, for most people that’s three runs a week.

If you’re increasing intensity or volume, pay attention to your overall training load. Take one session easier or run slower on your long run if required. A lot of people incorporate cross training into their schedule to stay healthy.

Again, if that’s what is required to stay healthy, then it’s a lot better than having to go on the elliptical every day because you can’t run at all. Personally, I think if you run very easy then cross training isn’t required if you also….

Keep it off-road!

When it comes to cross country, generally the muddier it is, the better it is for you. Photo: Jon-Paul Kearns

This won’t be for everyone, but I swear by it. Every easy run I do contains as much off-road as possible. I’m only happy when I’m off-road. Obviously, it can be impossible to avoid the road entirely, but just get creative – grass verges are everywhere.

Yes, you will get muddier and your feet may get a bit wet, but it’s also a lot more scenic and you don’t have to navigate or stop for traffic. In the winter I will admit it’s a pain looking like you’ve just run XC after every run, especially if you run twice a day, but if it’s wet everywhere, you can end up just as wet and muddy if you run on the pavement through puddles anyway.

Setting expectations is worth a lot, if you go out expecting it to be really wet and muddy, you will embrace it.

Try not to look as alarmed as Ry Webb when running at night. Photo: Exposure Lights

Light up the way

You may be thinking I can’t do this in the winter when it’s dark – well, that’s what head torches are for.

They are very affordable and work really well. It’s quite a different experience for sure and I can understand a lot of people don’t feel safe running on their own in the dark in the middle of nowhere. I actually really enjoy it and don’t feel unsafe.

I almost never come across anyone, people generally don’t hang around a trail in the middle of winter. You may see a few dog walkers with a torch, but that should be it. It will depend on where you are of course, perhaps some parks are not safe, so local knowledge will pay off. If you’re running with a head torch, others are probably more afraid of you if anything!

It still won’t suit some people; in which case you could try and meet up with someone else.

These days with highly cushioned shoes, I can understand why a lot of people do run on the pavement, but I still hate it. Whilst these shoes may reduce the impact, they can’t get rid of the monotony. If you’re running off-road, every step is more varied. Most running injuries are repetitive, so it makes sense to keep things as varied as possible. The road certainly has its place, for example tempo runs, but unless I’m racing or doing a tempo, I’m off-road.

Take a break

With the running calendar the way it is, it’s easy to get sucked into racing year-round. Straight after track season it’s the road relays, then it’s XC, then it’s spring road races, then it’s track etc.

If you really want to improve and stay healthy, you have to take a break. You have to go backwards to go forwards. A couple of weeks with a few easy jogs, then a slow build back up always works really well for me at the end of the summer.

I’d say also for your mental freshness, a very easy week after a spring half-marathon then leaves you with two 5-6 month blocks and reduces any risk of burnout. If you recover slow like me, I’d recommend regular taper weeks. Lots of people do 4-6week blocks of high mileage, but I need the recovery, so I work off a 3-week cycle with 2 big weeks and an easy week. Again, find what works for you.

Nigel enjoying the trails of Morocco… we think. Photo: Paul Barrett

Strength work

You knew this was coming! You need to be strong to run. For me, I do strength work twice a week. About 25mins of bodyweight stuff – e.g., leg raises, bridges, planks, calf raises and 20mins of weights (cleans, calf raises, squats).

I’m not generally talking heavy weights – I work with half body weight for injury prevention. It will definitely help with improving performance though and if you can, something closer to bodyweight if you know what you’re doing and can be supervised.

Apart from weights, the strength work can be done in-front of the TV. Again, I view this as black and white – if I don’t do this twice a week, I’ll get injured. I’m religious about it. I’d say the weights are probably more for performance, the bodyweight stuff is the key for injury prevention.

My regime should differ from yours, everyone has different weaknesses, so if you learn from your injuries and incorporate the relevant strength work, you can find what works for you.

There are some additional exercises, like with a resistance band for the ankle and things like that which I do more sporadically, just when I feel like I need it. It can definitely feel like a chore, but that’s why you need to understand the importance of it. Also, given a lot of runners are trying to follow a healthy lifestyle, most should be aware of how good strength work is for you.

I don’t need to cover it again, but my last point is to keep your easy runs easy!

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