At the highest level in athletics, running, or any other sport, the one percent improvements made in training, diet, and recovery are the difference in delivering your best performance or failing to.
This being the case, instead of trying new things blindly, we can learn from the experiences of others, and try to implement some of their best practices into our own training, diet, and recovery.
British athlete Rosie Clarke kindly gave us an insight into her training and nutrition.
Training
My training group in Loughborough is world class, and the highlight of my week is definitely grinding out a track session with the group. There’s no better feeling than that sense of accomplishment, especially when you’re all going really well.
Long steady efforts, such as 5-mile tempo runs, are what I look forward to the least, but even these a made enjoyable when you have the right group of people around you.
Below is what my average weekly training schedule looks like in the spring and summer.
Monday
AM: 40 minute easy run + Strides
PM: Drills session + 30 minute bike
Tuesday
AM: Track session (Something like 5[ 300 + 600 + 300] with short recovery between reps)
PM: Strength & conditioning + 30 minute bike shakeout
Wednesday
Medium run 60-75 minutes
Thursday
AM: Light threshold session (For example 2×10 minutes)
PM: Hurdle drills session + 30 minute bike
Friday
40 minute run + Short hills
Saturday
AM: Track session over barriers (e.g. 2x1km + 2x1km + 600 + 400 + 300 + 200)
PM: Strength & conditioning + 30 minute bike shakeout
Sunday
Long run 75-90 minutes
Nutrition
Nutrition is a vital component in elite sport. Food is fuel, and it is ridiculous to expect your body to perform at it’s best if you are not getting the best quality food in. A healthy understanding of what your body needs can definitely contribute to an athlete achieving more on the track.
When I’m preparing for a race I keep my food very simple. I always start my day with a bowl of porridge made with milk, never water! If it’s race day I’ll work backwards from my race time and plan accordingly, often with an extra meal slotted in to ensure I’m sufficiently fuelled.
After a race I go for a chilli con carne or a bolognese. Simple tasty food is my favourite.
My 5 Nutrition Tips
1) Learn how to cook properly: Even if it is just 3-4 dishes that you have nailed down. Eating properly is your responsibility as an athlete, so you should be able to prepare the meals you need.
2) Buy quality food: This doesn’t have to be ridiculously expensive, but don’t be tempted to scrimp on your food. You’re putting in so much effort in your training, don’t let the few pennies you save by buying from the value range be what holds you back in competition.
3) Try not to be too fussy: When travelling overseas to race you often have very little say over what food is on offer. Being stuck in some obscure town in Europe with no food you are willing to eat the night before you race is not a good place to be. You don’t have to be an adventurous eater, but just be willing to eat what’s put in front of you.
4) Travel with your essentials: It’s not rocket science. For example, if you always want to eat porridge as your pre-race breakfast then be sure to travel with it. Same goes for any snacks or supplements that you have as a part of your normal dietary routine.
5) Enjoy your food: Eating healthily does not mean your diet has to be any less tasty, and being an athlete should never mean that you limit your food intake. I am a firm believer that to achieve your potential on the track you have to be healthy and happy off of the track. Nutrition is an integral part of the athlete lifestyle, but it should be something that is embraced and enjoyed, not viewed as a stressor.