Many look for performance improvements in all sorts of special products, fancy shoes and obscure diets. But they overlook the biggest performance enhancer available, a good night’s sleep. With boosts to growth hormone levels, improved kidney function and greater immune function, what else can help maintain consistency of high quality training like 40 winks?

Don’t take my word for it, below we go into greater detail and talk to experts about the power of sleep. Multiple studies have been undertaken on the subject so it’s not just something “Dave from the club” swears will make you faster, it’s evidence based advice.

How many of us really optimise our sleep? Below we look at why you need more sleep and how to improve the quantity and quality of your slumber. First, here’s why you should be prioritising your kip.

The benefits of sleep

Esther Goldsmith, sports physiologist with Orreco and St Mary’s University says “Sleep is critical for muscle repair, muscle building, bone growth and fat oxidation: all things that are going to help you adapt to training and progress as an athlete”. Good sleep can help athletes perform better in a number of ways;

Growth Hormone: Your body releases Human Growth Hormone (HGH) your deep sleep cycles (see below for more) and increases cell division and regeneration, in fact up to 75% of the growth hormone your body releases is thought to happen when you sleep. HGH is what you need to heal and repair damaged muscle fibres and tissues from those hard sessions…basically getting fitter!
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Mental effects & stress: “Sleep also improves cognition and psychological functioning, as it can enhance neuronal connections, aiding memory and helping you learn” says Goldsmith “this is one of the reasons why, if you are practicing a new skill, you may find your ability dramatically increases the next day, after a night’s sleep”.
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Injury Prevention: A US study showed that amongst a group of elite athletes those getting over 8 hours sleep a night had a massive 61% reduction in injury risk. Another study (Le Meur et al, 2013) showing athletes getting less than 8 hours sleep a night had 1.7 times greater risk of injury.

Look after your kidneys

Kidney Function: Poor sleep has been linked to inhibited glucose metabolisation & insulin release resembling type 2 diabetes and hypoglycaemia. It is at night when your kidneys also work to rebalance water and electrolytes – vital for athletes.

Improved diet: It’s a familiar story for many that when we are tired we tend towards lower quality foods to get energy in quickly and a great reliance on caffeine. A recent study confirmed that good quality sleep might see you eating more fruit and vegetables.
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Immune Function: Goldsmith states that sleep also promotes the restoration of the immune, nervous and endocrine (hormonal) systems “these three systems that are important to keep in check in order to prevent injury and illness, and to keep absorbing training. Peaks of melatonin also occur when you are most likely to be asleep… and as melatonin has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, it can help decrease oxidative stress which could otherwise impair and delay recovery”.

Just what are your ‘sleep cycles’?

You may have heard about ‘sleep cycles’ or ‘phases’ of sleep. In very basic terms as we sleep we move through a series of sleep cycles lasting roughly 90 minutes and within each cycle we move through different ‘stages’;

NREM (Non Rapid Eye Movement) 1: Light sleep, where we drift in and out of sleep easily, some people will feel muscle contractions and a falling feeling as gradually your eye movements and muscle contractions start to slow.

NREM2: In this phase your heart rate will start to slow and your eye movement will cease. Generally body temperature will also drop and brainwaves are slowed.

NREM3: This phase is typically a transfer from a lighter sleep to a deep sleep, with slow ‘delta’ brain waves interspersed with shorter more rapid brain waves.

NREM4: This is your deep sleep where rapid brain waves are much less frequent, this is the phase of sleep that will leave you feeling confused and disoriented if woken from.

REM: Rapid Eye Movement is characterised by more rapid brain activity that mimics a waking state but whilst still asleep and is when you will often experience more intense or vivid dreams.

How do we sleep?

After about 90 minutes your will move back to stage 1 for a new cycle, as the night progresses so you move through a series of cycles but the time spent in each stage will change, with the latter stages of sleep characterised by less time spent in deep sleep and more in REM sleep.

The important thing to recognise is that it is during your deep sleep (NREM 3 & 4) that your body undergoes the most beneficial changes. Goldsmith says “it is in stages 3 and 4 where the real magic happens. This is the beginning of deep sleep, and when growth hormone and androgens are released”. Interrupted sleep represents a problem because each time you wake to interrupt a cycle you go back to the start reducing or even limiting time spent in the most beneficial (in recovery terms) stages

It’s not just about the number of hours…

We commonly hear about a magical ‘8 hours’ of sleep being the measure of a ‘good night’s sleep’. Certainly it’s great to get more sleep with 7-9 hours being the recommended for adults but quality is also critical. Some people seem to be able to function well on less than 7 hours sleep a night and one of the possible reasons for this could be sleep continuity. The images below show sleep monitoring of two different athletes. The left image showing over 8 hours of sleep time but with very poor continuity, and the right image shows less than 7 hours sleep but with much better sleep quality.

With less interruptions to our sleep cycles we are likely to feel more refreshed than with more hours but of poor quality. There is also some evidence to suggest that short pre exercise ‘power naps’ of 20-30 minutes can play a useful role in mitigating the effects of poor sleep.

How do you improve your sleep?

What can you do to improve your sleep and get fitter and stronger as a result? Well the answer really is about observing what we call good ‘sleep hygiene’. Here are a few key tips to get you going;
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Avoid light and radiation from screens: A recent study (Figeurio et al) showed that exposure light form electronic displays reduced melatonin by up to 22%. Melatonin is critical to your sleep and wake functions. Banish smart phones and tablets from the bedroom and aim, as much as possible to give yourself a 90 minute window pre-bed clear of these devices.
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Develop a pattern: Try to develop a routine and pattern of both behaviours (i.e. when do you brush your teeth, when do you dim the lights) and time you get into bed. This can help get your body back into a more natural and regular sync of sleeping and waking.
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Avoid stimulants: Avoid caffeine and alcohol late at night – both are sure fire ways of affecting both your ability to get to sleep and your ability to sleep uninterrupted. This is both through their ability to stimulate brain activity but also because of their diuretic effects.
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Food and drink: Eating your last meal a good two hours before sleep helps to ensure that your body is not still trying to digest a big meal as you get into bed. Whilst its important for all athletes to be hydrated try to avoid drinking to excess in the evenings. Getting up to go to the toilet is a sure fire way of interrupting your sleep cycles! Some people, if they train or work late, might benefit from eating their main meal at lunchtime, with a lighter evening meal.
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Relax! It’s obvious but most of us hope to relax, rather than continuously doing anything about it. Again this is about routines, perhaps for you it’s a bath, or a short period of reading before you get into bed, for some it might even be meditation. Dim your lights and create a calm relaxing environment away from stress and distractions of smartphones or TVs.

To the mattresses

Environmental factors: A good mattress can be one of the wisest purchases any athlete can make. The decision is very personal but your mattress is one of the biggest factors in how well you sleep. Think about keeping your bedroom cool and investing in a blackout blind to limit light pollution, particularly if you are in a town or city. Ear plugs can be useful if you live in a noisy area.
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Control your stress: If you have a lot on your mind try to write down a list ‘to do’ for tomorrow. Clear these now from your mind before you go into your relaxing routine before bed. Thinking over and over about work, family or money worries (or even training or racing stresses) really wont help.

Controlled breathing techniques (such as tri-breathing where you breathe in for a count of three, hold for a count of three and breath out for a count of three) if you are very stressed can also help you start to calm down, and transition towards sleep. One of the really damaging effects of lack of sleep is that it also affects your ability to control stress. This  can create a vicious cycle where stress increases, affects your sleep, which in turn affects your stress. Seek further support if you do have chronic stress issues.
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Training times: Exercise in general terms appears to have a beneficial effect on your ability to sleep. Harder training sessions however can elevate cortisol and leave a sustained increase in heart rate. This can inhibit sleep so it is probably wise where possible to avoid harder sessions in the final 2-3 hours before bed.

Sleep tracking

Whilst sleep tracking technology is now readily available to athletes and coaches it should be approached with caution. Whilst used in this article to visually demonstrate the concept of sleep continuity the accuracy of these devices for accurate measurement of sleep needs to be questioned.

As with all technology within sport coaches and athlete need to consider the validity and reliability of the technology they use – for example a recent study showed wearable sleep trackers under reporting sleep by 25-49 minutes. Athletes should be mindful of collecting data just for the sake of it and coaches should consider the ethical and performance implications on using this kind of data and surveillance. After all most of us know when we have had a good or a poor night’s sleep.

To summarise Goldsmith says “increased sleep has been shown to improve performance, in both repeated sprints and more endurance-based time trials. Sleep deprivation, on the other hand, can cause worsened performance, decreased strength, and increased anxiety”. So look beyond just what’s in your plan and what you do with your trainers on. Sometimes the biggest improvements can come from recovering better.

Le Meur et al, 2013. In Recovery for Performance in Sport. Human Kinetics. 2013

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The post Sleep for Success appeared first on Fast Running.

Similar to yoga, pilates concentrates on posture, balance and flexibility, with a particular emphasis on core work to strengthen the body.

Strength training has been shown to improve distance running economy and performance and now the finding from a study by Brazilian academics has shown that pilates can help trained runners improve their times.

Led by Paula Finatto, the team at the Universidad Federal do Rio Grande investigated whether core training might improve the metabolic cost of running and 5km running performance.

Subjects within the study followed a 12-week run training program, with one group also undertaking two one hour pilates sessions a week. The scientists hypothesised that the additional core work would improve the running times of the subjects compared to the control group.

The metabolic cost of running was measured at 10kph and 12kph before the 12-week intervention and again afterwards. The 5k times were also measured before and after the period of intervention.

The two groups were not dissimilar in their abilities before the 12-week program, with both groups averaging around 25:30 for a 5k. The average age was quite young, at 18 years old. This is worth considering in the applicability of the study to other runners. Your own age could be an additional factor to consider when viewing the results.

The results were clear though. The group undertaking pilates alongside their running training saw bigger improvements in metabolic cost of running, 5k time and VO2 Max.

The control group saw improvements from an average of around 25:20 to 24:30. However, the pilates group improved from around 25:35 to 23:12. More than a two-minute improvement compared to the 50 seconds of the group only running.

Additionally, the average VO2 Max for the pilates group increased from 51.8 to 58.53 in contrast to the other group’s much smaller improvement of 51.32 to 53.72.

RELATED: Gemma Steel’s holy trinity: pilates, yoga and body balance

The results were down to greater control and stabilisation of the lumbopelvic region. A stronger core makes you a more economical runner and your times will fall accordingly.

Several studies have shown the improvements associated with core strengthening, but often only in isolation. The difference between the control and pilates groups show a definite improvement when combining pilates and run training.

In comparison to yoga, which focuses more on flexibility, pilates targets improved core strength firstly. Plenty of elite runners use both yoga and/or pilates, such as Gemma Steel, to supplement their training, but perhaps if you have time for only one practice, pilates is more advantageous for runners.

If you’re interested in finding a class near you, check out the NHS guide to starting out. A 5k PB might be just around the corner.

The post Pilates training improves 5k performance, study says 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.

Warming up will prepare your muscles before you suddenly shoot off at a fast pace at the start of a race or in training. It is an essential part of injury prevention and the benefits are not only physiological, there’s also the psychological benefits that leave you mentally prepared for what’s to come.

Reducing risk of injury
So how does warming up reduce your risk of injuries? Warming up correctly increases your heart rate and blood circulation; this will loosen up bones, joints and tendons and increase the blood flow to the primary muscles used in running.

By bringing your heart rate up warming up increase the body temperature and this keeps your muscles warm and will help prevent acute injuries such as hamstring strains and decrease the likelihood of flaring up tendons such as your Achilles.

While there is limited research to fully endorse warming up as an injury prevention method, studies do agree that the weight of evidence points is in favour of it decreasing the risk of injury.

Physical performance
How often do you feel lethargic at the start of a race or the first couple of reps in training? But after a few, you start to get into a rhythm.

As mentioned, your body temperature rises when you warm up and this also increases the rate at which oxygen circulates throughout the body.

This stimulates the neural pathways (highways in the brain that transmit messages) between your brain and muscles, and this helps improve muscle contraction, preparing your body for the training session or race and helping avoid that sluggish feeling.

Mental performance
If nothing else going through the steps of a familiar warm-up routine keeps your mind engaged helping to stave off nerves before the race.

During the steps include some positive reflection to remind yourself of past successful races or training sessions. This will help encourage confidence in your own ability, leaving you motivated to get the job done.

Tips for warming up before a race
1. Start your warm-up routine 35 to 45 minutes before the start of the race.

2. The shorter the distance, the more time you should spend warming up. While warming up before a marathon is important, it is even more so before a 5K race, and duration and intensity levels should match this.

3. Begin your warm-up with 15 to 25 minutes (depending on the race distance) easy running. Ensure that it exerts as little energy as possible.

4. Follow that up with some stretching. Particularly dynamic stretches, for five to 10 minutes.

5. Next, you want to get your body primed for the fast pace you aim to run from the start. To do this perform a series of 100m strides, four to six is ideal. To perform a stride correctly gradually accelerate to a pace slighter faster than your race goal pace, hold it and then gradually decelerate over the 100m.

This will elevate your heart rate and increase the blood flow to your muscles. Take 30 seconds of easy running after each stride before repeating.

6. While you are going through your warm-up drills think back to past successes in races and training, in particular, times when you doubted yourself and proved otherwise.

7. An important point to add is to be cautious you do not perform your warm-up too intensely. Gauge this on your current fitness levels, because while we want to want to be fired up before a race, it could add fatigue which will be detrimental to your race performance.

8. Aim to have your warm-up completed five minutes before the race start.

Once that is all done, you are both physically and mentally ready to take on the race and deliver your best performance.

The post Don’t Forget The Warm-Up Before A Race Or Training appeared first on Fast Running.

Some you may already be doing and some not, but consistently adhering to these seven best practices, whether you are a new or an experienced runner creates a solid foundation and adds discipline to your running.

1. Become a complete athlete

(Even Isaac Makwala found time for press-ups at the World Championships)
The change – Add a 30 minutes whole body strength routine to your training plan and perform two to three times per week.
The reason – This can help reduce the risk of injuries and muscle imbalances. Keep you interested in training. Provide a new stimuli for your body to adapt to.
Cautions – Ensure any strength training routine is done with perfect technique and is guided by a professional for the first few sessions to ensure correct form.

2. Increase your training – through milage or time training in a low aerobic state
The change – Run more miles in training or include extra low aerobic work such as cycling, swimming, or low impact movement.
The reason – Increasing your time training will improve your aerobic capacity, which will also help aid speed endurance (a fancy way to say how long you can sustain race pace).
Cautions – Be patient and measured in the increase. Do not make large rapid increases, instead just aim for two or three extra miles per week or 10 to 20 extra minutes, to begin with.

3. Prioritise recovery – Make your easy runs VERY easy

The change – There is no such things too easy for easy runs. Really strive to make these runs add minimal strain on your body. Take an extra 30 seconds to one minute per mile off your current relaxed run pace.
The reason – Taking it easier on your easy runs will allow you to recover better. This will, in turn, allow you to run harder on your high-intensity training days, creating a bigger stimulus which should lead to larger adaptations to your body i.e. increase strength and fitness.
Cautions – Be confident in this practice and do not let the social competitiveness force you to do otherwise.

Further reading on the benefits of recovery runs can be found here.

4. Prioritise recovery again – Sleep more
The change – Get at least seven to nine hours of sleep each night.
The reason – Sleep is the time when your body can recover optimally. Simple.
Cautions – Heightened attention, better core body temperature regulation, better moods – All positives!

5. Assess your diet, honestly
The change – Review your diet and find areas where you can include more whole foods, nutrient-rich foods (fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds) and cut out processed foods.
The reason – Whole nutrient dense foods can help aid recovery, introduce more fibre to your diet, improve cardiovascular health, protect you from illness, and aid more consistent energy levels.
Cautions – Processed foods can be well marketed, convenient, and us runners can find good excuses to eat them. Be disciplined and opt for the smarter option by planning ahead and carrying a banana, nuts or another fruit snack with you at all times.

6. Embrace a positive attitude
The change – Enjoy the simple act of running, not just its outcomes.
The reason – When we appreciate the bad runs as much as the good ones we instantly increase our satisfaction from running. Having a positive mindset will usually allow you to perform better.
Cautions – Be selective with your competitive attitude, leave it for race day. Ignoring the numbers can sometimes be stressful, so be aware of this and understand, they are not everything in running.

7. Be persistent and consistent
The change – Even if it is a short one, get out and go for that run. Or take 20 minutes out of your day to do some additional activity of any type.
The reason – Adopting running or exercising as a habitual part of your life will have dramatic effects on your fitness and overall health. This process and consistent practice will improve your mental strength, commitment, physical abilities, and most likely love for the sport.
Cautions – Do not ignore the need to rest and recover. Always have at least one rest day per week in your training schedule.

About the Author
Majell Backhausen is one of Australia’s finest elite trail runners. As an international runner, he has enjoyed success on the shorter distance trails right up to the 170km Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB).

The post 7 Best Practices to Run Better and Recover Faster appeared first on Fast Running.

They keep turning up for training but the motivation is poor, energy levels are low and if they try and attack a high-intensity session, the engine, the power that was always present, has just disappeared.

They come looking for a magic potion, what they get is a prescription for rest, recovery and ideas on how to boost their immune system.

In most cases, the elite runners I work with choose one or two ‘A races’ a year. Anything running outside of this will be seen as training.

However, if you compare this with the recreational runner, in a lot of cases training for one marathon a year is no longer enough.

It never ceases to amaze me, when someone who’s completed their first marathon in spring, for instance, will plan on running their first ultra in the summer without hesitation, or the even more extreme, running multiple marathons inside a month.

Some runners may think the body is invincible, but fatigue will eventually set in. A certain amount of fatigue is necessary in the training and recovery process to build stronger muscles and performance improvements, that’s agreed.

However, if you place too much emphasis on one aspect, it can either result in a poor race from not enough training, or alternatively, exerting too much in training can result in an injury may from overtraining.

For more on overtraining read ‘Overtraining: Why It Happens and What You Can Do‘.

Overreaching and overtraining in training can have a huge impact on your immune system and often this leads to the loss of your “running mojo”. So how can you overcome this?

In order to manage training fatigue, there are several things I recommend.

Give your immune system a boost
I always prefer individuals get their nutrition from their diets, however, there are a few nutrients that can be difficult to obtain. Both Vitamin D and probiotics have a really important function to play in immune health.

I recommend a high dose of Vitamin D and probiotic to all my runners, especially through the winter months.

Hydration is also key for immune function. Saliva is our first line of defence, as it contains IgA. If we are dehydrated, we produce less saliva and, in turn, this can make us more susceptible to infections and illness.

For more on immune health read ‘How Immune Health can Affect a Runner’s Performance.‘

Monitor to train smart

I’m a big believer in monitoring and, again, I regularly get runners to keep a log of the following:
– Resting heart rate (although if you can get nocturnal HR data, that’s more accurate)
– Sleep quantity and quality
– Motivation to train
– Energy levels

The above parameters tell us a lot about how we are feeling; if your motivation to train is low, this could be an indicator that you are tired. HR data informs us about what is going on in the body.

A resting (nocturnal) HR reading elevated by even just 10% from basal levels could indicate illness, fatigue and not sufficient recovery.

Become Nutrition Smart
You should always tailor your nutrition to your training; if you are going to increase your intensity and/or volume, you also need to adjust your intake of carbohydrate and protein so that body has sufficient fuel to train and recover.

I have seen many runners who have cut back on carbs significantly while increasing their training.  They report feeling amazing to start with and then six to 12 months down the line their bodies fight back.

Carbohydrate, although feared by many, is an essential nutrient for the exercising body and while you should be mindful of portion sizes and types, I never advocate a completely ketogenic diet.

Take a rest day and ideally wait until HR levels return to normal before training at a high intensity again.

Test and Assess
If you start to notice that you are lacking energy during training but also at rest, it is always worth asking your GP to take some blood tests.

I usually recommend iron and ferritin, Vitamin D, CRP and thyroid function, as these can give you a good indicator of whether the body is under stress.

Don’t neglect sleep

Currently, this is a huge area of research in sports performance. What we know is that good quality and quantity sleep are necessary for recovery and immune health.

Many individuals who I have worked with complain about poor sleep and when questioned about the last thing they do before they go to bed? Most answer with, “Check my phone!”

Increasingly we are being told about how the blue light in phones can disrupt our sleep so one tip: try and switch off at least half an hour before you go to sleep – read or listen to music instead.

About the Author
Renee McGregor RD SENr is a Performance Dietitian and author, who works with elite athletes, coaches and sport science teams to provide nutritional strategies to enhance performance and manage eating disorders.

The post 5 ways to manage training fatigue appeared first on Fast Running.

While traditional weightlifting exercises such as deadlifts and weighted squats all help to develop a strong core, there are a number of exercises that require no weights that equally match up, including the humble plank.

Through a variety of plank exercises performed regularly, you will engage and strengthen your glutes, hips, abdominal muscles, internal and external obliques, pelvic floor, and lower back muscles.

To fully benefit and strengthen the aforementioned muscles its important that you focus on performing each plank exercise with good technique and form.

Six plank variations are outlined below and to perform them effectively and safely follow these best practices.

• When performing a plank ensure your quad muscles and gluten are active to stabilise your lower half.
• Squeeze your abdominal muscles to help prevent your lower back from dropping.
• Unless the specific plank variation states otherwise, position your feet hip-width apart.
• Planks can be performed before or after a run, or built into specifics strength and conditioning workout.
• If you are new to planks, initially aim to hold the standard plank for 30 to 40 seconds then gradually extend the time.
• For other plank variations count 15 to 20 repetitions as one set and aim for three sets.

Once you become more experienced with the different variations try combining them all into one 15 minute circuit spending one minute at a time on each exercise. Aim to compete with no recovery between exercises, but taking a short rest when needed.

Standard Plank

Lie facedown with your legs extended and your forearms on the floor. Your elbows should be bent and in line with your shoulders.

Engage your abdominal muscles, lifting your hips to maintain a straight line from head to feet.

Side Plank Thread Through

Begin by lying on your side with your legs together, before pushing up on your elbow and forearm.

Lift your hips until your keeping a straight line from head to feet, then lift your arm towards the ceiling. Once in this position, lower your arm, threading it through the gap between your side and the floor, twisting your upper body in the movement. Hold for three seconds, then return to the original position.

Spiderman Plank
From a standard plank, pull one knee toward your elbow without altering the position of your upper torso, hold for a second and then push your foot back to the starting position.

Repeat the exercise with your other knee and try to avoid your foot touching the floor the floor.

Up and Down Plank

Beginning in standard plank position, and push up against the floor so both arms are extended straight. Try to keep your elbows slightly bent to avoid locking your arms.

Return to a standard plank position slowly by lowering yourself down one to one forearm at a time.

Plank with leg raise
From a standard plank position with your forearms on the floor, begin by slowly raising one leg off the floor and hold for two-three seconds before returning to standard plank position.

Now perform the same steps with your other leg, again holding for two-three seconds.

Two point plank
Begin in standard plank position, and simultaneously lift and extend one arm and the opposite leg without allowing the body to rotate.

Engage your abdominal muscles throughout this exercise and aim to maintain alinement with your back, shoulders and the floor.

The post 6 Plank Exercises for a Stronger Running Core appeared first on Fast Running.

But just how long does it take before you lose you running fitness?

Most runners know it’s important to take a few days off following a big race or competition, but when taking a time out is in your hands and not the result of an injury or illness, it can be a difficult to put into practice due to a runner’s fear of fitness loss.

The good news is you don’t need to worry if you have to take a short break from running because up to five days of inactivity won’t negatively impact your fitness.

However, if you are unable to run for longer than five to six days, both your aerobic and structural fitness are affected.

Aerobic fitness is the measurement of how efficiently your body can absorb oxygen into the blood and transport it to your muscles. In running this means your ability to maintain a certain level of performance, essentially your endurance. Structural fitness is concerned with the strength of your muscles, and for runners, this translates into how well your body can absorb and tolerate the impact of running. Structural strength is essential for avoiding overuse running injuries.

With aerobic fitness, those fairly new to running and experienced runners who have been running for years will be affected differently. For both groups of runners though, seven days or more without running will see aerobic fitness start to decline and this is mostly fitness gained in recent weeks and months.

An experienced runner who has built up running endurance over many years will retain the most of their aerobic fitness for several months, while a beginner runner’s overall aerobic fitness will drop sooner following a period of inactivity.

Structural fitness, which we mentioned is essential for avoiding running injuries, will start to decline after seven days or more of inactivity also, but the big difference being it will take longer than aerobic fitness to build back up again.

Comparing the impact of a period of inactivity for both types of fitness concludes that the body will lose its ability to tolerate the impact of running sooner so than its loses it ability to run. This can put runners in a dangerous place when returning to running because your aerobic fitness is telling you a six-mile run is fine, whereas your body’s ability to actually tolerate six miles of running has decreased due to the decline of structural fitness.

So, although your legs may feel rejuvenated after a week or two of rest, and you may feel fit to run that bit faster or further, you are more at risk of injury because of the decrease in structural fitness, and this is true for both a beginner and experienced runner.

What you can do

On a positive note, if you are unable to run for longer than seven days there are some excellent cross training actives that you can take up to limit the loss of aerobic and structural fitness.

Try low impact activities such as swimming, cycling, aqua jogging or rowing to maintain some aerobic fitness, which will help you reach your previous running levels sooner.

And to limit structural fitness losses and your body’s ability to tolerate the impact of running, strength training can also be taken up during a period of inactivity if an injury does not inhibit this. Strength training can include body weight exercises, core workouts or resistance band drills that target the supporting leg and stabilising muscles that are engaged when running.

The post How Long Does it Take to Lose Your Running Fitness? appeared first on Fast Running.