As a running coach, I hear the words, "I’m not a runner” more often than you might think. In fact, it is one of the most common phrases that I hear amongst people getting back into their running or getting started on their running journey for the first time.
As far as I’m concerned, if you run, you are a runner. Whether you are fast or slow, whether you run one minute, once around the block, or one hundred kilometre ultra marathons, you are still a runner.
The Melbourne Marathon Festival is now not far away! Many runners are in the midst of their training for one of Australia’s biggest and most prestigious marathon events. The finish line at the MCG awaits but first the real work of training has to be done. The few months of running, recovery and planning will be challenging, but there are a few fundamentals that each of us need to stick to, no matter what pace or distance goals are.
Here are five of my top pieces of advice to surviving and flourishing over the next few months before your victory lap around the G’:
I was contacted recently by a woman looking to improve her 5km parkrun time. She was weighing up whether a coach and a training plan would work for her and wanted to hear more about what was involved.
As we chatted on the phone, we asked each other questions and it became apparent that she would benefit from more accountability, more structure and from someone taking the guess work out of her training, so we decided to begin working together on her goal. I have had similar conversations, where it quickly becomes apparent that my coaching would not suit the other person. From my experience, certain types of people respond well to coaching and training plans. Others, not so much. That is absolutely fine. I have plenty of close friends who would never dream of getting a running coach. For others, with the help of a coach, they have improved beyond what they thought possible and are getting the personal best times that they were after. Running, training and exercise is highly individual.
So what can I honestly advise people who are asking themselves,"Do I need a coach?”
Sydney Marathon (Marathon 13) was a really tough experience, both on the day and in the week after. I felt like I had lost fitness, re-injured an old achilles problem and gotten very glum in the process of it all. Not ideal.
Fast forward 3 weeks and the 17 marathons fun bus was heading over to Western Australia. This was my first ever trip to W.A and I was travelling there to run Busselton Marathon on Sunday 8 October. Whilst I still had the nagging achilles issue that was stopping me from running, I was grateful to be feeling way more positive in the lead up to this one. I was worried about my ability to complete the run, but positive nevertheless. I was particularly worried when I discovered the day before that I hadn’t actually signed up to the run at all! OOPS!! I am starting to believe that there is such a thing as 'runners brain’…. its a thing….
Last weekend was awesome...
Marathon 12 was back on home turf, running 11 laps around the Tan Track in Melbourne, following some time away for Alice Springs Marathon the previous weekend. I was really pleased with what I had done in Alice Springs and my aim for this marathon was simply to improve on that time of 3:22, only 7 days later. I enjoy the challenge of backing up marathons one week after another and it gives the second run a bit more purpose. I seem to get that little bit more determined to not be slower or fade at all. It’s like a giant 'negative split' I suppose.
On race morning, I had woken up early to the sound of torrential rain and howling wind at about 5 am. Bugger. The thought crossed my mind to just drop the run, eat lots, drink wine and simply reschedule, but the thought of then trying to fit another marathon into the remaining 4 months of the year, persuaded me to get my arse out of bed and get cracking on some coffee and breakfast.
How do you deal with the final nervous days before your big run??! With this guest post on Running Fit Box blog I want to help you work through and answer some of the normal questions that you will have to face in the days leading up to your next running event. Questions like "should I be carb-loading," "have I done enough training" and more!
Head over to the awesome Running Fit Box website to check out my guest post on this issue.
Enjoy!!
What do you think are the main things that stand in the way of getting back into running for new mums?
This guest post with Sheree Brown from the awesome Port Melbourne Physiotherapy and Pilates explores exactly that! Sheree and I explore accountability, motivation, overcoming excuses and how to safely get back into your exercise after giving birth.
Head over to the Port Melbourne Physiotherapy and Pilates website to check out this guest post.
How do you go from a 1hr 53 half marathon to winning marathons and ultras, breaking records and representing Australia at the 100km World Championships? Ask Kirstin Bull....
Kirstin Bull has won the Two Bays Trail Run and Great Ocean Road Marathon multiple times and smashed the Australian 100km record last year. For our FIRST EVER GO RUN PODCAST, I chatted to Kirstin about her running and even reminisce about her first ever half marathon. She chats about her training, coaching, strength and conditioning work, nutrition and her advice for new runners who want to hit the trails or train for ultra distances. We also discuss her wine or beer preferences ;-)
Check it out!
Kirstin is racing at the 100km World Championships in Spain in September and is fundraising to support that effort. You can find more info and donate here
Good luck Kirstin!
A couple of weeks ago I got an email from a really nice guy living on the outskirts of Melbourne. He was looking for a running coach to help him with his running. We were talking about his goals and training over email and with his permission, I have given you part of the actual email correspondence that we had. Check out his confusion….
"That's one of my problems at the moment, goals! SO MANY OF THEM! So my own training is in disarray. I don't know whether to knock back and hit a 5-6 month patch of Maffetone running. Then there's Matt Fitzgerald banging on about 80/20 running! But on the other hand, we all want to go fast...and I KNOW i'm capable of going sub 3:30 over 42.2 and would LOVE to have a crack at a BQ, but for me thats a 3hr 05 marathon, which, well, yeah, I can't see that happening. Basically, I think I've read way too much and now I have all these ideas in my head, but have no idea what's best for me."
WOW! That’s a lot of goals, a lot of different methods and a lot of confusion to deal with. Trust me, I can really sympathise with this. It was not so long ago that my head was in this exact space. It is a complete nightmare. You don’t know where to turn, who to believe, what method or technique to try, what magazine or blog to read, what race to sign up to. It sucks! The sad thing is that this thought process is actually pretty normal amongst runners and is not exclusive to beginner runners at all.
So where does our confusion stem from?
We all question our training at one point or another. As a coach, one of my roles is to make sure that runners can look back on their training, be proud, see progress and gain confidence from it. One of my favourite phrases in this regard is,
"Just trust the process"
In this interview I chat to Sally who recently ran a half marathon personal best time, knocking 4 minutes off her previous time. She talks about how we managed her injury concerns, how she found it difficult to run slowly in her training runs at first and she talks us through what it feels like when you know your time is going to be a good one! I love Sally's story. To me, she is a great runner and a pleasure to work with because she learns, adapts and isn't scared of a challenge! Enjoy!
Are you ready to run? If the answer is "YES!" then sign up here for your own running coach and personalised monthly training plan to get you running stronger, longer and faster. I will get in touch straight away and we can begin working on getting your running to where you really want it to be!
I have heard this quote from lots of runners when they first start running...
"There's no way I can run 5k!"
In this interview I chat to Maddie who also uttered those words at one point. Maddie talks to me about how she went from "the girl who can't run" at school, and not running even 3 years ago, to a marathon personal best time at Melbourne Marathon in October 2015. I find Maddie's story inspirational and I loved hearing about how she overcame some of the stresses associated with running and in particular the question of "what are people going to think of me?" in her most recent marathon. Enjoy!
Are you ready to run? If the answer is "YES!" then sign up here for your own running coach and personalised monthly training plan to get you running stronger, longer and faster. I will get in touch straight away and we can begin working on getting your running to where you really want it to be!
I hear this phrase from runners all the time...
"I just want to get fit and stop getting injured."
Particularly at this time of year, we have a tendency to go too hard into a new fitness routine, too soon. There is no quicker way to undo all of your hard work, than getting injured, and trust me, getting injured sucks! The mere thought of it was enough to persuade me to do a short 5 minute video talking to Physiotherapist Sally Maple about running injuries and how to prevent them. I ask her about areas to watch out for and stretches and exercises to help keep you injury free.
Click below!
