As coaches, we often get asked about where people should start if they are new to running. On the physical side of things, the answer is pretty straight forward and apps like 'Couch to 5km' have done a great job of bringing new runners into the fold and getting them going, mainly using the run / walk method. This method is gold and I’m delighted to see it taking hold and spreading into the consciousness of new runners.
Susan is a busy business owner, with a love of rugby, technology and helping organisations and individuals realise their potential. She can now add running to that list and her go-to distance is now the half marathon. She loves her parkrunning at Albert Park in Melbourne and supports her friends to keep running as well. Thank you to Susan for allowing us to share her running story…
These days we can’t hit the gym even if we wanted to, so thankfully I am talking about exercises that you can do at home and are designed to get the best running performance from your body. A program that will strengthen what needs to be strengthened and stretch what needs to be stretched. What we want to ultimately achieve is a body that is balanced, stable, strong and at lower risk of injury.
Well, after ‘3 in 30’ and ‘4 in 40’, its time to go a bit longer in our third and final blog of this little series! We wanted to give you plenty of options to mix up your running and keep running with sessions of under an hour. There are plenty of limits on us at the moment and so a short, sharp session is just what the doctor ordered, not only for your physical health but your mental wellbeing as well. As GoRun coaches, Kylie, Sarah, Jason and I hope that these little sessions can keep you running and we would love to hear how you are going with them!
Yesterday we posted 3 runs that you can do in 30 minutes. Today we’re extending that time to a still achievable 40 minutes and sharing 4 of our favourite sessions. There’s a couple of the simple, foundational runs that we build everything else upon, and a couple of cheeky ones that that will burn those legs!
Well that escalated quickly…
I have started several blogs only to have the corona virus situation throw us another curve ball. So I started thinking about what can I write or contribute that has some use to our runners and friends, no matter what the situation? Then I spoke with my friend and fellow coach, Michael. Always a thinker and a man of interesting perspectives, we chatted about the need to be realistic about the situation that we find ourselves in, whatever that looks like.
Getting back into running is fraught with emotional hurdles that we have to overcome. Statistically those first 3-4 weeks are the hardest and where we have the most to endure both physically and mentally. Just look at the numbers of people that 'fall off the bandwagon' after New Years. It kills me every year seeing the numbers of runners slowly declining as we get into February, March and April. Surely we can break through this!
Coach Kylie and I were lucky enough to get an invite to the recent Sports Analytics Conference in Melbourne, courtesy of the awesome team at Red Bull. Now...I’m definitely not a data nerd but I am intrigued by the use of technology in running, triathlon and other sports. To be honest, I am less intrigued by the technology itself, and more our use of it and the interpretations that come from it.
There were hundreds of people in attendance from all over the world and presenters from professional sports organisations in the USA, Spain, Sweden, UK, Australia and beyond. Some of the most recognisable names of clubs in sport were on the attendee lists and it was a great opportunity hear some of the themes and debates and potentially apply these to the everyday runner.
So, what did we learn?
Have you seen those videos and pictures of Barack Obama playing basketball with friends and college players? I remember looking at them and thinking A. Wow! He’s actually pretty decent and B. How the **** does he find the time to do that?!?!? He’s the President of the United States!! Not only that, but every morning when in Washington, Obama hits the gym between 7:30 and 8:30, alternating cardio days and weights days.* Impressive, right?
This last couple of weeks, I have noticed so many people talking about how little time they have to run. It has brought back memories of a cringe-worthy conversation that I had with a CEO, when I lived in Belgium 6 years ago. I was chatting to the CEO of one of the biggest hospital trusts in England about her running......
Comparison is the devil. Well, maybe that's a bit extreme, but I rarely find comparisons helpful in my line of work.
When I raise the issue of comparison with people you often see wry smiles and subtle nodding of heads. Everybody does it but yet most people feel worse because of it. The problem is that its addictive. We can’t help ourselves!
What does the ‘perfect’ runner look like? I hear this question being discussed every so often in magazines, online forums or occasionally over coffee after our Saturday morning 5km parkrun. Particularly if you are relatively new to running, you might be interested and might even be in awe of those runners who seem to have the perfect build, legs, speed,or effortless look to them as they glide around the track or along the bike path. It all adds to the slight insecurities we might have about not being a ‘real runner.’
