If you’ve ever hit the dreaded “wall” in a long run or race you know just how important fuelling is. Or perhaps you have heard of “the wall” and you want to stay away from it. The marathon isn’t just a test of fitness, it’s a test of how well you can manage your body’s energy supply. Get your nutrition right, and you set yourself up for a strong finish.

Travelling is one of my favourite things to do. Same goes for running. Fortunately, combining the two is somewhat easy! And I have managed to successfully train for marathons from all corners of the globe. Therefore, with many people likely travelling this month, I am happy to share some tips on how to keep your holiday and running both enjoyable. 

As humans, we often see things in others before ourselves. We also have a tendency to be high achievers and think that doing more is for the best. But this is not always the case, as we can drive ourself into a fatigue deficit. 

The Marathon hype is high. Of course is it, we have just seen an array of marathons unfold over the last few weekends globally. And ballots for next season open up.

I am perhaps biased, but I do love marathon training. It takes commitment and discipline. It also takes some patience, as you need to allow your body to gradually take the load of running as the weeks tick by towards race day. Many people love marathons and marathon training blocks for the routine they bring to their lives. 

I lay on my sofa scrolling. I was in search of the “next” IFE on Tour race. The problem was, I wasn’t excited. The number one rule when entering a race (and proposing it for others too) you HAVE to be excited. Clocking up a marathon every 6 months for the past few years was taking its toll. I was in the last few weeks on Munich Marathon training and the thought of jumping straight into a marathon focus again was not appealing. I needed a break. A break from the 400m threshold runs, the progressive marathon pace runs, and the running for time. 

What you do today will likely impact your life in 12 months. From the decisions you make to the habits that you endure. You are gradually, day by day, carving out your future. Similarly then, what you were doing 12 months ago has impacted your current day to day.

We are fast approaching the end of the year, meaning it’s almost time where many exchange gifts. In lieu of this, I have jotted down some of my favourite running gifts and gadgets, should you have a runner in your life that you need gift inspiration for.

“I became more daily” was the answer I found myself giving Tom when he asked how I trained for my latest marathon. The race date was not going to charge, nor was my current situation or training ability. As opposed to hypothesising about what “could” or “should” be, I pulled everything back to the current moment.

It would be unjust to say I didn’t train for this race. It would be disrespectful to those who help me, undermine the work I have put in, and be a lie to my clients.

Sit in your comfort zone the entire time, and you might notice things don’t tend to progress too much. Alternatively whack yourself out of your comfort zone and you might get that initial dopamine hit, but potentially followed by a crash back to reality as you feel things spin out of control.

From work deadlines, to family commitments, to relationships dramas; life can be stressful. In the right doses we need stress, and it’s certainly something that we factor into training cycles in order to improve.

At the end of last year, like many, I set some goals for 2023. One of which was “to focus on recovery from sessions”. The reason for the goal was fundamentally because I knew that if I wanted to train more, I need to recover more (better). When I wrote it out as a goal, or course it seemed super simple. Then I started to unpack it, and realised that there were many, many layers. 

Have you ever been asked by someone for help with something? How did you feel? Chances are you felt honoured. You had been recognised for having experience, expertise, or knowledge in the particular area.

Having goals in running is common. But sometimes it can be tricky to know where to start. There are multiple avenues that people go down; so here are some tips to help you set and accomplish your next running goal(s)…

Travelling for a race is extremely exciting; it’s certainly different to racing locally. But it also means you might need to be a little bit more organised. Here are my top 10 tips for your racing travels:

One of the most common running injuries is shin splints, especially among those who are new to the sport and training has suddenly ramped up. Broadly speaking, shin splints refers to pain and/or tenderness along the shinbone (tibia).

Dubai, like many cities is a busy place. People come and go. And for many, the weeks, months, or years just fly by. Perhaps you sit down at the end of the weekend and wonder where the time has gone, or worse, you dread the upcoming week. I have certainly fallen into this pit previously, and found myself constantly chasing my tail to keep up.

Post race blues are real, they happen. It’s quite natural that regardless of the result of your race, you feel a little bit lost once it’s all over. So, how do we combat these blues? That dreaded answer… it depends. But it’s true.

I race for me. I don’t do it for a living, it’s not my job. Racing is hard, really hard. To allow yourself to mentally relax, but physically push is no easy task. In a race, no matter the distance, you are vulnerable and exposed. But when we overcome difficult situations we acquire confidence, strength and a sense of achievement.

 'Tis the season!  Whether you are celebrating a religious holiday or not this December, the end of a calendar year is often a time to connect with loved ones. Perhaps spend some quality time with your family or close friends, or re-connect with some long-lost ones for your annual catch-up.