Who coaches the coach? I'm a big advocate of coaching. Of course I am, you say, that's my job. But, I've never actually been coached myself. It was 2013 when I last followed a training plan. It was one from a book, and although I swapped some sessions around and adjusted paces when they didn't [...]
Summer of Speed: Regents Park 10k This past year I’ve had some successful races by not looking at my watch too much and running ‘on feel’. It’s been a way of shaking off the self-imposed limitation I’ve had when thinking about times I might be able to run. I had a chat with a coach [...]
What it’s like to lead a beginner runners group Sarah has led Lazy Girl Running beginners groups at Hampstead Heath and Downhills Park, Tottenham. I asked her to write a blog on how she’s found it. "I HATE RUNNING!" One of my runners let out a groan. "ME TOO!" I said quickly. Then caught myself. [...]
Running on holiday: you don’t have to When I work with a runner, I ask them for any holidays they have coming up and we plan their training around it. Sometimes, for runners who have a hectic regular life because of work or caring duties, or both, holidays can mean more time to train and [...]
5 Reasons You're Not Running Faster You're running too fast For distance runners (that's you if you're training for anything from a 5k to a marathon or beyond) you're training for endurance. You need good aerobic fitness. In order to train your body to go faster in your aerobic zone, you need to slow right [...]
Summer of Speed - a faster 5k and 10k Last weekend I ran the Regent's Park 10k. It's one of my favourite races, partly because it's held every month throughout the year, so I know that I can turn up when I think I'm in good shape and I want to have a crack at [...]
London’s Best Half Marathons One of my Tuesday night runners asked what the best half marathon in London is, which led to a discussion about all the races we’ve done. When we thought about it, there’s quite a few to choose from. So here, in no particular order, are our favourites. Those I’ve run also [...]
Manchester Marathon 2019 I’ve written a review oh the Greater Manchester Marathon for the next issue of Women’s Running magazine. So the following is the story of my personal race. I paid for my entry. It’s always difficult to decide on a race strategy. I always wish there was a fairy that could tell me [...]
When I didn’t start running I moved to London in 2006 and, at the time, the only people I knew who lived here were my flatmate and a soon-to-be ex boyfriend. I wanted to start running and I wanted to meet people. I remember looking in Loot, the free classifieds paper where you found new [...]
Marathon training weeks 11-14 Last Sunday I finished my run, had a shower and headed out for lunch with my family. I ordered a glass of Prosecco and toasted myself. I’d finished peak week of marathon training. I’d just run a 20 mile long run. I’d done the hard work, and that was worthy of [...]
