Category: Running

  • Running for Beginners

    Running for Beginners

    After throwing myself in at the deep end and running 5 marathons in one month from being in the worst shape of my life I thought I would throw together a quick Guide about Running for Beginners.

    Benefits of Running

    Running is free, it requires only a pair of shoes burns more calories and you can do it anywhere. Health benefits of running are absolutely fantastic. Risk of long-term illnesses are reduced. Mood is definitely boosted and you can even lose weight without changing your diet. This is aimed at new runners who want to stay in shape or improve their fitness but are a little unsure of where to start.

    Wanting to run for fitness in another activity, it is a great Idea. However, you should try to fall in love with running as an activity in itself. This will keep you motivated and get you up and out more. When running for any other purpose it is easy to treat it as a necessary evil. Make effort to push yourself but not to the point of hyperventilating or breathing hard. This is too far, especially as a beginner. The last thing you want to do is spend a lot of money on some great new running shoes and give it up after 2 miles.

    My relationship with running

    Over my life, I have taken up running a few times. Where I personally went wrong was immediately trying to run with others, trying to go too fast, running for a different purpose. This time I learnt to embrace running as an enjoyable activity of its own. This was definitely a game changer for me. In just 2 weeks I felt mentally and physically better. Furthermore I raised a significant amount of money for a great charity. Lastly I would be lying to say I didn’t develop a love for running.

    In my head I had a lot of excuses as to why I don’t run, including but not limited to

    • Broken left foot
    • I’m just not built for it
    • Back pain
    • I get shin splints
    • Broken right leg
    • Don’t have time
    • Need to walk the dog

    When facing reality none of these were actually an issue. By throwing myself in at the deep end and signing up to run further than I thought for charity I made myself get out and run. My challenge was to cover distance over a month. I picked a distance that I thought was a challenge but achievable. Motivated not to run in bad weather I got out while the weather was good and did my month’s distance in only 10 days. I carried on running to almost triple my intended goal. My advice is not to do what I did, I was lucky to not pick up an injury !

    Before you start…

    If you haven’t been active for a while you may want to go really easy. Gently build up your fitness with walks to get you moving. Remember this is not a race and the only person you are competing against is yourself. Little improvement weekly is all you should be aiming for.

    The best thing you can do to reduce some of the pain and add a level of comfort is get fitted properly for a new pair of running shoes by an expert. Without doubt these are the best investment. Shoes do weaken and wear out over time. Experts recommend replacing your shoes every 300 to 400 miles.

    Make sure to plan your runs, if it was too hard try running slower or for a shorter distance. Find a comfortable level and increase gradually from there. Planning your runs helps you stay motivated and helps to keep you going.

    If you feel any new pain that causes concern or have health issues beforehand you should consult a GP for advice.

    Starting Running for Beginners…

    Enjoy the experience and avoid injury by starting slowly. Ease yourself in gently and gradually. It is no use to exhaust or injure yourself on the first outing.

    I like to start each run by stretching and then a gentle warm up walk, you can run at a slow pace, march on the spot, whatever you feel comfortable with.

    When you start running you can always go back to a recovery walking pace, you will need to get your body used to running for longer durations and distances. This is something that will take work and you’ll need to build over time. Some days you will feel amazing and what to just keep going, others will be a struggle.

    It is better to run 2 or 3 times in a week than to run 7 days and not again for a month. Consistency is key here. Try to make a running routine and stick to it as much as you can. Couch to 5K is good and works for some people but I found it just didn’t ever work for me.

    In Conclusion

    Running for beginners can be hard but will pay off if you can learn to enjoy running, stay motivated and lastly stay consistent.

    The things I found that help me run are:

    • Boost to my mental state
    • Improved fitness
    • Photos of what I see along the way
    • Using apps such as Strava to track any gains
    • Weight loss

    You may find a slightly different set of things that help you run but these are probably top for me.

    There are many great running clubs all over the country, If you want to gain a bit of confidence, advice and new friends these are great places to start. They can help get you out and running with other people regularly and help improve your performance.

  • How to run for bike fitness

    How to run for bike fitness

    After almost 2 years of COVID isolation and lock down I decided it was time to boost my fitness. Starting from the worst shape I have been in for years. I pushed myself hard, it hurt. After only 10 days I felt physically and mentally better, ready to tackle 2022 head on. Also without realising I had decided to run for bike fitness.

    Firstly I would like to declare I am not a qualified fitness coach or personal trainer. This is about how I gave myself a huge boost in only 10 days. Starting every year I feel like I have lost the gains from the previous year. The excuses for not consistently riding and keeping up my fitness over every winter are:

    • Dark
    • Cold
    • Muddy
    • Wet

    Facing reality, none of these actually bother me a great deal. Pushing myself to get out despite these horrors leads me to having fun anyway. Every year I seem to repeat the same cycle. 2021 was especially difficult for me, I won’t go into that. This is about how I found motivation and drive for the future. Boosted my fitness in 10 days. Felt enthusiastic about getting on my bike again. Furthermore, learnt to enjoy running where I have never managed this before.

    Low Clouds seen on a run for bike fitness
    Shoes to run for bike fitness
    Run for Bike fitness down a cycle route
    A run for bike fitness view
    run to Roseberry Topping for bike fitness
    Sunset taken whilst on a run
    A view whilst having a run for bike fitness
    Sunrise taken whilst out on a run
    A few photo highlights along my way

    Where do I Start ?

    Seeking a reason to run, I impulsively signed up to run 50 miles for Prostate Cancer UK. Signing up on 30th December and starting 1st January gave me little time for excuses. Having a good reason to get out gave me a lot of drive to succeed. Importantly I felt as though I couldn’t let them down. Because of this I was more determined to keep going through any pain. Realising there are two types of pain, without a doubt there is the pain you can run through. This is pain caused by your body improving and also adapting to the new demands you are asking from it. Nonetheless some pain should slow you down, make you take a break or rest. Undoubtedly you will feel the first kind of pain if you are starting from the same place as I did but coping and overcoming only makes you stronger.

    Starting on a Saturday meant that I had 2 full days to achieve some critical miles before 5 easier days when I couldn’t run as much because of work. This definitely made me chase as many miles as I could in the time I had. Running became a top priority and an enjoyment for the first time in my life.

    Lastly here are the things I wish I had worked out at the start:

    • The right shoes are worth it
    • Speed is not important at all
    • Focus on breathing and let it dictate your pace
    • Concentrate on smoother steps
    • Don’t push to the point of gasping for breath
    • Make time to stretch before and after
    • Duct tape is the best fix for blisters and hot spots

    The Run to Bike Fitness Plan

    Clearly, to say I had a plan to start with would be a lie, I had a rough daily distance to cover and a new found level of motivation. Either way what I did over the 10 days was along the lines of this:

    DayActivitiesNotesTotal
    1Run – 4 miles
    Run – 4 miles    		Skinned heels due to bad shoes on run 1.
    Fixed heels with duct tape, ran again.    		8 miles
    2Run – 6 milesMiles adding up already14 miles
    3Run – 4 miles
    Walk – 1 mile    		Walking helps to keep you moving and loosen up19 miles
    4Walk – 1 mileRest day but walk to stay loose20 miles
    5Walk – 1 mile
    Run – 4 mile    		Keep walking to recover
    Half way there now    		25 miles
    6Walk – 2 milesRest day with longer walk27 miles
    7Walk – 1 mile
    Run – 4 miles    		Keep going, keep walking, keep running32 miles
    8Run – 10 milesForget about speed, walk if you need to, just keep moving42 miles
    9Walk – 1 mile
    Run – 3 miles    		Get loose with that walk.
    Gentle 3 miles     		46 miles
    10Walk – 1 mile
    Run – 3 miles    		If you made it this far you should feel the benefit.
    Be proud of what you have done    		50 miles
    My rough guide to covering 50 miles in 10 days

    Did you get to the end ?

    Did you manage to run to bike fitness ?

    If you made it all the way through and feel ready to get back on your bike or gained a new love for running this is great. The mileage shown in the plan is roughly what I did but not exactly. You don’t have to complete every walk/run to the exact mileage. Importantly you don’t have to run fast. Distance and keeping going is where I found my fitness boost. Lastly if this helped please leave me a comment. Furthermore if you are an experienced Personal Trainer or Running Coach, I hope you haven’t recoiled in terror at this. After doing this I definitely gave my fitness and mental state a giant boost. Apart from this, I went on to further complete 131 miles (5 marathons) over 30 days.

    In Conclusion, please use this as a guide, adjust distances, durations and frequencies if you have to. The key to succeeding for me was forgetting about speed and just keeping moving. I was unquestionably in a better place than where I started after only 10 days. After trying Couch to 5K and finding it didn’t work for me I needed to concentrate on my own pace and not run to somebody else’s rhythm.

    Importantly, if you love cycling, mountain biking or running check out my online shop. My ever growing range of sportswear is absolutely sustainable and also environmentally friendly.