This tiny virus has throw all our lives into disarray, but it is possible to find positives in all the upheaval and use it to improve your running. As runners we probably all like to have plans and goals to achieve and to have all these suddenly taken away can be very frustrating. You have …
Author Archives: julierayfield
Muscle Cramps!
Muscle cramps are so annoying and can be very debilitating in the middle of a race, so what causes them and what can you do to prevent them? Muscle cramps are involuntary contractions of muscles from excessively excited nerves over stimulating them. There are many different reason why you might get them and the solution …
Traits to develop and those to loose
If you listen to top runners who have been successful for a while, there are several traits that they share: They focus on themselves and their own self improvement and goals. They are always looking for how they can improve. They use more positive words to describe hard training and racing. They have a great …
Why Distance Runners need to Sprint
You may see sprinters as an entirely different species and wonder just how doing anything that they do could help your marathon training. Indeed, if you have seen sprinters at training, they seem to spend most of their time just chatting and stretching. There must be better ways to use my training time! However, there …
Tempo then speed work?
Should we be doing speed work after a tempo run? This is a debate I just came across from a podcast (Final Surge podcast episode 150). A well known coach in the States, Jonathon Marcus, started a big debate by tweeting that it was useless to do speed work after a tempo run. There …
Recovery
Recovery is a vital part of your training and should not be overlooked. Get it right and it can be one of the easiest ways to improve your race times. Your body will only improve from your hard workouts if you allow it to recover and adapt to the training stresses. There are 3 main …
Common 1st timers Marathon Mistakes
If you want to enjoy your first marathon try to avoid making any of the mistakes below and follow these tips: 1. Don’t play catch up with training: if you miss more than 5 days of training don’t jump straight back in where you should have been. Adjust your plan and build back gradually. 2. …
Why Trail Run?
There are many benefits to trail running and everyone should do some, even if your main focus is road or track. The benefits are both mental and physical. On the physical side, running off road will improve your balance, coordination, agility and strength. This comes through reacting to the varied terrain and tackling the hills. …
Race day Nutrition and Hydration
As with everything else in running, it is important to remember everyone is different and these are general guidelines to serve as a starting point. You should try out the suggestions below in less important races or training runs and adapt them to your needs. First up, hydration; you may have noticed that races have …
Basic Running Drills to Master
Why do running drills? For Strength, Co-ordination, Flexibility, Balance, Functional Stability, Structured Warm-up and fun! For all drills you want to maintain good posture by drawing naval towards spine, gently clench butt and breath normally. Upright posture, head high, hips high, running action arms, relaxed shoulders, slightly dorsiflex foot and claw ground. Keep balanced and …
Running Tips by Coach Julie 