How to run faster, longer and stronger
Running Tips
We all want to be able to get the most out of running. I hope to fill this blog with big and small tips that will point you in the right direction to do just that, and get you out to enjoy plenty of running adventures whatever your age or experience.
This race is part of the UK and Ireland Skyrunner series, so I expected some climbs. The race stats are 25km and 1750+m of gain. (I ended up with 1805m). This was spread out over 3 climbs, the third of which almost, but not quite, reached the summit of Snowdon. Having previous run the Chamonix Cross (24km and 1680+m gain) and ChaChaCha ultra in Switzerland (46km with 2900m of gain), this sounded like fun. I opted against the longer Skyrun as this also featured grade 1 scrambles and some photos of the course with scary, knife edge ridges to run down. My race was described as “Fun rocky trails.”
The race start offered free camping with basic facilities, but some lovely views. I arrived the afternoon before race day, which gave me some time to check out the finish run in and get all my kit thoroughly checked for race registration. Kit required was off-road shoes, waterproof jacket and trousers, emergency survival bag, whistle, compass, hat & gloves, a thermal top in a waterproof bag, at least 1 litre of water and 400kcal of emergency fuel. Once the GPS tracker was added as well, this made my bag feel quite heavy even without the water bottles filled.
The next day there was plenty of time to get ready and watch the SkyRace start at 8am, as my race didn’t start until 10am. The weather was looking good, with just a little cloud around and temperatures around 14C.
I started at the back of the field and met up with a runner I knew (David Byrne). As the race started with a gentle road incline for 1-2km we had a good catch up, but he did admit that he hadn’t been doing any running recently, so when we turn up a slightly steeper, gravel track I kept running and he started walking. My thinking being that this may be one of few runnable sections, which proved to be true. The first 4km was mainly running through old copper mines, with gradients up to around 10%, then the track started to rise more steeply and there was more walking. After 5km the trail became more rocky and steep, finishing off with a 20-40% climb to the summit of Yr Aran. The first climb was around 7km and it had taken just over an hour to climb 580m, but the views from the top showed this was going to be an epic day out and required a stop for snacks.
I was hoping to pick up the pace on the descent, but his proved to be very difficult with all the rocks to climb down. It took 30min to get down the 3k and average -10% drop. Pretty slow for falling down!
There was a little more running back in the valley and then straight into the next climb, which again started on a gradual, old gravel mining track, turning into a steeper, stepped rocky route, zig-zagging up like an Alpine trail. The final climb to the summit was literally that, hands were required to scramble up rocks, trying to follow the race route flags marking an invisible “footpath”. Strava recorded several sections with gradients over 40%. I reached the Y Lliwedd peak in just over an hour, having travel 3.3km and climbed 600m. This time I was really worried about the way down, so ate a Babybel and some peanut M&Ms.
Going down started much better than the scramble up, with some running along the ridge line. Then you had to drop off the ridge, which involved climbing down rocks backwards and, in my case, sliding down on my bottom for some sections. The aid station was waiting at the end of this decent, so I was keen to get there as I was now out of water. I caught up with one guy who was doing worse at descending than me and also had a great descender fly by so much quicker. This descent again took 30min, but covering only 2k to drop 440m; over -40%!
The aid station by a lake was very welcome, including the offer of a lake water shower as the day was turning out to be hot and sunny. I downed the offered large cup of coke, filled up both bottles, ate orange quarters and then turned back for some banana before leaving.
Next, there was finally a flat section around the lake, although getting my legs working again was very hard. I did manage to run/shuffle the next 1.5km before we turned up the steep and busy path towards the Snowdon Summit. My main aim on this section was trying to look like I was in a race and not just out for a Sunday stroll, like most of the other path users. This meant no stopping and looking focused. I caught up with the fast descender again and a couple of other guys, as we all plodded on up, but there was also time to take in the amazing surroundings. There was a brief relief from the climbing around a third of the way up, upon reaching a second lake. Then back to pushing on upwards with gradients again exceeding 40% in places. A dad pointing out to his son, who had said he couldn’t go any further, where the end of the climb was showed that I was getting close. We crested the ridge just below the busy Snowdon peak and crossed the train tracks to start the final descent. The third climb had taken 50min to cover 2.7km and climb 528m. Unfortunately, my legs were now shot for the final 6km down to the finish.
I did get them running again despite the discomfort. Some lunch and a sit down were outweighing the leg pain. I had to take the rocky bits slowly and was passed by all the guys I had climbed with, although I did catch one guy whose legs would not allow him to run at all anymore. About half way down the route turned off on to some soft, spongey grass, which was so lovely to run down after all that hard rock. It didn’t stay soft all the way down but the finish was in sight and I kept running to finish in 5hrs 10min, with a smile on my face, (but also feeling slightly sick).
This was a proper mountain race. Harder than running in the Alps and with views almost as good. I would recommend the Copper Trail to those that like adventures. Was it “fun, rocky trails”? I would say so. I am very glad I didn’t opt for the full Skyrace of 40km, the elite female runner who did it in 2019 said she found she didn’t like heights on it and opted for the Copper trail this time round. I am still undecided if poles are a good idea, as hands are required so often, but I think my legs could be feeling better if I had used them.
On to planning the next running adventure. Wherever that might be.
A well below par performance and crumbling under pressure does not have to be the end of all your running dreams. It is possible to bounce back even better and turn failure into a learning experience to help you grow.
There are 4 steps to follow to come back stronger:
1. Anger and Disappointment
A wave of negative emotions is a usual first response to failure. You may well feel upset, disappointed and frustrated. There may be a deluge of negative feelings and real disappointment. It is important to accept this, but then move on at some point. This could be minutes to hours, but the key is, at some point, to move on. Don’t let it drag on for days.
2. Acceptance
Next you need to transition to acceptance. Stop wallowing and stop thinking about the performance and what happened. You need to cease trying to make sense of it and just accepted it happened. There needs to be a conscious shift of attention to the next task. Everyone will have a poor run sometime.
3. Learning
Once you have accepted what happened then it is possible to assess what can be learnt. Are you well? Did you do anything wrong that you can correct next time? Or did the pressure just get to you?
4. Letting Go
The final step is when the weight is lifted off your shoulders. The anxiety, pressure, and fear that may have hampered performance can give way to a kind of attitude that said: “I already sucked. It can’t get any worse. I might as well see what’s there.” Over expectations can dissipate and there are no expections to do anything amazing. This can give you the freedom to perform at your best. Just let go and see what happens.
It may not have worked for Mikaela Shiffrin at the Winter Olympics, but I hope it works for you.
The quote below was read out in my yoga class and I was immediately struck by how it could apply to running as well, so I adapted it by changing the yoga specific words to words for running. I think it works well. What do you think?
“Each run is a journey. Endeavour to move with awareness and enjoy the experience. Allow it to unfold as a flower opens. There is no benefit in hurrying. Running grows with time. Some days are easy and the mind is calm and the physical body is light and responsive. Other days you may find that the mind is running wild and the body feels like wet cement. We must breath deeply and remain detached. Times are not the goal. They are a vehicle to access a deeper internal awareness. Create a practice that best suits your personal needs so that it is something that you look forward to. Running is a place for refuge and a soothing balm for the stresses of modern life. Within each run find ways to refine your existing understanding so that you continue to grow. Rather than simply moving from step to step, FEEL that action from deep within . Listen to your breath. Can you ride the breath like a bird on the breeze? Where is the mind? Can you maintain your focus and remain calm even when it gets tough? Enjoy yourself! I have never had a run that I regretted. Not once have I finished a run and thought, “Oh I wish I hadn’t done that.” But there have been days that I didn’t run and later I wished I had. Keep it fun. Take just a few minutes and spend it running. The rest of your day will be better. Running is a scenic journey to our deepest spirit. Do as much or as little as feels correct. It is always better to do a little than none at all.”
Adapted from K. Pattabhi Jois on yoga
This is my top 8 things that most runners don’t do nearly enough of, or avoid all together. We all like to get out there and run, so we want to spend as much time as we can doing that, but if you skip these activities you could end up injured or not reach your full running potential.
A link in a running email today reminded me how important it is to keep a running diary, not just a log of distance and times, but a record of how it felt, what you want to improve and what you have learnt.
I stopped keeping one during lockdown, when there were few goals and running was just about getting out and relaxing. I started writing my training down again when I started training for an ultra. It helped me to plan the training out, learn from previous training and show progress etc.
When planning out training I will look through old running diaries when I have done a similar race, to see what I can learn. Sometimes I just have fun reading through old diaries back from when I used to be able to run quickly! Diaries also help you record all the extra training that isn’t just running, like long walks, strength work, drills and anything else you do.
One of the things I really like about the Running journal I currently have, is a month end review, where you note how the past month’s running felt physically & mentally, what the positives and negatives were, what you have learnt, what was the highlight and finally what you will apply to the next month’s running. It is really useful to carry out regular reviews of how training is going, rather than just banging on doing the same thing and a month end is an easy reminder to have a think about how it is going.
You can find a published Runner’s diary with inspirational quotes, pages to plan out training, record goals and list totals, or you can just use a plan notebook and fill in whatever details you want. But whatever you use, keeping a training log is a vital tool in learning and progressing your training.
At 44 miles, my longest race so far (and I’m not sure that I need to go any longer). The race started at Lizard Point and followed the Cornish Coast line all the way along to Lands End. I had signed up to this in the middle of lockdown when all my races had been cancelled, including Boston Marathon twice, and it seemed like a great idea for an adventure then.
As the months turned to weeks to go, training hit a few obstacles. The most serious of which was my knee becoming increasingly sore and swelling up during a planned 28k run, which become a 25k run plus 3k walk. Having had an issue with bone density a few years back, I decided to minimise my running and maximise strength work for the best chance of completing the Lizard to Lands End Race. I then, finally worked out with less than a week to go, that my knee was slightly hurting every time I wore my new race trainers. I did a frantic search on the internet for a pair of Brooks Cascadia (my previous shoes that I had but were worn out) that were in the correct size and could be delivered quickly. This proved to be very tricky as the pandemic interest in running and the recent blockage of the Suez Canal, meant that running shoes are in short supply. Eventually I found a pair that could be delivered in time! Then I just had to fit in a 2nd Covid jab before leaving…
Shoe panic over, camper van prepared, race kit and plenty of food packed, I headed off to the South West with my race support crew of my husband and 2 huskies.
Race Day was warm and sunny, but with a slight breeze. The start was staggered and I set off from Lizard point around 8am for my Cornish Grand Day Out. The first section around the Lizard Peninsula was wild and empty without any roads or beaches, and I enjoyed the coastal views with spring flowers out along the cliff edges. Glancing out along the full coastal curve to where Lands End must be, it looked impossibly far to go in a day by foot. At some point in this section a couple of hikers coming the other way mentioned that they had left Lands End 4 days ago!
Mullion Cove at 10k was the first settlement on the route and just after that was the first beach, which was busy with regular holiday makers who like to enjoy their time relaxing by the seaside.
The first check point was a welcome sight at Gunwalloe. It was starting to feel very warm in the constant sunshine. I topped my water up, drank some Coke, ate half a banana and a rice bar before setting off again.
The next section was far more open, running past beaches and fields. There was a leg sapping section of fine shingle to cross at Loe Bar, so I walked it and then going up into Porthleven I met by support crew for the first time. I picked up some much welcome frozen water bottles which helped to cool me a bit and some poles to use later.
There was then quite a long road sections where I would have preferred not to be carrying poles, but I would be very grateful for them later in the day. Praa Sands was the next village on the route and by now (around midday) it was absolutely heaving with beach goers. It had been the plan to meet my crew again here, however it looked like parking was a nightmare. My crew did pop up a few km later in Prussia Cove. I heard a husky “whoo, whoo” before I saw them. They had picked a nice cool, shady spot by a stream. (Probably picked for the dogs comfort rather than mine.). This seem like the perfect spot for lunch, so I had a sit down, got out my Babybel, rice bars, trail mix and added an iced Mocha from my crew.
Feeling cooler again, we all walked up the hill together (my husky doesn’t like it if you run off leaving him behind. Even when it is way too hot for huskies to run.). I then trotted off in search of the halfway check point, which had to be reached in under 6 hours. I wasn’t too worried about the time, as I expected to be well under, but at 34k (of a 73k race) my Garmin said I was off course and I thought I may have missed it. I was relived at just before 38k when I did finally reach “halfway”. I loaded up with more water, a satsuma and another cup of Coke.
Onwards again, and hopefully over halfway. I now had stunning views of St. Michael’s Mount and a long flat section to get through, including crowds of beach goers and a section of sandy beach where the cycle path was closed. It was now coming up to crunch point in the race, where I had to decide if I was going all the way or going to drop out at Penzance when I would meet my crew for the final time. Talking to some fellow competitors to pass the time through the boring flat bit (it seemed to go on much longer than all the bits that went up & down) I couldn’t think of any good reason to stop. I had survived the worst heat of the day, nothing was broken and nothing was rubbing.
By the time I arrived at the camper van in Penzance Station car park I had decided to go for it. There was one husky welcome, the other one ignored me as she does, a chair was waiting along with cold drinks and more frozen water bottles. I sat down to reenergise for the final stretch and change my socks. Note to self: fresh socks feel great in an ultra, but someone else really needs to put them on as it results in terrible cramp!
Only 22km or so to go now, depending on how far out any other distances were. The route carried along the coast edge to Mousehole, which is said to be very pretty, but I don’t think I really appreciated it as I was keen to get off roads again. There was then a steep climb up a final road to the next race checkpoint where they got me going by telling me that there were ice creams at Minnack, the final checkpoint.
Although I was glad to get off road again, the next section was the hardest of all, with continuous up and down over very narrow, overgrown and rocky trails. There was not much running on this bit and I think this was also the part with the muddy bog with planks across, one of which squelched mud up at you when you landed on it.
On reaching Minnack I found out that the ice cream stall had packed up for the day so I had to make do with the last Satsuma at the checkpoint 😦 My fatigued brain also thought that I could walk at 4km/hour and still finish in under 12.5 hours. I double checked that it was definitely only 5 miles to the finish. I was told it was 5 miles at most and very runnable. The way my legs felt I wasn’t convinced on the very runnable bit.
The final section was easier except for one big rock near the end, which almost finished my race as my legs would no longer bend enough to get up. I had to turn around backwards, wedge myself against a rock and lever myself up using poles. I carried on doing some running, some walking and trying to workout if I was going fast enough, then Lands End came into view and I knew the end was near. My husband and huskies were waiting for me and I ran the final few metres (before that was a steep, gravel up hill) to finish in 12hours 6min for 73.4km. We celebrated with some Nachos as not much was still open and later with a Pimms back at camp.
Race Stats:
73.4km, 2188m, av pace 9:54/km
Sunburnt back of neck and tops of arms
Consumed:
Several litres of water
5 silly, small, hard to drink out of, fold up cups of Coke
1 Jimmy’s Mocha iced coffee
Innocent Rays of Sunshine juice
2 energy gels (Torq and Veloforte)
2 Veloforte electrolyte mix
2 Babybel
1,5 bananas
2 satsumas (including the last one)
4 homemade rice bars (rice, bacon, egg, cheese, soy sauce)
2 homemade sweet potato cakes (sweet potato, rice, egg, bacon)
Several handfuls of my trail mix (dried mango, honey roasted nuts, peanut M&Ms) and BBQ corn
3 cereal bars
A few Veloforte gel sweets which end up sticking together as a big lump to pull bits off.
(Not sure if this balances the almost 4000 cal my Garmin says I burnt.)
Max training run: 25km + 3k walk
Max training week: 64km
But at least x2/week of strength work
Runners require enough flexibility to run with an efficient stride, but there have been several research studies recently that have shown it may not be as beneficial as many think for injury prevention and improved performance. A recent review published in 2020 suggests that there was no difference to overall injury rate related to including flexibility in run training, except in extreme cases where mobility was impeding the normal running form. The conclusion from the study above is that stability and strength training are most likely to improve running economy, and the most frequent cause of injuries is overload by too great an increase in training duration or intensity.
It has also been found that static stretching before exercise reduces the ability of muscles to provide peak force and may even reduce running performance.
There is a difference between static and dynamic stretching and working on flexibility and mobility.
Static stretching vs Dynamic stretching: Static stretching is holding a stretch position for 30s or more, whereas Dynamic stretching involves moving joints through a full range of motion e.g leg swings and walking lunges.
Flexibility vs Mobility: Flexibility is the fullest extent of motion in a joint e.g sit and reach for your toes, whereas mobility is how well joints can move through their full range of motion. For running you need to have enough mobility for a full running stride including upper body rotation to counter lower body movement.
So is stretching of any use to runners? There may still be some benefits depending on how stretching is carried out. The most important of these would be if it makes you feel good, keep doing it! Other benefits are:
So before an intense run session, focus on a three-stage dynamic warm-up to loosen up:
Start with an easy jog to raise your body temperature. Then progress to some dynamic stretching drills that move your muscles through (and a bit beyond) the full range of motion they’ll encounter during the workout. For runners, that might mean high knees, leg cycles, walking lunges, and side skips.
Finish with some short bursts that approach the full intensity of the coming workout, like relaxed 15-second sprints. If just going out for a low intensity run and you don’t feel stiff, then start off slowly and ease into it.
After exercise work on any areas that feel tight, return your body to a recovery state through slow movements and breaths, and gently move your body around to prevent stiffness. Try my post run yoga routine: https://fb.watch/5t0E-Tqy62/
If you have really overdone it through length, speed or hills, and are having trouble moving, a good deep squat and lying on your back with your legs up a wall may help.
It may be obvious to include hills in your training if your race is hilly, but there are many other ways that hills can help you run better; they can improve run technique, leg strength, speed, power and endurance. Along with adding interest to your training.
Top hill running sessions
What if you don’t have any hills? There is probably some sort of incline somewhere near you, even if it is a road bridge. You need to make the most of this. Of course treadmills can also provide a hill of any length, but most can’t offer a downhill.
Hopefully all these different options will offer you plenty of hill running challenges and fun!
With group training set to resume in the UK next week, you may be keen to jump straight back into hard training, or you may be worrying that you are not ready for it. Here are a few tips to make sure you get the most out of training and don’t over do it and end up injured.
Happy Running!
The longer your race is the more and more important the mental side of training becomes, but even in shorter races you can see examples of athletes who “choke” from the pressure and end up underperforming. Alex Hutchinson’s brilliant book ‘Endure’ makes it very clear just how important the mind is when it comes to top performances.
Mental preparation can be an overlooked area of training, making it an area where it is possible to make big improvements. It just requires a bit of creativity with training and putting aside some time. Below are some key points to consider:
Before you start training for a big race think about why you want to do it and what motivation will get you through all the training? Remind yourself of these whenever it gets tough. Think about how great achieving your big goal will feel.
During training there are lots of opportunities to improve your mental resilience. For example getting out to complete your session in terrible weather, doing a hard session all alone and sticking to your plan even though you don’t really feel like it. All of these are will improve resilience, but you also need to use some common sense. If it is dangerous to run outside due to ice, for example, then do something else. If you are ill or injured then don’t blindly stick to your plan, but make sensible adjustments.
If you have a coach setting sessions and they decide to change the session or add an extra, unexpected rep at the end. This is not them being mean (At least I hope not!), they are improving your ability to cope with the unexpected because you never know what might happen on race day. Extra reps are a way to build more confidence as they show that you can actually do more than you think.
It will help to keep a training log and look back on what you have achieved in training to boost confidence before your race. Don’t let any sessions that didn’t go to plan dent your confidence. (There is no such thing as a failure in training. It is a learning experience). Think about what you learnt from not meeting a target and how you can use that to improve.
Keeping your focus during a race is required to achieve your goal, and keeping your focus during all the training on what the A goal is will help prevent minor set backs upsetting you. While doing training sessions practice focusing on the goal for that session. How good are you at staying at the correct pace? Alternatively it could be to focus on your form during training. Are you staying tall with relaxed shoulders? Find out what focus will keep you going best on race day.
Do sessions that are boring and repetitive if your race is going to be long. Do sessions that you are not quite sure that you can complete and prove yourself wrong, but if you don’t complete it then don’t worry just set yourself the goal of completing it next time.
If you find your head filled with too many negative thoughts while you are running, then this is something to work on. Your best performance will only come from a positive and confident outlook. Note what your negative thought are and turn them in to a positive. For example “I’ve never run this far before, I don’t think I can do it” becomes “I’m going to find out just how far I can run.”
As race day gets closer spend some quiet time just visualising your idea race. Think about the tough bits and how you will feel strong through them and think about crossing that finish line having achieved what you wanted and just how great that will feel.
You want to keep positive about your race, but also prepare for any eventuality so you will not be caught out on race day. Think about different weather possibilities and what kit you would need for each. If it might be super hot then you would be sensible to adjust your pacing strategy. Go right through race day planning how to get there, what kit you need, what your pacing and nutrition will be and what you will need at the finish. A well planned race will result in a calmer runner!
Running Tips by Coach Julie