Runners choose to work with me for a host of different reasons. Maybe they struggle with injury. Maybe they find running a slog and want to enjoy it more. But one reason that comes up again and again is that they want better posture when they run. Perhaps they’ve been told by their physio that it’s something they need to work on. Or they may just have a sense that it’s not as good as they’d like. So the question is: how important is posture when you run? And if it matters, how can you improve it? I’m always a little wary talking about posture. The idea that there’s one ‘perfect position’ that ..read more

It was all going so well…. Until it wasn’t. I’d bagged my first ever good-for-age place in April’s London Marathon. Training was going as smoothly as tempered chocolate. My body seemed able to handle everything I threw at it: capoeira classes, kettlebell workouts, and a higher weekly mileage than I’d ever managed. I was feeling strong. What could possibly go wrong? A good run at the Exeter half in mid-February reassured me that everything was on track. The following Saturday, I was cutting it fine to get to parkrun, when I realised I’d forgotten my barcode. Cue a quick dash home to retrieve it ..read more

It’s that time of year. The clocks go back, the evenings get dark, and thoughts turn to spring marathons. If you’re lucky enough, like me, to have bagged a place in next year’s London Marathon – congratulations! And double congratulations, if it’s your first one. Taking on any marathon is a challenge – whether it’s a big city event like London, a smaller local race, or a hilly trail run. It’s why we do it, right? But while completing 26.2 miles means you have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, it doesn’t have to be a sufferfest. Over the years, I’ve made a lot of marathon mistakes, a ..read more

It’s been quite the three months for my running. I’m probably not the only runner who has two different sets of ‘bests’ – for me, it’s pre- and post-35. And never the twain shall meet. So it’s been rather surreal to see those numbers getting closer this year. In April, I unexpectedly found myself doing the Easter Bunny 10K. I say ‘unexpected’ because it’s a race I entered in 2020, just one of many that got canned. I’d forgotten all about it until an email arrived two weeks before race day, letting me know my place had been carried over. I was at the tail end of marathon training, with the big ..read more

There’s no topic that divides the fitness world quite like stretching. Is it good for you, a waste of time, or something that should be avoided at all costs? In this post, I’ll be diving into the evidence for and against. Do you stretch? Should you?  As runners, it seems that an awful lot of us are either doing it or feeling guilty that we’re not. When I was a beginner runner in the 1990s, the message was drummed into us that stretching was a vital component of training: to increase range of motion, improve performance and limit injuries.  And in a 2014 study, published in the Journa ..read more

It can happen to any of us. You fall out of love with running. You find yourself just going through the motions. It all feels a bit ‘meh.’ Perhaps you’ve been dealing with an injury. Or you’ve had to start over again after a break. Whatever the reason, running’s become a chore. Or maybe you never felt the love in the first place. You’re struggling to even get out the door. In this first of two posts, I’ll talk about some ways to find a bit more joy in your running and re-discover a mojo that’s gone missing. More to come on how to find that mojo in the first place… 1.     Ma ..read more

It’s a common cue while exercising, whether lifting weights or running: engage your core by bracing – or contracting - the muscles of the torso. The thinking is that by doing this, you’ll stabilise your spine and reduce the risk of injury.  I’ve talked before about how a strong, functional core is important for running. Does that mean you should hold your core tight while you run? In this post, I’ll explain why I don’t recommend it. And what I do suggest for creating a more stable base for your running.  Switching off your ‘intelligent’ core  Your deep core system, which include ..read more

Like me, you’re maybe looking forward to a return of the big road races in the coming months. Or thinking of a spring marathon for next year. My original plan to run the Newport marathon for the first time last April got ‘tweaked’ to October 2020, and now to this coming autumn. Fingers crossed, this is the final change. The hardest part about doing any marathon is always the training. Carving out the time for the long run; spending hours out on your feet, maybe on your own; keeping motivated through either the cold, dark, and wet of winter or the hot, sticky heat of summer. At heart, I’m a laz ..read more

When I was 5, I developed a weird mental block about going to the toilet. Every time I felt the need to pee, I’d wait. And wait. And wait… Until the urge became so unbearable that I couldn’t wait any longer. Sometimes I made it in time. Sometimes not. I still remember sitting in a crowded lunch hall, with a puddle spilling out from underneath my chair, knowing that everyone would soon notice. And even now, I feel a sense of shame at the memory. Wetting yourself is mortifying when you’re in infant school. It’s devastating when you’re an adult.  I first started experiencing symptoms a few y ..read more

For the last nine years, like Spiderman and the Incredible Hulk, I’ve had an alter ego.  By day, working with technology industry analysts.  By night (and the occasional weekend), teaching people how to enjoy running, without winding up injured. When I signed up to train as a ChiRunning instructor nearly a decade ago, it was a leap in the dark. I’d never taught anything before. I had no background in fitness. The very idea of standing up in front of a room full of people was scary.   But having rediscovered my own love of running, after years of chronic injury, I knew this stuff ..read more