Learning to run faster... Want quicker race times?

I get quite a few enquiries from runners looking to increase their mileage from 5 and 10km races who are progressing up to marathons and half marathons, a question that often crops up is how to get faster and break through the rut they seem to be stuck in, in terms of speed. Let me introduce you to a great way to get started. Here's a snippet from this weeks eNewsletter.


What are Strides?
You accelerate smoothly from your normal run pace to run at a controlled but fast pace for a short burst 5-10 times (approx 20 - 40 seconds). NOT FLAT OUT.

Why do Strides?
Prepare body and mind for faster running eg after warming up but before an interval training session or race. In time will help to improve your speed. Good introduction to faster running.

Who are they for?
Anyone who has already begun to run regularly and is thinking about trying to improve their speed or regular runners and elites as part of pre race warm up or to spice up an easy run. As with anything new, if you have any medical conditions or injuries it's best you ask a relevant professional first if it's appropriate for you.

How to do Strides?
Warm up FIRST as normal.
Smoothly accelerate from a normal run speed to run at controlled fast pace for APPROX 20 - 40 seconds before decelerating smoothly to your normal pace. About 60 - 90 seconds later repeat.

They should be done while legs are fresh but warmed up so maybe during an easy run or as a pre race warm up. If you currently only seem to have one running speed but have been running regularly for a few months or more then try about 5 reps once or twice per week for a couple of weeks, listening to your body seeing how you get on.

If you have done speed training before and are more advanced you could add these into a couple of easy runs keeping around 5-8 reps. Any more and you risk turning an easy run into a hard training session.

Over time they'll help (in combination with other aspects) to improve your speed, coordination and efficiency whilst running.

Enjoy.

P.s You obviously wouldn't want to do these if you have a niggle or injury now would you. Any questions drop me a message! 

Charlie is a sponsored ultra distance runner and specialises in helping busy men and women aged 25-50, over come the challenges of a busy lifestyle, run further, faster and get a body they are proud of, along with the confidence boost and sky high energy levels that come with it!

Charlie has extensive hands on experience working with busy professionals and on-the-go parents, from losing that last couple of pounds to losing five stone or more. He has helped people through their first session in a gym and others through multiple marathons.

In his own training Charlie has become UK ULTRArace Champion 2012, completed many running events ranging from 5k to 268 miles with many wins and podium finishes. He has had past success in rock climbing and wakeboarding, all this since deciding to 'get a bit fitter'

As a result Charlie's clients have confidence and support whilst they are guided down the path to a lean and healthy body that's ready to smash PB's and for anything else life can throw at it!

Shedding a bit of extra weight the easy way (Part 2)

You'll remember those pictures from last weeks eNewsletter, where I talked about the simplified theory of getting either a flat stomach or definition in the stomach! Similar applies to the rest of the body too to be honest. A lot of feedback from last week thanks, I'll be bearing questions in mind for future topics! 

Last week I talked about how the body fat levels (low body fat think thin sheet, higher body fat think thick blanket) affect the definition of the body (by definition I mean visible lines or shapes of the muscles - often what people mean when they say 'toned')  

Beyond aesthetics lower body fat levels mean less excess weight and so for activities like running it becomes easier, muscles don't have to work as hard to help you run at the same speed or you can run faster for the same amount of effort. Sounds great right!? 

I mentioned correct training will help to shape the muscles and ensure the body is strong and has the stamina it needs, I'm not focusing on that though today, we're talking about nutrition! So how to get that thin blue sheet?

Above there are 2 pictures... the first a typical days food for myself (excluding a bit of extra veg I'd add to some of the meals, and my Dinner which I might have Salmon and green veggies, asparagus and broccoli with some soy sauce perhaps  and to the right.. this is what a typical grocery shopping trip looks like. 

I might add some cottage cheese and milk to that along with some fish and perhaps a few nuts. I probably eat out once or twice per week on average too, sticking with similar principles. Other than that daily Omega 3 fish oil and sometimes protein powder. I do vary my food intake depending on my training but lets keep it simple for now. Your food intake will vary depending on your weight, activity levels, muscle mass, body fat levels and a few other things (bare in mind that is the intake for an ultra runner who trains daily and is active all day)

Essentially we're looking at lean protein source (meat, fish, eggs) and a variety of veggies for each meal. The odd bit of fruit too but veggies are where it's at! The body will perform best when it has a range of vitamins and nutrients to work with, eating is a constant thing we do all our lives. All we need is right there. The body doesn't need huge doses of sugar and fat! 

Ever heard someone say 'you are what you eat?' guess what!? It's true! Every part of you has been made up from food.... broken down in the body to it's components and used to rebuild cells in your body. 

Eating this way will ensure balanced energy levels, nature is pretty good at watching our backs when it comes to food. 

To really make a change, consistency is key. Having the occasional 'good week' wont make a lot of difference to anything, making good choices most of the time will!  

Is your every day diet up to scratch? Or... to rephrase that are you in the shape you want to be in? Have you always got plenty of energy? If not.... nutrition is probably the first place you should make changes

My 3 top tips for optimum nutrition.....

1. Plan ahead... prepare your food and take it with you, you'll never need to grab something on the go that could mess your day up! One of the best time saving tips I have is to cook meals in bulk, the alternative can be bad news if you're always out and about grabbing food on the go it's difficult to get good stuff and we know that can lead to some low energy and poor running!

I don't mind cooking but I'd much rather be out on the trails than spending all my spare time in the kitchen. Equally I'd rather not be trudging around the supermarket.

When I'm at home I get a lot of stuff from Musclefood.
Haven't tried the easy cook stir frys yet but very keen on the exotic meats. I usually stock up on chicken and fish and beef myself and have the exotic stuff occasionally for the novelty.
Anyway hope it saves you some time and gives you more time and energy out on the trails :)

Here's their site

https://goo.gl/zzarji 

2. Natural food is best... if the ingredients list (if the food has one) has words you can't pronounce or don't know what they mean, it's probably not all that good! 

3. Be consistent.... Having the occasional (ie once per week not twice per day!) meal that isn't quite perfect wont harm your results too much provided you get back on track straight away, having a weekend long binge on processed food isn't going to get you very far!