On your body Start with some barrier cream/gel (like petroleum jelly) on sensitive areas to prevent chaffing and wind-burn. If you’ve never experienced either of these things, lucky you! Then wear a long-sleeved base layer next to your skin, preferably in a wicking-fabric which will take the sweat away. If you feel the cold, the…
Read MoreRun Equal and me
This article was originally written in 2019 for the Trail Running Association‘s publication, Trailrunner. I have made some edits and updates. The original title was Picking up the Run Equal baton. It is not my intention to exclude non-cis and non-binary people from this conversation and genuinely welcome discourse with any runners willing to chat.…
Read MoreWhat does it take to run faster?
I recently asked some running folk to think about what they needed to shed in order to be a better runner. As well as responding to the image I used (a shed snake skin; a relatively unusual winter find here in the mid-south of England!), someone commented: “That the pace I ran (after running for…
Read MoreTake a look at yourself and make a change…
Changing behaviour, especially if it’s become habitual, can be hard. There’s loads of research about how people change their habits and the stages we go through to make changes. I really like the behaviour change model which has been used here, by the Royal College of Nursing. Although they’re talking about change for health, it…
Read MoreDistance or speed or both?
I’ve recently been asked, “Can you get faster and run further or do you need to train for one OR the other?” Whatever our goals as runners, our achievements are constrained by our genes, our training programmes and the commitment we can make to achieving our goals. Genes: We can train to our strengths and…
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