Fulltilt Fitness Blog

After our longer Sunday run I realised that I needed to get some form of skin protection.  I have been suffering with skin irritation around my upper thighs and buttocks.  Does anyone out there know of any top tips for me?

Jason Searle

It’s amazing what our bodies are capable that our mind thinks is not.   Today I set myself a goal, I wanted to run the 8 mile route I ran last week – and do it faster.  Throughout the day my mind starting putting blocks in the way – my legs feel heavy, I’m running alone I’ll give up, I’m tired, it’s too hot , I’ve got a niggle in my knee,  blah blah blah.

Becki Houlston a life coach in Bournemouth and London (www.beckihoulston.com) agrees ‘The formula for elite achievement is Potential minus Interference = Performance or to put it in lamen terms ‘ remove the obstacles your mind throws at you, such as fear and worry, and you’ll be able to achieve your full potential.  Now I’m no elite athlete but my simple 8 mile run was turning into some huge challenge so I decided to erase all the ‘can’t ‘ words and just do.  I put on my Mp3 and set my miles goal and time on my Garmin watch.   I went over the route in my mind and pictured the little milestones and realised it was a really nice pituresque route, the sun was shining and I should just enjoy it.   To my surprise not only did I manage the 8 miles 13 minutes  faster but I carried on and did another 1.5 miles.

I’ve taken up spinning once a week which compliments the running training and I’m waiting for Jason to start his Zone Row classes in September.  I also drove 26.2 miles in the car and it’s a long road.

Zoe

Well soon after the run had started I realised that my heart rate training session was going to be out of the window.  Zoe’s pace is quite alote faster than mine and I my Polar RS300X G1 was beeping at me furiously.  Once we had done a couple of miles it settled down a little bit though. Throw in a few hills and before we knew it we were a good three and a half miles in.  To be honest I would have stopped for a walk after the first hill if Zoe hadnt been pounding on ahead.  I think my pride was making me keep up. By the fifth mile I had really settled in and was feeling good.  So we said we would go a little further than we had first planned.  By the time we were close to home I was starting to feel it in my left ankle a little but nothing serious so we added another little stretch and that made it just over 8 miles when we sprinted for the gates of the Full Tilt Fitness Studio.  I say sprint but my legs weren’t having any of it and Zoe shot off ahead once again.

Well done Zoe.  You really are doing so well.  Keep up the hard work and the London Marathon will be a breeze.

Jason Searle

Training has been a little slow of late due to the summer hols -(hell yeah wheres the sun!!)  So far I have only done slow pace runs to build up my aerobic base – and I have to say this really has worked.  I can now run a mile in a faster time keeping my heart rate within it’s Mafetone Zone than I could 5 weeks ago.  This is proof to me that training within these zones – although they felt slow at first and pointless – really do have benefits.

BUT I musn’t forget speed work.  I have until now been avoiding  ’speed work and ‘fartlek’ – the thought of it just puts the fear of God into me.  However, I have read a speed session is not only great to give your training programme some variety but also fantastic for half-marathon fitness, and let’s face it I need to be-able to run a half before I can get to the biggy. Just one speed session a week is enough to improve running efficiency and leg strength especially if there are a few inclines along the way, making those long runs feel far easier.

There are dozens of different types of speed sessions and this morning I fell into the trap of running too fast.  Just as building up miles slowly it is important to ease into interval training – especially to avoid injury and also not to put yourself off doing it again.    Now I’m someone who likes organisation and had set in my mind after a mile warm up I’d run at a 9 1/2 minute mile pace for 1Km then jog for a minute or two and repeat 5 times.  Well what actually happened was I warmed up with a fast run – not good.  Jogged slowly to recover then started my fast pace.  I made it to 1/2 Km before I stopped and walked for a minute then jogged for 2 more and ran fast again.  On this second time round my pace got to more like 8 1/2 minute mile. Now bearing in mind I’ve been training at 11 – 11.5 over the past weeks this increase in speed rather shocked my body, add to that the 2 hills I faced.  Before I knew it I’d reached 3 miles – going in one direction and now feeling a little tired knew I had to repeat the distance to get home.  So I decided to jog home slowly but to my surprise although I thought I was doing a relatively slow pace I was infact running at 9.5 – 10 min mile.

Here are a few speed training sessions I have found and now will apply

~ After a warm up pick up your pace for one lap around a track (or equivalent you can decide the distance). Then walk for half a lap.  Repeat.  Add one lap each week until you can do 8 to 12.  Time your fast segment and aim for the same speed each lap.  If your times are slowing towards the end, start the next workout at a slower pace.  “Jeff Galloway, coach and Olympian”

~ 5 x 1K with 5 minutes of recovery between intervals is a good session.  If you usually jog at a comfortable pace of 10 min mile (9.7kph), then you should be looking to run each kilometre interval at  a pace of 8.5 – 9 min mile (11.4 0 10.7kph).  If in doubt, go slower than you think and if you feel you have it in you, increase the pace next time. “womans running uk”

It doesn’t have to be technical or complicated.  If you don’t have a gadget to show your speed or distance just use whats around you -running fast between lampposts or trees or running for 30 seconds to 1 minute bursts is a great way to start.  try 10 reps with an equal amount of recovery.

Adaptable Speed sessions can be adapted in so many ways, but the key to integrating them into your training is to progressively reduce the amout of rest time between intervals.  Start with five minutes and aim to reduce the rest time to as little as two minutes or even 90 seconds.  It’s tough but you’ll feel great afterwards and your fitness levels will reach new heights.

Zoe x