Don't be a quitter
The Financial Times | Sunday 02, January 2011
One in four of us abandons our New Year health or fitness resolution before January is out. More than half of us have given up within six months. Sam Murphy explains how to stick to your New Year fitness regime, this time.
How to train for the marathon
The Guardian | Wednesday 05, October 2011
If you are gearing up for a spring marathon, Sam Murphy tells you what you need to know - and do - now...
Is barefoot best for kids?
The Guardian | Monday 09, August 2010
Most parents would balk at the idea of toddlers in high heels, but what about sandals or trainers? Some experts now believe that all shoes are best avoided in childhood, says Sam Murphy
The Urban Runner's Survival Guide
Runner's World | Friday 21, October 2011
Everything you need to know to minimise the hazards and maximise the benefits of your city runs.
The lowdown on sports massage
Runner's World | Friday 16, September 2011
Last April, a 21-miler left a band of exquisite tenderness along my inner calf. I rested and iced for five days, but the pain lingered until my next sports massage. Agonising as it was, the treatment eliminated the problem completely and I ran a half marathon PB a week later. So it won't surprise you to hear that I'm a keen proponent. And I'm not alone. Look to the elites and you'll struggle to find anyone who doesn't consider massage crucial. "Massage is an essential part of my training programme," says RW's triple Olympian contributing editor Jo Pavey. "It's important for both performance and recovery." Mo Farah also gets rubbed the right way: "I get massaged by the physio all the time, it's so important when you've put you body through hard work." But massage has had some – excuse the pun – bad press recently. Last year, a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that pre-event massage had no effect on running performance, while research from Queens University in Canada found massage actually slowed lactic acid removal from muscles post-exercise. Which leaves a few questions to be answered if you're going to get the results you're after. I set out to answer them...
Child's play: running for kids
Runner's World | Monday 25, April 2011
Running, whether it's a zigzagging meander or a breathless sprint, comes naturally to children. But if we want it to become something more than a playful pastime (and ensure it doesn't get usurped by video games, where the only working muscles are in the thumbs), how do we best encourage kids to run without taking away the simple joy of it?
Swimming the Thames
The Financial TImes | Saturday 19, June 2010
You may not consider the Thames - busy with boats, murky in colour and home to more than the odd abandoned shopping trolley - to be the best place to take a wild swim, but I was willing to be shown otherwise by the author of a new guidebook to swimming the mighty river. Read on to find out how we fared when we went gently down the stream...
Down to earth
The Financial Times | Friday 15, April 2011
There's a move away from 'bells & whistles' footwear to something altogether more minimalist. Sam Murphy looks at some of the shoes that offer less...
Fighting talk - find your mantra
Runner's World | Monday 25, April 2011
If the findings of sport psychologists are anything to go by, you need to choose your words carefully when you talk to yourself... Sam Murphy finds out about the magic of mantras.
Gearing up for triathlon
The Financial Times | Friday 28, January 2011
Smart kit choices can knock precious seconds off your transition time and help you to a faster finish. Sam Murphy finds out what's in store...
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