News and Events

Murphy’s Lore

admin — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 08:09:12 +0000

The first of my new monthly columns for Runner’s World magazine is published this month (October issue). The idea of the column, Murphy’s Lore, is to explore how running impacts on our lives, and how our lives impact on our running…. so you won’t find any tips on technique or improving your pace – but you might get some food for thought to chew over on your next run… This month, I reflect on what you can learn about yourself from a bad race experience.

Fit to the extreme

admin — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 09:27:46 +0000

Sweatshop at Gymbox (photo by Rosie Hallam)

In the name of research for an article I’m writing for the FT Weekend magazine, I immersed myself in the world of extreme fitness last week – sampling exercise classes that promise to push you to the max and have you begging for mercy. (One even states ‘bring your sick bag…!) It was an eye-opening experience. I thought I was pretty fit but two days after my Grand Circuit class at The Third Space (the ‘grand’ denoting the one thousand exercises that are completed within the circuit) I could barely make it in and out of the car or up the stairs, let alone participate in a bona fide workout. It would appear that the ‘no pain, no gain’ mantra of the 1980s is back – and judging by the punters who frequent these classes, it’s enjoying a new wave of popularity. My mission is to find out what the attraction is to working out till you collapse in a heap on the floor - I’ll post the link to my FT article when it is published.

Up and running – Rye running group

admin — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:26:28 +0000

Rye running group is now up and er, running! We were lucky to have such beautiful weather for our inaugural session – but we’ll be there, whatever the weather as autumn draws in. Lots of people have asked me ‘how far will you run?’ and it’s a tricky question to answer. We won’t be doing steady-paced runs (hardly ever, anyway) and instead, plan to stick with more quality-focused training like intervals, speedwork, hills or threshold work, along with some drills and exercises to improve technique and efficiency. This means that everyone gets to work at their own level, even with people of very different speeds/abilities – it’s really valuable in improving your running – and it’s more fun! 9am each Saturday on The Salts, next to the cricket oval and the recently arson-damaged pavilion.

Branching out

admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:04:47 +0000

On Saturday September 18th, I’ll be leading the warm-up at the London Tree-Athlon, a 5km run in aid of the charity Trees for Cities. The event, which takes place in the suitably leafy Battersea Park, is now in its sixth year and has raised £1000s, as well helping to make our city streets greener (every participant goes home with a sapling to plant!) This year, runners get to choose whether to run shod or barefoot – and there’s also a category for buggy runners. There’s still time to register. The warm-up begins at 9.30am. I better get practising my whooping, in true fitness instructor style!!

Rye Running Group starts tomorrow!

admin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 09:27:58 +0000

Saturday, August 28th will be the first session for the Rye Running Group and the weather forecast is dry and bright! Runners of all abilities are welcome to come along – the sessions are structured so that everyone is challenged and no one gets left behind. We meet at 9am on The Salts (next to the cricket oval). Give it a try – no commitment! Find out more under Coaching (scroll down to ‘Rye Running Group’ section.) Get in touch if you have any queries about the group.

All going swimmingly

admin — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:08:06 +0000

It was injury that forced me into the pool recently, and it’s fear of re-injury (and acknowledgement of the importance of cross-training my way back to fitness) that’s kept me there. But a funny thing happened this morning. I realised I was actually enjoying it. Just for a moment, my stroke came together perfectly and I felt as if I were swimming over the water, rather than through it. My body felt perfectly aligned – my neck muscles free of tension, my core muscles gently engaged – and for the first time, I could feel the power behind my stroke. A compelling reason to stick with my early morning swims, then - and just as well, since I’ve entered Brighton Triathlon on 26th September…

Rye Running Group – starts Aug 28th 2010!

admin — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:44:12 +0000

Want to improve your running? Or find some training mates? If you live in or near Rye, East Sussex, come along to my brand new running group. The group is open to all abilities -and will be starting up on Saturday 28th August 2010 and running at 9am every Saturday thereafter. We will meet at the cricket oval/football pitch on The Salts, close to Rye town centre (on a map, look for the junction of the A268 and A259 or sat nav TN31 7NR). There are two car parks right beside The Salts.

The group is NOT a UK Athletics-affiliated running club – so is open to all. Visiting runners, or those from nearby clubs, are welcome to join us when it suits them, and the sessions are ‘pay as you go’, so there is no long-term commitment. The group is registered with Run in England, which non-UKA-affiliated runners can join for £20, including a goody-bag containing technical t-shirt, water bottle and training log – along with access to any Run in England group.

Open to runners of all abilities – you don’t need to be fast or competitive to benefit
Varied local routes and terrain – from tarmac to trail, beach to hillside
Fun, friendly and motivating sessions
Every Saturday morning at 9am (if the session is NOT running for any reason, a message will be posted on my website, and emailed to those who are on the mailing list)
Just £3 per session. Pay as you go
Run in England affiliated – become a member for £20.

If you would like any more information about the Rye Running Group, just drop me an email.

Back on the start line!

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 11:50:09 +0000

I crossed my first finish line in over three months on Friday – placing first female vet in the Rye Summer Series 5km. It was a long way off my PB, but this was one race that was all about the taking part. Not only because it was my first, somewhat tentative, outing since my long-standing injury but also because the whole family were involved. Husband Jeff won the race outright (in 15.20) while father-in-law Ian flew in hot on my heels. Mother-in-law Elly added to the tally of bottles of wine by winning her age group prize! It felt so good to pin on a race number again…and although I had to stop myself doing the maths to work out how far off my minutes-per-mile-pace I was, the experience made me remember that there is much pleasure to be had from running, aside from chasing PBs.

Quick fix for fast food

admin — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:26:27 +0000

I read today in the American Journal of Cardiology that researchers at Imperial College, London, have suggested that people are given statin pills when they buy burgers, to override the effects of eating junk food. The statins would work by reducing levels of ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol – which the burgers and other high-fat fast food items would normally increase.

I don’t usually comment much on diet matters… but what a ridiculous suggestion! Do they also think it would be wise to hand out headache pills to pub goers on their third pint? The British Heart Foundation, in response to the story, has pointed out that the pitfalls of eating fast food regularly go far beyond high cholesterol too: including high blood pressure and obesity. Perhaps the researchers think we should also hand out elasticated-waist trousers at those fast food outlets…

Workshop worked!

admin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 16:36:00 +0000

My inaugural running workshop took place on Sunday in Regents Park and was a great success. It was a lot of fun to teach, and it was great to have such a mix of participants along - from experienced 3-hour marathon runners to almost-beginners. Judging from the feedback so far, everyone feels they have something to take away from the day and work on – be it enhancing their running technique, a new type of training session to schedule in to their programme or a performance-boosting strength move. One of my key messages with the workshop is that improving as a runner doesn’t necessarily mean running harder, or running more. In my experience, it’s about two things: running well (with good technique) so that you maximise efficiency and economy and structuring your training in a way that allows you to get more, for less. No junk miles. No training in ‘no man’s land’. Every session has a purpose within the bigger picture – taking you closer to your desired goal. I certainly plan to run more of these workshops in the future, so drop me an email if you might be interested in attending and/or keep your eyes on the Coaching page.