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!
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!
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
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!
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.