26 n running free
Running Free is one year old this month. Our slogan `Become
the runner you want to be' sums up what the magazine is all
about - helping every runner, whatever their level, reach their
own landmarks and accelerate beyond them.To celebrate our
12th issue we bring you 12 ways to do just that.
12
3Get a gadget
Bleeping gadgets may be a source
of irritation to old school runners, but
Steve Male feels that the information
they provide can be highly beneficial.
For example, heart rate monitors show
inexperienced runners what their normal
running `zones' are and how much they
are pushing themselves when they train.
"GPS monitors can be very useful in a
race," says Steve, "as it is easy to set off
too fast in the only to find the final
kilometres painful and demoralising as
other runners stream past you."
...Perhaps just turn the bleeping off!
5Improve your
posture
Alistair warns against becoming too
`training-focussed' without considering
your general wellbeing and fitness. He
points, for example, to the damaging
effects of slouching at a work desk.
"Our bodies tend to shut muscles
down that they're not using. Bad posture
at your computer screen can have a
very negative effect as the muscles
which keep our spine straight are very
important for runners. They have an
impact on trunk stability and the ability
to breathe in the correct manner."
4Think long term
Some runners don't even start training until they've been accepted into
the London Marathon, Great North Run or another major event. This gives
them about four months, which sports physio, Pete Quartly, warns that this is
nowhere near enough.
He said: "You should think of training as a long term thing. If you want to
be good at running and continue to improve, having a long terms plan is far
better. A marathon should be done on the back of two or three years of
training. Basic strength can take a long time to build-up."
7Be honest
Steve Male is the co-owner of fit2rundirect.com, an online store
specialising in equipment for runners. He is an experienced athlete having
competed internationally with a 10km personal best of 29.35min.
"Runners are famous for generously rounding up the distances they cover
in training," says Steve, "but it's important to be realistic about what you've
done. Races are always accurate distances so it can be disheartening if
you think you've been training for a 38-minute 10km and end up doing 43
minutes on race day.
"To give yourself a realistic idea of how your training is going, the
emergence of GPS devices, which tell you exactly how far you have gone,
can be a real asset."
6Improve
trunk stability
Stability work helps you learn to
keep your body still as you run so
your efforts can focus more on
your legs.
"I recommend `The Plank'," says
Alistair. "It's a simple exercise during
which you lie face down on the
floor and then raise yourself up
onto your elbows and toes for a
short period of about 30 seconds to
begin with."
2Balance your muscles
"Most runners have decent calves
and quads but terribly weak hamstrings
and glutes, which means their upper legs
are unbalanced so they don't achieve
their potential and are more likely to
succumb to injury," says Alistair Kitchener,
a personal trainer with 4D Fitness.
He added: "I'm firm believer in cross-
training, Exercises like squats or lunges can
go a long way towards improving your
performance."
ways to
The runneryOu
wanT TO Be
1Set goals
Setting yourself targets is key to
improving. These can vary from the
simple, such as `run three times instead of
two next week,' to more challenging
aims like finishing a race in a particular
time. Achieving goals makes you feel
great and prevents training becoming
repetitive.
Olympic Heptathlete Denise Lewis told
Running Free that setting goals made a
big difference in her training: "It felt like
part of growing up and taking sport
seriously, almost a coming of age thing,"
she said.
wOrdS By MalcolM BRadBRook.
become

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