I write this blog on the verge of completing my sixth marathon. That’s not just six runs of 42km. It is six batches of four months of long-distance running, day after day, week after week. So, when the inevitable excuse of why people don’t perform endurance training gets thrown at me…… ‘it’s just so boring!’, […]
CONTINUE READING2018 was one of the worst running years since I started to take running seriously. It consisted of my slowest ever marathon in Rotterdam, my slowest half marathon in 7 years at the Great North Run and an abandoned half marathon because I hurt myself in a circuit class two days before it. In a […]
CONTINUE READINGAt the start of each of the last few years I have targeted improving my personal bests in running pursuits. Each year this becomes my goal. Over the last couple of years, it’s been listed, but more out of stubbornness than true belief that I would do it. On the car journey from Eldoret airport […]
CONTINUE READINGSo as I wait at Doha airport for my final flight home, it’s the ideal time to pen my thoughts and highlight the lessons learned from the whole Kenya experience. Whilst it was a running joke with my clients that this trip was a jolly, it’s purpose was two-fold. Firstly, I wanted to learn how […]
CONTINUE READINGSunday was rest day. By rest, this meant a 4am start for safari day. Having been stopped for speeding enroute to Lake Nakuru and our bus breaking down when returning, this truly was a ‘Kenyan Experience’. Alas our sightings of lions or leopards didn’t materialise however multiple zebras, giraffes, water buffaloes, rhinos and baboons were […]
CONTINUE READINGFollowing an insanely long journey which involved choosing to stay awake on the first 7 hour flight (when I had three seats to myself) so that I can sleep on the second six hour flight (where I was stuck with two parents and their one year old boy, crying for the duration), I then had […]
CONTINUE READINGI’ve been writing blog posts pretty consistently since 2013. I’ve covered a host of topics ranging from nutrition to fitness; mindset to marathons and a host of others in between. One topic that I have touched upon on a few occasions is goals. In life and in fitness, they are pivotal in getting you to […]
CONTINUE READINGI wrote this marathon blog whilst waiting for my delayed flight out of Rotterdam airport – so my body was still sore, and to a degree, so was my pride! For Rotterdam marathon, my fourth, I wanted to change up my training in order to achieve a personal best time – my current being 3:19. […]
CONTINUE READINGKeen to pester clients at Dynamic Fitness Training into booking onto local races, the weekend just gone, I competed in the inaugural half marathon race run along the streets of the Capital. Won by Sir Mo Farah, the race began on London Bridge, taking in the sights of Canary Wharf and ultimately finishing at the […]
CONTINUE READINGThere are two peak running periods for half-marathon and marathon runners – Spring and Autumn. These are the times that races are many in number and the conditions allow for personal bests galore. The number of races in winter and summer dwindle because, in the case of summer, people travel and the conditions can be […]
CONTINUE READINGIt’s the end of another marathon training programme. After the elation of completion, with the pain beginning to subside, for me, the most important element is learning – what went well, what went wrong, how can things be improved. This is my fourth marathon training programme. I have completed races in Dublin, Edinburgh and now […]
CONTINUE READINGSunday 12 March was the north London half marathon and my first race of the year. Beginning and ending at the iconic Wembley stadium, it is one not to miss. But would I run it again? I’m not so sure… It is the hilliest race that I’ve done. Well, actually, I’ve completed this course twice […]
CONTINUE READINGThe autumn is upon us which for the advanced recreational runner usually means competing in the last race of the year or beginning in earnest the training for a spring race. After a busy summer of work and my wedding, a race in autumn was always going to prove too difficult to train for effectively. […]
CONTINUE READINGThe fitness industry is full of myths. Some based on assumptions, others based on clever marketing and some are based on small studies being extrapolated to the broader society. One of the main ones revolves around cardiovascular training – namely, the ‘fat burning zone’. I’ll attempt to clear the wood from the trees in this […]
CONTINUE READINGIn addition to personal training with my fantastic clients at Dynamic Fitness Training, I also spend time tutoring and assessing on fitness industry courses for YMCAfit. The more vigilant amongst you will recognise that I am essentially developing my competition in years to come – probably not the wisest move I guess! However, in reality, […]
CONTINUE READINGAs I write the second blog of my marathon week, I am sitting on a train returning from Edinburgh, knees sore but feeling smug. I had achieved a personal best time and exceeded my earlier predictions. Without question I am learning from every race. Foolishly, prior to my first marathon in Dublin in October 2013, […]
CONTINUE READINGTraining for running events can be an arduous task but training for two in the same week is bordering on madness. That’s exactly the challenge that I set myself and over the next two blog posts, I will outline: how I trained; how I tapered; and how I got on. Realising that I haven’t updated […]
CONTINUE READINGEndurance training is pivotal for anyone looking to complete a long distance event, be it a marathon, cross country run or even an Ironman or an Ultramarathon. We do more training and then we get fitter – simple, right? Well as you train, the body is undergoing very intricate changes which are enabling you to […]
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