Having now spent some time on social media since I went on this journey of discovering myself as a runner, I have seen a lot of posts from people asking how do they run faster.  I saw one only the other day on Facebook and I put some ideas down in a reply I thought was useful and many people before and after either said the same or elaborated somewhat on the general theme of response.

By default, such a question appears to be answered with a list of running types and strategies which people feel have helped them build speed.  Undoubtedly this is true and I personally would throw a bunch of running techniques that I feel, in no scientific way, have helped me.

But it struck me recently that very few times do you get an answer that is not about getting your body more physically capable of running faster, and instead addresses the mental hurdle which often exists in many of us.  A hurdle we don’t always notice – often mistaking it for physical limitation, or our own small version of ‘the wall’!

I think this mental hurdle shouldn’t be underestimated and needs addressing for any of the physical training technique concepts to really bring the results you hope for.

There are a few aspects to the mental hurdle when it comes to it.  Firstly I think there is the ‘do I really need to run faster?’ question to ask yourself.  In many cases getting into running is a massive achievement, running 0.5Km, 1Km doing a park run whatever it may be is often a massive achievement and one to not understate.  So do you actually need to run faster or is it an assumption that to improve things, and maintain enthusiasm that you need to keep seeing progress and achievement? There are many ways to keep running inspiration and enthusiasm alive.  Speed isn’t the only one.  Scenery, time of day, social running over lone wolf running are just a few things you can do to add a bit of spice to running without having to just work faster.  I really like the idea of using running as a medium for adventuring and seeing new places.  This never gets boring and there are so many great places to run where speed is not the be-all and end all of life.

If when you reflect, you decide you do need to run faster, or indeed further, you might find you need to not change much at all.  When I started out I soon found that a couple of Km, maybe 3, was my limit.  But why, why was there a limit?  Well I soon realised that I didn’t know the answer to that and therefore questioned if the limit was real, or just in my head.  What I found was when I was out running I used the advice I was given “listen to your body”  everyone told me your body will tell you what is the right amount or speed of running to do.  And that’s what I was doing, the problem is, I realised I didn’t actually know what the messages I was hearing meant.  What is the message of exhaustion, and how does that differ from tired but still got life left?  I decided that the only way to work that out was to challenge it.  At about 3Km I used to feel done in.  Could do no more.  So I would stop and go home for a muller rice (love them after running – cold straight from the fridge!!)  but what if that wasn’t the exhaustion message, what if that was the message of ‘blimey this is an effort’, and actually not a sign to stop.

I think you assume you know what the messages should be but I would just ask you to question whether that’s true, how sure are you that you read the messages correctly.

Anyway, I realised I might be misreading and on an early evening run one day, just said to myself I should keep going after 3Km and just see what happens.  That evening I nearly doubled my run length, and very quickly established 5-10Km was pretty achievable for me.  I didn’t feel a great deal different after the longer runs than the previous 3Km runs, but there was a difference which I now feel probably is the difference between your body being actually in need of rest, and it just telling you it’s recognised that some exercise/workout is underway.

I think that without sometimes overcoming this hurdle the advice of technical running to improve time can be hard.  Almost all advice people give is to get out and run.  Put one foot in front of the other and repeat.  Doing this routinely, working yourself, and doing it for as long as you can is key to achieving progress.  Mental hurdles get in the way.  If you cannot be happy with running generally, trying to adhere to techal training plans or mixed run strategies etc is maybe asking too much  of yourself.

But finally, going back to my earlier comment, for most of us getting out the door and crossing that doorstep and just trying is the biggest achievement and we shouldn’t underestimate how big a deal this is for so many.  Keep that up and find ways of enjoying running, and you’ll see your running achievements naturally improve.

Enjoy your running

Run Happy

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With a websiat called Ridgeway Runner at stoke point blogging about running along the Ridgeway National Trail was inevitable.

On 12 August ‘18 I ran from Didcot to Ashbury. 30Km distance with 22 Km along the ridgeway.

Weather: well given the heatwave this year it was a pretty disappointing 16C (ish), windy (mostly cross winds) and I many parts wet, especially the second half of the run which at fines saw pretty heavy rain.

Let’s start!

Having planned the route I was able to get about 3 hours for the run. For 30Km this seems OK but having never gone further than 24 and that on roads which are mostly flat,who knows what was going to be the likely outcome here?

So setting out from home I am about 8Km from the Ridgeway via Harwell.  the run through Harwell is OK with a reasonable Hill, The Winnaway, as you exit Harwell a village and reach the Science/atomic research centre.  There’s a footpath around the back of the centre which goes up to the Ridgeway, and is accessed in then far corner of the Centre, not far from the Icknield Way footpath.

Footpath around Harwell science Research Centre

Think I might not go in there!!

Pictures above show the footpath around the back of the Centre and also a sign that is frequently around – no poking your nose in there!!

At the end of the footpath you reach a hill leading up to the Ridgeway. It’s not as big as expected if I’m honest and is easily joggable.

Once on the brow of the Ridgeway Ashbury is to the right (West). Heading along you initially, and quite quickly reach a car park called Scutchaner Knob. Popular car park, free and well suited for a good walk or run either west or east. Heading through the route there are a lot of undulations with some of the hols a bit more brutal than others but generally at this point they aren’t too bad.

As you proceed you reach a monument to Lord Wantage

Www.wantage.com has more info on that.

As I continued I got to catch a glimpse of the local wildlife.

Eventually as you run on you head towards the famous Uffington a white Horse and Uffington Castle. Here the going is less fun when wet as the paths are mostly chalk. Not normally too much of an issue but in the wet they are incredibly slippery. Nearly came a cropper myself here!

After the white horse you reach Waylands Smithy  a long barrow burial Mound which is well worth a visit.

From here it’s fairly easy going and short to the final point on the run at a car park along the ridgeway near Ashbury B4000.

The run profile and elevation map from Strava.

next it’s only 30Km more to West kennet where the Ridgeway ends st it’s most Westerly point!

Thanks for coming back again!  If you’ve read any of my other blogs I can call you a regular and coming back for more is a great gesture on your part to what I am doing.

I’ve thought a bit about what keeping going and coming back for me is like for somebody like myself.  I’m subscribed to several Facebook pages and have seen plenty of posts from individuals of all types all sexes, ages and levels of running experience all asking the same question about recovering motivation and enthusiasm to running or asking how they get better and find improvement.  So sometimes the question is how do I go back to running?  How do I go out day-after-day? Or How do I go running after a long lay-off?

Well, let’s take a step back and think why you are here in the first place, why are you running already, or wanting to get back to running?  Something triggered your journey in the same way my blogs have explained what my trigger was.  In my case it was a feeling of needing to make more of myself, prove what I can do to myself and ward of risks of health issues that had blighted my family over recent times.  These, I believe, you would agree make sense and are good reasons.  Everyone has their own.  So, when that question about enthusiasm waning and motivation lacking how many of us think back to those initial triggers, and challenge ourselves as to whether we have managed to achieve what we wanted to when we set out?  How many of us can say ‘Yep, done!’ with real honesty.  And then who can say that during the periods of time they run in that they don’t get ideas about new goals – for example I want to run a Marathon and an Ultra Marathon but wouldn’t have ever thought about that when I started!  So, have you achieved those additional goals?   Have you?

Maybe the answer is yes, maybe achievements have been met.  then motivation when you are at the top (of your own personal goals list) is hard.  In these cases, there needs to be time to think what getting further, or back, in to running is all about.  There’s a reason you are asking the question of yourself?  If there really was nothing you wanted out of running you wouldn’t ask the question.  Dig deep and search against those goals.

If the answer is No and goals are still yet to be met, then the reasons remain, it’s looking at how you are going about achieving it that needs focus.

There are many ideas people share about this.  here are a few of my preferred ones and those I’ve seen others share:

• Change routes – even just running the same route in the reverse direction can feel like a change!
• change types of run, if you run roads try and find footpaths, trails, woodland, fields, pedestrian areas, built-up, rural – basically change!
• set yourself a different goal for individual runs – maybe try and make the ‘journey’ more than a run.  For example, add runs in to your commute or routine activities (personally I sweat like a racehorse so not something that is always suitable!!).
• Change gear, sometimes some new equipment or clothing/shoes gives you a new feeling to your run.
• Listen to music, or if you do that already maybe stop, or try a totally different soundtrack.  a lot of people listen to podcasts or audiobooks.  I might regret this, but my 5:30 am runs in the week often have the accompaniment of the Radio 2 early breakfast show with Vanessa Feltz – there I’ve said it!!
• Give each run a training/running purpose.  By that I mean mix up your type of run.  Add hills to some, make some faster runs.  Do short and long runs.  Look up the different types you can do (I’ll probably write about a few here in the near future) and learn how to incorporate some.  I’ve done this recently and have mixed up speed sessions, tempo, cruise and easy pace runs and really believe it has given an elevated level of satisfaction in my running and brought about improvements in time and distance running too.
• run with others or try running alone if you normally do run with others.
• Finally, set a target for a race/run.  Be realistic though.  Target getting the medal at the end, completing the race.  Maybe setting a target that is above what you have already done.  if you then use this as a driving factor behind your running it will give it purpose.

I think from this list you can probably see a theme.  That of change.  it’s the same as other aspects of life.  If you have achieved everything you set out to do, then you sit back and relax, or you set yourself new goals.  If, however, you are yet to feel accomplished but are struggling to find the path to success, you review your situation and make change.

I will refer you back though to the point before, reflect on what got you running initially.  this can sometimes be lost in the time you are becoming the runner you are and so when doubts creep in, think back and ask, ‘Why am I here anyway?’

Don’t lose a sense of the reasons you started.

Read the other pages in my blog:

Part 1: The best version of me

Part 2: Learning to Walk

Part 3: Evolution not Revolution

Part 4: First Run

Part 5: Me and Mo Farah

Part 6: I can call myself a runner