It started as a kid. It started with football. Always left sock, right sock, left shin pad, right shin pad, left boot, and then finally right boot. And the result was always the same – a win for us.

Ok, it may have helped that we had Teddy Sheringham as our No 9 striker, more so that my superstitious pre-match rituals.

The habit continued into the summer with cricket – just swap leg guards for shin pads – and guess what sometimes I scored a fifty but more often than not I didn’t. So perhaps my preparation had less to do with my performance than my talent, or lack of it?

And guess what, I’ve found myself adopting similar behaviours now that I’m a runner. So maybe there is something to be said for rituals, superstitions and regular routine?

Having looked into the theory of rituals & superstitions it is true that they do have purpose in helping us feel at ease, keep us focused and prevent the build up of anxiety and negative emotions. It allows us to focus on the things in our control and ‘crowd out’ the things we can’t.

And for those reasons I understand why rituals play an important part of my race day preparation.

It all starts the night before with sorting my kit. The flat lay is a thing for many – just have a look on social media the night before a big, big race. It helps to start focusing on the morning, and allows you to deal with kit anxiety. Which colour shorts? How many gels? Ear pods or no ear pods?

For me, the rituals move into the kitchen with my cuppa and peanut butter bagel. I understand that there is some nutritional benefit to peanut butter but there are other breakfast options – and who knows they may be even better than PB. But I ran well once on a peanut butter bagel, so I need to keep doing it. Obviously.

I’ve also run really badly on a peanut butter bagel but it hasn’t occurred to me that I may need to change my breakfast routine – it’s a tradition and a superstition now and to change things risks the wrath of the running gods.

Races take place in different locations, and even different countries so travel routines are less straightforward. The one thing that isn’t is being early – not just 5 minutes early but hours-like early. As my dad used to say “always catch the bus before the one you actually need” so that’s become a tradition too – although I don’t catch a bus anywhere anymore.

So finally, the final ritual all relates to the portaloo. But this one I blame on my mum. “Yes, you’ve just been, but go again as you don’t know how long it will be before you get a chance to go again” . So I queue, I ‘go’ and then I join the queue again and try and ‘go’ again.

As I’ve alluded to above , absolutely none of this really has any bearing on how my run or race will go. Some have been good, many have been ok, and a few have been just plain awful.

So, the statisticians amongst you will be shouting about a lack of correlation between what I do pre-race and the result.

But….

Cool Runnings

Coach Al

Don’t worry I’m not going to write a blog that tries to explain all these pretty colours and lines. Instead I am going to write about my experience of the last few weeks trying to run slow and train in zone 2.

To start with I need to explain that I’m not using heart rate as a metric to set my zones. Instead I’ve invested in a little gadget called a Stryd pod – that measures and calculates your zones based on output power.

I’ve chosen this route for two reasons. 1) there are a lot of different factors affecting heart rate on any given day e.g. poor sleep, too much caffeine, daily stresses, etc, and trying to mitigate these makes life way too complicated. 2) I’m strength training consistently and it seems to make sense to see how this may directly play into improving my power outputs.

So several weeks in what do I think?

It all starts with a baseline run and then the pod collates data for about a week across a range of different types of runs. From this it calculates an estimated time for runs ranging from a mile all the way up to a marathon. Based on where I feel I am the estimates feel realistic – unlike the crazy predictions the Garmin watch offers up.

So that feels good ✅

I’ve sought out a plan to help me get around 26.2 miles in Chicago. I have a time in mind and training in zone 2 (Z2) has led to loads of doubts.

As a coach I’m always citing ‘run slow to run faster’ but it’s so hard to put that theory into practice. Based on my pod metrics my slow runs are now averaging out at 12 minute miles – and this is where Z2 training really begins to play with your mind.

The slow runs have a real purpose ie building an aerobic base, that allows you to burn fat over carbs during long runs and is therefore the holy grail of long distance runners. I’ve stuck with it but it’s been super hard.

I know I can run faster so going slow feels counterintuitive. Going slower means covering less miles and in my mind marathon training requires a certain amount of time on feet and miles in the tank.

The plan does include short speed sessions such as intervals and strides and I’ve learnt to love these – I’m allowed to run faster 🤣. But the next day your back on those slower miles.

So I’ve found myself doubting whether I will really ever be able to run ‘fast’ (relatively) again?

Parkrun has been a struggle – mile 3 has become a real barrier. Race days have been hard because I set out with the intention of using them as slow run training days but the adrenaline takes over and I end up running neither slow enough or trained hard enough to chase a time. Frustrating!

But there are signs. The easy miles feel really easy and I’ve finished many of my runs feeling like I can keep going – rather than wishing for the finish. The average pace on those slow runs is slowly creeping up, not by much but enough to be encouraging. And the relative effort feels lower which means my recovery feels better and quicker (which means I am able to slowly add those miles back in without injury or fatigue).

I’ve thought about jacking it all in and trying something else. But I’m sticking with it and keeping my ego in the box marked ‘race day’ – time will tell and Chicago in October may be too soon but let’s see.

Cool Runnings

Coach Al

Keep it simple is solid advice across most aspects of life so today’s blog is inspired to do that. A few wise words all runners can focus on irrespective of their level or ability. So here’s 50 simple top tips.

Run free. Run in nature. Run without your watch. Run without pressure or expectations. Run for you. Run with friends. Run for fun. Run for your well-being. Run your pace. Run in new places.

Run easy. Make it a conversational pace. Slow it down to run faster. Walk if you have to. Don’t compare your run with others. Time on feet.

Hydrate often. Don’t wait until your thirsty. Carry liquids with you – even on a short run. Water is best. Fuel often. Try real food. Practice on long runs.

Consistency is better than quantity. Don’t run injured. Strength work is your friend. Have rest days. Cross train. Low intensity is good. Reps, not weight.

Don’t try anything new on race day. No new shoes on race day. Don’t forget your safety pins. Pack a towel. Pack fresh socks. Pack flip flops. Pack the red ambulance.

Wear your medal with pride. Finishers tee shirts always come up small. The goody bag is normally a disappointment.

Parkrun is your friend. Travel and visit new locations. Milestones matter. Volunteer please. Thank the marshals. Encourage other runners when you finish. Don’t forget your barcode.

Have fun. Smile. Enjoy.

Cool Runnings

Coach Al

Are you a morning person? Does that mean you like to start your day with a gentle 5k? Or are you unlikely to consider lacing up anytime before noon?

The reason I ask is to find out where people stand on whether to eat (a hearty) breakfast before heading out for some miles.

For most of my adult life I skipped breakfast – too lazy, too busy et al. And then came running and then things had to change or did they?

We all know it’s carbs that power our workouts. Or to be more precise it’s the glycogen that’s created from our carbohydrate inputs that fuel us.

And the accepted wisdom is that easy efforts and runs of up to about an hour’s duration do not really require us to think too much about pre-run fuelling. So on that basis skipping breakfast before your early morning run is not likely to affect your performance too much.

But as is usual in life things are not that simple. Harder efforts like speed sessions will place greater demands on your body and therefore a small, light breakfast is likely to be beneficial.

Even those easier runs may require a breakfast ‘top up’ depending on when you ate your last meal of the previous day. If, like me, you tend to eat later ie 8pm or even later, then chances are your glycogen stores will be sufficient. But if you had tea with the kids at 5pm don’t underestimate how much fuel or energy the body needs just to keep you alive. Be cautious and have that slice of toast or bagel with peanut butter.

And here’s the thing. Training your body to run early and run easy can also require you to train your stomach to eat early and eat easy. Don’t ignore this part of ‘training’ because you will need to eat, fuel and carb load properly in the days leading up to your big race – so don’t overlook some of the basics until it’s too late.

So having completed your run on an empty stomach (the posh phrase for this is Intermittent Fasting) it would be easy to assume your going to be ravenous and be ready to raid the fridge. Oh no, that’s not always the case either, particularly after those hard or long efforts. It’s a thing and a long run will stimulate blood flow and certain hormones that suppress appetite – who would’ve thought.

In these circumstances it’s a good choice to target fluids, and possibly one of those protein rich drinks. I’d not normally recommend supplements as it’s always better to target real foods but it’s too easy to get into a cycle of working out, neglecting your fuelling and then heading into your next workout sub-optimal.

In conclusion, the science of fuelling your training is probably more of a ‘dark art’ for us non-elite athletes. And with so much of the advice in this area, try different approaches and see what works for you. Now I’m off for my second breakfast of the day.

Cool Runnings

Coach Al

Ok, I thought I’d wait until I knew you all better and that you knew I wasn’t just saying this to court controversy. But let’s talk medals, and maybe tee shirts.

Back in the days I was, and still am, very competitive. To me second was the first loser 🤣. And then I had children and the concept of non-competitive sport hit my radar. Needless to say I was a bit dismissive.

Based on those views I would have walked off the Asics 10k yesterday empty handed – no medal, no tee shirt and no goody bag. But, oh, how things have changed, some may even say I’m a little bit contradictory with my views.

Because now I love my ‘he just turned up’ medals. And these simple little trinkets now have a meaning well beyond their material cost.

In this age of environmental responsibility there is a debate about whether events like yesterday should be sustainable, and do away with ‘rewards’ such as medals and tee shirts.

I get that but you also need to look beyond the headlines and think about the meaning and purpose of those medals as tools of motivation, as a symbol of success, or as simply a way of recognising the effort on the day.

The medal is therefore an important and intrinsic part of being a runner IMHO.

Now there are medals, and then there ARE medals. And sometimes the medal is wooden and can seem a bit of an afterthought or an apology. Sorry but wooden medals seem like a bit of a kick in the b***s if you’ve trained hard for several weeks and pushed yourself to the limits on race day.

We may seem fickle as a tribe but I know lots of runners who will not sign up to a race if there is no medal. It’s not the financial value that matters. And with the rising costs of race entry it seems unthinkable that race organises would even consider removing the medal from our race day experience.

I also know lots of runners who collect their medal at the finish and as soon as they get home it ends up in a box under the bed. It’s a personal choice but those same people could just refuse to take a medal and be comfortable with their choice.

But please don’t impose that outcome on those of us that wear our medals with pride.

If you don’t believe me just have a look at yesterdays post race pub photo – plenty of medals on display and plenty of smiles to go with them.

You may also notice that plenty of the tribe are also wearing their finishers tee. Same rules apply, let us make that choice. Don’t make that choice for us, blame the environmental impact and refuse to offer a cheaper race entry.

For me, the finishers race tee is part of my environmental contribution – I don’t buy any other clothes 🤣 for the rest of the year. (I am being slightly tongue in cheek there).

Looking back over the last 2 years the trend for wooden medals was slackened a little, yesterday the Asics 10k tee was an unexpected bonus and well received.

So let’s keep the campaign going.

How will we celebrate Medal Monday if there are no medals for anyone that finishes 4th or later.

Cool Runnings

Coach Al

London and I have a love-hate relationship. Although I’ve lived and/or worked in London for the majority of my life and my football team are from the red part of North London, if I’m honest I don’t actually like London.

Like most big cities it can be too noisy, too dirty and too unwelcoming. And the climate doesn’t really encourage the pavement cafe culture I love.

But, and it’s quite a big but – nothing quite competes with a race day in Central London.

And despite whatever crazy time I leave home to head for the start (today was 6.30am because we wanted to grab 8 easy miles BEFORE the Asics 10k) there is something special about parking up and heading to the nearest tube.

Maybe it’s the knowing looks of fellow runners, maybe it’s the strangest looks of early morning non-running travellers, maybe it’s just the sense of anticipation of what’s to come.

Having been privileged to have run in a number of European and American cities, every time you race abroad there is a thrill from engaging and embracing the unknown. But there is a warm comforting feeling of doing exactly the same but with all the familiar trappings too. And a sense of knowing that if you change at Kings Cross you can access the blue line to the start, it all helps to calm any pre-race nerves or anxiety.

But I don’t think it’s the real reason. Races in central London are normally big affairs (with often a pricey entry fee 🤦🏻) and the crowds definitely increase and improve the vibe for me. I love to soak up the sights and sounds of large groups of individuals going through their pre- race rituals of bag drop, porta-potty, bib pinning and more. A thousand and one different faces and a thousand and one different voices all working towards a shared objective – finding the start line🤣.

But having said all that I’m not sure that’s the main reason either. Call me a rebel but it’s the knowledge that for the next 6.2, 13.1 or 26.2 miles I can legitimately and legally own the roads of London.

I can do something on race day that is not advisable, and is likely to get you arrested. I can run as fast as I can or I can walk as slow as I wish but no one can stop me from strolling up the Strand, waddling over Westminster Bridge or perambulating through Picadiily. It’s my right and I’m going to use it.

Too often, and even when visiting London, your purpose is to get from A to B – as quickly and as cheaply as possible. And with this you often lose perspective or even a sense of where you are.

But on race day I get to see London in a different light – both physically because I’m on those streets (at little more than a snails pace) and emotionally because I’m engaged with the crowds and the atmosphere. And I love it!

So as long as the authorities that be keeping approving and licensing these kind of events, and race organisers are kind enough to charge me an arm and leg for a medal and a tee shirt, I will keep coming.

Oh , and did I mention the post race pub! Maybe that’s for a blog after my next London race day.

Cool Runnings

Coach Al

It’s early but it’s parkrun day. And we are off to celebrate not one, not two, not even three but four milestones.

Firstly, it’s the NHS 75th birthday and parkrun is encouraging all its runners to wear blue today ✅

And we will be sharing the celebrations with three parkrun legends. Carolyn Allan has reached her 100 milestone and Gemma Pedlar and Carl Howes are graduating with 250 runs.

The concept of recognising certain milestones is one I applaud as a coach as it rewards consistency. It all starts with a parkrun ‘shout out’ at 25 attendances and increases to 50, 100, 250 and 500 respectively.

Reaching the milestone (I’ve achieved my 100) certainly gives you a little warm glow, and encourages you to stay consistent as you work your way towards your next target. But most important of all it allows you to join the milestone tee-shirt club, and continues as you aim to upgrade to the next colour – for each milestone has a different colour tee.

As we tour the country on our parkrun adventures it’s always a pleasure to see gatherings big and small with local runners wearing their milestone tees with pride. It’s a way of celebrating and acknowledging those small little wins in a fairly understated way. And all runners of all abilities can rejoice in being welcomed to the milestone club.

I’ve not done the mental maths but across my 100 plus runs how many of them has been in wet and windy conditions, how many of them have been on rolling hills, and how many of them have been once I’ve beaten that strong desire to rollover and pull the duvet back over my head. And that’s where consistency counts – not on the easy days but when they are hard and you’re just not feeling it.

I’ve blogged before about the power of the parkrun community and today is no exception. Not only will we be drowning in cake at the finish, we will be taking part in what may become a bit of parkrun folklore.

Down near Bath there is a parkrun location that is known as The Curly Wurly, and as the name suggests it leaves you with a fairly unique piece of Strava art. A few weeks ago a London upstart came along and tried to steal the crown and so the Curly Wurly versus the Walnut Whip challenge was born. As we travel to Woolwich Arsenal across London a bus load of curly wurliers are heading east on a minibus to reclaim their crown.

It’s all a bit of nonsense and has led to some very imaginative Facebook banter. And most importantly, wanting to share the day, and the experience, will draw in many parkrunners from across the region. The community finds another reason to come together to celebrate all because we love our Saturday morning 5k socials.

Cool Runnings

Coach Al

Morning all. Just to clarify I’m not asking you to pick a best running buddy and instead was wondering more about whether you use music or other audio options when out running .

Reflecting on my running journey it’s interesting to think about how my experience has changed over time.

In those first few months I was committed to my virtual running coach. It was reassuring to have a comforting voice to coach and coax me through those initial miles. Ok, some of the accents were a little ‘dodgy’ but eventually I settled on one and she saw me through my first marathon.

Now this is going to sound a little stalker like but that virtual coach-client relationship led me to visit her in New York (I was planning a trip anyway) in person, meet her in her environment and complete a workout under her beady eye.

But it wasn’t long before I outgrew the virtual coach app in my ears. I think that happened when I started to increase the weekly miles. Being able to tune into a Spotify playlist (of mainly cheesy pop) whilst tackling the rolling hills of the Essex countryside was both inspiring and a needed mental boost as I ventured into unknown territory.

Interestingly, music plays much less of a central role in my running routine than it did. I don’t often train with music but on race day it still has a role to play. And in particular when running a marathon.

Now there is some debate about whether listening on your ear buds during a race (where they are allowed) detracts from the atmosphere and environment of the big race day. And for the first 13 miles I tend to agree that you lose a bit from being in your own audio coccoon.

However, fly past the half way marker and the musical distraction becomes a must have. And knowing you’ve got favourites and motivational classics all lined up can lift spirits as much as an energy gel. So I’ve learnt to manipulate my playlist whilst scoffing a gel, waving to the crowd and trying to stick to that blue line.

When it comes to my regular routine training runs I’ve now found a love of podcasts. I guess it helps being a podcast creator (🤣) but I find both shorter and longer runs now offer up an opportunity to be curious and extend my learning whilst running.

As a coach I’ve learnt so much listening to health, fitness and well-being podcasts and now actively look forward to a run to discover even more.

And finally there are times when I run without audio assistance.

Sometimes it’s great to be able to hear and feel your local environment unfiltered and running without background noise can be liberating. However, it can also be unsettling to hear your own wheezing, panting, coughing and other vocal tics for every step of the run 🤦🏻

But you also can’t beat leaving the headphones at home, heading out with a pal or running buddy and using that long easy run to put the world to right, to download and share, or to just sort out much needed future race administration.

Sometimes less ie no music, is so much more.

So whichever option you choose today remember to keep it varied and that will help keep you fresh and focused.

Cool Runnings

Coach Al

It’s that day again. We all refresh all day knowing full well what the answer is going to be. It’s a rejection. Thank you London Marathon events…

So it got me thinking – why do I a) apply and b) care.

I think the answer to both is the same so let me expand a little.

I got into running for my health – to lose weight, to improve my fitness and my quality of life. And you can do all that without having the need or desire to run a marathon – plenty do.

However, having made the decision to take up running it was inevitable that my competitive streak would kick in and push me to do hard things.

When I signed up for the Berlin marathon in 2018 I was naive, didn’t really understand the commitment I was making and ended up undertrained going to the start line. 10 marathons in and I no longer have any of those excuses to fall back on.

So what keeps bringing me back?

I guess you learn a lot about yourself when you train for a marathon. Words that spring to mind include consistency, tenacity, accountability, resolve, determination, humility, and a whole lot more.

In essence marathon training requires you to confront your physical abilities (but these can be improved with the right training) and your emotional limitations. What I mean is that you can be physically strong but still struggle to train well for a marathon if you’re not emotionally invested, and therefore the hard days and the hurdles will kick you off track spectacularly.

So again why do I do this?

It’s taken awhile to realise this but I think it’s because I failed at so many other sports. As a kid and young adult I played lots of different sports, some to a good standard but none to a great standard. I played in front of crowds but never in front of a big crowd.

But with the mararhon, especially race day, it all feels different. I know I’m not going to win but that doesn’t matter. Because come race day the buzz is there. The crowds are there. The set up is geared up for a big event and the atmosphere is crackling with anticipation. And I love it.

And in those moments, and for the next few hours, I feel like an athlete again. The nerves will kick in as the adrenaline starts to pump around my body. The legs will hurt as the lactic acid builds, and the emotions will swirl will every passing mile. And it means I feel alive.

And that’s why I sign up every year and hope for the best.

Cool Runnings

Coach Al

PS. I’m still refreshing and no news yet.

PPS. As expected – it’s a no!

It’s a regular debate (at least amongst some of my friends🤣) about whether it’s better to run to time or to run for a distance. And guess what, both are good and have different benefits.

But on my new training block for Chicago in October I’ve mixed it up a little and have a few more sessions planned that are solely based on time. Now these are a mixture of different paces and efforts and include long, slow runs as well as speedier interval sessions.

It’s taken some time to get used to having 4.23 miles or 5.17 miles land on my Strava but I think I’m there now. And here’s what I’ve learnt along the way.

Running to time is really good when you are constrained by time – makes sense really. But knowing you have a 40 minute easy run to complete at lunch time somehow feels more achievable than a 4 mile easy run – even when they are broadly the same run.

Running for time also means you’re less likely to be worried about any given pace and therefore you are more likely to run to feel or effort. And you can begin to feel less guilty about not achieving a set mileage.

And when the conditions are against you, for example, if it’s hot and humid, ditching pace and distance in favour of time means you more likely to run appropriately for those conditions. This means you’re less likely to push too hard or over exert yourself on the run.

And finally, running to time can help with motivation, or more specially a lack of motivation. Breaking a run down into little time chunks feels satisfying and committing for that amount of time, arguably, is an easier commitment.

Now I’m not ruling out runs for distance, and I still do these too, but think about context and purpose.

Certainly, if your training for any endurance event, longer runs covering a set distance are likely to feature in your plan. And therefore tracking your weekly mileage is a key tool for balancing pushing your capabilities versus injury prevention.

And sometimes understanding your pace per mile or kilometre is important for tracking progress, setting realistic race goals and knowing when to push yourself a little harder.

So like most things in life it’s all about balance. And if mixing up runs between time and distance keeps your training fresh and prevents the creep of boredom then schedule in both.

Cool Runnings

Coach Al