<p><br />A week into lockdown &ndash; and home schooling &ndash; and I&rsquo;m trying desperately to cling to some kind of timetable.</p>
<p>At first I had noble thoughts about how kids need routine. Now I realise it&rsquo;s entirely for my own sanity. The day is so formless and endless without some kind of structure, and I fear the descent into constant screen time (and yes, again, that's just me).</p>
<p>For the kids, academic work is one thing &ndash; their school has been amazing in setting work online and in downloadable paper form &ndash; so there&rsquo;s plenty to occupy their minds. But what about their bodies? My two girls are pretty active but suddenly their tennis, swimming, athletics and school PE lessons are gone, and all those steps they effortlessly notch up running round the playground have vanished too. And there are, I know, still more active kids out there who must be feeling like animals in captivity. I keep thinking of trips to a zoo where there&rsquo;s a large cat pacing up and down &ndash; well fed but listless, not genetically programmed for captivity.</p>
<p>In England, at the moment, we are allowed out once a day for exercise. So of course we can take the children out for a walk or an informal interval run (by which I mean a walk on which I occasionally tell them to run to the next lamp post, or post-box, when the street is deserted). But they do generally need chivvying into things that aren&rsquo;t familiar to them.</p>
<p>However, from thinking there would be little for them to do at home to stay active, I actually now feel rather overwhelmed by the sheer number of YouTube live streams and classes and apps and brilliantly inventive obstacle courses on social media which I could never hope to recreate. Where on earth to begin?</p>
<p>My kids, at least, seem best to take to new versions of familiar favourites. Our local gym has put on a timetable of classes via Zoom, including a daily kids&rsquo; one. They&rsquo;ve been doing the real life version twice a week for a while, so this has novelty (&ldquo;He can see us at home!&rdquo;) combined with familiarity. If you are lucky, perhaps a sports club that your kids usually attend are doing something similar on an online platform. That way, they also get to feel connected to that community, and part of their lives that's so suddenly vanished.</p>
<p>But they also like silly stuff, particularly younger kids. When &ndash; in happier times &ndash; the weather is rubbish and my girls are reluctant to go out, I set up circuit sessions for them. That might seem a bit hard core but it&rsquo;s all just stuff that kids thrive on. So for instance:</p>
<p>4 or 5 sets of these exercises, 1 minute each, with 30 seconds rest between each exercise (Timings are of course, entirely discretionary!)</p>
<h3>Jumping jacks</h3>
<p><img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/71bb2afd-06b5-45fb-a615-6dc714d0bf7f.png?cachebuster=f19d23e6-8a49-4ccb-bc81-949ca61cd3e5" alt="Jumping jacks" width="600" height="400" /></p>
<h3><br />Bear crawls</h3>
<p><img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/fd351519-d228-4df8-b303-5ff8c0e2a27c.png?cachebuster=5f4bd619-8339-45d8-a4c2-c0a28a8af86a" alt="Bear crawls" width="600" height="400" /></p>
<h3><br />Jumps &ndash; imitating a frog on a hotplate</h3>
<p><img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/8d1e90b9-5ff6-4b7d-b82d-1e6e6c14bcc6.png?cachebuster=b5327aab-fd70-42f1-bc7e-ccecfa9258b5" alt="Frog jumps" width="600" height="400" /></p>
<h3><br />Moving between plank position and downward dog, nice and slowly</h3>
<p><img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/10432c70-c6e3-47dc-b431-6e30fdc60548.png?cachebuster=bd9416a2-9460-4acf-a55a-b6c518a36ac2" alt="Plank to dog" width="600" height="400" /></p>
<h3><br />Crazy dancing</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oejgTGo-BCc" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Naturally, crazy dancing is everyone&rsquo;s favourite exercise, but be warned: it MUST be performed with the proper technique; if you wouldn&rsquo;t be utterly embarrassed to be caught doing it, you really aren&rsquo;t doing it right.</p>
<p>If you worry that sounds like a lot &ndash; do give it a try. You&rsquo;ll probably find the kids are far fitter than you think &ndash; often far more than the adults, and especially when it comes to anything that uses mobility or core strength. That&rsquo;s my other health advisory warning: never, ever, indulge in competitive yoga with a small child. You WILL lose.</p>
<p>Other indoor exercise options that don&rsquo;t need classes are utilising a games console. That's particularly good for reluctant exercisers &ndash; something like Just Dance which gamifies movement. It's the exercise equivalent of smuggling vegetables into a soup or smoothie.</p>
<p>Alternatively, if you have a flight of stairs, put something small &ndash; a Lego brick say &ndash; on each step in a flight. Make them go up to the top one to retrieve it, all the way down. Then the second to top one, all the way down again. Then third from top, etc. When they get to the bottom, they have to make something with all the bricks as quickly as possible, then dismantle it, and do the whole thing in reverse putting one brick back at a time. A small jigsaw would also work &ndash; they just have to assemble it at 'half time'. They don&rsquo;t need to run or race &ndash; don&rsquo;t want them falling of course! &ndash; but they&rsquo;ll get a good workout even if they just walk up and down that many times.</p>
<p>A final devious plan I invented the other day: send the kids to fetch things from the laundry basket to the washing machine (move the laundry basket if it&rsquo;s too near!) but ONLY one at a time. Yes, even socks. If nothing else, it might just encourage them to be a bit more careful about getting food all over their clothes, right?</p>
<p><strong>Kate Carter for World Athletics</strong></p>

A week into lockdown – and home schooling – and I’m trying desperately to cling to some kind of timetable.

family workout home exercise parent kids

Family workouts to do at home

<p><br />Evan Scully is something of a paradox.</p>
<p>The Irish sports massage therapist has cystic fibrosis, which puts him in the &lsquo;at risk&rsquo; category in the coronavirus pandemic. Because of the reduced lung function caused by cystic fibrosis, any form of illness or infection poses an increased threat to people with the condition. And contracting COVID-19 &ndash; a virus that attacks the respiratory system &ndash; can have dire consequences.</p>
<p>But instead of living a life of fear, Scully is not unduly worried. If anything, his 33 years of adhering to strict guidelines has prepared him well for the restrictions that are currently in place.</p>
<p>&ldquo;This pandemic has showed me how I actually live isn&rsquo;t exactly normal,&rdquo; says Scully, who has worked with dozens of Olympic medallists and world champions in recent years. &ldquo;It has, however, made me realise how disciplined I am in life. The way we are told to currently live to prevent the spread &ndash; for example, washing hands, not coming into contact with someone who is sick &ndash; are things that people with CF already adhere to.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The symptoms of COVID-19 sound very similar to cystic fibrosis. I know what it&rsquo;s like to live with those symptoms on a daily basis, so I&rsquo;ve been trying to educate people. Worrying does absolutely nothing. In fact, it causes stress, and stress lowers your immune system, so you may leave yourself open to catching viruses.</p>
<p>&ldquo;My wife has pointed out that I am very positive, especially in the last two weeks. I try to see things rationally. You can&rsquo;t always be positive as suffering is an inevitable part of the human existence, but being rational is a more balanced approach.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Scully&rsquo;s daily routine has adapted over time. As a child, he would need nebulisers and physiotherapy up to five or six times a day just to help clear his airways. &ldquo;There was never a day that was missed,&rdquo; he says, &ldquo;not even Christmas day.&rdquo;</p>
<p>These days, he uses running as a form of self-physiotherapy, the pounding of the ground helping to clear his lungs. His medication has also reduced. &ldquo;Nowadays I take about 30-40 tablets a day, most of which are digestive enzymes,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I also take two inhalers each day for my exercised-induced asthma.&rdquo;</p>
<p>While he hasn&rsquo;t had to alter his medication during the pandemic, other parts of his life have changed. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.scullytherapyclinic.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">His clinic</a></strong></span> in County Meath has had to close, meaning he is currently out of work. He is able to continue coaching his group of athletes, doing so remotely, but is unable to join them for their weekly long runs. He still runs six times a week, though.</p>
<p><iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FevanscullyCF%2Fvideos%2F2261530017485452%2F&amp;show_text=0&amp;width=500" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>&ldquo;Funnily enough, I have actually increased my training,&rdquo; said Scully. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m up to between 60-70 miles a week. I run on country roads most of the time anyway, so I don't actually cross paths with many people. I also have loan of a treadmill, so I&rsquo;m prepared for whatever happens.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Nutrition is also important and we&rsquo;ve continued to focus on good food and the right balance of nutrients. If you focus on micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), your macronutrients will look after themselves. Depending on the time of year or training load, I will take supplements like selenium, magnesium, iron and zinc. I also make my own kombucha to help with gut bacteria. The gut is one of the most important aspects of health; it has more nerve endings than your brain.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Given his years of having to stick to strict guidelines, Scully is well placed to offer advice to the thousands of athletes who are now adapting to new ways of life in the current pandemic.</p>
<p>&ldquo;For athletes whose race plans have changed, you now get to train twice for one race,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;For anyone training for a marathon, whatever the level, these are the months where you can improve on your weaknesses and then target a PB in an autumn marathon.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Tracks and other training facilities might be closed, but this isn&rsquo;t the time to take the foot off the pedal and feel sorry for yourself. One thing I have learned from working with the best athletes in the world is that they can adapt to the situation. You can&rsquo;t complain about having to train on grass or trails when Kenyan athletes flourish on these surfaces. Usain Bolt used to train on a grass track as well. Control the controllable and focus on effort rather than what your watch tells you.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Running with training devices, such as heart-rate monitors, can be beneficial in other ways, though, Scully says.<br /><br /></p>
<div id="5e7f3d6975a0bb0e10a8d00e" class="dropMedia">
<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/59da26ca-1681-4d53-89d5-9173bb3f3a59.jpg');">&nbsp;</div>
Evan Scully</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Your heart rate is a great indicator and precursor of health," he explains. "During a recent training trip in Kenya, my heart rate was 15 beats higher than normal. At first I thought it was a fault with my strap because I didn&rsquo;t exactly feel bad, but a few days later my lung function dropped by 12% and I had a temperature. I had to go on two different antibiotics and a course of steroids.</p>
<p>&ldquo;However, your heart rate can be slightly higher for a few different reasons, not just a virus or infection,&rdquo; he adds. &ldquo;Dehydration, a bad sleep, menstrual cycle, coffee, an inhaler, and of course not being fully recovered from the previous day&rsquo;s session. Like everything, you need to look at the bigger picture.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Your body is very clever and will tell you if it doesn&rsquo;t like something. Tuning into what it&rsquo;s telling you is hard because we have evolved to keep trucking on regardless of how you feel. But sometimes it&rsquo;s worth taking a step back from everything to tune into how we are feeling.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I make time to meditate on a daily basis. I read a quote by Russell Simmons: &lsquo;if you don&rsquo;t have enough time to meditate for 10 minutes, then you need to meditate for 20 minutes&rsquo;. You don&rsquo;t necessarily have to sit down and chant or hum for 10 minutes; running mindfully can be a form of meditation.</p>
<p>&ldquo;And, like everyone else around the world, a good dose of your current favourite TV series before bedtime is a must!&rdquo;</p>
<p>Once the pandemic is over, Scully is targeting a sub-three-hour marathon in a bid to reclaim the European best by someone with cystic fibrosis. Until then, though, he will continue to live his life in much the same way he has been doing for the past few decades, using running as his form of physical and mental therapy.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I hope,&rdquo; he says, &ldquo;that my approach to cystic fibrosis and running is a positive influence on anyone that may be suffering.&rdquo;</p>
<p><strong>Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics</strong></p>


Evan Scully is something of a paradox.
The Irish sports massage therapist has cystic fibrosis, which puts him in the ‘at risk’ category in the coronavirus pandemic. Because of the reduced lung function caused by cystic fibrosis, any form of illness or infection poses an increased threat to people with the condition. And contracting COVID-19 – a virus that attacks the respiratory system – can have dire consequences.
But instead of living a life of fear, Scully is not unduly worried. If anything, his 33 years of adhering to strict guidelines has prepared him well for the restrictions that are currently in place.
“This pandemic has showed me how I actually live isn’t exactly normal,” says Scully, who has worked with dozens of Olympic medallists and world champions in recent years. “It has, however, made me realise how disciplined I am in life. The way we are told to currently live to prevent the spread – for example, washing hands, not coming into contact with someone who is sick – are things that people with CF already adhere to.
“The symptoms of COVID-19 sound very similar to cystic fibrosis. I know what it’s like to live with those symptoms on a daily basis, so I’ve been trying to educate people. Worrying does absolutely nothing. In fact, it causes stress, and stress lowers your immune system, so you may leave yourself open to catching viruses.
“My wife has pointed out that I am very positive, especially in the last two weeks. I try to see things rationally. You can’t always be positive as suffering is an inevitable part of the human existence, but being rational is a more balanced approach.”
Scully’s daily routine has adapted over time. As a child, he would need nebulisers and physiotherapy up to five or six times a day just to help clear his airways. “There was never a day that was missed,” he says, “not even Christmas day.”
These days, he uses running as a form of self-physiotherapy, the pounding of the ground helping to clear his lungs. His medication has also reduced. “Nowadays I take about 30-40 tablets a day, most of which are digestive enzymes,” he says. “I also take two inhalers each day for my exercised-induced asthma.”
While he hasn’t had to alter his medication during the pandemic, other parts of his life have changed. His clinic in County Meath has had to close, meaning he is currently out of work. He is able to continue coaching his group of athletes, doing so remotely, but is unable to join them for their weekly long runs. He still runs six times a week, though.

“Funnily enough, I have actually increased my training,” said Scully. “I’m up to between 60-70 miles a week. I run on country roads most of the time anyway, so I don't actually cross paths with many people. I also have loan of a treadmill, so I’m prepared for whatever happens.
“Nutrition is also important and we’ve continued to focus on good food and the right balance of nutrients. If you focus on micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), your macronutrients will look after themselves. Depending on the time of year or training load, I will take supplements like selenium, magnesium, iron and zinc. I also make my own kombucha to help with gut bacteria. The gut is one of the most important aspects of health; it has more nerve endings than your brain.”
Given his years of having to stick to strict guidelines, Scully is well placed to offer advice to the thousands of athletes who are now adapting to new ways of life in the current pandemic.
“For athletes whose race plans have changed, you now get to train twice for one race,” he says. “For anyone training for a marathon, whatever the level, these are the months where you can improve on your weaknesses and then target a PB in an autumn marathon.
“Tracks and other training facilities might be closed, but this isn’t the time to take the foot off the pedal and feel sorry for yourself. One thing I have learned from working with the best athletes in the world is that they can adapt to the situation. You can’t complain about having to train on grass or trails when Kenyan athletes flourish on these surfaces. Usain Bolt used to train on a grass track as well. Control the controllable and focus on effort rather than what your watch tells you.”
Running with training devices, such as heart-rate monitors, can be beneficial in other ways, though, Scully says. 
Evan Scully
 
“Your heart rate is a great indicator and precursor of health," he explains. "During a recent training trip in Kenya, my heart rate was 15 beats higher than normal. At first I thought it was a fault with my strap because I didn’t exactly feel bad, but a few days later my lung function dropped by 12% and I had a temperature. I had to go on two different antibiotics and a course of steroids.
“However, your heart rate can be slightly higher for a few different reasons, not just a virus or infection,” he adds. “Dehydration, a bad sleep, menstrual cycle, coffee, an inhaler, and of course not being fully recovered from the previous day’s session. Like everything, you need to look at the bigger picture.
“Your body is very clever and will tell you if it doesn’t like something. Tuning into what it’s telling you is hard because we have evolved to keep trucking on regardless of how you feel. But sometimes it’s worth taking a step back from everything to tune into how we are feeling.
“I make time to meditate on a daily basis. I read a quote by Russell Simmons: ‘if you don’t have enough time to meditate for 10 minutes, then you need to meditate for 20 minutes’. You don’t necessarily have to sit down and chant or hum for 10 minutes; running mindfully can be a form of meditation.
“And, like everyone else around the world, a good dose of your current favourite TV series before bedtime is a must!”
Once the pandemic is over, Scully is targeting a sub-three-hour marathon in a bid to reclaim the European best by someone with cystic fibrosis. Until then, though, he will continue to live his life in much the same way he has been doing for the past few decades, using running as his form of physical and mental therapy.
“I hope,” he says, “that my approach to cystic fibrosis and running is a positive influence on anyone that may be suffering.”
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

Evan Scully cystic fibrosis coronavirus running

How a life with cystic fibrosis has given Scully a head start during lock-down

<p><br />Olympic high jump silver medallist Mirela Demireva shares some of her favourite tracks.</p>
<p><br />"I never listen to music during my training. For a high-jumper, rhythm is very important in my training and it is an individual matter and I can only find that inside. I can&rsquo;t listen to music and my body simultaneously. For the same reason, I don&rsquo;t prepare music for a competition. I don&rsquo;t need it to boost my mood or motivation, so I only usually listen to music at home, in the evenings, and when I do I don&rsquo;t do anything else &ndash; just sit back and listen.</p>
<p>I don&rsquo;t have any favourite artist or genre, if a song is done well, categories don&rsquo;t matter to me and I never like imposing limitations.</p>
<h3>Mirela Demireva's chill-out playlist</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/7dUgp0tS4CDHfHtJp7j0Ah" width="500" height="380" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>

Olympic high jump silver medallist Mirela Demireva shares some of her favourite tracks.

Chill out playlist Mirela Demireva

The chill-out playlist - Mirela Demireva

<p><br />Funny how when you can&rsquo;t do something, it&rsquo;s suddenly all you pine to do. And in these strange and disquieting times, exercise can provide much-needed solace. So for habitual runners, or footballers, or gym-goers, or pilates devotees, the prospect of cancelled games, races or classes is sad, and the temporary loss of the community that goes with them perhaps even worse.</p>
<p>Around the world, communities are either in total lockdown or partial social isolation. Some can still get out and run - the lucky ones - but plenty can&rsquo;t. People who are really desperate to exercise will usually find a way - I&rsquo;ve seen some brilliantly creative videos of people running in the bath, read stories of people jogging 60,000 times round their dining room table. This is magnificent lunacy which I can only applaud. But really, most of us aren&rsquo;t as adaptive or creative. But we all need to exercise.<br /><br /></p>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_tSVsu8Y1P8" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p><br />When I say all, of course not if you are ill or have health concerns. But if you are healthy, just stuck indoors, then I beg, in fact implore you to keep exercising. Or start! Sure, it&rsquo;s good for your body and your physical health, but perhaps even more importantly, at least in the short term, it&rsquo;s good for your mind.&nbsp;</p>
<p>It&rsquo;s 2020, so if you have internet access, you have an entire world of free online workouts, many of which require nothing more than a small amount of space. Youtube has a video for every exercise niche - but the sheer choice can be a little overwhelming. So to start fairly simply: the NHS here in England has <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/nhs-fitness-studio/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>a really good site with 24 videos</strong></span></a>, from 10-45 minutes a piece. If you find something you really like then you can explore that in more detail, using the countless apps and subscription sites - or even face-to-face ones with an instructor over FaceTime or Skype.</p>
<p>But really, you don&rsquo;t even need that. You&rsquo;ve got your own gym at home already.</p>
<p>Looking sceptically around you? No, honestly, you really do! Do you have a step or stair? A suitcase or holdall? Some books? Any bags of sugar or flour? If you are lucky, perhaps an old skipping rope lying around somewhere?</p>
<p>Just a few of these, and you have a home gym. Here&rsquo;s a short suggested selection of exercises you can do with stuff you have lying around anyway (or using nothing at all). But there&rsquo;s plenty more that you can do with nothing more than your own bodyweight and 20 minutes. So do yourself a favour: take that 20 minutes, close down the alarming news, step away from social media, and try and raise some endorphins.</p>
<h3>SIMPLE HOME WORK OUT EXERCISES</h3>
<h3><br />Plank</h3>
<p><img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/5f686659-976c-48a7-9769-951e7895ae06.jpg?cachebuster=009b1835-927a-4c28-8669-75e491f81a59" alt="Plank" width="600" height="400" /></p>
<p>First of all, clear a little space - push back chairs or tuck away things from the hallway. If you have a yoga mat, set that up somewhere. It&rsquo;s not essential - if you have carpet you don&rsquo;t need anything, if it&rsquo;s a hard floor maybe put a towel or two down just to protect your arms. Get into position: lie on your front with your forearms on the floor (parallel to each other), toes tucked under, then push up your bodyweight so you are resting on your forearms and your feet. Keep your body in a straight line - brace your core muscles, don&rsquo;t sag in the middle. Hold!</p>
<p>Work up to holding 1 minute. If you&rsquo;ve never done it before, have a google of &ldquo;plank daily challenge&rdquo; and follow that - in days you&rsquo;ll move from 10 seconds to 60, and possibly well beyond. If you&rsquo;ve already a regular planker (which sounds, to my English ear, horribly close to an insult, sorry) then try variations like side planks or harder adaptions. Check online videos for correct form but also always remember my own personal plank rule 1: while planking you must spend the time thinking about the fact that the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51618159" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>world record for a plank is 8 hours and 15 minutes</strong></span></a>. It&rsquo;s strangely cheering, mainly because no one is making you do it.</p>
<h3><br />Farmer carry</h3>
<p><img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/11087a3c-aaab-425d-b4f6-803e7815de39.jpg?cachebuster=1eb7b57e-ad50-4430-9030-f8f472737dee" alt="Farmer carry" width="600" height="400" /></p>
<p>Just when you thought holidays were a dream, it&rsquo;s time to fill your suitcase! Use books, tins, old CDs - whatever you&rsquo;ve got. Squat slightly to pick it up (don&rsquo;t bend over) and make sure you brace through your core and then walk, keeping nice and even and straight backed. Of course, you can do this with one &ldquo;weight&rdquo; in each hand but that might be tricky to balance properly at home - unless of course you happen to have two sacks of rice lying around.</p>
<p>Again there are some <a href="https://www.coachmag.co.uk/full-body-exercises/5492/the-farmer-s-walk-is-the-epitome-of-training-efficiently" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>good online videos and explainers</strong></span></a> by better qualified people than me - but please do start light and gradually add weight if it&rsquo;s too easy, rather than the other way round. Ideally you will work up to using an amount of weight you couldn&rsquo;t carry more than a couple of hundred metres max.</p>
<h3><br />Step-ups</h3>
<p><img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/c68a69b0-f5bd-4bc2-ad25-dc79c4121362.jpg?cachebuster=66764883-42b1-44f3-8961-e07c1d282635" alt="Step ups" width="600" height="400" /></p>
<p>Things you can use for this: a step, a low bench, a toddler&rsquo;s chair - anything that won&rsquo;t move and can comfortably take your weight. Stand in front, step up with one foot, bring the other up stand up on the step. Step backwards using the same leg. Repeat on the other side. So basically it&rsquo;s a constant up-and-down but each time you are alternating your &lsquo;lead&rsquo; foot. Try to keep your back nice and straight again and your core braced. Do as many reps as you can until you feel like your form is starting to go a bit. Maybe keep a count of how many that is, and aim for a few more next time.</p>
<h3><br />Free weights</h3>
<p><img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/b95434bc-6d00-4fcd-b83e-ed6481822042.jpg?cachebuster=912403f3-50b3-4362-a759-7e53b233b5bd" alt="Free weights" width="600" height="400" /></p>
<p>Time to unpack again! Get some of those tins or bags out of the suitcase and use them as weights. There&rsquo;s almost an endless list of exercises you can, from simple bicep curls to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jan/11/baked-bean-tin-workout-cheap-ways-get-fit-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>deadlifts</strong></span></a> - but there&rsquo;s also <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5YK40YBsmmCxPJ1p6cXc4dT/the-tea-time-toning-challenge-makeyourmove" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>a really good BBC workout set here</strong></span></a> using only cans. You can also use them when you get super good at planks - together, we can all come out of isolation one day in the happy future with cores of steel.</p>
<h3><br />Skipping</h3>
<p><img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/8a6c6c12-cdac-4e07-b53b-62c624f50247.jpg?cachebuster=759cf194-10ac-4f03-ae89-0d7c554d9449" alt="Skipping" width="600" height="400" /></p>
<p>Skipping with a rope is a truly fantastic cardio exercise, challenging a lot of muscle groups and working your hand/eye coordination and timing into the bargain. Of course you do need a bit more space for this but if you can, it&rsquo;s a brilliant way to get the heart rate up and fantastic particularly for runners who can&rsquo;t get out.</p>
<p>Only the truly hardcore could probably manage to skip for any serious length of time but mix in repetitions of, for example, a minute of skipping then working through the other exercises above - then repeat times 5. Or just see how many skips you can do before you snag yourself with the rope, then try and beat that each time.<br /><br /></p>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tgUDYOlgx1M" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p><strong><br />Kate Carter for World Athletics</strong></p>

Funny how when you can’t do something, it’s suddenly all you pine to do. And in these strange and disquieting times, exercise can provide much-needed solace. So for habitual runners, or footballers, or gym-goers, or pilates devotees, the prospect of cancelled games, races or classes is sad, and the temporary loss of the community that goes with them perhaps even worse.

lockdown exercises

Self-isolating? Here are five lockdown exercises to keep you fit, focused and sane

<p><br /><strong>Start your weekend here, with a round-up of some of the best athletics, running and fitness-related stories from the past seven days.<br /></strong></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.outsideonline.com/2409987/2020-olympic-trials-marathon-results" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The coronavirus outbreak puts running into perspective</a></span></h3>
<p><img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/7a999e92-665a-4cda-9bdd-004179934ee4.jpg?cachebuster=9cd1466f-043e-4634-b0b6-526a1a9a68a6" alt="Runners" width="600" height="400" /></p>
<p>As the pandemic continues to surge and major races are canceled, we can return to running for its own sake</p>
<p><a href="https://www.outsideonline.com/2409987/2020-olympic-trials-marathon-results" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Full article</strong></span></a> (<em>outsideonline.com</em>)</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.podiumrunner.com/training/marathon-training/what-should-i-do-with-my-training-since-my-goal-race-has-been-canceled/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">What should I do with my training since my goal race has been cancelled?</a></span></h3>
<p><img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/c3cbca8b-65e7-4926-b23c-52ddc6cc2f47.jpg?cachebuster=63512fee-0279-4c28-aea4-efe796a40de9" alt="Cancelled race" width="600" height="400" /></p>
<p>When your race is cancelled, you can parlay your race fitness into a PB later in the year, but first here are some options and training adjustments for closing your season.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.podiumrunner.com/training/marathon-training/what-should-i-do-with-my-training-since-my-goal-race-has-been-canceled/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Full article</strong></span></a> (<em>podiumrunner.com</em>)</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/news/a31466033/running-during-coronavirus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">How to run safely amid coronavirus concerns</a></span></h3>
<p><img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/8ed756a0-b181-4ddc-a8a4-ad32640c3742.jpg?cachebuster=542f4ce5-2077-44a5-aa32-7af742ec0cef" alt="Runner" width="600" height="400" /></p>
<p>While the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, causing running races - and many other large events - to be postponed and cancelled, you might be wondering what you should do for your own personal health and how this could affect your training.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/news/a31466033/running-during-coronavirus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Full article</strong></span></a> (<em>runnersworld.com</em>)</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://lopemagazine.com/2019/12/17/100-greatest-runs-jumps-throws-all-time-rudisha-benoit-owens-bolt/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The 100 greatest runs, jumps, and throws of all time</a></span></h3>
<p><img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/1dca3471-cfdf-4cee-b2f3-81698331f757.jpg?cachebuster=0bc20adf-2625-4d5e-86b9-cc41ea8b6b3b" alt="Abebe Mekonnen" width="600" height="400" /></p>
<p>Ethiopia won the first &mdash; and, it would turn out, only &mdash; IAAF World Challenge Road Relay. The event would return in 1992 as the rebranded IAAF World Road Relay Championships before fading out in 1998, disappearing into track and field&rsquo;s history. The run has not, however, disappeared for good &mdash; it has been ranked No.100 in L&oslash;pe Magazine&rsquo;s 'The 100 Greatest Runs, Jumps, and Throws of All Time'.</p>
<p><a href="https://lopemagazine.com/2019/12/17/100-greatest-runs-jumps-throws-all-time-rudisha-benoit-owens-bolt/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Full article</strong></span></a> (<em>lopemagazine.com</em>)</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.nnrunningteam.com/news/2020-03-10-eliuds-olympic-reflections/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eliud's Olympic reflections</a></span></h3>
<p><img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/f6df7405-ce0d-4038-8d7b-72cd8d0b41cb.png?cachebuster=fd69da3e-a2b1-4e28-9cd1-116e499b3998" alt="Eliud Kipchoge" width="600" height="400" /></p>
<p>Eliud Kipchoge is set to compete at his fourth Olympic Games when he takes to the start line for the marathon on the streets of Sapporo in August. The Kenyan reflects on his three previous Olympic experiences in which he has mined a medal of every colour.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.nnrunningteam.com/news/2020-03-10-eliuds-olympic-reflections/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Full article</strong></span></a> (<em>nnrunningteam.com</em>)</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/athletics/2020/03/12/dorothy-tyler-remarkable-character-should-far-remembered/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dorothy Tyler was a remarkable character who should be far more remembered than she is</a></span></h3>
<p><img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/be3561d4-5902-4ec2-83ee-de7a066a32c1.jpg?cachebuster=ecdf870e-7dff-4115-8908-71a3930dc1be" alt="Dorothy Odam-Tyler" width="600" height="400" /></p>
<p>It was one of those moments that made soup bowls rattle, caused buttered knives to miss bread rolls and inspired choking fits in those mid-gulp. It was a fancy sports awards lunch in 2008 and it is fair to say that Dorothy Tyler turned one of those rather nauseous backslapping fests into something far more memorable.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/athletics/2020/03/12/dorothy-tyler-remarkable-character-should-far-remembered/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Full article</strong></span></a> (<em>telegraph.co.uk</em>)</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.letsrun.com/news/2020/03/craig-virgin-recalls-his-epic-victory-at-the-world-cross-country-championships-40-years-later/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Craig Virgin recalls his epic victory at the World Cross Country Championships, 40 years later</a></span></h3>
<p><img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/4ec04244-c79a-4571-b658-89836f2bf709.jpg?cachebuster=0b59041c-c6f4-43ca-a7c1-cac9f7440c42" alt="Craig Virgin" width="600" height="400" /></p>
<p>The day before the 1980 World Cross Country Championships, Craig Virgin went to study the course at Paris&rsquo; Longchamp Racecourse. He noticed the venue&rsquo;s thick, energy-sapping grass, designed for thoroughbreds, not humans, and realised he would have to run on the worn section a few feet off the rail, where the grass was beaten down.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.letsrun.com/news/2020/03/craig-virgin-recalls-his-epic-victory-at-the-world-cross-country-championships-40-years-later/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Full article</strong></span></a> (<em>letsrun.com</em>)</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/51800436" target="_blank" rel="noopener">David Rudisha: Olympic 800m champion on personal struggles, and Tokyo comeback</a></span></h3>
<p><img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/0c7558f8-7651-469b-8bde-6399ceef5165.png?cachebuster=8c47f3e6-5aaf-4de6-9124-823f6d67893a" alt="David Rudisha" width="600" height="400" /></p>
<p>Snoozing in Nairobi airport's departure lounge in a navy blue suit, David Rudisha looks like just another businessman having a quick power nap.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/51800436" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Full article</strong></span></a> (<em>bbc.co.uk</em>)</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.podiumrunner.com/nutrition/ask-pete-do-carbo-loading-and-fat-loading-work/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Do carbo-loading and fat loading work?</a></span></h3>
<p><img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/3e2a22c0-1b5c-4f39-93ff-de3fc75091a8.jpg?cachebuster=77fc3458-e655-4c17-acbf-80a872e2f20e" alt="Pasta" width="600" height="400" /></p>
<p>Question: I hear runners always talking about carbo-loading before races, while others fat load. Does either work?</p>
<p><a href="https://www.podiumrunner.com/nutrition/ask-pete-do-carbo-loading-and-fat-loading-work/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Full article</strong></span></a> (<em>podiumrunner.com</em>)</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/athletics/2020/03/07/katarina-johnson-thompson-meets-mary-peters-want-have-47-year/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Katarina Johnson-Thompson meets Mary Peters: 'I want to have a 47-year celebration of Olympic gold, too'</a></span></h3>
<p><img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/3203d61f-c8bc-476b-bd3a-b6ed868660d2.jpg?cachebuster=d9e8d6ff-1cae-4d0d-a93b-3e2ae32411ed" alt="Mary Peters and Katarina Johnson-Thompson" width="600" height="400" /></p>
<p>Ahead of a big summer in Tokyo, the current heptathlon world champion takes inspiration from another successful British female combined-eventer</p>
<p><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/athletics/2020/03/07/katarina-johnson-thompson-meets-mary-peters-want-have-47-year/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Full article</strong></span></a> (<em>telegraph.co.uk</em>)</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

Start your weekend here, with a round-up of some of the best athletics, running and fitness-related stories from the past seven days.

Weekly curated athletics articles summary

Weekend reads: the best athletics stories from the past seven days

<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h4><img style="width: 90px; height: 90px; border-radius: 50%; margin-right: 20px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/8a1d4507-5605-49b2-9512-d91eb3b43460.png" alt="Kate Carter" align="left" />As International Women's Day approaches, a humble tribute to the women who faced barriers which are so easy to forget now.</h4>
<hr />
<h4 style="text-align: right;"><strong>Kate Carter</strong> <em>(<a href="https://twitter.com/katehelencarter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@katehelencarter</a>)</em></h4>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>I've run quite a few serious marathons, countless half marathons, 10ks and 5kms, and even once attempted the long jump (more of a short jump at 2.36m), shot put (a whopping 5.36m) and discus (14.90m) in a crazy 30 minutes while competing in a vets division when our team was short, and any effort counted. Indeed, some of my efforts have made me feel like a fraud, lined up alongside vastly faster and fitter runners. Yet I have never questioned whether I have the right to compete. That is one of the great strengths of modern track and field.</p>
<p>And yet it is only so shockingly, jarringly recent, that women could - were actually allowed to - run in endurance races. The World Major marathons weren't open to women - at any level - before the 1970s. Women were not able to run beyond 200m at the Olympics until 1960, and further than 1500m until 1984. Not till 1988 was there an Olympic female 10,000m champion.</p>
<p>I know these facts - and yet it&rsquo;s also almost surreal to me that these are Olympic Games I actually remember watching as a child. The history of women's athletics really isn't past tense: it's not written in dusty tomes on untouched library shelves. It was made by women who are still very much alive and kicking - in fact, sometimes even still setting running records.</p>
<p>With International Women's Day around the corner, it is high time that some of the great stories of female athletes were better known. It was only pretty recently, for instance, that I became aware of the Fanny Blankers-Koen. Born in 1918 in the Netherlands, she was so good at so many sports - tennis, swimming, gymnastics, ice skating, fencing and running - that she couldn't choose her favourite, and was persuaded to stick to running on the grounds that there were fewer Dutch women likely to qualify for the Olympics in that event.</p>
<p>Her talents were probably best suited to the 800m, but that was a non starter: introduced for women in the 1928 Olympics, false media reports (early fake news!) claimed that the female participants all collapsed in near-terminal exhaustion, and so it disappeared again at the Games for 32 years.</p>
<p>And so young Fanny was selected for the 1936 Olympics for the high jump and the 4x 100m relay. She took fifth place in the former, and fifth in the team final - and grabbed Jesse Owen's autograph into the bargain (it remained, apparently, her most treasured possession). Then followed marriage, children - and a World War. Any one of those would have been the end of most women's ambitions - female athletes who were married were rare enough, but those who were mothers too? Inconceivable. Yet Fanny kept training, set world record after world record, and in 1948 qualified for the first post-war Olympics.</p>
<p>By this time she had reached the ripe old age of 30 and the British athletics team manager was hardly alone in his considered opinion that she was "too old to make the grade". Rarely has anyone been proved so wrong quite so comprehensively: over the course of seven days Blankers-Koen won gold in the 100m, the 80m hurdles, the 200m and 4x100m. Before the Games, many felt she should be home looking after her kids. On her return, she was greeted as a national hero: thousands lined the streets. Her neighbours presented her with a new bicycle.</p>
<p>If that seems like ancient history - well, Koen only died in 2004. And then there are the heroines from my own country - women like Mary Peters, or Diane Leather. Peters - who, aged 80, still works to support young athletes - herself trained on a pothole-riddled track, taking two buses every day through Belfast&rsquo;s Troubles, carrying her sister&rsquo;s starting blocks to practice. She too was &ldquo;past it&rdquo; at the age of 33 in the Munich Olympics - but came home with the pentathlon gold medal, laying down a path which female multi-eventers in the UK have followed successfully. Leather, meanwhile, was the first woman to dip under five minutes for the mile - in the same year as, and overshadowed by, Roger Bannister&rsquo;s more famous sub-four.</p>
<p>Each of these women faced barriers which are so easy to forget now. It wasn't just about which races they were or weren&rsquo;t allowed to enter, but the hostility and whispers of disapproval that most of us are lucky enough not to encounter: the constant voices of criticism, disapproval, the loneliness of being the only woman at the track, or in the team.</p>
<p>Recently I read about marathoner Joan Benoit&rsquo;s early days of training as a high school athlete in the USA. She grew up in a pretty affluent, liberal part of the United States, yet it was considered so odd and unusual that a girl would go for a run that she trained almost in secret, in a park, rather than risk &lsquo;standing out&rsquo; on the road. Only when she met a female rower who was running in the open did she brave public scrutiny.</p>
<p>It made me realise how lucky we are now, as women, to have so many role models. Whatever your niche, in almost all sports, there is now someone we can look up to. But for the role models themselves? On the paths they chose, not that long ago, they had no guidance, no path to follow. In many ways it makes their achievements - alongside others like Bobbi Gibb or Katherine Switzer - even more extraordinary. Kids should learn these stories at school, and the names of these pioneers should be as well-known to us as their male counterparts so frequently are.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

As International Women's Day approaches, a humble tribute to the women who faced barriers which are so easy to forget now.


 As International Women's Day approaches, a humble tribute to the women who faced barriers which are so easy to forget now.Kate Carter(@katehelencarter)
 
I've run quite a few serious marathons, countless half marathons, 10ks and 5kms, and even once attempted the long jump (more of a short jump at 2.36m), shot put (a whopping 5.36m) and discus (14.90m) in a crazy 30 minutes while competing in a vets division when our team was short, and any effort counted. Indeed, some of my efforts have made me feel like a fraud, lined up alongside vastly faster and fitter runners. Yet I have never questioned whether I have the right to compete. That is one of the great strengths of modern track and field.
And yet it is only so shockingly, jarringly recent, that women could - were actually allowed to - run in endurance races. The World Major marathons weren't open to women - at any level - before the 1970s. Women were not able to run beyond 200m at the Olympics until 1960, and further than 1500m until 1984. Not till 1988 was there an Olympic female 10,000m champion.
I know these facts - and yet it’s also almost surreal to me that these are Olympic Games I actually remember watching as a child. The history of women's athletics really isn't past tense: it's not written in dusty tomes on untouched library shelves. It was made by women who are still very much alive and kicking - in fact, sometimes even still setting running records.
With International Women's Day around the corner, it is high time that some of the great stories of female athletes were better known. It was only pretty recently, for instance, that I became aware of the Fanny Blankers-Koen. Born in 1918 in the Netherlands, she was so good at so many sports - tennis, swimming, gymnastics, ice skating, fencing and running - that she couldn't choose her favourite, and was persuaded to stick to running on the grounds that there were fewer Dutch women likely to qualify for the Olympics in that event.
Her talents were probably best suited to the 800m, but that was a non starter: introduced for women in the 1928 Olympics, false media reports (early fake news!) claimed that the female participants all collapsed in near-terminal exhaustion, and so it disappeared again at the Games for 32 years.
And so young Fanny was selected for the 1936 Olympics for the high jump and the 4x 100m relay. She took fifth place in the former, and fifth in the team final - and grabbed Jesse Owen's autograph into the bargain (it remained, apparently, her most treasured possession). Then followed marriage, children - and a World War. Any one of those would have been the end of most women's ambitions - female athletes who were married were rare enough, but those who were mothers too? Inconceivable. Yet Fanny kept training, set world record after world record, and in 1948 qualified for the first post-war Olympics.
By this time she had reached the ripe old age of 30 and the British athletics team manager was hardly alone in his considered opinion that she was "too old to make the grade". Rarely has anyone been proved so wrong quite so comprehensively: over the course of seven days Blankers-Koen won gold in the 100m, the 80m hurdles, the 200m and 4x100m. Before the Games, many felt she should be home looking after her kids. On her return, she was greeted as a national hero: thousands lined the streets. Her neighbours presented her with a new bicycle.
If that seems like ancient history - well, Koen only died in 2004. And then there are the heroines from my own country - women like Mary Peters, or Diane Leather. Peters - who, aged 80, still works to support young athletes - herself trained on a pothole-riddled track, taking two buses every day through Belfast’s Troubles, carrying her sister’s starting blocks to practice. She too was “past it” at the age of 33 in the Munich Olympics - but came home with the pentathlon gold medal, laying down a path which female multi-eventers in the UK have followed successfully. Leather, meanwhile, was the first woman to dip under five minutes for the mile - in the same year as, and overshadowed by, Roger Bannister’s more famous sub-four.
Each of these women faced barriers which are so easy to forget now. It wasn't just about which races they were or weren’t allowed to enter, but the hostility and whispers of disapproval that most of us are lucky enough not to encounter: the constant voices of criticism, disapproval, the loneliness of being the only woman at the track, or in the team.
Recently I read about marathoner Joan Benoit’s early days of training as a high school athlete in the USA. She grew up in a pretty affluent, liberal part of the United States, yet it was considered so odd and unusual that a girl would go for a run that she trained almost in secret, in a park, rather than risk ‘standing out’ on the road. Only when she met a female rower who was running in the open did she brave public scrutiny.
It made me realise how lucky we are now, as women, to have so many role models. Whatever your niche, in almost all sports, there is now someone we can look up to. But for the role models themselves? On the paths they chose, not that long ago, they had no guidance, no path to follow. In many ways it makes their achievements - alongside others like Bobbi Gibb or Katherine Switzer - even more extraordinary. Kids should learn these stories at school, and the names of these pioneers should be as well-known to us as their male counterparts so frequently are.
 

remembering women athletics pioneers

The Athletic Life: the importance of remembering our pioneers

<p><br />We caught up with US marathon runner Sara Hall and asked her to share her training playlist with the world.</p>
<p><br />&ldquo;I listen to music for about half of my hard workouts,&rdquo; says Hall. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m addicted to this one album by Lindsey Stirling, her 2012 album. She has an electric violin and that kind of music really puts me in a flow state. All her stuff is good.</p>
<p>&ldquo;My favourite kind of music is techno or electronic. During easy runs I like to listen to worship music. It helps me enter more of a worship state when I&rsquo;m out there running.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Before races I like to listen to the same stuff I do in training. It puts me in that mode of: &lsquo;It&rsquo;s go time. Do what you do all the time&rsquo;.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The Lindsey Stirling album below is upbeat but it&rsquo;s not crazy metal, it&rsquo;s like flow-state music.&rdquo;</p>
<h3>Sara Hall&rsquo;s marathon training playlist</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/1sFA2y6cjOeC3LiCnajNgG" width="500" height="380" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>

Tracks that US distance runner Sara Hall trains to.


We caught up with US marathon runner Sara Hall and asked her to share her training playlist with the world.
“I listen to music for about half of my hard workouts,” says Hall. “I’m addicted to this one album by Lindsey Stirling, her 2012 album. She has an electric violin and that kind of music really puts me in a flow state. All her stuff is good.
“My favourite kind of music is techno or electronic. During easy runs I like to listen to worship music. It helps me enter more of a worship state when I’m out there running.
“Before races I like to listen to the same stuff I do in training. It puts me in that mode of: ‘It’s go time. Do what you do all the time’.
“The Lindsey Stirling album below is upbeat but it’s not crazy metal, it’s like flow-state music.”Sara Hall’s marathon training playlist


Sara Hall USA marathon music running playlist

The marathon training playlist - Sara Hall

<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h4><img style="width: 90px; height: 90px; border-radius: 50%; margin-right: 20px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/8a1d4507-5605-49b2-9512-d91eb3b43460.png" alt="Kate Carter" align="left" />If you are a runner and your relationship with running is going through a rocky patch, make up with it. We all know relationships take work.</h4>
<hr />
<h4 style="text-align: right;"><strong>Kate Carter</strong> <em>(<a href="https://twitter.com/katehelencarter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@katehelencarter</a>)</em></h4>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>My relationship with running started as an arranged marriage. I&rsquo;d tried to start something with it once or twice before - though no one would ever in a million years have used the words &lsquo;speed dating&rsquo; to describe the process. We&rsquo;d really never hit it off - the whole thing seemed far too much like hard work to me. I never got over that steep learning curve where every step seems like a leap.</p>
<p>But then I had kids, and an extremely limited time window combined with a desire to get fitter meant that running and I pretty much had to get acquainted: nothing else fit. Our first date was accompanied by a chaperone in the form of the Couch to 5k lady, and never have the words &ldquo;stop and walk&rdquo; sounded so sweet. I think I made it to the end of the block on the first &lsquo;run&rsquo;. And I do not live on a long block.</p>
<p>So it definitely wasn&rsquo;t love at first sight - more like shin splints in the first kilometre - but we did move quickly (the relationship - not my speed). It helped that one of my best friends was also in the early stages of a running romance, so we compared notes, complaints and even double dated on occasion. Then we both entered a 10k, which went well enough that I entered a half marathon. From then on, the relationship entered &lsquo;serious&rsquo; territory. And here I am 13 marathons later - and yes, I still remember our anniversary.</p>
<p>One of the best things about running is its simplicity - it may have that steep learning curve (even with rose-tinted spectacles, I can vividly remember how impossible it seemed to run five minutes without stopping, and how much I ached the day after my first race) but once you are over that bump, it settles into an easy routine. Do you have trainers and some gear? You are good to go. But, like all relationships (disclaimer: this analogy will be stretched further than 26.2 miles, go with it) you start taking it for granted. You might have your first big argument - in my case a torn calf muscle training for my first marathon back in 2013. You might just get disenchanted with it, and take up with someone, or something, else. Entering triathlons often seems to be the equivalent of the seven year itch amongst my friends.</p>
<p>In the early years of running, personal bests come thick and fast. Merely adding a few miles a week or an extra run results in huge gains. But, alas, at some point it becomes a law of diminishing returns - you might still get PBs but they require more and more work, for fewer and fewer of those precious seconds. And somewhere in amongst all this hard work, it is very easy to forget that this relationship is supposed to be fun. Sure, training hard can hurt the legs and the lungs, and not all runs are equal, but if you can&rsquo;t enjoy the easy ones, then really, what&rsquo;s the point?</p>
<p>Last year, just before Christmas, I was vividly reminded of this when I tore a calf muscle again. I spent the festive season grumpily watching other people going for runs (and when you can&rsquo;t run, EVERYONE else seems to be) and glaring at innocently jogging passers-by. My favourite run of the year is on Christmas Day - the streets are virtually empty, everyone says hello, wearing a bit of tinsel is entirely acceptable. Instead I went for a brisk walk. It was in no way whatsoever an acceptable substitute. I even had a small affair with a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_interval_training"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>HIIT</strong></span></a> class - the only thing I found that could replicate the feeling you get after a really hard run - though I did feel a bit guilty.</p>
<p>I missed the structure that running gave my day. I missed the way I feel afterwards - tired, sure, even achy, but more full of energy and clearer-headed than before. I missed how certain foods just taste better after a run. I missed the social side of runs with my club and the anti-social side of an hour entirely by myself. At some point I realised that - competitive as I may be, if I couldn&rsquo;t enter another race and had no hope of ever getting another PB, I&rsquo;d still desperately want to run. I like a bit of tech around running - everything goes on Strava, I keep a track of mileage - but if all that disappeared overnight it wouldn&rsquo;t matter. What I love is the actual sensation of running - moving fast (or faster, anyway) over familiar routes, getting into a flow, letting the mind wonder where it will.</p>
<p>So if you are a runner (and if you run, at all, you are a runner) and your relationship is going through a rocky patch, then take it from me - make up with it. We all know relationships take work - so change things up. Find a new route, a new running buddy, a new club or even a new pair of running shoes. Change the playlist, run at a different time of day - or enter a race.</p>

My relationship with running started as an arranged marriage. I’d tried to start something with it once or twice before - though no one would ever in a million years have used the words ‘speed dating’ to describe the process.

Nurturing your love for running

The Athletic Life: nurturing your love for running

<p><br />It may be a niche genre, but athletics movies tend to perform pretty well during awards season.</p>
<p>No such films have made it among the nominees at this year&rsquo;s Academy Awards, but here are some of the most successful athletics-related flicks of all time.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Chariots of Fire</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/odtqtlhsv4E" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>Not just the best athletics movie ever made, but one of the greatest films, period. This 1981 film tells the story of two British athletes at the 1924 Olympics: Eric Liddell, a devout Scottish Christian, and Harold Abrahams, an English Jew.</p>
<p><strong>Awards:</strong> it cleaned up at the 54th Academy Awards, winning the gongs for best picture, best original screenplay, best costume design and best original score. It also scooped awards at the Grammys, Golden Globes, Baftas and Cannes Film Festival.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Forrest Gump</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bLvqoHBptjg" width="500" height="240" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>Although not strictly a film solely about athletics, running is a key theme in this 1994 film. The eponymous character, played by Tom Hanks, is a slow-witted but kind-hearted man who witnesses and unwittingly influences several defining historical events in the 20th century United States. A talented runner, Forrest embarks on a relentless three-year run across the USA which attracts the attention of the national press. In one memorable scene, Forrest is swarmed by a pack of journalists who all ask him why he is doing it. He replies: &ldquo;I just felt like running&rdquo;.</p>
<p><strong>Awards:</strong> it dominated the 67th Academy Awards, picking up six Oscars, including best picture. It also won three Golden Globes, a Bafta, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Children of Heaven</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1XkC9it8OPs" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This 1997 Iranian family drama focuses on a brother and sister and their adventures over a lost pair of shoes. After Ali loses his Zahra&rsquo;s pair of shoes, he goes on a series of adventures in order to find them. When he can't, he tries a new way to &lsquo;win&rsquo; a new pair: a local 4km race.</p>
<p><strong>Awards:</strong> the film won four accolades at the 1997 Montreal World Film Festival, as well as numerous other awards at various other international ceremonies. It was also nominated for best foreign language film at the 1999 Academy Awards.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Marathon Man</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/swMqaf9TiTA" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This 1976 suspense thriller stars Dustin Hoffmann as grad student and running obsessive Thomas 'Babe' Levy, who is pursued by Nazi war criminal Dr Christian Szell over a briefcase of missing diamonds. A particularly sadistic dentistry scene provides one of the more memorable moments of the film, which neatly draws upon Levy&rsquo;s memories of the heroic feats of two-time Olympic marathon champion Abeba Bikila to help him escape from the bad guys.</p>
<p><strong>Awards:</strong> Laurence Olivier won the best actor in a supporting role award at the 1977 Golden Globes. Olivier was also nominated in the same category at the Academy Awards that same year.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Icarus</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qXoRdSTrR-4" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This 2017 US documentary originally set out to be an exploration of doping in amateur cycling, but filmmaker Bryan Fogel happened upon a major international doping scandal after meeting with Grigory Rodchenkov, the former head of the Russian anti-doping laboratory.</p>
<p><strong>Awards:</strong> the film won best documentary feature at the 90th Academy Awards. It also won the 2017 Critics Choice Documentary Award as well as the award for best documentary at the Sundance Film Festival.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Bhaag Milkha Bhaag</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0nR9JS2WsNg" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This 2013 Indian biographical sports drama, which translates to &lsquo;Run Milkha Run&rsquo;, is based on the life of legendary Indian athlete Milkha Singh. Known as &lsquo;The Flying Sikh&rsquo;, the sprinter was the first Indian athlete to win an individual athletics gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, taking the 440 yards title in 1958. He became a national sporting icon after finishing fourth in the 400m at the 1960 Olympic Games, which is where the film starts.</p>
<p><strong>Awards:</strong> the film won dozens of domestic honours, including National Film Awards, IIFA Awards, Star Guild Awards and Screen Awards.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/79IUKC9gS-8" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>In its first 25 years, only 10 people have finished The Barkley Marathons. Based on a historic prison escape, this cult-like race tempts people from around the world to test their limits of physical and mental endurance in this documentary that contemplates the value of pain.</p>
<p><strong>Awards:</strong> the film scooped prizes for best documentary at the 2014 Austin Film Festival and the 2015 Kansas City FilmFest.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Unbroken</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XrjJbl7kRrI" width="500" height="240" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>Produced and directed by Angelina Jolie, this 2014 US war film is based on the 2010 non-fiction book by Laura Hillenbrand. It tells the tale of army officer Louis Zamperini, who survived in a raft for 47 days after his bomber crash-landed in the ocean during the Second World War, before being captured by the Japanese and being sent to a series of prisoner of war camps.</p>
<p><strong>Awards:</strong> the film scooped a Screen Actors Guild Award along with numerous other honours from various international ceremonies.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>The Terry Fox Story</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GlfoLDX1Sns" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>The true story about Terry Fox, the cancer amputee hero who decided to run across Canada on only one leg to raise money for cancer research.</p>
<p><strong>Awards:</strong> the film bagged six gongs at the 1984 Genie Awards and two honours at the 1983 CableACE Awards.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Saint Ralph</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Rj-DDQQ0Vp8" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This 2004 film is the unlikely story of Ralph Walker, a ninth grader who outran everyone's expectations except his own in his bold quest of trying to win the 1954 Boston Marathon.</p>
<p><strong>Awards:</strong> it picked up two awards from the Directors Guild of Canada in 2005 along with a few other international honours.</p>

It may be a niche genre, but athletics movies tend to perform pretty well during awards season.


It may be a niche genre, but athletics movies tend to perform pretty well during awards season.
No such films have made it among the nominees at this year’s Academy Awards, but here are some of the most successful athletics-related flicks of all time.
 Chariots of Fire

Not just the best athletics movie ever made, but one of the greatest films, period. This 1981 film tells the story of two British athletes at the 1924 Olympics: Eric Liddell, a devout Scottish Christian, and Harold Abrahams, an English Jew.
Awards: it cleaned up at the 54th Academy Awards, winning the gongs for best picture, best original screenplay, best costume design and best original score. It also scooped awards at the Grammys, Golden Globes, Baftas and Cannes Film Festival.
 Forrest Gump

Although not strictly a film solely about athletics, running is a key theme in this 1994 film. The eponymous character, played by Tom Hanks, is a slow-witted but kind-hearted man who witnesses and unwittingly influences several defining historical events in the 20th century United States. A talented runner, Forrest embarks on a relentless three-year run across the USA which attracts the attention of the national press. In one memorable scene, Forrest is swarmed by a pack of journalists who all ask him why he is doing it. He replies: “I just felt like running”.
Awards: it dominated the 67th Academy Awards, picking up six Oscars, including best picture. It also won three Golden Globes, a Bafta, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
 Children of Heaven

This 1997 Iranian family drama focuses on a brother and sister and their adventures over a lost pair of shoes. After Ali loses his Zahra’s pair of shoes, he goes on a series of adventures in order to find them. When he can't, he tries a new way to ‘win’ a new pair: a local 4km race.
Awards: the film won four accolades at the 1997 Montreal World Film Festival, as well as numerous other awards at various other international ceremonies. It was also nominated for best foreign language film at the 1999 Academy Awards.
 Marathon Man

This 1976 suspense thriller stars Dustin Hoffmann as grad student and running obsessive Thomas 'Babe' Levy, who is pursued by Nazi war criminal Dr Christian Szell over a briefcase of missing diamonds. A particularly sadistic dentistry scene provides one of the more memorable moments of the film, which neatly draws upon Levy’s memories of the heroic feats of two-time Olympic marathon champion Abeba Bikila to help him escape from the bad guys.
Awards: Laurence Olivier won the best actor in a supporting role award at the 1977 Golden Globes. Olivier was also nominated in the same category at the Academy Awards that same year.
 Icarus

This 2017 US documentary originally set out to be an exploration of doping in amateur cycling, but filmmaker Bryan Fogel happened upon a major international doping scandal after meeting with Grigory Rodchenkov, the former head of the Russian anti-doping laboratory.
Awards: the film won best documentary feature at the 90th Academy Awards. It also won the 2017 Critics Choice Documentary Award as well as the award for best documentary at the Sundance Film Festival.
 Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

This 2013 Indian biographical sports drama, which translates to ‘Run Milkha Run’, is based on the life of legendary Indian athlete Milkha Singh. Known as ‘The Flying Sikh’, the sprinter was the first Indian athlete to win an individual athletics gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, taking the 440 yards title in 1958. He became a national sporting icon after finishing fourth in the 400m at the 1960 Olympic Games, which is where the film starts.
Awards: the film won dozens of domestic honours, including National Film Awards, IIFA Awards, Star Guild Awards and Screen Awards.
 The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young

In its first 25 years, only 10 people have finished The Barkley Marathons. Based on a historic prison escape, this cult-like race tempts people from around the world to test their limits of physical and mental endurance in this documentary that contemplates the value of pain.
Awards: the film scooped prizes for best documentary at the 2014 Austin Film Festival and the 2015 Kansas City FilmFest.
 Unbroken

Produced and directed by Angelina Jolie, this 2014 US war film is based on the 2010 non-fiction book by Laura Hillenbrand. It tells the tale of army officer Louis Zamperini, who survived in a raft for 47 days after his bomber crash-landed in the ocean during the Second World War, before being captured by the Japanese and being sent to a series of prisoner of war camps.
Awards: the film scooped a Screen Actors Guild Award along with numerous other honours from various international ceremonies.
 The Terry Fox Story

The true story about Terry Fox, the cancer amputee hero who decided to run across Canada on only one leg to raise money for cancer research.
Awards: the film bagged six gongs at the 1984 Genie Awards and two honours at the 1983 CableACE Awards.
 Saint Ralph

This 2004 film is the unlikely story of Ralph Walker, a ninth grader who outran everyone's expectations except his own in his bold quest of trying to win the 1954 Boston Marathon.
Awards: it picked up two awards from the Directors Guild of Canada in 2005 along with a few other international honours.

Track field movies awards

Ten of the most successful athletics movies of all time

<p><br />The 24th edition of the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships will take place on 29 March in Gdynia, a city of 246,000 residents on Poland&rsquo;s Baltic coast.</p>
<p>Once again, runners of all abilities will be able to join the elites and take part in a mass participation half marathon, which will set off in waves just minutes after the elites. With 25,000 runners having already signed up and with multiple youth runs and relays for children taking place the day before, the weekend should be a true festival of fitness.</p>
<p>Gdynia is city of music, film and theatre that is replete with various clubs, cafes and restaurants, but on the last weekend of March it will be all about sport as the world&rsquo;s top half marathoners take to the streets. Whether you&rsquo;re thinking of travelling to take part or simply to witness the world&rsquo;s best in action, it&rsquo;s a trip well worth making. Here are some of the key things you need to know.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>How to get there</h3>
<p>Gdynia is located 20km to the north of Gdansk&rsquo;s Lech Walesa airport, which is by far the best option for international travellers, with the local train service taking just 30 minutes from the airport to reach the centre of Gdynia. If flying to Warsaw, you can take a three-hour train to Gdynia.</p>
<h3><br />The race</h3>
<p>The half marathon will begin in the centre of the city, on Skwer Kosciuszki, then head northwest before making an about turn on Janka Wisniewskiego. After 9km it will pass nearby the start point again &ndash; a great place for spectators to follow the race &ndash; and then head south to loop around the impressive Gdynia Arena and Stadion Miejski w Gdyni. After 18km it again passes within a couple of blocks of the start before heading east. The final kilometre will be run alongside the shore on Bulwar Nadmorski before finishing at the beach, just 500 metres from the start.</p>
<p>The elite women will set off at midday, with the elite men to follow at 12:45pm and the mass race waves from 12:50pm.<br /><br /></p>
<div id="5cc8bc2db72e130cccef05d9" class="dropMedia">
<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/c0139bcb-6abd-4267-b554-aa66a062badd.jpg');">&nbsp;</div>
The Gdynia Half Marathon</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><br />Where to stay</h3>
<p>Given its compact size, you can&rsquo;t go too far wrong once you&rsquo;re in central Gdynia, with Kamienna Gora or Srodmiesce ideal areas given the proximity to the half marathon start/finish. With the massive influx of visitors on the weekend of the championships it&rsquo;s no surprise many of the hotels are already sold out, but there&rsquo;s still a variety of options available in central locations for 350-450 PLN per double room (&euro;80-&euro;105/$90-$115).</p>
<h3><br />What to see</h3>
<p>Gdynia is one of the youngest cities in Poland, but the so-called nautical capital has a lot going for it. While it is most popular in the summer, a leisurely stroll along the seafront promenade or on the main beach is a great way to spend an hour at any time of year. For a brilliant view of the city take the train or walk to the top of Kamienna Gora (stone mountain) where you&rsquo;ll see a huge cross, well-kept gardens and enjoy a stunning view, particularly at sunrise or sunset. If that sounds like too much work, then relax at the Gdynia Film Centre, a three-screen cinema studio at the foot of Kamienna Gora with an art gallery, bookshop and cafe on site. Kids and adults will both enjoy the Gdynia Aquarium, while it&rsquo;s also worth checking out Kosciuszki Square, a thriving hub of activity in the evenings. History buffs should take in The Marine Station, built in 1933, which is one of Gdynia&rsquo;s most significant historical buildings and houses the Emigration Museum.<br /><br /></p>
<div id="5e28b9ccac9edf0a9c64065b" class="dropMedia">
<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/7179c103-4870-4f72-a803-b4b8326d3407.jpg');">&nbsp;</div>
A tourist in Gdynia</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><br />What to eat</h3>
<p>There is no shortage of tourist hotspots in the centre of Gdynia where English menus are usually available, but for a more genuine Polish experience it&rsquo;s worth venturing where the locals do. The Green Way Wegetarianski Bar Mleczny is hugely popular for all kinds of vegetarian food and offers great curries and cheap breakfasts for as little as 4 PLN (&euro;1/$1). Another popular venue with locals is Cyganeria Kawiarnia, which is in the centre of the city and has been open since 1946. It has a traditional interior that made it popular with writers, poets and musicians over the years, and offers local specialities like a variety of fish dishes or pork knuckle. No trip to Poland would be complete without trying pierogi (Polish dumplings) and one restaurant renowned for them is Bar Mleczny Sloneczny, where you can also try nalesniki (Polish pancakes) or various types of zupa (soup). A great place to restock before or after the race is the Hala Targowa, a popular market where you can buy all sorts of food and drink, along with gifts for those at home.</p>
<h3><br />Where to get your caffeine fix</h3>
<p>Runners love coffee, providing as it does that essential pick-me-up before a big effort, and Gdynia has a variety of great places to get your fix. For a quirky coffee experience check out Bialy Kot Kocia Kawiarnia (The White Cat Cafe) where the coffee is great, the prices are low and you can hang out with a variety of, well, cats. If you&rsquo;re near the beach, check out Contrast Cafe, so-called because it serves coffee, cake and light meals during the day but turns into a beachside bar every night. Post-race, reward yourself with an ice cream (and some more coffee) at Cafe Klaps, which is one of the trendiest spots in town with a cinema-themed interior.<br /><br /></p>
<div id="5e28ba60ac9edf0a9c64065d" class="dropMedia">
<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/59d30541-2a1c-4300-98b4-87a7360da404.jpg');">&nbsp;</div>
Gdynia Pier</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><br />Where to run</h3>
<p>There&rsquo;s a good chance that if you&rsquo;re travelling to Gdynia to run the half marathon, you won&rsquo;t be logging a whole heap of miles in the days before, but either way the city has some great spots to get a few runs in. For a picturesque 8km run around Gdynia, start at the wooden pier in Orlowo and run to the Kepa Redlowska nature reserve, a route that takes you near the Orlowo cliffs with stunning views of Gdansk bay and the beautiful beach of Gdynia. The journey back down from the cliffs will take you past the Polanka Redlowska glade, which leads you back to the seaside boulevard.</p>
<h3><br />Where to raise a toast</h3>
<p>There are few better ways to celebrate a race than by raising a glass with fellow runners, and Gdynia has plenty of thriving nightlife spots at which to share stories. Most of the nightlife is concentrated around the seaside area at Al. Jana Pawla and Skwer Kosciuszki. A popular backstreet bar with multiple taps and a hipster vibe is Morze Piwa, while AleBrowar is a start-up brewery with 13 different taps. The Docker&rsquo;s Inn is a British-style pub with a variety of draft beers, while Donegal is a popular Irish pub with live music and a selection of well-known international beers along with some local craft beers. For a quieter option, try Srodmiescie where the menu offers a variety of burgers and a well-stocked bar with multiple craft beers. Cheers! Or as they say in Poland, Na Zdrowie!</p>

The 24th edition of the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships will take place on 29 March in Gdynia, a city of 246,000 residents on Poland’s Baltic coast. 

Gdynia World Half Poland athletics tourism

City guide - Gdynia

<p><br />When Jimmy Watkins started running again, he didn&rsquo;t have much of a plan.</p>
<p>No training schedule, no set distance or pace in mind. He was just going to run.</p>
<p>One thing he did know, though: &ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t going to wear lycra for my first run.&rdquo;</p>
<p>He elaborates: &ldquo;Imagine if a chicken dies and gets reincarnated as a peacock. It wouldn&rsquo;t turn up outside Cardiff Castle on its first day back showing off all his feathers. He&rsquo;d still act like a chicken for a little bit.&rdquo;</p>
<p>So Watkins simply wore something comfortable. &ldquo;I dressed up like I was going for a walk, just in case I had to start walking,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I also took money with me, just in case I needed to buy something if I stopped.&rdquo;</p>
<p>His attire and fitness were a far cry from his past life as an international middle-distance runner. Back in 2006 Watkins reached the 800m final at the World Indoor Championships in Moscow, having clocked a PB and Welsh indoor record of 1:47.23 in the semifinals.</p>
<p>Up against a quality field that included defending champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, 2004 Olympic champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy and 2008 Olympic champion Wilfred Bungei, Watkins led up until half way and eventually finished sixth.<br /><br /></p>
<div id="5e1d23caea9efe1360637370" class="dropMedia">
<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/e010051e-3da0-474a-9def-d315ce41046f.jpg');">&nbsp;</div>
Jimmy Watkins leads the 800m final at the 2006 World Indoor Championships in Moscow</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>But despite that promising breakthrough, Watkins walked away from the sport just 18 months later.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I fell out of love with it,&rdquo; says Watkins. &ldquo;I used to play rugby, but it had a lot of rules and I was always being told off. I enjoyed running, so I thought if I just ran then I'd be free to do what I want. But I got to a level with running where I suddenly found there were loads of rules in athletics too.</p>
<p>&ldquo;My decision to stop was pretty clear-cut for me,&rdquo; he adds. &ldquo;A lot of it came from not being selected for the Commonwealth Games which, as a Welshman, is a big deal. But there was also this moment when I was warming up for a race in Nijmegen. Next to the track was a little wooded area. I was running through there and it just reminded me so much of running in Wales as a kid. I did not want to stop doing that and go and race on the track. I was just so happy running through those woods.</p>
<p>&ldquo;It used to be that I couldn't wait to get on a track; that was where I wanted to be,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;But this was the first time that I felt the opposite and it was the moment I realised I no longer enjoyed running on a track.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I think I was always chasing this freedom. I just always felt better if I was left alone, doing what I want to do. That's when I decided that it's going to have to be rock and roll.&rdquo;<br /><br /></p>
<div id="5e1d242bea9efe1360637372" class="dropMedia">
<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/0fd75294-57c8-4b35-aa00-be7dbf0d49ce.jpg');">&nbsp;</div>
Jimmy Watkins in action at the 2006 British Indoor Championships</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>After his last full season in 2007, Watkins pursued a career in music and went on to have considerable success as the frontman of rock band Future of The Left and, more recently, with The Vega Bodegas.</p>
<p>But as much as Watkins enjoyed the freedom outside sport, the rock n&rsquo; roll lifestyle took its toll and became increasingly more difficult to balance with work life and family duties.</p>
<p>Then in October 2018, Watkins was given a surprise gift from his wife for his 36th birthday.</p>
<p>&ldquo;She bought me a frame with two pictures of the World Indoor Championships final in Moscow,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I uploaded a photo of the gift on Facebook and someone posted a comment with a link to the video of that race. I'd never seen it before, but when I watched it I suddenly realised that I hadn't just got fat and lazy, I'd actually lost a version of myself.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I kept looking at that guy in the photo and he looked so happy, so after a few weeks I decided I was going to start running again. I wanted to get back to being that guy &ndash; that was a bigger motivation to get back running, more so than just to lose a bit of weight.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I didn't start running straight away,&rdquo; he hastens to add. &ldquo;I wanted to have one last Christmas with the fat guy. I wanted to give him a proper send off.&rdquo;</p>
<p>After enjoying that festive period &ndash; his last one before returning to running &ndash; there was one final wake-up call.</p>
<p>&ldquo;On New Year's Eve in 2018, my favourite shirt exploded on my body,&rdquo; he recalls. &ldquo;I'd put so much weight on, a button popped off my shirt as I sat down in a bar. That button was a turning point for me.&rdquo;</p>
<p>More determined than ever, he went for a run on 1 January 2019 around his hometown of Llanelli, covering 5km in 22 minutes. The next day he did another 5km run, this one just outside 20 minutes. By the end of the week, he had done four runs and logged 27 kilometres.</p>
<p>Instead of a training plan, he started with a blank diary and simply wrote the word &lsquo;run&rsquo; on selected days. &ldquo;I'd look four weeks ahead in the diary and see the word 'run' and I could put myself in my body in four weeks' time, and then think about how good I'd feel once I'd done four weeks of running.&rdquo;<br /><br /></p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B52rWbpA9CL/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12">
<div style="padding: 16px;">
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;">&nbsp;</div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;">&nbsp;</div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;">&nbsp;</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 19% 0;">&nbsp;</div>
<div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;">&nbsp;</div>
<div style="padding-top: 8px;">
<div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 12.5% 0;">&nbsp;</div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;">
<div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);">&nbsp;</div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;">&nbsp;</div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);">&nbsp;</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 8px;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;">&nbsp;</div>
<div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);">&nbsp;</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: auto;">
<div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);">&nbsp;</div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);">&nbsp;</div>
<div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);">&nbsp;</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;">&nbsp;</div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;">&nbsp;</div>
</div>
<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B52rWbpA9CL/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Jimmy Watkins (@nutbushjimmylimits)</a> on <time style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;" datetime="2019-12-09T14:03:30+00:00">Dec 9, 2019 at 6:03am PST</time></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>
<script src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js" async=""></script>
</p>
<p><br />Most of Watkins&rsquo; early runs were near to maximum effort, but a friend recommended the book &lsquo;80/20 Running&rsquo; by Matt Fitzgerald which recommends that 80% of training runs should be slow and 20% hard.</p>
<p>&ldquo;It made complete sense,&rdquo; says Watkins. &ldquo;I found that when I wanted to do the harder sessions, I could run so much faster. It sounds weird, but my biggest improvements came when I ran slower.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Some people on Strava seem embarrassed to post slow times, but I always like going against the grain. To me it became a challenge to post my slowest run possible, then two days later I&rsquo;d go out and run as fast as I can, just to blow people&rsquo;s minds.&rdquo;</p>
<h3>Megabus to the Ritz</h3>
<p>Since returning to running, Watkins posts regular updates on social media as a way of charting his progress and inspiring other runners. He also recently launched a podcast entitled &lsquo;<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://anchor.fm/jimmy-watkins/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Megabus To The Ritz</a></strong></span>&rsquo;.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Imagine this Megabus (a low-budget UK bus operator) on the motorway coughing exhaust fumes everywhere,&rdquo; he says, explaining the name of his podcast. &ldquo;It's slightly bloated, it's full of people eating crisps, it stinks of feet. That was me over a year ago. The Ritz is the end goal. It's somewhere everybody wants to go.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Watkins is still on that journey, but he is getting closer and closer to his destination with each month. He is now down to 17:13 for 5km, 34:37 for 10km and 1:22:56 for the half marathon.<br /><br /></p>
<div id="5e1d22e2ea9efe136063736e" class="dropMedia">
<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/99b1d926-6e30-47fc-a3af-38dc5cb1d3fa.jpg');">&nbsp;</div>
Jimmy Watkins at the Ammanford 10K</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>After hearing of his comeback, two film makers from London met up with Watkins with a view to making a documentary about him. Their premise for the film was for Watkins to return to racing the 800m.</p>
<p>&ldquo;At first I thought there's no way I'm getting back on a track,&rdquo; says Watkins. &ldquo;Up until then it was honestly something I hadn't thought about, but I spoke to my old coach (Arwyn Davies) and he said, 'yeah, you can do it &ndash; come down and do a session'.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I did a session and I enjoyed it. I saw a load of people I hadn't seen in years and they were all really excited that I was on the track again. So I thought what the hell, let's do a 600m and see what happens and then take it from there.&rdquo;</p>
<p>In his first track race for more than a decade, Watkins clocked a respectable 1:30.47 for 600m.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I thought I could just jog through 400m in 60 seconds and then maintain that, but once I race started, I suddenly realised that 60 seconds is fast.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Although I've been kind of forced into doing it, I fell in love with the track again as soon as I started running on it.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Watkins has now set himself the challenge of running a sub-two-minute 800m by the end of the year.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I've never run outside two minutes for an 800m so it would be really cool to have that long break from running and still run inside two minutes,&rdquo; he says.</p>
<p>&ldquo;A sub-two would be the biggest prawn cocktail ever at the Ritz. I would also love a 32-minute 10km. And a 15-minute 5km. Those are my three dishes at the Ritz.&rdquo;</p>
<hr />
<h4 style="color: #cc0000;"><strong>Watch:</strong> Jimmy Watkins' five tricks to stay motivated</h4>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dwr4_BnNYZY" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<hr />
<h3><br />The difficult second album</h3>
<p>As a musician, Watkins knows all too well that it&rsquo;s never easy when trying to follow up a successful first album with a second offering.</p>
<p>But, as a runner, he also knows how to find happiness and satisfaction in what he does.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I would be totally happy simply using running as a way of keeping fit and motivating others,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;But if I get a bit miserable when training isn't going well and then overcome it by running a fast time, that would make me even happier. So I'm motivated by misery and happiness.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Whether he achieves the running goals he has set himself for 2020, Watkins has already benefitted from getting back into running.</p>
<p>&ldquo;A lot of athletes who stop early in their career don't want to go back because they&rsquo;re afraid to open those wounds,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;But for me it has made it so much easier to live with my past.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Before, the two parts of my life &ndash; running and music &ndash; just blended in. That combination of a runner's lifestyle and being in a band created a lot of regret. But returning to running has helped separate what I did as a runner and what I did as a musician.<br /><br /></p>
<div id="5e1d23ffea9efe1360637371" class="dropMedia">
<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/30779a20-6d47-47d5-995b-a8d822ec4a33.jpg');">&nbsp;</div>
Jimmy Watkins at the 2006 World Indoor Championships in Moscow</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Everyone carries emotional baggage around with them. By chopping mine into two chunks, it's so much easier to carry. Now I know: that's when my running ended, and that's when I went on that weird rock and roll adventure. It's made it neater.</p>
<p>&ldquo;It's kind of made me prouder of what I did as an athlete,&rdquo; he adds. &ldquo;And it's made me happy that I did walk away when I did. I've had so many experiences that I wouldn't have had if I had kept on running.</p>
<p>&ldquo;And had I not gone back, I'd have probably looked back on my track career with disappointment at, say, not running a 1:45 or making a major outdoor champs team. But now I look back and I'm like, 'you know what, I did alright there'.&rdquo;</p>
<p><strong>Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics</strong></p>
<p><em><strong>&bull;</strong> Follow Jimmy Watkins on <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.instagram.com/nutbushjimmylimits/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a></strong></span>, <a href="https://twitter.com/littletimmkins" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Twitter</strong></span></a>, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKpp8KMWBgDvUIOfO9-6dMg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YouTube</a></strong></span> and <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.strava.com/athletes/10561010" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Strava</a></strong></span>.<br />His podcast, <a href="https://anchor.fm/jimmy-watkins/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Megabus To The Ritz</strong></span></a>, can be downloaded from all the main platforms.<br /></em></p>

When Jimmy Watkins started running again, he didn’t have much of a plan.


When Jimmy Watkins started running again, he didn’t have much of a plan.
No training schedule, no set distance or pace in mind. He was just going to run.
One thing he did know, though: “I wasn’t going to wear lycra for my first run.”
He elaborates: “Imagine if a chicken dies and gets reincarnated as a peacock. It wouldn’t turn up outside Cardiff Castle on its first day back showing off all his feathers. He’d still act like a chicken for a little bit.”
So Watkins simply wore something comfortable. “I dressed up like I was going for a walk, just in case I had to start walking,” he says. “I also took money with me, just in case I needed to buy something if I stopped.”
His attire and fitness were a far cry from his past life as an international middle-distance runner. Back in 2006 Watkins reached the 800m final at the World Indoor Championships in Moscow, having clocked a PB and Welsh indoor record of 1:47.23 in the semifinals.
Up against a quality field that included defending champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, 2004 Olympic champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy and 2008 Olympic champion Wilfred Bungei, Watkins led up until half way and eventually finished sixth. 
Jimmy Watkins leads the 800m final at the 2006 World Indoor Championships in Moscow
 
But despite that promising breakthrough, Watkins walked away from the sport just 18 months later.
“I fell out of love with it,” says Watkins. “I used to play rugby, but it had a lot of rules and I was always being told off. I enjoyed running, so I thought if I just ran then I'd be free to do what I want. But I got to a level with running where I suddenly found there were loads of rules in athletics too.
“My decision to stop was pretty clear-cut for me,” he adds. “A lot of it came from not being selected for the Commonwealth Games which, as a Welshman, is a big deal. But there was also this moment when I was warming up for a race in Nijmegen. Next to the track was a little wooded area. I was running through there and it just reminded me so much of running in Wales as a kid. I did not want to stop doing that and go and race on the track. I was just so happy running through those woods.
“It used to be that I couldn't wait to get on a track; that was where I wanted to be,” he says. “But this was the first time that I felt the opposite and it was the moment I realised I no longer enjoyed running on a track.
“I think I was always chasing this freedom. I just always felt better if I was left alone, doing what I want to do. That's when I decided that it's going to have to be rock and roll.” 
Jimmy Watkins in action at the 2006 British Indoor Championships
 
After his last full season in 2007, Watkins pursued a career in music and went on to have considerable success as the frontman of rock band Future of The Left and, more recently, with The Vega Bodegas.
But as much as Watkins enjoyed the freedom outside sport, the rock n’ roll lifestyle took its toll and became increasingly more difficult to balance with work life and family duties.
Then in October 2018, Watkins was given a surprise gift from his wife for his 36th birthday.
“She bought me a frame with two pictures of the World Indoor Championships final in Moscow,” he says. “I uploaded a photo of the gift on Facebook and someone posted a comment with a link to the video of that race. I'd never seen it before, but when I watched it I suddenly realised that I hadn't just got fat and lazy, I'd actually lost a version of myself.
“I kept looking at that guy in the photo and he looked so happy, so after a few weeks I decided I was going to start running again. I wanted to get back to being that guy – that was a bigger motivation to get back running, more so than just to lose a bit of weight.
“I didn't start running straight away,” he hastens to add. “I wanted to have one last Christmas with the fat guy. I wanted to give him a proper send off.”
After enjoying that festive period – his last one before returning to running – there was one final wake-up call.
“On New Year's Eve in 2018, my favourite shirt exploded on my body,” he recalls. “I'd put so much weight on, a button popped off my shirt as I sat down in a bar. That button was a turning point for me.”
More determined than ever, he went for a run on 1 January 2019 around his hometown of Llanelli, covering 5km in 22 minutes. The next day he did another 5km run, this one just outside 20 minutes. By the end of the week, he had done four runs and logged 27 kilometres.
Instead of a training plan, he started with a blank diary and simply wrote the word ‘run’ on selected days. “I'd look four weeks ahead in the diary and see the word 'run' and I could put myself in my body in four weeks' time, and then think about how good I'd feel once I'd done four weeks of running.”     View this post on Instagram           
A post shared by Jimmy Watkins (@nutbushjimmylimits) on Dec 9, 2019 at 6:03am PST

Most of Watkins’ early runs were near to maximum effort, but a friend recommended the book ‘80/20 Running’ by Matt Fitzgerald which recommends that 80% of training runs should be slow and 20% hard.
“It made complete sense,” says Watkins. “I found that when I wanted to do the harder sessions, I could run so much faster. It sounds weird, but my biggest improvements came when I ran slower.
“Some people on Strava seem embarrassed to post slow times, but I always like going against the grain. To me it became a challenge to post my slowest run possible, then two days later I’d go out and run as fast as I can, just to blow people’s minds.”Megabus to the Ritz
Since returning to running, Watkins posts regular updates on social media as a way of charting his progress and inspiring other runners. He also recently launched a podcast entitled ‘Megabus To The Ritz’.
“Imagine this Megabus (a low-budget UK bus operator) on the motorway coughing exhaust fumes everywhere,” he says, explaining the name of his podcast. “It's slightly bloated, it's full of people eating crisps, it stinks of feet. That was me over a year ago. The Ritz is the end goal. It's somewhere everybody wants to go.”
Watkins is still on that journey, but he is getting closer and closer to his destination with each month. He is now down to 17:13 for 5km, 34:37 for 10km and 1:22:56 for the half marathon. 
Jimmy Watkins at the Ammanford 10K
 
After hearing of his comeback, two film makers from London met up with Watkins with a view to making a documentary about him. Their premise for the film was for Watkins to return to racing the 800m.
“At first I thought there's no way I'm getting back on a track,” says Watkins. “Up until then it was honestly something I hadn't thought about, but I spoke to my old coach (Arwyn Davies) and he said, 'yeah, you can do it – come down and do a session'.
“I did a session and I enjoyed it. I saw a load of people I hadn't seen in years and they were all really excited that I was on the track again. So I thought what the hell, let's do a 600m and see what happens and then take it from there.”
In his first track race for more than a decade, Watkins clocked a respectable 1:30.47 for 600m.
“I thought I could just jog through 400m in 60 seconds and then maintain that, but once I race started, I suddenly realised that 60 seconds is fast.
“Although I've been kind of forced into doing it, I fell in love with the track again as soon as I started running on it.”
Watkins has now set himself the challenge of running a sub-two-minute 800m by the end of the year.
“I've never run outside two minutes for an 800m so it would be really cool to have that long break from running and still run inside two minutes,” he says.
“A sub-two would be the biggest prawn cocktail ever at the Ritz. I would also love a 32-minute 10km. And a 15-minute 5km. Those are my three dishes at the Ritz.”Watch: Jimmy Watkins' five tricks to stay motivated
The difficult second album
As a musician, Watkins knows all too well that it’s never easy when trying to follow up a successful first album with a second offering.
But, as a runner, he also knows how to find happiness and satisfaction in what he does.
“I would be totally happy simply using running as a way of keeping fit and motivating others,” he says. “But if I get a bit miserable when training isn't going well and then overcome it by running a fast time, that would make me even happier. So I'm motivated by misery and happiness.”
Whether he achieves the running goals he has set himself for 2020, Watkins has already benefitted from getting back into running.
“A lot of athletes who stop early in their career don't want to go back because they’re afraid to open those wounds,” he says. “But for me it has made it so much easier to live with my past.
“Before, the two parts of my life – running and music – just blended in. That combination of a runner's lifestyle and being in a band created a lot of regret. But returning to running has helped separate what I did as a runner and what I did as a musician. 
Jimmy Watkins at the 2006 World Indoor Championships in Moscow
 
“Everyone carries emotional baggage around with them. By chopping mine into two chunks, it's so much easier to carry. Now I know: that's when my running ended, and that's when I went on that weird rock and roll adventure. It's made it neater.
“It's kind of made me prouder of what I did as an athlete,” he adds. “And it's made me happy that I did walk away when I did. I've had so many experiences that I wouldn't have had if I had kept on running.
“And had I not gone back, I'd have probably looked back on my track career with disappointment at, say, not running a 1:45 or making a major outdoor champs team. But now I look back and I'm like, 'you know what, I did alright there'.”
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics
• Follow Jimmy Watkins on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Strava.His podcast, Megabus To The Ritz, can be downloaded from all the main platforms.

Jimmy Watkins runner Britain 800m

Jimmy Watkins: running, rock 'n roll and The Ritz

<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h4><img style="width: 90px; height: 90px; border-radius: 50%; margin-right: 20px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/8a1d4507-5605-49b2-9512-d91eb3b43460.png" alt="Kate Carter" align="left" />Don't be afraid of making a fitness-related pledge to yourself at the start of a new year. Set yourself a target, take the plunge and commit to it.</h4>
<hr />
<h4 style="text-align: right;"><strong>Kate Carter</strong> <em>(<a href="https://twitter.com/katehelencarter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@katehelencarter</a>)</em></h4>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Resistance to the clean slate that is January 1st is futile. It doesn&rsquo;t matter how much you scoff that the date ticking over on the calendar is meaningless, that resolutions are made to be broken, or that giving up all the treats in life in January is adding insult to an injurious month of abstinence and empty pockets. Somehow, it gets you every time.</p>
<p>Every year I get suckered in. Despite not actually having stopped running through December and Christmas, I nevertheless make rash promises that now everything changes: I&rsquo;ll do more cross country running (unlikely) or spend more time doing strength and conditioning work in the gym (more plausible: in the cold grey English winter, being indoors has some appeal). Over my dead body will I give up cake, but I might aim for a slightly less regular intake. How long will it last? Probably until January 2nd. Did I mention how cold and grey it is in the UK winter?</p>
<p>January, though, does mean two things for many runners. Firstly, the New Year&rsquo;s resolutions to try and REALLY commit this time come thick and fast &ndash; this time, you absolutely <em>will</em> crack that last run of Couch to 5k, or nail that parkrun PB. That means that January is a time many of us start searching out company. That&rsquo;s one of the best resolutions you can make &ndash; google your local running club or group and brave your first appearance. And don&rsquo;t be self-conscious or worried &ndash; I absolutely guarantee you will not be the only persons whose runs are somewhat overly-fuelled by festive sweets, the contents of chocolate advent calendars and Panettone.</p>
<p>Then for more seasoned runners &ndash; or indeed anyone who is aiming at a spring marathon &ndash; it&rsquo;s the warning bell that proper training starts now. And my, that can seem daunting. Like any big goal &ndash; whether it&rsquo;s your first 5k solo or a race you&rsquo;ve entered &ndash; it suddenly looms large. In fact marathons loom so large they start casting a shadow across your whole life. And lest you think that&rsquo;s just for novices, let me tell you that experience doesn&rsquo;t make you blas&eacute; &ndash; I&rsquo;ve done 13 marathons yet the moment I hit &lsquo;enter&rsquo; for a new one, and it&rsquo;s all down in black and white, the bottom temporarily falls out of my&nbsp; stomach. Am I really going to be slogging out 20+ mile runs on the gloomy Sunday mornings of February and March?</p>
<p>And if I am, could someone remind me why, because I seem to have temporarily forgotten?</p>
<p>The trick with all running resolutions is to embrace the actual journey, not pine ahead for the destination. Coaches &ndash; in all sports, not just running &ndash; are fond of quoting the maxim that we must &ldquo;focus on the process not the outcome&rdquo; to such an extent that it&rsquo;s become a clich&eacute;. That doesn&rsquo;t mean it&rsquo;s not true. And that doesn&rsquo;t just mean simply committing to &lsquo;do&rsquo; every run; it means actually celebrating them.</p>
<p>Every time you reach a new goal: the longest run you&rsquo;ve ever done, the fastest time you&rsquo;ve run round your normal park route, the most number of runs you&rsquo;ve done in a week &ndash; pat yourself on the back and consider how far you&rsquo;ve come, not how much further you might have to go.</p>
<p>It&rsquo;s the mental process of the race itself played out over months instead of hours. At mile 10 of a marathon you can veer wildly in your head from &ldquo;Hooray! 10 miles down!&rdquo; to &ldquo;Ohmygod that&rsquo;s sixteen left and that&rsquo;s ridiculously far I can&rsquo;t do it&rdquo;. Every time you go for a run you really didn&rsquo;t feel like doing, you make that negative thinking a tiny bit easier to tune out.</p>
<p>In fact I&rsquo;ve often thought that the ability to stop thinking &ndash; turn off the brain and just run &ndash; would be the single greatest improvement we can make. Hushing that mean little voice inside your head that nags and tempts: you can&rsquo;t do this, it&rsquo;s too hot, it's too cold, it&rsquo;s too wet, it&rsquo;s too far for you &ndash; is something we learn when we train, and is as important as the more physical process of training our lungs and muscles to run better or faster or further. If your head is reluctant but you overcome the doubts and get out the door, that&rsquo;s a positive gain in training, whatever the actual run is like. And like the more physical side of training, if you keep doing that, you get better at it.</p>
<p>But of course, you should never overdo it. Give yourself a break, too, when you need it. Niggles need resting. Tired legs need recovery. And remember, just because you skipped a run or two &ndash; or a week or two &ndash; it doesn&rsquo;t mean you&rsquo;ve gone back to scratch. Just get out the door again.</p>
<p>Just don&rsquo;t expect me to suddenly embrace the joys of cross country, and plunging through muddy fields on a freezing UK January morning.</p>

Resistance to the clean slate that is January 1st is futile.

Athletics@Home