<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 />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>&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>&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.

Running athletics new years resolutions

The Athletic Life: embracing New Year's resolutions

<h4>Nine years after befriending an Ethiopian refugee in Ireland, Cathal Dennehy headed to Ethiopia &ndash; land of the runners &ndash; and joined in with a few training sessions alongside some of the world's elite.</h4>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>I can&rsquo;t keep up. As I chug across the rolling grasslands of Ethiopia, it takes about 45 seconds before I&rsquo;m painfully aware of my own absolute, overwhelming and slightly mortifying mediocrity.</p>
<p>Up ahead &ndash; close enough to hear my rasping, wheezing breaths but not close enough to ask if I&rsquo;m actually dying &ndash; a horde of high-level distance runners are coasting across the landscape at a pace of 4:50 a mile, or 3:00 per kilometre.</p>
<p>It&rsquo;s November 2018, three days since I had my ass politely handed to me by several thousand runners in the Great Ethiopian Run, and I&rsquo;ve come here &ndash; to a village on the very outskirts of Addis Ababa &ndash; to get an extra insight into how these masters of endurance operate.</p>
<p>I&rsquo;ve also come to visit my friend.</p>
<p>Back in 2009, when I was trying &ndash; and failing &ndash; to <em>not</em> be a mediocre distance runner, I got to know an Ethiopian refugee in my home city of Limerick, Ireland. Lebeta Debela had fled his nation the previous year and was a decent if not elite distance runner, one I trained with three times a week. He had very little English at the time, while my Amharic is, ehm, less than fluent (zero words).</p>
<p>But sometimes the universal language of running can transcend that. We&rsquo;d warm up together, try to smash each other in the ensuing session, then high-five at the end of it and do our best to learn more about each other&rsquo;s lives as we cooled down.</p>
<p>He was forced to leave Ireland and return to Ethiopia a year or so later, and as he did so he dreaded the conflict he was returning to at home. We stayed in touch over the years &ndash; the odd phone call and lots of Facebook messages &ndash; and each time we did I noticed the improvement in his English.</p>
<p>When we trained together, he&rsquo;d try his best to tell me what it was like in Ethiopia &ndash; the huge groups of athletes churning out runs, as many as 150 galloping all as one &ndash; and I always figured it was something I had to see to believe.</p>
<p>Late last year, I finally did.</p>
<p>It was a Wednesday morning at 8am when he arrived to my hotel, his uncle driving the car and the two of them explaining to this ignorant tourist &ndash; who had done no actual research &ndash; all about their home city of Addis Ababa.<br /><br /></p>
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Athletes training in Meskel Square in Addis Ababa</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>One of the first things you realise is most Ethiopian runners want to live in Addis Ababa, but no one really wants to train there. It&rsquo;s far too hectic, noisy and filled with traffic for most distance runners to enjoy, so many lower-tier athletes are forced to run back and forth across the steps of Meskel Square to get the miles in &ndash; several hundred on any given evening.</p>
<p>As such, many more elite-level athletes try to live on the outskirts, where city turns to countryside and they can either take a short car journey or run from their door and coast across the serene, green landscape while filling their lungs with thin, crisp air.</p>
<p>Lebeta was one of those athletes, and along the way to his home he pointed out the houses of world-beating athletes who lived nearby: Yomif Kejelcha, Lelisa Desisa, Feyisa Lilesa.</p>
<p>His home was basic but perfectly adequate and the small town, Burayu, was populated with hundreds of runners. We arrived just after 9am and he noted we were late for the group run, so would have to hightail it across the plains to intercept them.</p>
<p>That day, the group would run for an hour at a progressively increasing pace, circling around a 4K loop that everyone seemed to know &ndash; everyone except me.</p>
<p>I soon saw them approaching and immediately peed my shorts (figuratively, of course).</p>
<p>Like a kid on his first day at school, I slotted in at the back and hoped no one would notice as Lebeta joined the pack and explained &ndash; at least I think &ndash; who the wheezing white guy was at the back.</p>
<p>We were going at about 5:30 pace per mile, which I coped with for all of two minutes before slowing to a stop and wondering what I was doing with my life.<br /><br /></p>
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Athletes running in Kella Town</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>On they went, the group of about 40 whittling down with each lap as the pace cranked up. When they came past again, I rejoined the back of the group, and this time my GPS showed they were going faster than five minutes per mile, which, at an altitude of 2,600m/8,500ft, had me burnt alive in less than a minute.</p>
<p>And so I stopped again, jogged around at a (much) more sedate pace, and watched as the group reduced to just three athletes entering the final 10 minutes. By this stage Lebeta had also been burnt off, so he joined me on my jog.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Why don&rsquo;t you join in with them again for the last bit?&rdquo; I asked, and he looked at me like I&rsquo;d suggested throwing rocks at them for entertainment.</p>
<p>&ldquo;No, no, <em>never</em> do that,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Shame.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Once we&rsquo;d finished, he gave me the rundown of who was in the group &ndash; and I realised that for three or so minutes I&rsquo;d been chasing (in vain) the 2016 Olympic marathon silver medallist Feyisa Lilesa.</p>
<p>In what other sport, I thought, could an average Joe rock up and train with the world&rsquo;s best?&nbsp; And not only that, but receive nothing but handshakes and smiles and nice-to-meet-yous &ndash; this despite me breaking the cardinal rule and joining in again after taking a lap off. For shame.</p>
<p>As we headed back to Lebeta&rsquo;s place he pointed out other runners whizzing by &ndash; there was Ibrahim Jeilan, who out-kicked Mo Farah to win the world 10,000m title in 2011 &ndash; and many others whose names rang a familiar bell.</p>
<p>We decamped to a local restaurant where Lebeta and his uncle ordered (what I think was) beef, a dish that came plonked in the middle of a giant piece of injera, the flatbread made from teff flour that is a staple of Ethiopian cuisine. It was delicious. After an afternoon of sightseeing and a visit to a natural spring in Ambo &ndash; highly recommend this &ndash; Lebeta and his uncle brought me for lunch at their family home, where we met two keen young runners, aged 10 and eight.</p>
<p>I watched later as they joined two of their friends at a local green area and went through a warm-up of jogging, followed by various drills and then several 300m reps on a cross-country loop. The best of them, a 10-year-old girl called Misgana Bekele, won an underage section at the Great Ethiopian Run the previous weekend and, with a name like that, I made sure to note it for the future.<br /><br /></p>
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Young runners in a field in the suburbs of Addis Ababa</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>When the day was done and Lebeta and his uncle dropped me back to the hotel, there were hugs exchanged and promises made that we wouldn&rsquo;t leave it eight years next time, my hosts refusing to accept a single cent towards the cost of our meals or travel.</p>
<p>That, above all, left a lasting impression about Ethiopians, the most hospitable people I&rsquo;ve come across. There was always a warm welcome.</p>
<p>It&rsquo;s what I and fellow journalist Weldon Johnson of Letsrun.com received a few days earlier when we tagged along with a group managed by Daan van den Berg of Global Sports Communication. This time, I didn&rsquo;t even attempt to keep up, happy to coast along in the van as the few-dozen-strong men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s groups churned out their 20-mile run.</p>
<p>We were told by Van den Berg to meet at a specific roundabout in Addis Ababa at 5:30am, and sure enough, as we stood there in darkness, a van pulled up filled with athletes.</p>
<p>We drove for about an hour out of the bustling city and when we arrived in Sendafa, the sun was slowly peeking over the horizon. At 6:45am, the group&rsquo;s coach Getaneh Tessema blew a whistle and all runners gathered in a circle, the coach and his assistant Assefa Mezgebu &ndash; best known for winning Olympic 10,000m bronze in 2000 behind Haile Gebrselassie and Paul Tergat &ndash; cracking jokes before they outlined the day&rsquo;s work.<br /><br /></p>
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Head coach Getaneh Tessema (right) and assistant coach Assefa Mezgebu (left) with their training group in Sendafa</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Then off they went, hordes of the world&rsquo;s best, with two-time London Marathon champion Tsegay Kebede leading the way at a steady six minutes per mile.</p>
<p>Over the next two hours, we saw about 300 athletes out there churning on the roads, this being only one of three key areas that runners train in outside Addis Ababa. We even saw a group of Ethiopian race walkers, five of them hurtling by and offering a glimpse into what the future could hold if this nation of runners decides to channel more talent into that event.</p>
<p>When the group run was complete, the athletes downed what remained of their drinks and changed alongside the road &ndash; with men and women separated by about 50 yards &ndash; and then they were back into the van for the drive back to Addis, 20 miles in the legs and the clock yet to strike 10am.</p>
<p>Seeing it all in person, it was hard not to feel lazy, even a tad guilty about the undeniable privilege that many others don&rsquo;t enjoy.<br /><br /></p>
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Athletes training in Sendafa</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>It was, above all, a reminder not so much how hard athletes in Ethiopia work &ndash; back in Ireland I knew several distance runners who trained just as hard, organising their lives around this pursuit with the same obsession &ndash; but it&rsquo;s the sheer volume of those doing it that leaves a lasting impression.</p>
<p>Thousands upon thousands, churning out 100 miles a week or more in places where there are no distractions, where nothing else seems to matter other than trying to keep up a little better today than you did yesterday. Do that and maybe one day you can be one of the men or women left at the front of your group, which means you&rsquo;re not far off the best in the world.</p>
<p>It&rsquo;s a place where the attitude rubs off and leaves you all the better for experiencing it. A place where everyone, no matter how fast or slow, is a dreamer.</p>
<hr />
<h3>How to: run in the footsteps of greats in Ethiopia</h3>
<p>One of the most popular training destinations for foreign runners is <strong>Sululta</strong>, a small town outside Addis Ababa which is surrounded by hills and eucalyptus forests and can be reached by private taxi for US $20 (or a lot cheaper if you&rsquo;re able to work out the public bus system, which I did, but only with the help of a local).</p>
<p>A popular choice of residence near Sululta is <strong>Yaya Village</strong>, which is owned by Ethiopian great Haile Gebrselassie, and running guides are available to show you the ropes of the locality.</p>
<p>Another hotspot for distance runners is <strong>Entoto</strong>, where many groups go hill training. If you&rsquo;re willing to venture further afield, try visiting <strong>Bekoji</strong>, the so-called Town of Runners.</p>
<p>While searching online about various locations and talking to those who&rsquo;ve been there is your best bet for research, you&rsquo;ll likely find most running groups and coaches are extremely open and offer a warm reception to runners who show up without an invite (guilty as charged).</p>

I can’t keep up. As I chug across the rolling grasslands of Ethiopia, it takes about 45 seconds before I’m painfully aware of my own absolute, overwhelming and slightly mortifying mediocrity. 

Running Ethiopia Addis Ababa

Running in the footsteps of greats

<p>There are no more loyal friends in the world than books. They have been a source of pleasure for me, allowed me to understand the world better and helped me grow as a person.</p>
<p>My interest really started after reading some short stories in 2005. I enjoyed what I learned from reading books and decided that I should spend more time in training camp reading books rather than watching TV.</p>
<p>I never read fiction, I prefer motivational and business books and autobiographies. I try to read for one hour every afternoon and then another hour after supper, before bed.</p>
<p>I am a big fan of the writer Stephen R. Covey. I like his books, particularly <em>The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People</em>. His books have taught me so much. They have instilled in me the importance of working hard, treating your profession as seriously as you can and how to live alongside people.<br /><br /></p>
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Eliud Kipchoge in Kenya</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>He has helped explain that there are some people that come into this world with a negative point of view but that this mindset is not necessary. There is no need to become annoyed and it is important to stay calm. When night comes, that day has passed. I try to live my life by not being too annoyed or frustrated.</p>
<p>His books have taught me so many principles, like how to handle and live with people, and how to handle pressure.</p>
<p>Another of my favourite books is <em>Who Moved My Cheese</em> by Dr Spencer Johnson. This book is about change and the fact we live in a changing world and we need to adapt. It is a fascinating book, which I refer back to again and again. I believe it has helped equip me with the skills to handle change. It has become a hugely popular book, which so many people all over the world have embraced.</p>
<p>At the Global Sports Communication training camp in Kaptagat we have set up the Sandy Bodecker Library (named after the late Nike VP of Special Projects and Eliud&rsquo;s good friend) to encourage as many in the camp as possible to read.</p>
<p>Books have helped me so much throughout my career. They have reminded me that sport is a passion, that being a sportsman is a choice and that is needs to be handled in a good and positive way.</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><strong>With Steve Landells</strong></p>

There are no more loyal friends in the world than books. They have been a source of pleasure for me, allowed me to understand the world better and helped me grow as a person.

Athlete hobbies Eliud Kipchoge books

My passion for books, by Eliud Kipchoge

<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" />Many people view running as a solitary sport, but it is also at the heart of many sociable experiences between family, friends and new acquaintances</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 love watching children make friends &ndash; they do it so effortlessly. A couple of games in the playground, a few questions on holiday in the swimming pool and they rocket from complete strangers to best friends in minutes. They don&rsquo;t even seem to need to share a language to find some common ground. Alas, I&rsquo;m not sure there&rsquo;s an adult equivalent to the language of play, but if there was a shortlist of suggestions, I&rsquo;d put running right at the top.</p>
<p>I've only been a runner for a handful of years, and yet I can&rsquo;t remember a time when running wasn&rsquo;t just an important part of my identity, but crucial to my social life. Friends from my running club, real life friends whom I met on social media, friends made on the startline or even midway through a race, friends from work or the school run who turn out to be runners too.</p>
<p>When I discovered running &ndash; on maternity leave with my youngest &ndash; I did the 'Couch to 5k' programme and found an incredibly supportive virtual community online to share triumphs and setbacks. That was only seven years ago but I&rsquo;ve gone on to run 13 marathons and countless other races, all supported by &ndash; and often with &ndash; friends.</p>
<blockquote>
<h3 style="text-transform: none; color: #000026;"><strong>" </strong>I once sat in a pub in Prague after a half marathon and met a Russian guy who turned out to be really good friends with a French runner I happened to know via a London parkrun. What are the odds? <strong>"</strong></h3>
</blockquote>
<p>Put two runners together and they do indeed immediately share a common language, one of races or routes recommended, distances preferred, and niggles shared. Often even a friend in common, however unlikely: I once sat in a pub in Prague after a half marathon and met a Russian guy who turned out to be really good friends with a French runner I happened to know via a London parkrun. What are the odds? In the amateur running world, not as implausible as you&rsquo;d think.&nbsp;</p>
<p>It&rsquo;s a wonderful paradox that running &ndash; so intensely solitary a sport at times &ndash; is so incredibly sociable. Of course runners can be competitive in groups&nbsp;&ndash; team events or relay races &ndash; but it&rsquo;s rarely a team sport in the traditional sense. But for those of us with an amateur race habit, the very experience of being alone in your own thoughts, battling the mental demons for however-many-miles, is what makes it even more important to have a good old chat afterwards. A release from the self-imposed tension &ndash; and an opportunity to check if that hill at mile four really did morph into Everest halfway up, or if it was just you...</p>
<p>When it comes to training, running with friends makes the time and the miles tick by so much faster. For many, it may even be easier to talk while running than during daunting face-to-face communication. For the shy or underconfident, making eye contact can be difficult, and such situations often avoided &ndash; but chat while running and eye contact is virtually impossible anyway, so the pressure is removed.</p>
<p>There&rsquo;s even a strain of therapy, Dynamic Running Therapy, that utilises this very phenomena. It&rsquo;s amazing the things people tell you &ndash; friends or brand new acquaintances &ndash; when you are side by side matching stride, and when they are slightly too short of breath to bother with the usual conversational filler. A friend once quite casually told me about her disastrous first marriage on a run. I&rsquo;d known her for years and she&rsquo;d literally never mentioned it before.</p>
<p>Habitual runners will already know perfectly well how an easy run can lift their mood, but for the doubters, there&rsquo;s plenty of evidence. Aerobic exercise increases levels of neurotransmitters like serotonin and norepinephrine, making it stress-relieving. It boosts endorphins and endocannabinoids, both of which reduce anxiety and perception of pain &ndash; all of which leads to a happier, more relaxed, more friendly you.</p>
<p>Running with friends can also help you run longer, if that&rsquo;s your goal. Studies show that people generally continue 20% longer when they run with someone else than when going it alone, and that the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/files/attachments/34033/jssarticle.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">perception of effort is diminished</a></strong></span>. The distraction of chat, or knowledge that you aren&rsquo;t suffering alone in those final hard miles, helps push you on. Hard short efforts &ndash; interval runs &ndash; are better in company too, even if you couldn&rsquo;t spare the lung capacity for a gasp, let alone actual chat. There&rsquo;s a very good reason elite athletes mostly train in groups, pushing each other on, and it&rsquo;s something we can all learn from.</p>
<p>But if running with other people is great, then running to actively help friends achieve their goals is even better. Some of the best running experiences I&rsquo;ve had have been pacing other people. Helping someone achieve a personal best is genuinely as satisfying as getting one yourself &ndash; and having myself been paced to one in a marathon, I can attest that it&rsquo;s an intensely bonding experience, too.</p>
<p>But it doesn&rsquo;t need to be a long distance. The other day, I paced my eldest daughter to her first ever 5km. It was just my club&rsquo;s informal handicap series &ndash; no fancy prizes, no blingy medals, no goody bag &ndash; but it was one of the best runs I&rsquo;ve had in years.</p>
<p>And if you don&rsquo;t think running is sociable, try running 3.1 miles with a 10-year-old who chats non-stop. Lack of conversation is simply not an option.<br /><br /></p>
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<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/B1rtRwiHVDc/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Kate Carter (@katehelencarter)</a> on <time style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;" datetime="2019-08-27T21:43:07+00:00">Aug 27, 2019 at 2:43pm PDT</time></p>
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Many people view running as a solitary sport, but it can also be at the heart of many sociable experiences between family, friends and new acquaintances