Top 10 Marathon Tips

As marathon season is upon us let’s talk marathon tips. Throughout this blog I will provide a short top 10 tips for running a marathon. I’m assuming you have already booked a marathon at this stage, if you haven’t and you are not sure whether you are ready, then please take a look at my blog “So you want to run a marathon“. Im sure you will sign up afterwards. Also, once you get to marathon weekend, please take a look at “what to expect on marathon race day“. For now, here are my top 10 tips: 1) Don’t forget your long runs: Running marathons are hard, no matter what you do, but the more you are used to the distance, the better it is. If I could give just one tip for running a marathon it would be get used to the distance. 2) Taper: We can get into a nervous state leading up to a marathon, often referred to as “maranoia”. It is really important to make sure you taper, by reducing miles and intensity leading up to the event. Don’t worry, you won’t lose all your fitness. You need to give your body time to rest and be at it’s best come race day. Remember that when it comes to the expo and shake out runs. 3) Be prepared: You will be nervous enough when it comes to race day, so take away unnecessary anxiety and be prepared. Make sure you know all the final details. What kit will you wear, how will you get to the start, where is the start? Do you need sunglasses, warm clothes before the start. Do you have protection from chafing? Read the full article

ALL IN S2:E4 - HOW FAST CAN I RUN 10K SOLO ON A MEASURED COURSE?

A few weeks have gone by and base training has been going well but it's time to freshen up and test myself over 10K. I would definitely check out Andy's channel and his time trial video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcPagJur6wcbV5kej6mwG_A #AllIn #RollTheDice For coaching or training plans: https://thewelshrunner.com/coaching/ Credits: Journeyman - Aakash Gandhi Easy Seas - Chris Haugen Complicate Ya - Otis McDonald Baila Mi Cumbia - Jimmy Fontanez Passage - Ugonna Onyekwe Way To Roll - Audio Hertz Read the full article

It’s all about the Pace

It’s all about the Pace… Over the years I’ve learnt a lot about pacing myself, and even more about pacing other people. Pace is such an important part of a race strategy, so I want to share some of my thoughts with you below. Why is Pace important? I like to think of Pace as the way in which we manage our energy. Our bodies naturally hold a certain amount of energy, which means we can remain active for a set period of time before our bodies tire, slowing us down. There are many important factors that contribute to our energy levels, and most runners will understand the importance of nutrition and hydration, to keep topping up our energy levels. Training is also an important factor to make our bodies more efficient. Pace is the final piece to this puzzle. Think of your body like a car engine. How long you can travel will depend on how much fuel you put in, and how many upgrades you have in the car. But if you drive off at full throttle you will make huge progress quickly, but ultimately you will run out of fuel quickly. Finding that level of efficiency is important in running, and that is why pace is important. How to know your pace? The pace you run will be dependent on the distance you are running. You will be able to maintain a faster pace the shorter the distance, so naturally as you increase the distance you need to slow your pace. You need to work out your target time, and calculate your pace depending on your target. Read the full article

Are you struggling to sleep after training?

Did you know this? Are you having problems sleeping after training even if you do it earlier in the day? This is what I found and here is my advice. Anyone else experienced this? You can read my latest blog here: https://yiannischristodoulou.wordpress.com/blog/   Read the full article

5k Run In The Park: Innsbruck

Join me as I livestream my latest #Zwift Run in the Park. Read the full article

Zwift Duathlon

Let's see if this livestream works! Like and subscribe for more :P Read the full article

A day of my life training as a European Champion AG

Published 16th May 2020. Hi guys this video is a A day of my life training as a European Champion AG!! Bringing you into my life for a day on Sunday 10th of May 2020 where I do the bulk of my training and what I do training wise, nutrition and recovery. This an insight to some of my training. Leave a comment on what you found helpful. Please like and subscribe to my channel. Stay safe guys in these tough times.     Read the full article

Raidlight Arc of Attrition | Mudcrew

I was at a friend’s wedding recently when the conversation turned to pooing in the woods. The new bride was horrified that her husband, along with so many of us around the table, have frequently relieved ourselves in the open air. I suppose, when you think about it objectively, it is a bit weird that we runners seem to think it perfectly acceptable to spit, wee and poo wherever we are, whenever the need arises! On the bus to the start of this year’s Arc of Attrition, I had a similar conversation with some ladies sitting nearby and I remembered that last year I didn’t have a number 2 for the entire 30 hours. This year would be different. This year would be a first. I am proud and pleased to tell you that there is a Film My Run poo buried somewhere deep in the sand dunes of Hayle. But we’ll get to that, and a thing I like to call ‘synchronised urinating’, later. Arc of Attrition For the uninitiated, that’s those of you who have the sense to stay well clear of these things, the Arc of Attrition is a ‘100’ mile race along the South West Coast Path in Cornwall. Starting in Coverack on the south coast it passes Lizard Point, Penzance, Land’s End and St.Ives before the finish at Porthtowan. It’s not 100 miles at all. They lie. They lie to you with a wry smile and a glint in their eyes. It’s at least 104 miles and this year it was going to be even further. Read the full article

Pursue Your Passion - The Welsh Runner

It’s never too late to pursue your true passion. My true passion is sport, fitness and health. It’s easy to fall in to a career that you never really expected to and get stuck in a rut. For me, I spent years studying but never really found something that truly ignited that fire inside me. I ended up working in a job that didn’t inspire me. It didn’t challenge me. So, I decided to start looking for something that would excite me and make me want to get up in the morning. I have always loved keeping fit. I am passionate about running. Being healthy is a huge part of my life. More than that though, I love encouraging others. I have spent the last few years motivating and engaging with like-minded people over social media. I get so much satisfaction seeing people setting themselves goals and working hard to achieve them. Whatever that goal may be, I feel driven to help others. Some people want to lose weight, others want to get fit, strong, fast, flexible, agile, and healthy. I wanted to do more than just try to inspire people through my photos and words. I decided that I needed to develop my knowledge and experience. Learn from the experts, so that I could impart my new expertise on to others. The way for me to this was to find the best course provider and educate myself. I came across Future Fit Training (FFT) through social media. Their experience and reputation was excellent and they have trained the best, including one of my all-time inspirations Dame Kelly Holmes. Read the full article

Top 10 Tips for new Runners

Now seems like a pretty good time to start running. It’s a simple sport that doesn’t require any fuss, you can just put on your trainers and run. It really is as simple as Right Foot, Left Foot and repeat. Yet getting started can feel far more complicated than it needs to be, and this blog offers 10 simple tips for new runners to help you get into running confidently. So of you are a new runner, or you know someone who is just getting into running, then this blog is for you. So here it is, my top 10 tips for new runners. 1. Don’t worry about Distance When you get started don’t aim to high, don’t worry about the distance you are running. This is something you will build on gradually. Whatever you are able to manage when you start out becomes your base and something to build on. If you focus too much on a set distance early on you may feel overwhelmed, especially if it’s too far, so just do what you can, be happy with that, and then go and do it again. Distance will come in time. 2. Don’t worry about Speed Just like distance, it doesn’t matter how fast you are when you start out. Speed is relative. It doesn’t matter if you have to walk, and it doesn’t matter how long it takes you to get to your goal distance. Whatever you achieve becomes your target, and you then have something you can aim to improve. Please note that the longer you run the slower you will be, and try to increase both speed and distance gradually. Read the full article

What can amateur learn from the pros? Kieran Lindars GB Professional Triathlete

What can amateur learn from the pros? Livestream Q & A with Kieran Lindars GB Professional Triathlete Live 7pm on Friday the 26th March. Kieran comes on the third episode of What can amateur learn from the pros? Since turning professional and representing GB's Elite team Kieran has gone strength to strength. Some of his favourite achievements are 3rd in the European youth Triathlon relay and 5th place in 2019 at the Challenge Almere-Amsterdam European Long Course Triathlon Championships. Kieran competes in the longer Triathlon distances. He is going to share his training and how he trains for long distances. Kieran will share his journey, please join in on the 26th of March. Read the full article

Running Scared - A female runner’s experience of a very ordinary Summer’s Day run

Running Scared - A female runner’s experience of a very ordinary Summer’s Day run I’ve run the route hundreds of times. I know the mile splits down to every lamppost: the gruelling climb that begins just outside the town centre and doesn’t end until I see the bus stop at the top of the hill; the corner shop that I’ve never been in but can’t help thinking of a full fat Coke every time I run past. And then the part I’m looking forward to. The route becomes really pretty - a lot more rural. I have various options from here, turning in different directions for a short, medium or long route depending on my mood, session plan - or simply the time I have available. It’s summer and I’ve chosen the medium route, today. 8 miles of sunshine should do the trick. I’ve cruised up the climb and my legs feel strong; the views from the top rewarding me for my efforts. I don’t always run this route by myself, but today that’s how it’s worked out. That’s fine with me - I love running by myself. It’s light outside - the darkness takes a long time to arrive at this time of year, giving me more opportunity to run and feel safe. Something I’m thankful for. The busyness of the road has now gone and been replaced with a quiet country lane which weaves around a small village cricket ground towards a section of road that narrows, allowing only one vehicle to pass in either direction. There are a couple of remote farmhouses located just beyond. There is nothing remarkable about today. Read the full article

Heart Rate running is it worth it? Run slow to get faster..... How to train to Heart Rate.

Heart Rate running is it worth it? Run slow to get faster!! How to train to Heart Rate. For most runners they are under the impression that they should run full speed at all times because that will make them go faster and running at a slower pace will slow you down. Well this is not the case, why not try heart rate running. It is very simple and all you need is a running watch and a heart rate monitor. So what is Heart Rate running? Well the key is to find out your maximum heart rate while running. This can be done by a VO2 test in a lab or by running for ten minutes as fast as you can with a heart rate monitor and then take the max from there. Read the full article

THE WELSH RUNNER VS THE FOD RUNNER; TRAIL RACE; SAUCONY ENDORPHIN PRO V SAUCONY ENDORPHIN SPEED

After the first race was so close Andy @The FOD Runner challenged me to a rematch. 10 miles of hilly trails. Watch as we battle it out on the hills. The 1st Race: https://youtu.be/9xwXTgIoX8o ANDY FOD RUNNER CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheFODRunner For coaching or training plans: https://thewelshrunner.com/coaching/ To follow me: Strava - https://www.strava.com/athletes/2584141 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thewelshrunner Twitter - https://twitter.com/thewelshrunner Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/thewelshrunner/ Blog - https://thewelshrunner.com/ The treadmill I use is the Noble Pro Elite E8i https://www.noble-pro.com/shop-treadm... The running sunglasses I use are SunGod https://www.sungod.co/shop/sunglasses Read the full article

Handling lockdown & why I love hats

 I open the drawer for the first time in well over six months. It’s where my woolly hats live - they’ve been waiting patiently for me to return. The knitted green bobble hat is my favourite. Every time I look at it, it takes me back to running the Boston Marathon in 2018 when the conditions were so utterly wretched, it was touch and go whether the entire thing would be cancelled altogether. We were forewarned that a bad storm was brewing, but we couldn’t have predicted the reality of that freakish day in April - running a marathon in the worst conditions of the race’s 122-year history. My woolly green bobble hat was with me throughout it all. It kept me warm whilst I shivered inside a portaloo for over an hour-and-a-half before the race began, with compression socks over my entirely numb hands UNDERNEATH my Sealskin gloves, and two pairs of disposable shower caps hopelessly covering each saturated running shoe. My hat looked after me for 26.2 miles - sheltering me from the driving, freezing rain in the fiercest headwind. My woolly green bobble hat kept me safe, on that day.   Fast forward to March 2020 when then the world stopped turning and everything changed. Marathons were cancelled; there were no more races. I ran the very last Parkrun of 2020 whilst on a bizarre weekend in Glasgow just as the word spread about this deadly ‘COVID 19’ corona virus which was bringing the entire globe to its knees. Schools closed; the world shut down. Everything felt alien and completely o Read the full article

Paddy Buckley Winter Round. Training Week 2 of 4.

Being tough is overrated. Proven by our friends Igor and Bob. Let’s take the toughest guy in the world right now; Igor, a Siberian woodsman who lives in a cabin in a forest. He has a forest of thick black hairs on his back. His muscles look like coiled snakes from all the chopping. He does a bit of bare knuckle fighting for spare cash. Then let’s take Bob. An Actuarian from Surrey. Tall and skinny, but slightly puffy round the edges. Saturday night, Igor is in the barn, skinning a bear that he has just hunted. Meanwhile, Bob is partial to a takeaway curry every Saturday night, then sofa, cup of tea, and Match Of The Day. While Igor is out in the snow being the toughest, meanest, baddest guy on the planet, Bob is working from his central heated home. He walks to the bakery some mornings for a fresh croissant. The only running Igor has done these past 10 months is in the form of short, sharp sprints. While Bob has followed the Runner’s World Intermediate Training Plan for 5 days a week, and a Zoom pilates class on Fridays. Let’s place these guys next to each other on the start line of the Richmond Marathon. Bob wins. It’s not even close. All Igor’s toughness will get him precisely nowhere against specific, consistent, sensible training. The point is this; being tough is not going to get me round the Paddy Buckley. Being smart is. Humans aren’t at the top of the food chain because we’re the toughest. Cuddly, white sheep sleep out in the rain every night. There is proba Read the full article

Over training especially during COVID-19

Are you over training as a result? How to train around COVID-19 and how to keep ticking along. With countries around the world going into lockdown and some allowing you to go out for one form of exercise a day, this has also resulted in an increase of people over training because of having more time on their hands - could you be falling into this trap? Check my blog on: Are you over training now during lockdown? https://yiannischristodoulou.wordpress.com/2020/04/10/are-you-over-training-now-during-lockdown/ Please like and subscribe to my channel. Stay safe guys in these tough times.   Read the full article