The Weight

Conditioning, Fitness and Training are constant factors for consideration in the life of any potentially successful competitive runner.

It might sound obvious but to me, it’s amazing just how important weight is to running. They say every 1lb you lose in marathon training takes a minute off your perspective time for the race! (I deal in lbs now – when I used to deal in stone! What has happened to me…) Anyway, I am around 200 lbs when I’ve been training in the gym. I like lifting, and I like carrying the extra bulk physically, but when I cut down to low 180s, it makes a huge difference to my running. It’s also amazing to me how much training that seems to be doing nothing, can really make you faster and fitter.

My running times, mileage, and recovery capacity have all improved so much over the last 18 months – it’s really significant. And there are so many factors that go into that. Little things – I always travel with a pillow now – to reduce my constant ailing risk of neck injuries, I do less heavy weight training in the gym for the same reason, I exclusively race with Maurten Gels and pre race drinks now – I plan the mileage to take the gels, I believe in the benefits of BCAA capsules so take those regularly to aid recovery and reduce DOMS within heavy mileage training weeks, I try and think about pre race nutrition, use Energy Beans to maintain energy in long training runs, and I certainly think a lot about sleep and how best to monitor and analyse it. All these little things add up to big differences.

A conundrum I’m still exploring, and pushing the options for, is – if you’re racing so often, when and how can you train? Between events (of various distances by the way), I am always trying to shoe horn in the following – taper, race, recover, (train if time) taper, race again… It’s tough, but life’s a work in progress.

Luckily, I’ve always had a baseline of Field Hockey Fitness –

I’ve had my fair share of injuries, particularly to my back and neck, often exasperated by hockey and weight training. And I now pay much closer attention to my Heart Rate zones, Rest, Recovery & Sleep. I monitor my training with my Garmin Fenix 5X Plus (with customised Road ID band plate) and monitor my sleep with a FitBit Alta HR and Philip Stein Sleepband combo –

If injury free and sleeping and eating well, I’m able to maintain and fairly consistent physique. If I’m lighter I can run faster, but sometimes my discipline urges more towards bulk and strength than cutting for race speed –

I do research on racing and on training –

Running Gear –

I’m always interested in what tweaks the right running gear can make – to training opportunity or simply racing results, through something as a simple as wearing lighter shoes, like the Nike Zoom Fly 1s I now love. I train in UA Micro Gs or Nike Zoom Fly Pegasus 32s, but race in the Flys. I also race in Balega socks, a Nike or Adidas headband for stopping sweat getting in my eyes, I wear Escatch XXL shorts, Nike Flex Stride 7″ shorts or TK San Remo II shorts, I use Sprigs armbands for iPhone (s/m), Bose Free Soundsport headphones, use 47″ StretchLaces in my race shoes, and also really focus on compressing my hamstrings for support and thus injury prevention – I train in Bauerfeind Sports Compression Upper Leg Sleeves and run in Sparthos Thigh Compression Sleeves.

Current Gear List –

Race Shoes – Nike Zoom Fly 1 (x 6).
Training Shoes – Nike Zoom Pegasus 32 (x 15). Under Armour Micro G Limitless (x 2).
Trail Shoes – Nike Wildhorse Zoom 4 (x2). Nike Wildhorse Zoom 5 (x 2).
Laces – 47″ StretchLaces.
Shorts – Escatch xxl, Nike Flex Stride 7″ xl/xxl shorts or TK San Remo II shorts l/xl.
Shirts – Mainly New Balance & Nike.
Socks – Balega & Dimok.
Hamstring Supports – Bauerfeind Sports Compression Upper Leg Sleeves (x 2). Sparthos Thigh Compression Sleeves (x 5).
Headbands – Nike Gyakusou NikeLab X or Adidas Interval Reversible.
Watches – Garmin Fenix 5X Plus & Garmin Vivoctive.
Headphones – Bose Free Soundsport.
iPhone Armbands – Sprigs armbands for iPhone (s/m).
Race Sunglasses – Oakley Trillbe X 9340-07.
Hydration – Nathan Fireball Race Vest Cockatoo, Salomon Sensifit Adv Skin 5 Set Sulpher Spring/Citronelle (m), Naked Running Vest Black (8).
Nutrition – Maurten Gel 100 & Drink Mix 320, Jelly Belly Sports Beans, Optimum Nutrition Instantized BCAA Capsules.
Race Jacket -Nike Men’s Aeroloft Quilted Packable Hooded Jacket-Black (s).
Race bag – Cotopaxi Allpa Travel Pack – Caribbean 35L or SOG Specialty Knives & Tools CP1005B Prophet Tactical Backpack- 33 Liter, black.
Wind Top – Nike Windbreaker or Nike Lab X Undercover Gyakusou Running Jacket (s).
Rain Top – Gore Wear C5 Gore-Tex Shakedry 1895 Mens Cycling Jacket, black (l).
Gloves – Nike Sphere Heather Running Gloves (l).