6 Tips to help you Run the Perfect Half Marathon Race this Sunday

The Run Melbourne will be held this coming Sunday. This might be the race you've been training hard for, or it may be part of your longer term goal on the way to the Melbourne Marathon in 12 weeks time (October 16).

Either way, whether you're planning on running a PB or just looking to have a great race, the Half Marathon distance is a great way to test your pace and your progress.

Here's a few, well six tips to get you started on the right foot on race day. 

Be patient at the start.

1. Preparation : Ensure you eat well for the couple of days leading up to the race; add a few more carb dishes to your diet and drink plenty of water. or an electrolyte mix like Endura. You'll know that your muscle glycogen stores are full, and you're well hydrated and ready to race when you wake up on race day.

- lay out all of your race gear the night before, & attach your bib to your singlet. Don't forget to fully charge your running watch!

- it's usually pretty cold on the start line, so take a warm windcheater with you to throw away just before the start. An old one will do or pick one up from St.Vinnies.

2. When you wake up : You're fully fuelled from the night before, so you only need a light breakfast and about 500 mLs of water/Endura. Don't eat or drink more than this, or you'll be lining up for the toilet instead of running your race.

3. Warm Up : You want to be ready to race from the start, so with about 20-25 minutes before the gun do the following. Spend 5-10 minutes easy jogging to get your heart rate & circulation going, then perform 5-6 strides ( 60m @ 70% ) to get your nervous system switched on & ready to run. 

4. Racing Now! : The gun has gone, and the mad flurry of runners stream by. Resist the urge to race away towards the front of the pack. Be patient, start within your goal race pace and avoid dodging and weaving past other runners, which will only waste valuable energy. The crowd will ease after 1-2 kms, by which time you will have settled into your running rhythm. Now, you can start to pick up your pace gradually to your goal pace. You don't need to catch up any lost time in the very next km, but get up to pace, get relaxed and find your rhythm. There's plenty of time to come.

5. Race Plan : Your start should always be relaxed, slightly off your goal pace, allowing your body and yourself to settle into the run. This should only take 10-15 minutes before your are ready to pick it up a bit. From this point you can work your way up to your race pace focussing on good running form; think smooth, light & easy. Once you get to the half way point, and you're feeling good, you can start to push your pace a little higher up towards your threshold. Now, with 5 kms to go, it's time to really put your training to the test, pushing your pace a little further and your lactate threshold. This is where your Tempo (threshold) training will kick in as you come home with a fast finish and a big smile.

6. Use the Course Luke! : Of course the course is not flat, and this new one is less so than the old one. Naturally, this can play havoc with your paces and pacing. So, it's most important to use the course - the uphills and downs to your advantage. Let your pace ease up on the uphill sections; just keep relaxed, shorten your stride, maintain your cadence and get up as efficiently as possible. Then on the downhills; of which there are plenty in the second half of the course, relax again, open up your stride and you'll catch up that time.

Good luck and all the best to every runner this weekend.

As always, Run Well and love the run!

Winter has arrived; the running gear essentials

Just in case you hadn't noticed, Winter is here! What gave it away for me was the past few mornings of sub 5 degree temps. More importantly, it reminds me that training for the Melbourne Marathon is tough enough, but made that little bit harder as you have to train through the often cold, wet, and dark Melbourne Winter.

With that in mind, as I prepared to head out in 3.6 degrees on Tuesday morning, is my quick essentials guide to training in the cold Melbourne Winter. What to wear....;

• THIR ; possibly the best new piece of kit I was fortunate enough to be gifted thanks to the Wildplans Trail Crew. It's a neck scarf, headband, beanie, scrunchie, bandana & wristband in one! As a runner who prefers to wear as little as possible, this is the first extra piece of kit I add to shorts, singlet & shoes.
• BASE LAYER ; when it's cold, three layers works best, start with a quality merino or like base layer that is moisture wicking & breathable and you won't be sorry. 
• OUTER SHELL ; The third layer for when it's cold, windy and wet. Must be good quality, lightweight, breathable & properly waterproof, particularly if you're heading out into trails.
• LONG TIGHTS or LONG SOCKS ; occasionally I'll break these out, but it's got to be very cold. make sure they have a long side zip at the bottom for when you get too warm in the legs. Personally, I prefer the long socks!
• GLOVES ; (of the running variety) for cold, cold mornings, I like to start with these. You can always take them off when you get warmed up, but without them, your hands may never thaw out!
• REFLECTIVE STRIPS ; if it's dark, and you're near other vehicles, visibility is a must. So be seen, and be safe with reflective strips, either built in to the clothing or as an add on. 

This is just a start and I'm sure there are many many more options out there. The key is to be prepared and be comfortable. My favourite saying goes,

 " there's no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing!"

So really there's no excuse. Besides, with the right gear, you'll be warmed up in no time and as happy as Larry, for these are truly magnificent mornings to be out on the run.

Winter also brings Early bird entries for this year's Melbourne Marathon, so with just over 19 weeks to go, it's time to commit!

Are you looking to run a PB in this year's marathon? 

At Run Well marathon training, we can show you the way to your most successful and rewarding marathon race ever!

Train Smart, Run Well, Race Better!

- see you on the hill at 6:15am in the morning. We're expecting 6 degrees & balmy!

Only 20 weeks til Melbourne Marathon!!

It's already less than 5 months until our Melbourne Marathon rolls around, or 21 weeks this Sunday.

This means that if you're not already running regularly & you are planning to run the marathon this year, then it's time to get started. 

Am I Ready to Run a marathon? 

The sooner you start, the longer you spend preparing for the marathon, the better prepared you will be. Sounds logical, but it's true. And the better prepared you are, the more enjoyable your experience will be, and the better your performance too. 

 "The hardest marathon you will ever run is the one you are least prepared for."

Are you a first time marathoner but not sure where to start?

Taking on the marathon for the first time can be a life changing experience, and an exhilarating one that requires a great commitment and dedication to succeed, and hence should not be entered into lightly.

At this point you should aim to be running at least three times per week for a total of 30-35 kms per week, ideally for the past month until your official program starts. This would leave you with 18-20 weeks in order to start your actual program, being an ideal preparation time. But if you haven't started yet, then 20, or 18 weeks is enough time to be well prepared.

If you're already running regularly & exceeding that mileage then great, it's time to start to hone your running routine to develop the strength & condition to improve your performance. If you're looking to run your best marathon or looking for a PB, you've come to the right place. 

Importantly, the earlier you start your training program, the easier & better your body will adapt to the greater demands and running loads of training for the marathon. Too many people leave it too late, end up poorly prepared or even worse injured, and often do not make it to the start line, let alone the finish line!

At Run Well Marathon Training, our goal is to provide you with a personalised training program that will;

1. get you to the start line well prepared & in one piece, i.e not injured!
2.   provide you with a race plan to ensure you get to the finish line and finish well,
3.   enjoy your event (it shouldn't be absolute hell)  and finally,  
4.   maximise your performance to reach your race goal! 

Most importantly you will have a great chance of having an enjoyable & rewarding experience.

In last year's Melbourne Marathon, 'Run Well' clients improved their Personal Best by an average of 24 mins!

Here's what some of our past Run Well clients have had to say.

If you want to be a FINISHER at this year's marathon, or if you;re looking to run a PB and you're looking for some professional guidance, Run Well Marathon Training can help.

Contact me here & I will get in touch with you soon.

As always Run Well.

What the GOR Marathon & Milking a Cow have in common

What I love about a great running event like the Great Ocean Road Marathon is the people you meet.

Every runner has their own story, journey & reason for being there and we all share a few things in common. A love for running, and the challenge of it. Further to that, each has their own unique & typically colourful personalities & idiosyncrasies on display before the start. Whether it be their clothing, accessories, warm up routine and rituals to get them ready to race, it truly is a wonderful spectacle to observe.

The start studded field of past, present & future champions lined up on a delightful sunny morning in mild conditions with a bit of a headwind to add to the challenge of it all. What a great event that allows you to mingle with, chat with and compete on the same playing field with Olympic champions. You can even rub shoulders with these running greats, at least until the gun goes.

The race itself of course is superbly stunning as it twists and winds it's way up, down and around this spectacular coastline to Apollo Bay. According to my local mate at the Apollo Bay Hotel, Rudyard Kipling regularly visited the region, describing the Otways as " absolute paradise" and this is just one special way to see it.

Another is to explore a sneaky back road out of Apollo Bay in search of another route to Beech Forrest through some of the most beautiful rainforest areas I have ever seen. But alas, that is a whole other story (rather calamitous).

Back to milking the cow...

Running events bring together wonderful people who love to share their stories of challenge, and reward. One of those ladies chuffed from her own run on the Saturday spoke of the merits of some of her coach's training tips when approaching the hilly parts of the course. Her coach, none other than Monners himself recommends the rope pulling metaphor which we quickly dubbed, " milking the cow". Imagining clasped hands reaching forward and milking the teet with every step, "The arms drive the legs", was one of my own coach's favourites. I was inclined (boom boom) to put this into practise myself during the race with great effect. Thanks for the tip Allana.

What follows is many gruelling & unrelenting minutes and hours running with, and working with fellow runners that may join you, push you, drop you and be dropped by you with barely a word spoken, until you finally get to meet and congratulate those that have ultimately helped you to the finish line. And new friends are made to trade your story with..

We bask collectively in our glory and satisfaction of achievement; of finishing another training campaign, another run, another race.

This is what running is all about, we are in it together, part of a running community. We are all friends and that love the sport.

That's the GOR ticked off, and with two new PB's. What's next?

Less than 22 weeks til Melbourne Marathon, 25 weeks til NYC, here we come!!

Thinking about running the Marathon this year?

Or are you looking to run a Personal Best at your next race start?

As always, Run Well.

What I learned at Trail Running Camp.

lake bellfield from the pinnacles

Last weekend I had the pleasure of joining a Trail Running Camp in the Grampians. Whilst I have done a few trail running races in the past few years, most of my running & training is confined to the Bayside & Melbourne CBD area, hence rather flat and very few trails, let alone mountains! It was my recent foray up to the Mt. Buffalo Chalet a few weeks ago, that inspired me to seek more trail running experience as I prepare for the Wonderland Run in August

And so I joined the Wildplans Trail Running Camp, and this is what I learned.

• Trail Running is fun! 

Actually, not just fun, it is exhilirating! Spectacular scenery, fresh mountain air, challenging terrain, and fast wind in your hair descents that feel like mountain biking without wheels. So much fun!

• You are allowed to stop in Trail Running!

You are allowed to stop and take photos, you can talk, you're even allowed to walk when trail running. Well, it is almost impossible to run all the way, as some of the climbs are so steep, walking or climbing is the only option, and often more efficient than trying to run anyway.

Typically marathon training is all about paces, heart rate zones, threshold runs, pace runs, fast intervals. There's no stopping for photos, and you can barely talk anyway except on your blissful long steady runs on a weekend. In Trail running you are training all your different energy systems at once or altenating between them depedning on the terrain, at the same time as developing strength & condition from hills, stairs, climbs, & tricky descents. This requires good mental focus that also hones your running skills of foot placement, knee drive, glute activation and trunk stability to keep you upright & moving efficiently over the ground.  It's definitely an all-in-one workout!

• It's easier on your body!

Trail Running is overall slower paced than road running, and you tend to take lots of smalerl steps hence lightening the load on your body. Additionally, the terrain is so varied that your feet, legs, hips and trunk are constantly adjusting & changing their position and loading all of the time. In essence sharing the work-load around. You definitely use all of your body negotitating the trails, and whilst you can feel it the next day in areas you don't normally, it's a good kind of sore. As a result, you are less likely to develop the repetitive overload issues associated with pavement pounding.

• You get to buy heaps of cool stuff

Trail running require a bit more gear than on the road, which means you get to buy more cool stuff, which runners love. When hitting the trails or mountains you need to be prepared for anything, and could be out there for a long time, and in any kind of weather.

One of the coolest pieces of kit I was introduced to is called a THIR, which is a multi-functional headwear and a must for all runners looking to keep their ears, or head warm on chilly mornings and mountain tops. Not forgetting, but they are also sun (UV) protecting, eco-friendly, high performance fabric (Endura-cool), moisture wicking (sweat wiping), lightweight & highly breathable;  You should really check these out!

that's Kellie with a THIR on right there!

• WILDPLANS

Wildplans are a highly professional outfit, lead by two of Australia's finest trail & ultra running athletes in Kellie Emmerson, and Tegyn Angel. These two can teach you everything you need to know about trail running, most importantly how to be well prepared and safe in the process.

Thanks WILDPLAN for a spectacular weekend!

Trail Running is a great adjunct to your training program, regardless of what you are training for. It provides variety for your body & mind, is both physiaclly & mentally challenging, and above all exhilirating and fun. However, make sure you are well prepared, know what you are getting yourself into, and be safe.

As always, Run Well!

The hills are alive in Melbourne?

view from Mt. Buffalo

I was in the spectacular region of Bright last weekend, and it was only natural to go for a run that took me to the Mt. Buffalo Chalet. The last 11.3 kms of which rises 700m or so as it follows the BIG WALK hiking trail, which is also known to Buffalo Stampede runners. A most spectacular course, but I quickly discovered that whilst I am reasonably quick on the flat tracks around bayside Melbourne, the hills or mountains quickly brought me undone.

This lead to the realisation that I need to find and hit some big hills around Melbourne ASAP, as I prepare for the GOR Half in 5 weeks time, and then the Wonderland Run in the Grampians in August.

Hills are an integral part of many runners' training, and serve to build strength, form and condition to your running, and hence boost performance. Here's a link to a previous post I have written on the beneficial effects of hills training & why you should include these in your training regime.

Whilst you will find plenty of good long hills on the outer suburbs of Melbourne and beyond, such as in Heidelberg, Templestowe, Dandenongs, 1000 steps, You Yangs etc, there are not many around the pancake like flat-lands of inner Melbourne.

So, I've decided to compile a short list of decent hills that we can access around inner Melbourne that will help with your hills training.

1. Anderson Street, The Tan

A popular running location, with a decent mid length hill of about 400m to work with. Most of us have completed many, many reps of this local favourite, and you can catch my own Friday morning running group here every Friday morning from 6:15am.

So, I've decided to compile a short list of decent hills that we can access around inner Melbourne that will help with your hills training.

1. Anderson Street, The Tan

A popular running location, with a decent mid length hill of about 400m to work with. Most of us have completed many, many reps of this local favourite, and you can catch my own Friday morning running group here every Friday morning from 6:15am.

2. Kew Boulevard

An excellent course of undulating hills stretching about 7kms from end to end, popular amongst cyclists and runners alike.

3. Walmer Street ( off Kew Blvd)

Walmer Street runs past the southern end of Kew Blvd, and if you start from down near the Yarra River, it stretches up at a good gradient nearly 1 km to Studley Park Road. That classifies it as a Long Hill!

4. Princess Street to Barclay St/St.Kilda Road to Alma Road

One of my local favourites, and basically the only decent hill nearby, these two hills that meet together at the top (Barclay Street) offer a shorter steeper option ( Princess St-400m) or the longer, less steep section along the highway ( 600m). Not such a pretty option (traffic) but it's about the best I can offer in the area.

5. Fitzroy Gardens

As I often run during work hours from the CBD, I have found Fitzroy Gardens at the Eastern end of town a very attractive place to punch out some surprisingly good length hills. Whilst not so steep, these longer inclines can be weaved up, down & around in all kinds of combinations to give you a pretty decent workout.

6. Back of Essendon Airport

Somewhere in my distant track training past ( thanks Coach Bisinella) is the painful memory of a (horrendous) long set of steep stairs somewhere out the back of Essendon Airport. I can't even tell you what street it is, but it rises from the depths of the creek and bike paths up & up into a residential court. Too many painful repeats were done here to take any more notice of this place other than the vague memory of the airport in the distance, as we lay flat on our backs sucking in gulps of air.

Please feel free to share and add some more of your favourites that I and others can enjoy also.

Happy hill running and as always Run Well!

Improve your Running Efficiency with these 4 steps!

It's the time of year where many of us are in the early stages of a running program or thinking about it. As we look way down the calendar to our chosen events, our goals can seem a long way away. 

Sometimes early in the program it can be hard to keep focussed or motivated with our running training, but this is the ideal time to focus on what really matters when it comes to your running training. And that is, running with good form, and improving our running technique & efficiency, hence Run Well.

As always running training is about becoming a stronger & better runner, which given time will result in you becoming a faster runner. Hence the key here is in practising good technique, and thus developing good, strong motor (movement) patterns as we run. Train well, get stronger, improve your efficiency and faster will come.

Here are a few key pointers to get you started; 

1. Tall posture, strong trunk.

Running tall, chest up with a strong trunk allows you to keep your hips on top of & in front of your feet, to access your glutes/hips for power. Look out in front, not down to the ground. 

2. Shorter stride length , more steps

Reducing your stride length will also keep your hips over your feet, reducing the tendency to reach out in front with your foot ( over-striding). This also help you to land through your mid-foot for energy recoil, More steps, means reducing the load with each step, 

3. Pick up you feet!

This is called 'Knee Drive'; so pick your feet up off the ground at the end of your stride to get your knee coming through high & forward in position for your next step. This focal point will also help prevent you from reaching forward with your stride and over-striding.

4. Push from hips.  

Your glutes come from (the back of) your hips, and are the strongest muscle in your body. These are the runner's powerhouse that will allow you to run well, and fast. The combination of the above factors will allow you to push your body forward as you stride, thus increasing your stride length behind you during knee drive, and not reaching out in front.

Keen to learn more? 

Come to my regular running group sessions, held every Wednesday evenings 7pm at St.Kilda, and Friday mornings 6:15am at the Tan. These are coach led sessions with an emphasis on good quality running & form.  Wednesdays will include some running drills/strength, and Fridays is all about hard intervals - hills & track.

You can find out more here. 

Or if you're interested in  learning how to "Run Better, Run Stronger, Run Faster", you can join my next Running Technique Clinic to be held after Easter; all the details you will find here. 

I hope to see you out for a run soon.

As always, Run Well, always!

Great Ocean Road Marathon - just the Half?

It's just over 12 weeks until the GORM Running Festival!

if you're thinking of running in this spectacular event, it's time to step up your training.

I've entered the Half ( 23 km), and have put together my own 12 week Personalised  Training Program to help me to a PB. If you'd like to jump on board with a personalised training program from 'Run Well' to help you achieve your own PB in the GOR Half Marathon, then get in touch here.

And for this week only, you'll enjoy a 25% discount on the price. Your personalised program includes;

• A Detailed Runner questionnaire
• Follow up phone call to further discuss your goals & needs
• Personalised 12-week Training Program with Pace Guide
• Detailed Information Sheet explaining how to use your Program & Pace Guide
• Runners Pre-hab & Injury Prevention & Maintenance Guide
• Personalised Pre-Race Guide & Race Day Plan
• Access to Smart Training Options
• Exclusive access to Friday morning training session (6:15am@theTan, just $5) 

Hope to see you down there for a Run Well get together after the race!

- Rohan