Category: THINK

#grtwproject26.2 ‘It hurt but would I do it again? Yes!’

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With less than a week before the London marathon, our #grtwproject26.2 runner, Rachel Sparkhall, who we coached for the Paris Marathon has these thoughts to share for those about to run their first marathon in London…   I sit here typing this as a marathon runner, feeling proud as punch even though the Paris marathon didn’t go quite according to plan.  Right from the start, my pace was off target but I kept calm because the training that I’ve done with Tara of Girls Run the World has taught me to hold a little back at the start and aim

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How to achieve your running goals by doing less

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Want to know the secret for unlocking  your perfect running year? Achieve your personal bests and stay injury with one simple tip… You might assume that the key to having your best year ever is all to do with how you train, how often and how challenging it is. But actually it’s far simpler than this as we revealed in a recent Facebook Live in our FREE Community Group. All you have to do is plan your year. This one simple thing enables you to avoid the pitfalls that can derail even the best runners. Planning your year… Helps you

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#grtwproject26.2 ‘Having a virtual coach keeps me accountable – and running even when I don’t feel like it’

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The final of our four winners of #grtwproject26.2 winners, Rachel Sparkhall, 43  reveals how accountability and b-run-ches have been so important for the first four week block of her Paris Marathon training… Race: Schneider Paris Marathon Target: 3  hours, 59 minutes I read a quote this week, ‘the marathon is the victory lap’ and this struck a chord – it will be the culmination of 14 + weeks of not only running an amazing amount of miles but also the thinking time and juggling of work/life as well – I think the mantra ‘this is the victory lap, enjoy it’

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How was your weekend running?

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From the beach to The Beast, there were plenty of unique events taking place over the first September of the month – not to mention our monthly Parkrun get together…   Just when you thought we were bidding goodbye to the summer, the warm weather returned this weekend but with much more manageable heat for running, which made for some fantastic events this weekend. There was the Kent Coastal Marathon, a beautiful road half marathon that starts in Margate and travels along closed roads to take in Ramsgate and some of the rest of the Thanet coast. Word on the

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How was your weekend running?

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Date: 20-22nd July We’ve never had a summer quite so hot, although one way to steer clear of the heat this weekend was to take part in the Lunar-tic Marathon River Marathon which ran through the night. But we thought it was the perfect conditions for our inaugural GRTW Run Wild trail and yoga retreat. How did you fare this weekend in training or racing?     Over the weekend, we spoke to lots of runners at our GRTW Trail and Yoga retreat and opinion is evenly split – some people love warm summer running, others much prefer the cooler

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How was your weekend running?

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Summer is a time of trail races and those with a bit of a twist… I didn’t race this weekend as I was busy checking out  more routes for the Girls Run the World Trail and Yoga Retreat this coming weekend (July 20-22), and it sure was a hot one! Which is why I headed off for an open water swim in the beautiful Weirwood Reservoir rather than run again. But elsewhere, there was lots going on in the trail running stakes, not least the spectacular Gran Trail Courmayer, with distances of 30, 50 and 105km to choose from…the winning

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How was your weekend running?

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Mountain running and park runs , I’m a little late with this weekend post from 7th-8th July but my excuse? Holding running in the lovely Italian Dolomites and Lake Garda…   If you ever fancy a DIY running holiday,  I can’t recommend Lake Garda and the Dolomites enough. I was there last week, firstly in the Dolomites to take part in an arduous but absolutely amazing cycle sportive, Maratona Dles Dolomites. I then stayed on and just ran the trails that I could find. Hilly, hard but absolutely stunning with nothing but the babble of mountain springs and the gentle ring

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How was your weekend running?

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From fun runs to the Decathlon 5km series and Race to the Kings, this weekend summed up the beauty of summer running…   During the winter, many of the athletic clubs take part in cross country races, fast, fierce and tough races, short in distance, usually extremely muddy, and fierce in hills and weather conditions. They do it to pitch themselves against other clubs for points. Come the summer, many of these clubs hold summer ‘fun runs’, those same types of short distance races – 3 – 5 miles – on off road conditions but in beautiful sunny, warm weather.

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How was your weekend running?

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What running or events did you take part in this weekend?    Down here in Sussex, the first weekend of June is always the renowned South Downs Way Relay, a lung-busting, leg sapping relay race involving six men, women or mixed teams all racing their way from Eastbourne to Winchester over 100 miles. It’s an invitation only event and a hotly contested race every year. I was very fortunate to be part of the winning Arena ladies team last year, who amazingly have gone on to win it again this year. And what’s most notable about that is that ALL

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How was your weekend running?

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The weekend just passed had us thinking a lot about motivation and will power to push through when training or racing gets tough… Perhaps this was partly due to my taking on Grafman, a Half Ironman event, which comprises a 1.8km open water swim, followed by a 56 mile bike ride and rounded off by a half marathon at the end. But it was also because it was a weekend of running events that require a lot of mental reserve, such as the Night of the 10km PBs and the North Downs Way 50. Fittingly enough, the Girls Run the

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