Category: TRAINING

Do women get slower with age?

Posted on 14/09/202014/09/2020 by Rachael Woolston

As we hit our forties and beyond, how much does it affect our speed and how should we change the way that we train? Physiologically, there is no doubt that if you an elite female athlete you will get slower as you age. But for the majority of female recreational runners and triathletes, getting slower as you hit your forties and fifties is NOT a foregone conclusion. Why? Because most recreational female athletes don’t start running seriously until their thirties. As for triathlon, many of us don’t have the time or money to start training for a multi-disciplined event until

3 Ways to Boost Your Motivation to Train

Posted on 10/09/202022/09/2020 by Fern Pearson

We all know that we should be training, but sometimes it can be hard to find the time or the motivation. If you’ve found yourself in a rut here are three easy ways to help you get back out there and reaching your goals. Many of us couldn’t wait to get out there and train post-lockdown, then suddenly autumn hit and we’re busier than ever. Whether you’ve been preparing for the kids going back to school or just coping with returning to semi-normal life it can leave us feeling unmotivated. 3 Tips to Get Motivated to Train: Get enough sleep Making

Pelvic floor and the female athlete

Posted on 07/09/2020 by Rachael Woolston

Everyone knows that pregnancy and childbirth affect pelvic floor health. But there are other causes that can cause pelvic floor issues from incontinence to back pain Awareness, knowledge and access to specialist women’s pelvic health experts, thankfully, has improved loads in the last decade. When we recently interviewed a host of female runners and triathletes for our podcast series on Postnatal Performance (out in November 2020), it was great to hear that so many had sought rehab before returning to training (listen to our interview with Gill Bland, a sub 3 hour marathon recreational runner on her experience). Pelvic floor

Achieving Training Gains Through Adventure

Posted on 03/09/202003/09/2020 by Fern Pearson

With most races cancelled for 2020 and lockdown wiping out normal training methods, many have used adventures to train. Be inspired and discover the training adaptations gained through adventuring… Shaking your head and thinking that there is no way adventure training can really benefit your performance? Think again. Tour de France cyclist, Jerome Cousin was visiting his girlfriend in Portugal when the country went into lockdown, and all return flights back to his native France were cancelled. Once lockdown was eased, he bike paced with girlfriend on a 1,152km trip across Portugal. He described the experience as ‘total freedom’. Now, if

Four Essential Tips for Trail Running Recovery

Posted on 06/08/2020 by Rachael Woolston

Taking to the trails opens up a little slice of adventure in your day to day life. Small wonder it becomes so addictive but with it taking more effort it’s even more important to heed recovery strategies… Build your strength ‘Huh?‘ you may be thinking. ‘That’s not recovery.’ Strength work is a vital component of trail running as it keeps you efficient on the trails so you don’t overwork – and therefore injure yourself. It doesn’t need to take hours of training, just short, simple kettlebell or plyometric type exercises can reap big rewards both in making it feel easier

FAQ: V Ultra Alps

Posted on 03/08/2020 by Saffi Leigh

Entered our monthly or weekly challenge? Here’s the answers to the most regularly asked questions… Can I still register after August 1? Registration remains open until August 10th, so you can sign up for the monthly challenge or the weekly race which takes place between August 10-16th. Why is this event and training course free? We are doing this to raise money for Refuge and to increase women’s participation in trail running, along with boosting diversity. As such, we would rather participants shared their experiences with the hashtag #grtwrunhigh #grtwdiversity to inspire others. Do I have to track elevation? Monthly

Five top tips for navigation on the trails

Posted on 30/07/202001/08/2020 by Saffi Leigh

We spoke to women in the trail running community to find out what their top tips are for someone learning to navigate.

How to develop a winning mindset

Posted on 17/06/202029/07/2020 by Rachael Woolston

We chatted to sports psychologist, Dr Josephine Perry on our Instagram Live Chat series about how to develop a winning mindset – and staying motivated without races in 2020 How do you improve your mindset so that you can improve your ability to feel uncomfortable but still push through in training or racing? A lot of it comes down to motivation, which many of us are struggling with at the moment because the key determinants of our motivation are your goals, and Covid 19 has wiped out all the races. It’s much easier to get on the treadmill if you

What’s the difference between a tempo and an interval run?

Posted on 10/06/202010/06/2020 by Rachael Woolston

Confused about the difference? Here, GRTW Head Honcho of online running programmes, Tara Shannahan explains and how it can make you a faster runner Interval Run An Interval run is when you run fast for an interval of time, then allow the body to partially recover and then repeat. Why do we run intervals? The purpose of these runs are to train our VO2 max, which means the maximum amount of oxygen your body can process to fuel your run. Your VO2 max is determined by two things – the ability of your heart to pump oxygenated blood around the

How learning to recover made me a stronger ultra runner

Posted on 01/05/202029/07/2020 by Saffi Leigh

Georgina Smith, 34, a chef lives in Chamonix with husband, Dan Fitzgerald. She reveals how pulling out of the Ultra Tour Monte Rosa, a 72 mile ultra race in September 2018 eventually led to a podium place When you train for a mountain ultra with 10 summits over 4000 metres, it puts the fear of god into you so you train hard! The race had been created by Lizzy Hawker, record five-time winner of the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, who had used the trails around Monte Rosa, which lie between Italy and Switzerland to train for the UTMB. Renowned