Girls Run The World - Blog

Changing the way you breathe can improve health and performance

How Nostril Breathing Can Improve Health & Performance

Posted on 09/01/2021 by Rachael Woolston

Increasing evidence is now beginning to point towards the benefits of nostril breathing for improved performance, health and emotional well being Buddhist and Hindu culture has focused on the importance of breath work to benefit both the mind and health. But it is only in recent years, with the popularity of the Wim Hof method in particular, that attention in the West has turned towards how we breathe and the impact on every aspect of our health and performance in running and triathlon. Five Benefits of Nostril Breathing Boosts mental well being According to studies by Dr John Douillard, author

Six of the Best Winter Cycling Overshoes

Posted on 01/01/2021 by Fern Pearson

Getting cold feet about cycling outdoors this winter? We know the feeling! Read our Real Women Review guide to the best cycling overshoes as chosen by the our cycling community and coaches SPATZ ‘Pro 2’ Overshoes, £99.99 “Spatz are easy to get on, they’re totally windproof, and keep my feet pretty warm. Plus, they have proved to be completely waterproof.” –Becky Goodwin, GRTW Triathlon Coach “In my humble opinion, look no further than Spatz’s cycling overshoes for winter riding. Not winning any awards for style BUT they are amazing.” – Dotty OK, so there are not cheap but they come highly

Medals that made me: Katie Wright

Posted on 21/12/202021/12/2020 by Rachael Woolston

GRTW swim strength coach, Katie Wright shares the lessons she has learned from her race experiences…including learning that swimming open water without a wetsuit is COLD… National Aquathlon Championships 2019 Lesson learned: Practise in race conditions and being good at one discipline does not translate to multi-discipline events are I entered this event off the back of three swimming pool-based events, the first of which I learned the hard way that you can’t – and most definitely should not, compete in an aquathlon wearing just a swimsuit; the run was a painful experience. So, turning up to the National Aquathlon

Real Women Review: Trail Running Lights

Posted on 16/12/202016/12/2020 by Fern Pearson

As part of our ‘Real Women Review’ series, here’s our review of the best trail running torches as chosen by real female runners to help you see clearly on your trail and urban runs during the winter GRTW Coach Recommendation: Kogalla RA Adventure Light, £112.97 “I love my Kogalla RA Adventure Light – with 800 lumens it basically lights up the forest like a truck headlight. You can also attach it on your waist, across your shoulders, anywhere EXCEPT your head. I find this much more comfortable and the beam is still wide enough to illuminate any trail. I have trouble seeing

Medals That Made Me: Lucja, GRTW Ultra Coach

Posted on 14/12/202013/12/2020 by Fern Pearson

In our latest series, Lucja Leonard from the GRTW Ultra running coaching team shares the lessons that she’s learned from each race to help her improve Kalahari Augrabies Extreme Marathon, October 2013 Lesson: Test out your nutrition I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I entered this self-supported multi-stage race of 250km over seven days though the Kalahari desert in South Africa. I’d chosen to enter it after seeing it in a book that my husband, Dion had bought me, called The Worlds Toughest Endurance Challenges.’ I had researched the event by reading blogs by other

The Marathon Medals That Have Made Me

Posted on 06/12/202006/12/2020 by Rachael Woolston

Starting our new series of articles, where we share the lessons learned from race experiences from the Girls Run the World coaches and community. First up, GRTW CEO Rachael Woolston shares her marathon experiences Lake Garda Marathon, October 2012 Be specific My first marathon, which I ran for the experience of it rather than racing. A beautiful road marathon, I learned that you need to be absolutely specific with your training. I trained purely off-road and so my body was not equipped for road running. Finish time: 3 hours, 50 minutes. Mumbai Marathon, January 2013 Watch what you eat Another

Essential open water swimming kit for winter

Posted on 02/12/202002/12/2020 by Rachael Woolston

With Covid causing swimming pool closures, GRTW CEO, Rachael Woolston, has committed to swimming in the open water through winter. Here’s her essential kit guide to winter swimming. I started swimming in the open water five years ago, when I first took up triathlon. One of my first open water triathlon events was early in the season in the river Arundel. I was so worried about the cold, I ended up purchasing a lot of different bits of kit. Something that I now REALLY need. I’ve been through a lot of different kit, and these are my pick of the

Real Women Review: Waterproof Cycling Jackets

Posted on 24/11/202002/12/2020 by Fern Pearson

When we asked the endurance women who make up our online athlete community for their recommendations on the best waterproof cycling jackets, there was a clear winner . Read on for our RWR recommendations to help keep you dry on cycle days THE CLEAR WINNER C7 Women GORE-TEX SHAKEDRY Jacket “The GoreTex Shakedry has been my go-to jacket when it is raining and cold. I’ve worn it in torrential rain and it’s kept me dry, while the combination of elastic cuffs, fitted shape and longer back means that it stays in place.” – Vanessa (@triathlonness) GORE-TEX SHAKEDRY Hooded Jacket Price:

The Virtual Red Bull Timelaps

Posted on 09/11/202009/11/2020 by Fern Pearson

With our global online community of women in endurance sport, there will always be someone to motivate and inspire you to train or even race with. As these four strangers discovered when they signed up to the Girls Run the World team taking on a virtual relay cycle ride over 25 hours The RedBull TimeLaps Challenge What is it? A virtual team relay cycle ride, with one rider of each team allowed to cycle at any one time. The goal was to accumulate as much distance as possible in 25 hours. The ride could be done on a turbo or outdoors.

Four Ways to Stay Focused and Motivated

Posted on 06/11/202006/11/2020 by Rachael Woolston

With shorter daylight hours, colder weather and no races, lockdown 2.0 is different from the first. Read our guide on how to stay fit, focused and kickass during lockdown and beyond Progressing and working towards a goal that matters is a hugely positive force. It is what helps us to get out of a warm bed to run on a dark morning, that keeps us on a horrible turbo session when our legs are screaming, and which helps us to push into an uncomfortable training zone, when it would be much easier to jog and watch the sun set. But

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