Girls Run The World – Blog

How to achieve your running goals by doing less

Posted on 27/02/2019 by Rachael Woolston

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

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

Posted on 12/02/2019 by Rachael Woolston

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’

#grtwproject26.2 ‘Having different training zones has transformed my running’

Posted on 07/02/2019 by Rachael Woolston

Our third #project26.2 runners, Kerrie Flippance, shares how recovery runs and training zones has transformed her running…while she contemplates a 5am start as she juggles marathon training and motherhood Manchester Marathon will be my first marathon and I ‘panic entered’ last August after reading a friend’s Facebook status which led me to believe it was about to sell out. To date there are still places left! After I entered, I tried to forget about it, ignoring all my friends’ excited social media messages about who was training on what days and where could we run to vary our training. I was

#project26.2 ‘Marathon training is the same as any other running, just longer, right?’

Posted on 06/02/2019 by Rachael Woolston

In her first block of virtual marathon training as part of Girls Run the World Project26.2, Catriona Ward Sell, 31 has learned that running longer distances requires a totally different mindset… I recall, at about age 8, going to football practice with my wee neighbour, John. Unable to kick the ball hard and fast, he became frustrated. “The trouble with practising…” he exclaimed, booting the ball away, “is that you have to practice and practice and practice, just to be any good at practising!” Surely no truer words have ever been said about marathon running, either. I am a

#grtwproject26.2 How running slower is making me faster

Posted on 05/02/2019 by Rachael Woolston

After winning a virtual marathon coaching package as part of the Girls Run the World project26.2, Marie Knight reflects on her first month where she discovered the value of recovery runs… I can’t quite believe it’s the end of week four of my training plan, and it’s been a learning curve; getting to grips with new running shoes, new training app (Girls Run the World use Training Peaks to deliver personalised plans from their team of female coaches), a new approach to nutrition, not to mention learning to programme my Garmin watch correctly, which I’m ashamed to say I’ve owned

WIN! Welcome to our Queens of Speed giveaways

Posted on 22/01/2019 by Rachael Woolston

Fancy getting your hands on some of these fab prizes? Read on to find out how you could win some Girls Run the World booty, including a goodie bag of Pukka Herb products or our top prize, the Hoka One One Mach 2 road shoe, which hits the streets in March** The Hoka One One Mach 2 launches in the UK this March and is perfect for road running, being both responsive and cushioned so that it absorbs the impact without sacrificing the ‘feel’ of the road to help you maintain your pace. It’s a low weight shoe and has an

Welcome to the new wave in women’s running

Posted on 21/01/2019 by Rachael Woolston

Two things happened last week which made us all cheer (and swear a little too) at Girls Run the World HQ. Firstly, Jasmin Paris became the first woman to win Britain’s most brutal race, The Spine Race, beating the the overall course record by 12 hours. If you don’t know much about this race, here’s some facts; it’s 268 miles taking in the Pennine Way and has over 37,000 feet of climbing and you have to carry your own kit. It took Jasmin 83 hours, 12 minutes and 23 seconds, with just seven hours rest, during which she also breastfed her

Review: Hoka One One Torrent

Posted on 17/01/2019 by Rachael Woolston

If you’re looking for a great trail shoe to get you through your training to the Spring, then look no further… Features Open engineered mesh construction PROFLY midsole Multidirectional lugs Protective outlays Weight: 254g (size EU 42) Forefoot height: 18mm Heel height: 23mm Drop: 5mm Colourways: Lichen/seaport, sodalite blue/very berry, nine iron/steel grey (wouldn’t you love the job of coming up with the colour way descriptions?!) Price: £105 At Girls Run the World, we’ve always been fans of the Salomon Speedcross but on our recent training camp to Ethiopia in November, which saw us taking our runners out into the

Introducing our #grtwproject26.2 runners

Posted on 13/01/2019 by Rachael Woolston

At the end of 2018, we ran a competition to win a virtual marathon training package with us. These are the four women who won and who will be sharing their marathon training journey with the GRTW community over the next four months… Kerrie Flippance, 43, legal executive and mum of three, Warwickshire Instagram: @kerrie.runs.26.2 Goal race: Manchester Marathon Target finish: 3 hours, 50 minutes Why Kerrie applied: Support in juggling training with being a mum of three It’s my first marathon and I so I’d love some help and support to know what to do and how to

Project 26.2 – who will win our marathon training package?

Posted on 10/12/2018 by Rachael Woolston

In November, we launched #project26.2, which is going to provide four lucky women with the chance to win virtual marathon training and mentorship with GRTW founder, Rachael Woolston and head Brighton coach Tara Shanahan. Between them, they’ve run around 15 marathons and have seen their times drop to just under 3 hours 16 minute. We thought we’d share some of the entries out of the hundreds that we’ve received so far. There’s still time for YOU to apply yourself though. Entries close 17th December. To read about the terms and conditions and to enter, click here. Mona, is