GH TRAINING
16 WEEKS TO GO
IT’S A MARATHON
- NOT A SPRINT
RELAX
It’s a marathon - not a sprint. Relax into
your training and aim to simply enjoy
these early training runs.
HOW MANY CARBS?
Should you be eating more
carbohydrate now that you’re
training for a marathon?
FOR THE LADIES
Do not underestimate the
importance of a sports bra - they are
just as important as your running
shoes.
GH TRAINING
Aim of the week
Welcome the first official GH Training weekly training
newsletter.
Although it might still be 16 weeks until you line
up to take on a 26.2 mile run, I’m afraid that
the moment has now come when you are
really going to have to start focusing on your
training.
Whatever marathon you are training
for, be it London, Edinburgh or the hilly
Snowdonia, the next 16 weeks are going
to be tough, but hopefully the weekly
newsletters we have designed for you
will help to give you some comfort
and helpful advice every step of the
way.
For training this week, I’m not expecting you to put in a hard week, quite the
opposite in fact. Just head out of the front door and go on a few easy runs with
the sole purpose of enjoying them.
Strap your iPod to your arm, listen to your favourite playlist and don’t over exert
yourself. Now is the time to take things easy and get your body used to running.
By all means, if you already have a decent level of running fitness and you have a
“fartlek” or “interval training” session scheduled then take it on, but don’t overdo it.
This is the start of a long road ahead, so the importance of this week is to get your
confidence up and enjoy the sensation of running – without needing to gasp for air or
collapse in a heap.
Moderation is key
The key to successful marathon training is to train in moderation and gradually build up
your fitness over time. If you are the competitive type (you know who you are) I cannot
stress the importance of avoiding the temptation to run too hard and too fast at this
stage of your training.
There will be plenty of opportunity in the coming weeks to stretch your legs and push
yourself hard, but for now, concentrate on developing a really good “base” level of
fitness, before you take the intensity up a notch.
GH TRAINING
Nutrition tip of the week
To carb or not to carb?
Thanks to a trend of “carbohydrate bashing”
books being written from the mid 90’s onwards,
the word CARBOHYDRATE fills many a dieter
with dread. Do carbs really make me fat? What
sort of carbs am I allowed? It goes on!
For runners, as a general rule carbs are
your friend and the further you run the
more carbs you need to help fuel your
next run.
That’s not to say that you need
shovel a barrow load of carbs down
for every meal, but as your miles
increase you need to make sure
you not only eat carbohydrate
rich meals, but also eat them at
the right time.
Timing your carbs
The best time to eat carbs is in the 2-3 hour window after a training run. This is the time
where your body will soak up the carbs like a sponge and store them away in the liver
and muscles – and not on your hips.
So, if you’re afraid that carbs will stop you fitting into that summer frock (which they
won’t provided you eat them in correct quantities) eat your carbs straight after a run to
restock them for the next run.
Try to avoid falling for the common mistake that just because you have started
your marathon training, it means that you should be wolfing down bucket loads of
carbohydrates in the form of pasta, potatoes, rice and bread etc.
For now concentrate on eating a balanced and healthy diet - the carbs will come later.
To read more on the role that carbohydrates will play throughout your
training, visit this blog post on the GH Training website.
GH TRAINING
One for the Ladies
Sports bras - the “elephant in the room” of women’s
running and fitness apparel but without doubt the
most important item exercise clothing a woman
can buy.
No matter what size or running standard you
are, good support whilst you are running is
vital for both your running comfort and long
term health of the breast tissue.
Yet, despite this seemingly obvious fact,
according to a survey by a leading sports
bra manufacturer, a staggering 68 per
cent of women do not wear a sports
bra during exercise.
This is not only a shocking statistic
in itself, but what makes it worse
is that it is predicted by leading leisure wear Company Moving Comfort that around 8
out of 10 women who do wear sports bras, are either wearing the wrong size or the bra
needs to be replaced.
For the breast health of the nation, this statistic must change - and change fast. Running
is one of the UK’s most popular ways to keep in shape, with thousands of women
pounding the streets and treadmills every day. Without the right supportive bra during
exercise, breast tissue can be permanently damaged, so read on if you want to avoid
being be a statistic.
What’s The Big Deal?
Wearing a sports bra while working out offers more than just great comfort, it also helps
prevent irreversible damage that can lead to “sagging” breast tissue. Women can help
minimize this damage by investing in a great fitting, quality sports bra
The breast is comprised of connective, fatty tissue attached to the chest wall by fibrous
strands called Cooper’s ligaments.
There is no internal structure for supporting the breast tissue against gravity and
excessive movement beyond this band of fibrous tissue.
When the breast is unsupported during activity, the weight of the tissue, coupled with
the breast movement, causes the ligament to stretch. This can cause both discomfort
and permanent damage to the breast tissue.
GH TRAINING
Finding The Perfect Fit
So, ladies for the long-term health of your breasts, it’s
a really good idea to invest in a high-quality sports
bra; they might not be the cheapest item of sports
clothing out there, but they are certainly worth it in
the long term.
It goes without saying that a personal fitting
from someone who knows what they are
talking about is ideal, but if you are a little
embarrassed about getting that personal
with someone you don’t know, check out
this video so you can work it out for
yourself.
We Are All Unique
Once you have a good idea of what size you are, I’m afraid there’s still a bit of work to do
before you can confidently head out for a run or exercise class wearing the right sports
bra.
There are a range of different sports bras on the market depending on your activity
level, body shape and personal preference.
So with that in mind, do not be afraid to try on half a dozen bras before you commit to
purchasing one. You have to be sure the one you invest in is going to support you and
your girls up to three times a week whilst pounding the pavements, so you have to be
sure you’ll be comfortable and confident whilst exercising.
To help give you an overview of some of the choices of sports bra out there, check out
the Brooks running website, who manufacture a wide range of running specific bras to
suit every type of runner.
GH TRAINING
Pre-Hab Tip of the week
When you first begin training - when your legs are fresh and the weekly miles are fairly
low - injuries are often the last thing on your mind.
The trouble is, now that you are in training for a long distance event, small muscular
weaknesses and / or imbalances that you have (but don’t realise) will sooner or later
begin to cause you problems.
They will start out as minor niggles, which a bit of rest and ice will fix, but as the miles
clock up, unless those weaknesses and imbalances are corrected, what start out as
minor niggles can quickly turn into seriously painful injuries.
To illustrate this point and to explain in a little more detail about the importance of “pre
hab” exercises, click on the image above to watch a short video on how simple exercises
that you can do at home, can help prevent a range of injuries.
Pre-hab Exercises
Once you understand the reasons why you should do regular “pre-hab”
exercises, login into the Video Library.
Here you’ll find a range of videos on injury prevention, foam rolling and
stretching.