2014 London Marathon Race Report by Catherine Wilding
It promised to be one of the most exciting races ever. The London Marathon was to bear witness to the double Olympic Champion – Mo Farah – making his debut over the 26.2 mile distance. Ever since Mo turned up on the start line of the London Marathon…
Gone to seed or laying fallow?
I was recently talking to my friend and fellow Chaser, Tom Craggs, a coach and personal trainer who is quickly developing a reputation as one of the top running coaches in the UK. Tom and I ran the Berlin marathon together, literally in stride, back when a sub-3…
Stand and deliver… why standing all day and running go together
As many of you will know, at the end of last year my wife, Julie, and I launched freestak, a social media marketing business for running and endurance sports brands. In many ways this has been a life-changing experience: I am working many, many more hours than I…
Virgin London Marathon 2014 entry opens… and slams the door on some GFA runners
After the excitement and razzamatazz of the London marathon, there follows a somewhat unsightly scramble for places the following year. There is a ballot system in place which is capped at 125,000 entries. Once this is reached the ballot entry closes – and that usually takes a few…
The Simple (Simon) Guide to Racing a Marathon – Part four: Psychology
The final post in this mini-series is all about the head. Race day can be stressful and whilst I think that a degree of nerves can be a good thing, I want to keep it under control. And control is what I focus on. Control the things you…
The Simple (Simon) Guide to Racing a Marathon – Part three: Fuel
Eat As with hydration, I think that during the race, the best you can hope for is to top up your fuel stores as best you can. The body can absorb 90grms of carbohydrate per hour which equates to about 360 kcal. In general running is considered to…
The Simple (Simon) Guide to Racing a Marathon – Part two: Hydration
Drink I don’t think it is possible to race a marathon (I use the word ‘race’ as against ‘run’ or ‘complete’ because ‘race’ to me means pushing as close to your limits as you can) without getting dehydrated. As with so many things relating to a marathon, the…
The Simple (Simon) Guide to Racing a Marathon – Part one: Timing
It was my birthday a while ago and my aunt sent me one of those gently amusing cards that cause very little offence or mirth. Here it is… But it got me thinking about how all too often, achieving a goal can become a daunting exercise over over-whelming…
The storm is coming
Think back if you will, to the point before your marathon preparation cycle started. Let’s take November last year for example. Whether or not you raced last autumn, it is highly likely that last November you were not training for anything specific. Wasn’t that a lovely time? Blissful…
Racing enough or too much?
I don’t think I raced enough in 2012.…