Team Times Marathon Blog

Personal Trainer Top Tips

Admin — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:18:00 GMT

Jayson Lee, Cannon’s personal trainer, top tips:

1. Routine. Its close to race time and if you have been lucky enough to avoid lapses or injury, it's now time to concentrate for the big day. Get into the habit of simplifying your daily routine around your preparation.
Note: advised that training should be reduce to around about 50-60% to be at maximum performance level for the race.

2. Rest. In conjunction with your routine, the second most important aspect for preparation for the big race is rest. Try and get into the habit of getting enough rest and not over sleeping. Avoid late nights if possible and irregular sleeping habits. There is no such thing as catching up on sleep all this does is put you off your routine. Its only for a week now so its not impossible to make a few changes to your work life. Remember your doing 26 miles so your going to need all the your physical and mental faculties on the big day.

3. Fluids. Very important for daily life and the lead up to the big race. Making sure you drink plenty of water during your post training and pre race preparation.
On the day of the race, make sure you top up fluids at the start during and after the race as this will prevent dehydration. Drink what you need as too much fluid intake can cause you to feel bloated and heavy at the start and during the race. (sports drinks are recommended during the race and after the race e.g.. powerade, lucazade hydration or variations )

4.Nutruition. Here your diet shouldn't really change all the much but just because we are coming close to the race, that doesn't mean you can relax. What many runner do is while they reduce training a few notches, they will increase their carbohydrate intake (good carbs). This is supposed to keep you in good stead for the duration of the race in regards to your Glycogen storage.

Pre race day: avoid eating to much solid food as this may impede your digestion during the course of the race. Bananas or gel nutrition bars or sports drinks are the way to go.

post race day: because the amount of energy being use during the race, it's common for runners to become very tired of ill after the race so it's recommended to increase vitamin intake to avoid getting sick. e.g. multi vitamins, vitamin C. Avoid take medication during the race unless absolutely necessary.

5. Equipment. Extra protection on your feet may be a good insurance against any unnecessary injuries to your ankles during the race as well as blisters.

Wearing two pairs of sock (light one as apposed to sports socks) or even taping around your sock with medical tape before you put your shoes on. Make sure that you don’t feel any compression in your shoes.

6. Pre-race plan. Having a plan before the big race will inhibit any hesitation and can increase mental and physical stability during the course of the race. Things like familiarising the course, where the drink points are, any potential hazards and even setting out a little pace map if you’re not going to do the entire race without stopping.

7. Music. Pre race nerves can cause unnecessary uses of your energy reserves so it’s good to chill out with an MP3 player. I know that a few people will have groups of friends who will be there for support but its good to try and keep in your own space during the time of the race as this will help you focus on the task at hand.

8.Stretches. Very important and something that you should have been performing during your training routine and pre race.

Just a quick reminder. Light stretching and NO BOUNCING on any of the stretches. Hold for about 10 -12 seconds. A stretching partner is a good idea to help you stretch correctly.

Lastly, try not to spend too much time on your pre stretch. If you are starting out cold, a light jog on the spot will help you warm up so your stretches are not as painful.

Galloping ahead

Admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:14:00 GMT

I couldn’t exactly say my preparation for running the London Marathon has been smooth, or glitch-free, writes Will Davies
For starters, I embarked on this fool’s mission with a hamstring in spasm, muscles lying dormant and a gut too large for someone my age.
Even with a month to go, the hamstring is determined to sabotage my quest, like a little red devil sitting on my shoulder, repeatedly whispering ‘fail, fail’ in my ear.
For that matter, so have my ankles, which have flared up, making running on hard surfaces agonising.
That is, until Saturday morning.
A trip to the countryside and the sight of soft rolling hills provided no better an opportunity to resurrect my beleaguered training regime.
And what a joy.
Although the heavens opened the moment I stepped outside, my soggy t-shirt chaffing my nipples raw, I cruised the ten-mile route like a thoroughbred champion storming up the nearby hill at Cheltenham.
Although I am lacking long-distance practice, confidence is restored, and in the nick of time.

Ice man cometh

Admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:13:00 GMT

I am convinced I did something horribly wrong in a past life, writes Will Davies. I am not even sure if I believe in karma, or comeuppance, or whatever you’d like to call it, but regardless I have hit a strain of bad luck which is blighting my training schedule.
Just as I recover from a hamstring injury, which ‘forced’ me to put my feet up for a year and develop a belly most ale-swillers would be proud of, my ankles are now being ruined by concrete. I wouldn’t be complaining if London’s pavements were made of lovely smooth tarmac – they may as well be paved with gold – but the reality is horrible, uneven, slabs of dirty grey concrete that pave my way to marathon success. Or rather they attempt to trip me at every turn. But it isn’t even their unevenness that is the problem, more that it is the most obtuse, jarring surface to run on. Ice packs are being applied to swollen ankles and physio sessions booked, but with a month to go, nothing short of divine intervention is needed to get me to the start line.
Ends. Word count: 187

March 18

Admin — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 10:54:00 GMT

By Nadia Sam-Daliri.
ACCORDING to the first and only Flora London Marathon magazine to slip through my letterbox since I signed up to this colossal undertaking, I should now be in my last week of training.
The body needs to rest now, prepare itself for the mammoth feat ahead, says the runners’ gospel.
But I don’t feel ready, I feel panicked, I’m worried because I haven’t tried eating or drinking anything during my runs yet.
They say you should test everything in training before the big day just in case you implode on first gulp of a jelly baby from a well-wishing crowd member or spontaneously combust after a sip of 98 per cent sugar-laden energy drink.
Everyone tells me it’s natural to panic, it’s just nerves which will disappear on the day.
But what if adrenaline mixed with energy drink, jelly baby, sweat and fear is a concoction akin to toaster and bread knife and ends up finishing me off?

Only a month to go

Admin — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 10:06:00 GMT

By Alex Wellman.

ONLY a month to go and the finishing line of training is in sight.

Having tried dips, thrusts, martial arts and even a Nintendo Wii it is safe to say that nothing is better than simple running.

Knowing a wedding had to be attended in bath this weekend, the pavements of north London were revisited after a two-week hiatus.

The intention was to get the work in early that would otherwise be missed while I try to pull the chief bridesmaid.

A number of late nights had forced me to take my run later than usual so with this in mind the route was changed to allow for more street light.

Knowing what I know now, such a thing will never happen again.

Running down Barnet High Street as drunken revellers queue up to get into a grotty pub is not the boost to self esteem that a runner needs.

Amid cries of ‘fatty’, ‘run Forrest’ and a string of expletives that would make a sailor blush I carried on.

Nevertheless the damage was done and I have reverted to incognito runs in the early hours.

Despite the harassment tying the laces on the running shoes brings forth a sense of resignation but untying them after the run there is little but pride.

The Flora London Marathon stands no chance.

March 11

Admin — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 10:53:00 GMT

By Nadia Sam-Daliri.
RUNNING constantly has become a bit monotonous so having access to a great personal trainer at Cannons, Jayson Lee, has been a god-send these past few weeks.
Jayson originally took me through lunges, squats and weights and however useful these were, they are not the most exciting in the gym’s repertoire of torture mechanisms.
Then we got onto boxing training sessions and, dare I say it, I had such good fun.
Jayson took me through two and three minute ‘rounds’ for around 45 minutes so I was doing uppercuts, punches, hooks and plenty of ducks as I followed his pads around the room.
I worked up such a sweat and could feel the effect as after a couple of days of achey thighs my squats were faster and felt easier than in my first session.
Now’s the time to really mix up the training and I can assure you that ¾ hour punching and ducking will build up your stamina like nothing else.

Boxing fit

Admin — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:07:00 GMT

A month ago, the prospect of running 26.2 miles looked bleak writes Will Davies. I hadn’t trained for over six weeks due to a torn hamstring, and had just returned from South Africa boasting a bloated belly full of beer and steak. Having run in the race before, I knew by mid-January I should be pushing 10 miles – but the reality was a three-mile hobble at best.
Then along came an olive branch in the form of a Cannons gym membership, complete with one-on-one sessions with a personal instructor. The timing couldn’t have been better.
Out trainer, Jayson, has been full of the best advice: stretches, diet (cut out beer completely), and easing me into an area I have always thought mind-numbingly boring: weights. Weights are, and always will be dire, but Jayson diligently explained to me their virtue and I have found myself following his advice and enjoying the effects. My hamstring already feels stronger and I am now running a decent 12kmph on the treadmill.

As necessary as it is, gym work is by nature boring, and I can only stomach the hamster-wheel monotony of the treadmill thanks to the line up of flat screens offering various televisual treats. Boxing, on the other hand, is brilliant fitness, bloody good fun, and there’s no better way to vent your anger. Half an hour on the pads with Jayson and I had revived muscles I never knew I had. And although I nearly knocked his block off several times thanks to my appalling technique, we are scheduled in once a week to compliment the long-distance runs now pushing double figures. There is only one area where Jayson has failed miserably. Sorry mate, but I’m not giving up the ale.

The road is getting swifter

Admin — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:06:00 GMT

WHAT is more frightening than competing in the Flora London Marathon writes Alex Wellman?
Sitting on your behind eating a packet of crisps realising there is little more than 10 weeks until you have to run it.
This was the reality that dawned on me as I watched the England rugby team capitulate in a manner not seen since I attempted a five-mile run two years ago.
It did make me think though. If a lot can happen in 40 minutes then a great deal more can happen in 10 weeks.
Cannons Health Club of Brondesbury Park came to my rescue offering to show me the errors of my ways.
The club, in Sidmouth Road, had been reading the Times’ marathon coverage with interest and in a push to help us finish in as good a time as possible offered their professional assistance.
To say it was a welcome offer was an understatement having spent the winter pounding the freezing streets of North London.
A sterling session with personal trainer Jayson soon had me up and running, pumping leg presses and lunging to the floor.
A complete training programme was soon formulated for my colleagues and I and the benefits of professional training have been immeasurable
Hardcore training has not been forgotten either.
Boxing gloves have been strapped tighter and punchbags hit harder in the challenge to complete the Flora London Marathon.
The road is getting swifter under my feet and the lungs expanding further.
In 10 weeks time the Flora London Marathon will be dust.
For more information on Cannons Health Club go to www.cannons.co.uk/our-clubs/brondesbury-park

March 4

Admin — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 10:52:00 GMT

By Nadia Sam-Daliri.
AFTER a hard week, a bottle of wine on Friday was indispensable
The ensuing power nap on the slog home resulted in me missing my tube station by three stops and stumbling onto a not-in-service bus, whose driver sympathized with my degenerate state.
What the devil does this have to do with the Flora London you may ask?
Well, I’d planned a big Saturday run and felt too guilty to bail out so I braved the trek to Regent’s Park and back again.
At 17 miles, it was the longest I’ve ever run.
So, readers, take heed, get wasted and run the next day.
Although Mr Motivator would probably sneer at the audacity of putting your body through hell on a gut full of Pinot Grigio, the confidence and cockiness you’ll gain will far outweigh any expert tut-tuting.
‘Coz if you can run 17 miles feeling like your insides have been industrially blended, you can do anything.

SEVEN WEEKS TO GO!

Admin — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 11:10:00 GMT

Team Times is looking forward to the sun to accompany longer, winter runs
A couple of weeks back the weather was getting slightly warmer, there were flickers of sunlight creeping through those grey clouds and running outside was actually, dare I say it, enjoyable.
Now the cold winter evenings have reared their big ugly head once again and training for the Flora London Marathon is proving difficult.
With under two months to go, running should seem fairly routine now and the issue of boredom seems to be replacing the once ubiquitous fear of the distance and stamina necessary for the race.
The key now is to keep your head, not just your body, in gear.
When I first started training the fact that I could run from tube stop to tube stop, albeit at snail pace, kept the adrenaline pumping and the feel good factor high in my mindset.
Now the novelty has worn off, it’s almost harder to get out on the streets, just because the same routes can seem boring.
The key at this stage, I think, is parks.
The weather will be getting warmer in the next few weeks and a jog through one of London’s green gems keeps training that bit more interesting.
I recently spent a particularly sunny Sunday afternoon jogging around Hampstead Heath and was so thankful for the clean air, greenery and option to run on the grass if my knees stiffened up a bit.
I was so taken with the views that I practically didn’t notice that the heath consists almost entirely of massive hills.

And if you can do hills, you can do anything.

February 26

Admin — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:50:00 GMT

by Nadia Sam-Daliri.

Getting expert advice from Jayson not only spurred me on a bit but reassured me in my training as, I’m not going to lie, exercise was never exactly my forte before signing up for the Flora London Marathon. Having a trainer ask you your strengths and weaknesses, areas of your body that need work and dispelling all the myths that non-exercise junkies spread like wildfire helped me get into the right psyche. Jayson was really friendly and pressed me to stretch that bit further or push myself more which is what the big day is going to be all about.