Rest before you’re on last legs
Don’t get bogged down with complicated training plans and allow yourself time to recover after runs.
As a coach and a seriously badass trail runner, Maggie knows all about building training plans, but she also knows that an important part of reaching your full potential is rest:
“It’s about gauging how far you’re able to run at the start and making sure you’re not pushing your efforts too high. From there try to increase your distance by 5% every week or two so you’re not overloading your body. Always make time for a recovery week and ensure you’re not constantly building on distance, because you won’t peak, you’ll actually plateau.
“In your recovery week you should be cutting back the length and intensity of your runs and mixing in cross training. That means low impact exercise like cycling, which will help build your aerobic base and allow you to recover. Strength training is a vital part of training because it helps build key muscle groups that you use for any type of running.”
Chase down confidence
Find a running crew that will cheer you on and make you feel like you can take on the world!
If you’re feeling self-conscious about getting out for a run, you’re not alone. It’s normal to worry about whether you’re breathing like Darth Vader or doing strange things with your arms. It might feel like everyone is judging your running style, but in reality they’re probably more focused on their own stuff. Maggie suggests joining a running group if you can’t shake that self-conscious feeling:
“There’s a lot of imposter syndrome when it comes to running and lots of people think they’re not good enough. But people don’t just wake up one morning and run a marathon. Everyone started their journey somewhere and just because your running journey is different to other people’s, doesn’t make you any less of a runner.
“Joining a running group or community can really help build your confidence. It’s a great way to meet people who are at the same level as you and make friends. You’ll learn loads of new running routes and it can motivate you because you have people to hold you accountable. Just having people around you to remind you you’re doing a great job is really important.”