Training through the coronavirus pandemic – how to stay motivated and come out a mentally stronger runner
Saying things are a little crazy right now is an understatement, with more than half the world either in lockdown or just coming out of it and the vast majority of the other half under some restrictions, life as we know it has been turned upside down. Some runners have found that remaining motivated to […]
How to achieve stretch running goals
Early in 2019, I was approached by an athlete (let’s call her Lucy ) who wanted to run the length of New Zealand and set an FKT in doing so. She had some decent results in some shorter 50ish km ultras but no experience in running anything longer. Yet she was serious in wanting help […]
Relentless Improvement Towards Mastery
Mile 27 Coach Ben Duffus joins us on the blog to talk about how constantly focussing on improvement rather than results can lead to better outcomes and more enjoyment of the process. The title of this post might sound a little contrived, but these are the 4 words that pop up on my phone’s to-do-list […]
Racing versus surviving an ultra
At some point in an ultra many of us cross the line from racing to surviving. We go from feeling confident about finishing well, feeling in control of our legs, able to run sections we think are runnable, meeting our target time, running a PB, to being resigned to just finishing, wanting it to be […]
HK100 – Am I good enough?
Mile 27 Coach Scotty Hawker had a break through performance at the recent TNF100. In this blog Scotty takes us back to the Hong Kong 100 where he finally gained the belief that he could compete with the best ultra-runners in the world. The lessons he learnt in this race can be used by all […]
Are you a fair weather trail runner?
Do you look out the window watching the rain pour down and start to dread your run? Clients often ask me what to do if the weather is “bad” for a particular training session. I’m not exactly sure what “bad” weather is. If you are looking for a sport that’s only played in “good” weather […]
Mind over matter?
Does your body or your mind limit your race day performance? We all know that dead feeling in our legs, the feeling of complete physical exhaustion. Mentally we could keep going but our body is saying no more. Or is it? The latest thinking is that the mind controls fatigue much more than the body.
What do you think about when you race?
It’s a question I often get asked so I thought I’d give you a peek inside my brain to see what was going on when I ran the 56km Yurrebilla Ultra Marathon recently. Some would argue not much but you might be surprised! For those that haven’t heard about YUM (as the locals call it) it’s […]
Mental Strength – Have you got it?
Mental strength is a term bandied about by many runners. It is essential part of performing to the best of your ability but what is it and how can you improve it? Whilst it is hard to define and many people will have a differing ideas, my definition is that mental strength is the ability […]