The Diary of a Trainer in Training

The Diary of a Trainer in Training

I don’t particularly like running. It’s a bit boring isn’t it? Don’t get me wrong, give me a ball to chase and I will happily run all day long. But jogging, in a straight line, for hours...why are 40,000 people doing this?

I can’t speak for the other self loathers out there but I can tell you why I’m doing it. Someone made me. A Tiny Ticker trustee, and trust me you do not say no to Jan Preece.

I have been lucky enough to get to know Jan over the last couple of years through my role as a personal trainer.  We are lucky to get to know some inspiring people in our line of work and ever since she joined the Hogarth Health Club she has made a bit of a splash. However, we have worked on that and her core control is now better than ever. I state it with confidence, on behalf of all the other staff here who have got to know her, she is a legend amongst legends. And a good friend. 

So even when I say nice things about her it is not enough to get me out of doing this horrendous race. Nevertheless, one of the aspects which will make me get up and out training in the winter months is the cause of which Jan is a champion. No, not my personal training abilities but Tiny Tickers.

It’s an honour to be able to run for a charity which does invaluable work with babies’ hearts. It’s an exciting charity to help because the money raised makes a direct and substantial difference to diagnosing heart defects in babies and supporting their families dealing with the most testing of circumstances.

*Cheese Alert* Together, we really can make a difference.

Since I wrote last I have been laying down some foundations for the specific marathon training programme, which I will begin over the Christmas period. Talk about a conflict of interests! 

I have been out on runs building my aerobic base and working on strengthening the body in the gym to cope with the demands ahead. A big part of the training not to be underestimated is the mental approach and the relationship that I will have with the physical throughout this process. It is vital. Over a long period of running it is important to run with focus but with relaxation and confidence too. Stress free focus is the zone to aim for if efficiency is to be optimized.

The last two key factors to getting ready for this race are stretching and nutrition. Working on my flexibility will be important to preparation for sessions and the recovery after. The fuelling process only grows in significance the longer the runs become. I will touch more on this in future posts. 

If I am to succeed with this challenge ahead of me next April, I will have to try and turn this body of mine into an acceptable running machine. The last thing I want is to see a man dressed as a back end of a pantomime horse overtaking me. A bit like the England football team getting ready for a penalty shoot out, I’m not sure there is training specific enough to get you ready to deal with that. 

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