It’s not uncommon to start a ‘running journey’ with the intention of losing weight, and as anyone who has discovered a passion for running will know, it really can be the start of a chain of positive health changes that might include weight management. However, as training load increases, our nutrition needs to adjust too, to match the new demands placed on the body, and this applies particularly to intake of carbohydrates (the body’s preferred fuel for most exercise) and overall calories (energy). Unfortunately, whether consciously driven by a desire for greater weight loss or not, this upregulation of fuelling […]
Valencia Marathon 2023: 2:30:10 (PB)
As I write this, we’ve just taken off from Valencia, on our way back to London Heathrow. Even if it weren’t for the pink bracelets on every arm and ‘easy run’ shoes on every foot, it’s unmistakably a plane full of tired, creaky, happy marathon runners. It’s time for my reflections on Valencia Marathon 2023. Planning and prep In some respects, planning for Valencia started several years ago, when I first became aware of it as such a rapid course. I very nearly took the plunge in one of the covid years but remember thinking that the cancellation policy looked […]
London Marathon 2023: 2h34 PB
Hydration hydration hydration: everything you need to know about hydration in endurance running
I was given a last minute place at Hackney Half a couple of weeks ago which meant (full disclosure here) that I ran under someone else’s name, thereby committing one of running’s seven deadly sins. I haven’t yet come up with a list of the other six, but perhaps that’s a blog for another day… I did it as a progressive tempo training run, aiming to finish in something like half my target marathon time for London in October. Naturally, I got slightly overexcited towards the end (big crowds, banging tunes etc.) and sped up a bit, finishing about a […]
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Five lessons from London Marathon 2019 (including how not to run it)
It’s now been a week or so since I staggered over the finish line on The Mall, and I’ve been enjoying not breaking out of walking pace since then (I couldn’t have if I’d tried for the first three days). But while I’m just starting to think about lacing up the trainers again and getting going on the next challenge (nailing my 5K PB this summer), I think it’s a good opportunity to reflect on the big day and what I learned from it. Setting off too fast Training had gone well, tapering had been sensible, and the weather was […]
Focus on oils #1: five facts about rapeseed
Choosing which oils to have in the kitchen can be a tricky process, with so many factors to take into account. As a dietitian, I am interested in the oil’s nutritional composition, smoke point, versatility and, most importantly, flavour, are key considerations too. So, this introduces a mini-series of three blogs which might help to ease the process next time you are in the cooking oils aisle. Without further ado, here are five facts about one of my personal favourites, rapeseed oil: 1. Rapeseed was originally used in the 19th century as a lubricant for steam engines, deemed unsuitable for […]