Coaching Tips
1 - Running Safely
The first of our series of ‘Coaching Tips’ comes from coach Lee Pickering. Passionate about personal safety whilst out running, Lee gives us some valuable advice to enjoy some stress and drama-free running!
When going out running, it is quite easy to just throw on a t-shirt, pair of shorts and some trainers and get going. But how many people think about if they can be seen? Or if someone knows where they are going, and how long for?
Here are a few things to think about:
Always try and wear bright clothing on your runs so you can be seen by traffic. This is valid advice everywhere, but particularly on those dark country lanes! If running at night, wear reflective clothing to make you visible, a head torch to see where you are going, and do not discount a red light on your back. One thing to know is that a bright yellow t-shirt or jacket will not make a difference at night if it has no reflectivity on it, you may as well be wearing black clothing as it will not show up.
In short make sure you can be seen!
Always ensure that somebody knows where you are going and for roughly how long. We have all had those runs where you pick up an injury, take a wrong turn or possibly become ill. If people know where you are going, they have a better chance of finding you if the worst should happen and for some reason you cannot get home.
Running for some people is an escape from the real world and a chance to destress. So, this may not go down too well, but carry your mobile! Put it on silent, click do not disturb, turn the volume down, but do carry it. It could be essential in an emergency for you or others. I have an app on my phone called Life360: it is free of charge and lets my family track where I am and gives me the knowledge that if I am not home on time, for any reason, they can see where I am and whether I’m still moving in any direction!
Run against traffic at all times, if they don’t see you at least you can see them! This gives you a better chance of getting out of the way if they haven’t seen you.
It makes it more fun, it makes it safer, and it can also help when the going gets tough. Running together is a great option when you are running sessions this can help with a variety of things such as motivation, working off of each other for speed and hanging on to the back of the group when the going gets tough!
2 - Training plans on Garmin Connect
As it’s now time to start training for Autumn marathons, it is important that each runner chooses a training plan that suits their individual ability and needs. Did you know that if you use a Garmin Watch, you have access to a variety of training plans, catering for all types of runners?
To access these plans, you will need to log in to the desktop version of the Garmin Connect website, at the following URL: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/training-plan . Garmin has created 31 training plans, from 5ks to marathons, from heart rate-based training to pace based plans. Depending on type of plan and the watch being used, you may also be able to download the plans directly to your device.
