When did you start running? I started the 1st beginners’ course around September 2009

How was your fitness when you started? My fitness was not great. I would have walked a little and done some sporadic swimming.

Why did you decide to join the course? I joined the course because I saw it pop up on a Facebook page. Spur of the moment. I really wanted top challenge myself.

How did you feel at the first session? First session I was nervous I would be at the back of the pack and I would get disheartened. That didn’t happen because starting out in short bursts and building up to longer runs meant that everybody was at the same pace. After the first session I felt I would be able for the course.

What did you enjoy the most about the course? We ran by time not by focusing of distance and that meant there was no pressure to go faster than was right for me. We built up to longer runs over a few weeks. It was gentle but there were times when it was very very exciting to see that we had made a big leap in the time run….I remember thinking we must have done 10 mins by now and in fact we had done 20!!! Brilliant feeling. The runs were paced well. I never felt I had to keep up with faster runners.

How did you feel after the course? Great. I felt like I had been shown the tools to run safely. I was most impressed at how the yoga and floor work we did on the Thursday nights had such a huge impact on my strength and fitness.

Did you continue running after the course?  I continued to run, yes. I did the intermediate course and 2 sets of sprinting classes! Sprinting!!! ME?!!!  I also ran myself the times I did not take a class. I only ran with others at the classes. For the first year after the course I would say I ran about 3 times a week.

Have you taken part in any fun runs? I did the Limerick 10k in 2010 and I’m currently training for the Mini Marathon in June.
Has running changed your life in anyway? I toned up lost weight and gained the confidence to call myself a runner and take to the streets on my own without feeling self conscious. I had learned how to pace myself.

What would you say to anyone who’d like to start running but is hesitating, or thinks they can’t? DO IT!!!!! You literally start out very slowly in the class and little by little you find yourself able to run for longer and longer. It’s great value and you will get lots of tips and advice from Tina all through the course and after via email. Also and I find this amazing….my fitness level has stayed up even at those times when I stopped running. I found that once I started again I could still run for 30 mins without needing the medics!!!

When did you first start running? 
I joined Tina’s beginners’ class in January 2010, I had made attempts at running before but very unsuccessfully!

Sarah Jane at her first fun run - St Patrick's Day 5k

How was your fitness when you started?  
I wouldn’t say I was fit, I was walking regularly and had done yoga and pilates for about 3 years at that stage.

Why did you decide to join the course? 
I wanted to learn how to run, it seemed to me to be a great way of keeping fit for free.

How did you feel at the first session? 
A little bit nervous but that soon went once I realised Tina was very patient and taking it very slowly.

What did you enjoy the most about the course? The discipline of meeting 3 times a week, the social aspect of meeting new people and realising I wasn’t alone in being afraid of running and of course the realisation that I could run!!

How did you feel after the course? 
Great, like I had achieved something brilliant!

Did you continue running after the course?  Yes I did , I did a couple more classes with Tina – mini marathon training and sprinting a class and I also continued running with some of the girls from the class.

Have you taken part in any fun runs?
 The first funrun was the St Patrick’s Day 5k and the sense of achievement afterwards was immense! Since then I have done a number of 5ks, two 8ks and the St James Hospital 6.5k.

Has running changed your life in anyway? Doing Tina’s class has been brilliant for me as I now have a new interest, I won’t lie and say I love running but it has definitely given me a lot -I’ve made new friends, become more active, toned up and I love the feeling after a run (although during the run you might want to give up!) it really is a natural high.

What would you say to anyone who’d like to start running but is hesitating, or thinks they can’t? 
I would say that I was 29 when I did this class, I had never ran for any length of time or distance… this class teaches you to run, to breathe properly, to stretch, to realise that slow running is still running and mainly it gives you the confidence to put on your runners and go for it! I would recommend this class to anyone .. it was the best thing I ever did!

You can follow Sarah-Jane on Twitter at @JaneyHurley.

For the last few weeks, I’ve been testing a Nike+ SportsBand and I have really been enjoying it. The SportBand gives you feedback on pace, distance, time and calories burnt, hence helping you monitor your progress and train better.

I found this very easy to set up. All you have to do is download a piece of software from the Nike+ site, plug the SportsBand in and you’re good to go. A very cool feature in Nike watches is that there is no need for a separate USB key like my Garmin has (and the USB key is always missing). The watch face part comes off and includes a USB key!

The band comes with a little sensor which you can put in your Nike+ shoe – I used the Lunaglide 2′s with this, a nice and light shoe that comes in lots of funky colours. Or you can buy a little pouch for it and use it with any runners. The sensor is very small, which I really like. I used to have a footpod the size of a golf ball (well, almost) which was rather inconvenient and ugly.

The problem with any running watch that uses a footpod sensor is that it needs to be calibrated. However, mine was pretty accurate from the first step so I only needed to adjust it slightly. I did this on a treadmill at my gym but if you don’t have access to a treadmill, an easy way to do this is using an iphone app such a MapMyRun. Or you could check it at the next measured fun run. With any watch that relies on a footpod, it’s good to check and re-calibrate it every now and then.

One thing I really love about this watch is that there’s only two buttons, which makes it very easy to operate and I found viewing my data while running very easy – I didn’t push the wrong button once, which is quite unusual of me.

Downloading the data to your computer and to the Nike+ site is very simple. The site is straight forward and  analysing your data is easy. There’s all sorts of cool features on the website too, such as different training programme’s you can sign up for (eg. your first 5k, 10k or marathon), you can connect with friends and you can easily add more info about your run, such as rate how you felt, what the weather was like and what surface you ran on.

You can also hook the Sportsband up with your iPod or iPhone and there’s a Nike+ GPS app which I have just downloaded and am looking forward to trying.

The only minor thing I’d like to see improve, is I’d like it if there was a proper back light so it would be easier to see in the dark. Other than that, I’m really enjoying this watch and I think I’ll continue using this a lot over my expensive running watch for few simple reasons: this one is easier to use, looks nicer, the footpod is nice and light and I won’t have to spend ages looking for the USB key. Above all, this watch is really great value for money compared to most good quality running watches on the market.

My favourite online running shop ProDirectRunning.com has this on sale for £34.99 (that’s €39.50). Luna Glide 2 runners are £69.99 (€79) on ProDirect. This is a nice and light shoe that’s meant to adapt specifically to women’s stride. I like these on short runs and would recommend these to anyone who’s got a neutral stride.

AUTUMN BEGINNERS’ START DATES:

Ballsbridge (exact venue tbc)

Course 1: Tues/Thurs, 6.30pm. Starting 27th September

Course 2: Tues/Thurs, 7.40pm. Starting 4th October

Instructor: Tina

Phoenix Park postponed until Jan 2012

Clontarf

Course 4: Tues/Thurs, 7pm, starting 11th October

Instructor: Mark

8 WEEKS/€135 – €5 of this goes directly to Barretstown

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To book, email tina@runwithtina.com

For more information about our courses, see the Courses page.

FUN RUNS

Saturday, 18th September. Dublin Half Marathon
Sunday, 26th September. 5k in Rathfarnham http://www.athleticsrathfarnham.ie/index.php/rathfarnham-5k-road-race
Saturday, 9th October. Simon Fun Run, 5miles/8k http://funrun.ie/
Saturday, 4th December. Donore Harriers Jingle Bells, 5k, Phoenix Park http://www.donoreharriers.com/home_nav_9.html
Sunday 5th December, Barnados Santa Dash, 5k, Marley Park http://www.barnardos.ie/support_us/our-events/marathons-and-races.html
Saturday, 11th December, Aware 10k, Phoenix Park. http://www.aware.ie/get_involved/fundraising/christmas10k/

For more running events, see http://www.runireland.com/event/upcoming I’ll also post reminders on my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/runwithtina

Looking good, ladies!

See more photographic evidence on Facebook

Congratulations to everyone else who took part in various charity runs and races in December!

I get an email like this almost every week and after the Dublin Marathon in October, at least twice a week. The honest answer is no because I don’t think it’s a very wise plan and it would go against everything I teach! While it is probably possible to do that, and there are people who have done it, the truth is that it’s not very safe or good for your body and therefore, I would strongly advice against it. I think many non-runners don’t realise how demanding running is and how much preparation has to go into running a marathon.

Few things you should consider:

EXPERIENCE: Before you begin training for a marathon, the general rule is that you need to have been running regularly for at least a year, ideally 2 years.  I would say two years is better to give yourself enough time to build a good base (see below), especially if you’re very unfit when you start. Remember that running a marathon should be a natural progression on a runner’s career – if you don’t feel like that’s what it is for you at this stage, then it’s probably too soon, no matter how long you’ve been running.

Fauja Singh (pictured right) didn’t start running until he was 81 and ran his first marathon at the age of 89. Read his inspiring story here

MILEAGE: You shouldn’t even think about training for a marathon until you have a good base of about 32km (20 miles) per week. A good base means that you have run that distance weekly for several months, you enjoy it and feel comfortable with that distance.; you don’t get a stitch and don’t feel overly tired after your runs; you experience no serious pains and have had no injuries for few months.  32k is the minimum recommended base because that is about half the minimum weekly distance you will need to do for your training, and doubling your mileage is a big stress for your body. Remember also that you should not increase the stress from running (either distance or pace or both) by more than 10% at a time and remain at the new level until you feel comfortable, so it takes a long time to build up your mileage.

BODY AWARENESS: Before you start training for a marathon, it is important that you really learn to listen to, and respect, your body. If you think that those tight calves or that sore hip is just part of the game and that you can just run through the pain, you’re very likely to end up with a serious injury sooner or later and be forced to stop running for a period of time. Learn to work with your body, ask why are my calves so tight, what can I do about it? Why is my left hip sore but my right hip is ok? What is causing this? The answer is rarely, if never, ‘that’s just the way my hips are’ or ‘it’s just part of being a runner’. Most likely it’s because of the way you run, weak hip stabiliser, bad posture etc reasons, all of which are fixable! Every ache and pain is there to teach you something. It is your body’s way of telling you that you’re doing something wrong, something needs changing and you should see it as an opportunity to learn and to become a better runner!

DO YOU ENJOY RUNNING?: If you haven’t discovered the joy of running yet, then training for a marathon is probably not a good idea – it won’t be fun, that’s for sure. Consider this: when you finish the 8-week beginners’ course, you are running about 5km 3 times a week. It doesn’t sound much, but anyone who’s done the course would probably agree with me that it’s enough! Going from zero to 15km of running a week in 2 months is a big increase in activity levels for most people. You want to stay at this level for a while, to give your body time to adjust and get used to running and, most importantly, to give you time to learn to enjoy running! If you don’t enjoy running 5km, then how on earth are you going to ever get through 42km?!? Even 10km is a long way to run if you hate it!

RACE EXPERIENCE: It’s also advisable to do a few shorter races before you attempt your first marathon. Start with a 5k, then do a few 10ks and a half marathon (after appropriate training, of course!)

RESPECT THE DISTANCE: Full marathon is 42km (26 miles). I think many non-runners don’t realise just how long this is and the stress it puts your whole body under. Marathon is approximately 52,400 footstrikes, it would probably take you around 5+ hours to complete. This will tear away at your body, especially your joints. Your body needs time to build up to this level of stress and it’s simply not possible to do it in 26 weeks! Even a half marathon (21km/13 miles or around 2h 30min of running for a first timer), is a tough distance to run and you need to take your time preparing your body for it. Marathons are about patience, including before the starting line!

ARE YOU IN GOOD GENERAL HEALTH?: Speak to your doctor – this is especially important if you’re going to ignore my advice and start training for a marathon before you’ve built a good base. It’s good to have a general health check and your doctor might suggest additional test like a cardiovascular stress test.

HAVE YOU DONE YOUR RESEARCH?: If you’re really serious about running a marathon, it is important you do your research. Pick up a few books (ideally by different authors). There’s a wealth of information online, some of it very good, but, unfortunately, some of it very bad, so make sure you don’t rely on information on one website only (no matter how well known the website is!). Whether you’re training for a full marathon or a half, you will need to find a training plan that suits you (and then stick to it religiously!), you’ll also need to think about your diet, fitting in yoga, pilates or other cross training sessions, you’ll need to learn about carbo-loading and tapering, budget for couple of pairs of good shoes, maybe a regular sports massage, and don’t forget to plan your fuelling strategy!

Finally, consider your goals. If you make your goal to become a runner for life, to make it part of your lifestyle and to learn to enjoy it, you will, quite likely, one day get to the stage where running a marathon is a natural next step. Whereas, if your goal is to finish just this one marathon, it’s very likely that it won’t be an enjoyable experience and you’ll never learn to really love running… Remember also that it is much more rewarding and much better for your health and fitness to keep on running regularly for the rest of your life, than to run one marathon and then never run again.