How to smash your running goals!

The new year is always a good time for setting goals and a big one for many people is to sign up for a long-distance run, anything from a 5K to a full marathon We have a few tips to help you run your best Training should be a balance of all the right stuff. Implementing strength, mobility and flexibility into your training makes running more efficient. We would recommend a strength workout once a week, this can be bodyweight or using weights Try some yoga too, there are plenty of yoga videos on YouTube you can use – both will help to reduce the chance of injury and develop better breathing control and core strength for running Try running somewhere that inspires you. Think of somewhere local that might inspire you or somewhere you like to go... it will make your run much more enjoyable 

Add some hill sprints into your training. Hill work can be a great way to improve your running. If you have not tried hill work before, start half way up so you aren’t running as far to start. Run up, walk down and repeat as many times as you can trying to work up to 10 times 

Mix things up. If you have the time, aim to include some cross training into your routine – a 30-minute swim once per week will be a great addition, this is low impact and will be sure to benefit your fitness levels. You could also include some cycling as this will help to improve your general leg strength Ultimately, the most important aspect of all of this is to enjoy your running and your training. Running can be very rewarding, build up gradually week on week and see the results!