Attention trail runner! Yes you!
You probably think about running as a hobby, and that achieving your running goals means more about your mental strength than your physical strength..
BUT, I'm here to remind you that your adventurous, epic hobby - is a sport, and sport is defined as: an activity involving physical exertion and skill. Just sit with that for a minute!
So I wanted to remind you that while running to you might be therapy, play, adventure, and a myriad of other things, it is a sport and we’ve got to remember the fundamentals of physiology to keep us strong and injury free.
The most common reasons people run is to feel free, accomplished, proud, happy, strong, confident and the list goes on. But mainly these are personal attributes, relating to feelings - not physical reasons. The physical is almost a cool side effect!
So here's a major run-life hack to help you hit all those running goals.
Remember: Running is a sport - that happens to be your hobby - treat it like one!
- We are aiming for progression and progressive loading. Just as you don’t head to the gym and bench 20kgs today and 40kgs tomorrow - we should apply the same principles to running, progressively working out way up to longer distances.
- Fuelling is essential, that's hydration and nutrition - before, during, and after running. If you don’t fuel correctly you do damage to your training and recovery
- Think like a professional athlete would…prioritise right training AND recovery - you don’t see professionals out there smashing themselves do you?! They train consistently and at the right level for where they are at. You should do the same, because you are an athlete too!
- Tanya Bottomley, Adventurer
Follow Tanya's adventures at @runliketanya