I was lucky enough to train with Dame Kelly Holmes recently, and I asked for her top running tips…..
Training With Dame Kelly Holmes
Kelly’s top running tips
- Get good running trainers
- Set goals and have a purpose
- Know your strengths & weaknesses
- Be realistic about your targets
- Build up gradually – 10 minutes is better than nothing
- Eat well
- Try to make exercise part of your lifestyle
- Seek advice from a pro or experienced runner, or join a running club
- Refuel within 20 minutes of exercise (water with a dash of orange juice & a pinch of salt is ideal)
- Add in interval training to stay fresh & improve fitness- use trees as marker points
- Ice your legs straight after exercise or take cold bath/shower
Holmes knows more than most the agony of injury, and I spoke to her physiotherapist Alison Rose who helped Holmes through her difficult Achilles problems. She gave the following advice –
- Define your weak areas – have someone check your alignment & flexibility
- Work on your weak areas – for example if you have tight hip flexors, warm up and then stretch them before running
- Flexibility is vital to injury prevention – so do your stretching!
- Strengthen your core, glutes & calves
- Pilates is a great supplement to running to prevent injury
- Dynamic warm-ups are great pre run, and long stretches post run
- If injured – Ice, compress and rest
- Do not take anti – inflammatory medications for the first 72 hours as they can affect healing .
- For more advice on running, check out women’s fitness magaizine, or e mail your questions to my contact page.
