&nbsp;
<h4><img style="width: 90px; height: 90px; border-radius: 50%; margin-right: 20px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/8a1d4507-5605-49b2-9512-d91eb3b43460.png" alt="Kate Carter" align="left" />If you're looking to enhance your running experiences but have already exhausted your favourite albums, playlists and podcasts, perhaps poetry might be worth exploring?</h4>
<hr />
<h4 style="text-align: right;">Kate Carter (<a href="https://twitter.com/katehelencarter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@katehelencarter</a>)</h4>
&nbsp;
A few years ago during a particularly grey and cold winter, I found myself really struggling during long runs. I was marathon training, so they were essentials on the &lsquo;to do&rsquo; list, but while my legs seemed willing, my head just wasn&rsquo;t in the game. I would spend far too much of the early part of those runs thinking about how far I still had to go, and not nearly enough just &ndash; well, not thinking at all. In an effort to give my brain something else to occupy it, I ditched the music playlists, and turned to audiobooks and podcasts.
They worked &ndash; to an extent. I soon discovered my usual favourite comedy podcasts were a terrible idea for me &ndash; laughter may be the best medicine but it&rsquo;s not conducive to calm, relaxed breathing on a run. Long novels or convoluted narrative podcasts certainly helped my brain to tune out, but meant I kept having to stop when I &lsquo;snapped back&rsquo; to what I was listening to and realised I had absolutely no idea what was going on. This peaked when I downloaded the Sherlock Holmes short stories and kept missing the crucial plot moments when Holmesian genius reveals all.
Then I remembered Words and Music. This BBC Radio series combines music of all genres with poetry and prose, spoken by actors, in a sort of esoteric mixtape. It hardly ticks the &lsquo;must be 180bpm&rsquo; box that running playlist purists often demand, but it was perfect for me. Little bite-sized chunks of poetry or music that distracted me, without taxing my ability to concentrate after 16 miles on the road, when the blood flow to the brain seems to have been diverted to legs and lungs. Each episode is themed, and as well as being both distracting and soothing, the programme is a great introduction to poems or writers you perhaps hadn&rsquo;t heard before.
It did, however, make me wonder why I&rsquo;ve rarely stumbled across great poetry about running. Does the relentless monotony of the runner&rsquo;s footfall just seem a bit too easy a target for a poet? Or, more likely, had I just not dug deep enough? I started searching and found, initially, rather too much motivational-mantra-on-sunset-picture stuff, but then, deeper down, some gems. The first lines of Benjamin Grossberg&rsquo;s wonderfully-titled &lsquo;<a href="https://blueeyedennis-siempre.blogspot.com/2011/02/poetry-four-2011.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">God on a Treadmill</a>&rsquo; ought to resonate with anyone who has run on one of those infernal machines in a badly-lit gym: &ldquo;Sometimes it takes miles to give up resistance/ though the mirror shows a body unresisting, shows/ perhaps something to admire. Others may&rdquo;.&nbsp;
I&rsquo;m not sure I can claim <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?contentId=41348" target="_blank" rel="noopener">William Greenway&rsquo;s poem &lsquo;Running the Body&rsquo;</a> is really about running, rather than simply living, but it&rsquo;s also a poem I fell in love with. &ldquo;Until I had to balance the blood/ Weigh and inject what would burn/ Every crumb I put into It, I never/ Appreciated the body&rdquo; it begins &ndash; reminding me also of a great line from John L Parker&rsquo;s classic novel, &lsquo;Once a Runner&rsquo;. &ldquo;He did not live on nuts and berries; if the furnace was hot enough, anything would burn, even Big Macs.&rdquo; The runner&rsquo;s body is of course never simply a machine, but on a long run, there is something I always find helpful about the idea that the body in movement, on the run, is doing what it is supposed to do. I think that&rsquo;s also reflected in the last lines of Greenyway&rsquo;s poem &ndash; &ldquo;..and behind it all, an art/ the incessant and constant/ timing of the heart&rdquo;.
Another gem worth reading for those who love to run trails and across country is <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?contentId=30153" target="_blank" rel="noopener">David Wagoner&rsquo;s &lsquo;Running&rsquo;</a> (&ldquo;Running across country easily at evening, taking the stones/ As easily as stubble, running from nothing but going&rdquo;). Or <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?contentId=38068" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&lsquo;Running Near the End of the World&rsquo; by Walter Pavlich</a>, more resonant of tough, slogging runs than floating, pastoral ones: &ldquo;The days of gliding, of running/ unearth, wild spark pain-points/ flaring inside my thighs..&rdquo;
Many of these poets are hardly household ones, and I found them simply by searching. And yet somehow, I didn&rsquo;t realise until very recently that one of my favourite poets, WH Auden, actually wrote a poem entirely about running &ndash; or rather, about a specific runner.
In 1962 Canada&rsquo;s National Film Board decided to hire a first-time director to make a short film about &ndash; well, anything they wanted. The chosen director, Don Owen, chose as his subject a young runner &ndash; already a star and soon to be an Olympian, Bruce Kidd. Owen, given a large budget, and with some chutzpah, contacted WH Auden &ndash; whom he admired greatly &ndash; to add the narration.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TdDJrEhzCmw" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
The resulting 11-minute film is extraordinary, from the quiet flowing introduction of Kidd running alone along the seafront, to the culminating race victory. I urge anyone with 11 minutes to spare to watch it. It&rsquo;s very much a film of its time &ndash; the early 60s &ndash; and it&rsquo;s almost impossible to imagine what the 2020 equivalent would be. Or to imagine it would ever get commissioned at all. But the action is captivating, and Auden&rsquo;s words capture so many of the basics of running and its inherent contradictions: &ldquo;By instruction only/ Can limbs learn to live their movements/ Without thinking.&rdquo; And the contrast between the calm exterior of Kidd and the turmoil of lungs and heart within: &ldquo;The camera&rsquo;s eye / does not lie / but it cannot show the life within.&rdquo;
And so, while listening to poems about running may not be the best distraction while you run, the words of these poems do tend to pop into my head when I&rsquo;m out, gliding (in my head) or pounding (more accurate) through the streets and the parks and the open spaces. And when they do, they are a perfect distraction.

If you're looking to enhance your running experiences but have already exhausted your favourite albums, playlists and podcasts, perhaps poetry might be worth exploring?

Running poetry training

The Athletic Life: using poetry to lift your training runs

Growing up in Kenya and the UK, I had not encountered during my childhood anything made of buckwheat, the pyramid-shaped seeds of the buckwheat plant. So I was delighted to discover delicious buckwheat dishes later on my travels.
Soba noodles are a staple in Japan, served hot or cold, simply on their own with a tasty broth or dipping sauce, or combined with other foods like tempura. And while training at altitude in St Moritz, Switzerland, I discovered &lsquo;pizzoccheri&rsquo; from over the border in northern Italy&rsquo;s Valtellina region &ndash; flat, tagliatelle-like short noodles served with a hearty sauce of cheese, greens and cubed potatoes.
Buckwheat is highly nutritious, being rich in niacin, magnesium, manganese and phosphorous. It is a good source of carbohydrate and is gluten-free (despite its name, it is not related to wheat). So when I was training hard, buckwheat was one carbohydrate source that I made sure I ate frequently. 
<div id="5e9acc430d00ae08f026e6b3" class="dropMedia">
<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/7292fdae-0010-44ce-8de7-2801e19fad78.jpg');">&nbsp;</div>
Distance runner and Asics ambassador Mara Yamauchi</div>
&nbsp;
Flours are useful in all sorts of dishes, but one thing they are perfect for is pancakes! I decided to have a go at making small buckwheat pancakes that I could freeze and eat as pre-training snacks with a variety of toppings. During my research into buckwheat pancake recipes, of course it turned out that someone else had got there first!
France&rsquo;s Brittany region is famous for its tasty &lsquo;Galettes Bretonnes&rsquo;, thin crispy buckwheat pancakes traditionally filled with ham, spinach, eggs and cheese, and folded into a neat little parcel with the filling peeping out.
Making pancakes with flour that contains no gluten can be a tricky business. My tip is to make sure your frying pan and oil are very hot, and leave the pancake to cook for plenty of time before attempting to flip it.
The grains or &lsquo;groats&rsquo; of buckwheat make a delicious, comforting porridge, and can also be used in soups to give them substance and texture. For any athletes with gluten intolerances, buckwheat is a must!
Many supermarkets sell buckwheat flour now, as do most health food shops. If you&rsquo;re lucky enough to ever find buckwheat flower honey, do buy some &ndash; it is dark, strongly aromatic and uniquely delicious.
&nbsp;
<hr />
&nbsp;
<h3>Galettes Bretonnes</h3>
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/3778c4fe-1d97-4b93-9779-ef178f265436.jpg?cachebuster=1c773137-7506-432a-b48e-13aaf5d2d5c6" alt="Galettes Bretonnes" width="600" height="400" />
Ingredients 100g buckwheat flour Pinch of salt 1 egg 300ml milk 50g olive oil or melted butter For the filling: a handful of spinach, 1 tablespoon grated cheese (ideally Comt&eacute; but any hard cheese is fine), 1 egg, 1 slice ham
Method &bull; In a bowl with a lip or measuring jug, mix the flour, salt, egg and about half the milk into a thick paste. Add the remaining milk and oil or melted butter and mix well into a thin batter.
&bull; Heat a large, flat frying pan with a little oil until it is really hot. Pour in some batter, swirl around to cover the bottom of the pan, and leave it to cook until crisp round the edges and all the runny batter has firmed up. Carefully flip to cook the other side. Remove to a large plate.
&bull; Quickly wilt the spinach in the hot pan. Place the ham, then spinach, then raw egg and cheese in the centre, and fold in the pancake edges to make a square parcel with the filling just peeping out. Place under a hot grill for about 5 mins until the egg has cooked.
&nbsp;
<h3>Small buckwheat pancakes to fuel hungry athletes</h3>
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/27144aa2-c5f3-49e6-b2c9-0eeb6ca76d96.jpg?cachebuster=72b8cb9a-87de-4d75-a8cc-215b738ab66f" alt="Buckwheat pancakes" width="600" height="400" />
Ingredients I use the recipe above but reduce the milk to 180ml and the oil or melted butter to 1 tablespoon. This will make a thick batter which is easier to handle and freeze.
Method &bull; As above, heat a large, flat frying pan with a little oil until it is very hot. Pour several small amounts of batter into the pan but don&rsquo;t swirl them. Try to make sure they are not touching. They should be about 10cm in diameter. When they crisp up round the edges, flip them over to cook the other side.
&bull; Remove on to some kitchen paper on a plate to allow them to cool and to remove any excess oil. When completely cold, place into a clean sealable clear plastic bag and freeze. When ready to eat, just microwave for 30-40 seconds.
&bull; Now the exciting bit! Use your imagination with some tasty toppings, including sweet and savoury. My favourites are Greek yoghurt &amp; blueberry, honey &amp; banana, almond butter &amp; pumpkin seeds, and goats&rsquo; cheese &amp; tomatoes. But the possibilities are endless&hellip;you could try cottage cheese &amp; honey, mozzarella &amp; pesto, smoked salmon &amp; cream cheese, or crispy bacon &amp; apple.
Ring the changes with your favourite foods and see what you like best!

Growing up in Kenya and the UK, I had not encountered during my childhood anything made of buckwheat, the pyramid-shaped seeds of the buckwheat plant.


Growing up in Kenya and the UK, I had not encountered during my childhood anything made of buckwheat, the pyramid-shaped seeds of the buckwheat plant. So I was delighted to discover delicious buckwheat dishes later on my travels.
Soba noodles are a staple in Japan, served hot or cold, simply on their own with a tasty broth or dipping sauce, or combined with other foods like tempura. And while training at altitude in St Moritz, Switzerland, I discovered ‘pizzoccheri’ from over the border in northern Italy’s Valtellina region – flat, tagliatelle-like short noodles served with a hearty sauce of cheese, greens and cubed potatoes.
Buckwheat is highly nutritious, being rich in niacin, magnesium, manganese and phosphorous. It is a good source of carbohydrate and is gluten-free (despite its name, it is not related to wheat). So when I was training hard, buckwheat was one carbohydrate source that I made sure I ate frequently. 
Distance runner and Asics ambassador Mara Yamauchi
 
Flours are useful in all sorts of dishes, but one thing they are perfect for is pancakes! I decided to have a go at making small buckwheat pancakes that I could freeze and eat as pre-training snacks with a variety of toppings. During my research into buckwheat pancake recipes, of course it turned out that someone else had got there first!
France’s Brittany region is famous for its tasty ‘Galettes Bretonnes’, thin crispy buckwheat pancakes traditionally filled with ham, spinach, eggs and cheese, and folded into a neat little parcel with the filling peeping out.
Making pancakes with flour that contains no gluten can be a tricky business. My tip is to make sure your frying pan and oil are very hot, and leave the pancake to cook for plenty of time before attempting to flip it.
The grains or ‘groats’ of buckwheat make a delicious, comforting porridge, and can also be used in soups to give them substance and texture. For any athletes with gluten intolerances, buckwheat is a must!
Many supermarkets sell buckwheat flour now, as do most health food shops. If you’re lucky enough to ever find buckwheat flower honey, do buy some – it is dark, strongly aromatic and uniquely delicious.
 
 Galettes Bretonnes

Ingredients 100g buckwheat flour Pinch of salt 1 egg 300ml milk 50g olive oil or melted butter For the filling: a handful of spinach, 1 tablespoon grated cheese (ideally Comté but any hard cheese is fine), 1 egg, 1 slice ham
Method • In a bowl with a lip or measuring jug, mix the flour, salt, egg and about half the milk into a thick paste. Add the remaining milk and oil or melted butter and mix well into a thin batter.
• Heat a large, flat frying pan with a little oil until it is really hot. Pour in some batter, swirl around to cover the bottom of the pan, and leave it to cook until crisp round the edges and all the runny batter has firmed up. Carefully flip to cook the other side. Remove to a large plate.
• Quickly wilt the spinach in the hot pan. Place the ham, then spinach, then raw egg and cheese in the centre, and fold in the pancake edges to make a square parcel with the filling just peeping out. Place under a hot grill for about 5 mins until the egg has cooked.
 Small buckwheat pancakes to fuel hungry athletes

Ingredients I use the recipe above but reduce the milk to 180ml and the oil or melted butter to 1 tablespoon. This will make a thick batter which is easier to handle and freeze.
Method• As above, heat a large, flat frying pan with a little oil until it is very hot. Pour several small amounts of batter into the pan but don’t swirl them. Try to make sure they are not touching. They should be about 10cm in diameter. When they crisp up round the edges, flip them over to cook the other side.
• Remove on to some kitchen paper on a plate to allow them to cool and to remove any excess oil. When completely cold, place into a clean sealable clear plastic bag and freeze. When ready to eat, just microwave for 30-40 seconds.
• Now the exciting bit! Use your imagination with some tasty toppings, including sweet and savoury. My favourites are Greek yoghurt & blueberry, honey & banana, almond butter & pumpkin seeds, and goats’ cheese & tomatoes. But the possibilities are endless…you could try cottage cheese & honey, mozzarella & pesto, smoked salmon & cream cheese, or crispy bacon & apple.
Ring the changes with your favourite foods and see what you like best!

Recipes healthy buckwheat pancakes galettes bretonnes

Athletics@Home: healthy buckwheat pancakes

Beetroots became famous in the endurance world a few years ago when it was proved that the nitrates in them can enhance stamina and lower blood pressure. The wheelchair racing legend David Weir declared beetroot juice his secret weapon when he won four gold medals at the London 2012 Paralympics.
It&rsquo;s tempting for athletes to reach immediately for beetroot juice to take advantage of its performance-enhancing properties. But this means you&rsquo;re missing out on the wonders of beetroot as a vegetable, which is sweet, versatile, and tasty. Many people use only the roots, but the stems and leaves can be eaten too, and are delicious just lightly fried in olive oil.
Beetroots are good sources of fibre, antioxidants, folic acid and manganese. We often hear that green leafy vegetables and colourful vegetables are good for us. If you eat the leaves too, beetroot ticks both these boxes. 
<div id="5e9acc430d00ae08f026e6b3" class="dropMedia">
<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/7292fdae-0010-44ce-8de7-2801e19fad78.jpg');">&nbsp;</div>
Distance runner and Asics ambassador Mara Yamauchi</div>
&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;re not very familiar with beetroot, pickled or vinegared beetroot may be the first thing that springs to mind. This has a sharp, acidic taste which understandably tends to put people, especially children, off eating beetroot. But there are many other delicious ways to eat beetroot, for example raw in salads, roasted, or pureed. Slow, patient cooking really brings out the sweet, earthy flavour.
Remember <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/be-active/lifestyle/healthy-cake-recipes-mara-yamauchi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">my sweet potato cake</a> from a few weeks back? Try substituting grated beetroot for the mashed sweet potato in that recipe for a delicious, pink-tinged cake!
&nbsp;
<hr />
&nbsp;
<h3>Beetroot soup</h3>
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/c7bf1d32-16e2-41c7-a93c-4908e90a4a66.jpg?cachebuster=53dfc42e-e7d6-482c-a6c3-a69fc6d9e262" alt="Beetroot soup" width="600" height="400" />
Ingredients One onion One large beetroot or two small ones One medium-sized carrot Half a celery stick Half a vegetable stock cube Olive oil
Method &bull; Wash and peel if necessary, then chop all your vegetables.
&bull; Fry the onion on a medium heat in olive oil for five minutes, stirring regularly. Add the other vegetables and fry for five minutes, continuing to stir regularly. Reduce the heat to low and continue frying for another five minutes. This process brings depth and flavour so try not to rush it.
&bull; Make stock according to the cube instructions and add to the pan until it just covers all the vegetables; simmer on a low heat for five minutes.
&bull; Leave for a few hours to cool then puree in a blender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm with a spoon of sour cream and garnish on top. (I have made this soup with just the onion and beetroot which is a simpler and quicker version but also delicious!)
&nbsp;
<h3>Beetroot and apple coleslaw</h3>
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/880275e7-f5c6-4efa-91ea-0a03fa56ab11.jpg?cachebuster=b4c1b158-4934-488a-aad9-c2b46679411a" alt="Beetroot and apple coleslaw" width="600" height="400" />
Ingredients One small beetroot One small carrot Half an apple, cored One tablespoon of raisins Handful of pumpkin seeds and soya beans Dressing: one tablespoon each of mayonnaise and plain yoghurt. One teaspoon each of lemon juice and chopped mint, salt and pepper
Method &bull; Make the dressing by mixing everything together and set aside.
&bull; Peel the beetroot and carrot, then grate them coarsely, along with the apple. Add the raisins and dressing and mix well.
&bull; Place in a serving dish and sprinkle the seeds and beans on top. (Traditional coleslaw has a lot of mayonnaise in it &ndash; my recipe is quite light on the mayo by using yoghurt too.)
&nbsp;
<h3>Roasted root vegetables</h3>
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/3af5c3af-b5cc-487f-a509-672a35f3054e.jpg?cachebuster=8782dcd5-654e-4527-94ab-d7c50fded3d3" alt="Root vegetables" width="600" height="400" />
Ingredients One large beetroot, carrot and parsnip Two cloves garlic, peeled and roughly sliced A few sprigs rosemary Three tablespoons olive oil
Method &bull; This dish is a great way to eat complex vegetable-based carbohydrates rather than grains. Simply wash, peel and chop your root vegetables into finger-sized chunks. Add the garlic, rosemary, olive oil and salt &amp; pepper, mix well, and then place in an oven-proof baking dish.
&bull; Cook in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 50 minutes until well-browned.
&bull; You can use any root vegetables you have to hand with the beetroot &ndash; swedes and turnips are good alternatives.
Another of my all-time favourite dishes is beetroot tarte-tatin, a savoury variation on the traditional French apple dessert. It&rsquo;s a bit too fiddly and time-consuming for lockdown cooking, but once normal life resumes, do give it a try!&nbsp;

Beetroots became famous in the endurance world a few years ago when it was proved that the nitrates in them can enhance stamina and lower blood pressure.

Recipes beetroots healthy

Athletics@Home - beautiful beetroots

A sound mind is not necessarily devoid of stress. An ever-present part of life, stress switches on the body&rsquo;s nervous system and gives a rush of hormones and neurotransmitters, helping it to deal with whatever the stressor is.
During these anxious and unprecedented times, millions of people around the world are currently limited in how they train, exercise, work, play and see family and friends. But a healthy mind can motivate people to move. And when bodies move, minds will become optimistic, energised and clear.
Here five ASICS Frontrunners &ndash; all from different walks of life &ndash; offer some pieces of advice to help maintain a sound mind in a sound body.
&nbsp;
<h3>Find positivity in the small things</h3>
<a href="https://www.asics.com/gb/en-gb/frontrunner/profile?key=38787" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Holly Rush</a>, international athlete and 2:37:35 marathon runner
&ldquo;Now might seem like the last time you would want to talk about being positive. The first week of lockdown coincided with the news that my dog Mole, my most loyal and best friend, has sadly got a very aggressive cancer and is slowly losing his battle. I made a conscious decision to turn my feelings around and take advantage of my time at home to spend happy times together. There is absolutely no point in feeling sorry for the past we have lost or the future we can't plan for, we can simply live in the present and savour the small things &ndash; from listening to podcasts, reading, running, gardening, or messaging friends.&rdquo;
<a href="https://www.asics.com/gb/en-gb/frontrunner/articles/lets-be-positive-for-the-small-things-" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More on positivity</a>
&nbsp;
<h3>Don&rsquo;t wait for motivation</h3>
<a href="https://www.asics.com/gb/en-gb/frontrunner/profile?key=99203" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bernadette Dancy</a>, health coach for stress and mental health
&ldquo;It can be incredibly frustrating when you want to get fit or exercise but you just can&rsquo;t find your mojo. The first thing you need to do is to stop beating yourself up about it. You&rsquo;re not necessarily lazy. You&rsquo;re just competing with far more enjoyable things that you&rsquo;d rather be doing. Move knowing it probably won&rsquo;t feel comfortable but also knowing that it does get easier and you will feel a real sense of achievement once you&rsquo;re done. And remember: motivation isn&rsquo;t a constant. It comes and goes. Don&rsquo;t make the mistake of waiting for it.&rdquo;
<a href="https://www.asics.com/gb/en-gb/frontrunner/articles/dont-wait-for-motivation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More on motivation</a>
&nbsp;
<h3>Appreciate your own company</h3>
<a href="https://www.asics.com/gb/en-gb/frontrunner/profile?key=48098" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jamie Gane</a>, lower-limb amputee judoka
&ldquo;Humans tend to be social creatures, so the current climate can be particularly challenging. If you aren&rsquo;t used to being on your own company, it can feel very strange and scary, but start by just taking some time to appreciate yourself. Run yourself a bath, do some reading or explore a new interest. If you find yourself having wandering thoughts, writing them down can really help &ndash; blogging, writing or whatever makes you happy. But it&rsquo;s important to realise that appreciating your own company is not the same as appreciating being lonely. In the age of social media and support, remember to reach out if you are feeling lonely.&rdquo;
<a href="https://www.asics.com/gb/en-gb/frontrunner/articles/appreciating-your-own-company" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More on thriving in solitude</a>
&nbsp;
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/b9d94350-0c43-4b91-ae03-f6dda51e26a8.jpg?cachebuster=8f6a8fc7-46b8-49da-8294-963791a9a923" alt="" width="600" height="400" />
&nbsp;
<h3>Stay connected</h3>
<a href="https://www.asics.com/gb/en-gb/frontrunner/profile?key=59923" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sarah Renshaw</a>, architect and running coach
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m an introvert, so the recent news actually gives me a great excuse to be a lone wolf. But I also know how much being part of a running club has changed my life. I also know how being active is important for my mental health and of course how exercise and staying healthy is important for our immune system. The latest advice is to avoid physical social contact, but there is still plenty we can do to keep active and remain connected. Social media such as Instagram is a great platform for this, but we can also check in with each other, reach out, keep it live, and have conversations with a telephone or video call or group messages.&rdquo;
<a href="https://www.asics.com/gb/en-gb/frontrunner/articles/staying-connected" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More on staying connected</a>
&nbsp;
<h3>Do digital workouts</h3>
<a href="https://www.asics.com/gb/en-gb/frontrunner/profile?key=80650" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rachel Diver</a>, designer
&ldquo;For the time being, we are all riding solo. But, with modern technology, you don't need to feel shut off from the world. There are tonnes of options to make the most of the social side of exercising. Digital fitness is becoming more popular and can be accessed from anywhere and at any time. Using a running app like Runkeeper or Strava allows you and your friends to run solo and like, comment and give kudos on each other's activities. On other social media platforms, there are various 'tag a friend' challenges at the moment &ndash; which are a great way of staying connected with others.&rdquo;
<a href="https://www.asics.com/gb/en-gb/frontrunner/articles/home-alone-but-not-disconnected-workout-with-your-training-buddies-digitally" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More on digital workouts</a>

Millions of people around the world are currently limited in how they train, exercise, work, play and see family and friends. But a healthy mind can motivate people to move. And when bodies move, minds will become optimistic, energised and clear.

A sound mind wellness movement

Five ways in which you can achieve a sound mind

When I was a teenager, I worked at a local French restaurant, Caf&eacute; Francais, in Headington, Oxford, where I grew up. The most popular item on the menu was a salad with a warm avocado and prawn mixture poured over it. This was my first experience of warm salads. The idea of warmth and salad going together seemed a bit odd to me. But after trying it, I discovered how tasty they can be &ndash; the warm ingredients gently cooking and wilting the salad below, and softening some of the crisp sharpness that cold salad sometimes has.
On a baking hot day, proper cold crisp salad is ideal. But in spring or autumn, when summer sun and warmth aren&rsquo;t too far away but it&rsquo;s a little bit chilly, then warm salads are perfect. Wherever you are in the world, keep this recipe to hand for when the weather isn&rsquo;t quite sure if it&rsquo;s hot or cold! 
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<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/7292fdae-0010-44ce-8de7-2801e19fad78.jpg');">&nbsp;</div>
Distance runner and Asics ambassador Mara Yamauchi</div>
&nbsp;
When I was running 100+ miles per week, the thought of eating salad didn&rsquo;t appeal much. I was always so hungry and they just seemed a bit unsatisfying. But fear not! My warm salad recipe has plenty of rice in it to provide energy for anyone who&rsquo;s training hard. And it includes a large number of different ingredients &ndash; the holy grail for obtaining a wide range of micro-nutrients. Altogether, it includes carbohydrate, protein and vegetables, so can be eaten as a meal in itself.
Japanese cooking is famous for having lots of variety &ndash; one meal might include 20 or more different foodstuffs. This recipe tries to copy that top billing on variety. It isn&rsquo;t a typical Japanese dish, but I&rsquo;ve used common Japanese ingredients to give it a &lsquo;washoku&rsquo; flavour. During coronavirus lockdowns, buying unusual ingredients might be tricky, so I&rsquo;ve stuck to basic ingredients which I hope are available in a supermarket near you. While enjoying this dish, just visualise some of the awesome athletics we can look forward to at next year&rsquo;s Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
My thanks to the Japanese running club &lsquo;Team Paris Marathon&rsquo; whom I coach, for inspiring me with their relentless pursuit of fine food. 
<div id="5ea411ddb460b5091c531c71" class="dropMedia">
<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/257ee042-4d90-4da6-b1db-81f7b278a4c7.jpg');">&nbsp;</div>
Team Paris Marathon</div>
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<hr />
&nbsp;
<h3>Warm Japanese-style chicken salad</h3>
Ingredients
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/ad8faeb4-56c7-4014-a125-90416fa2dba8.jpg?cachebuster=2bb9aef7-a68d-4567-8ded-7a0b2e663d5d" alt="Ingredients" width="600" height="400" />
&bull; Two chicken breasts
&bull; Green leafy vegetables for the salad base &ndash; lettuce, spinach etc
&bull; Wholegrain rice
&bull; Courgette sliced, and red &amp; orange peppers chopped into large chunks
&bull; Variety of other vegetables, chopped &ndash; I use cucumber, radishes, tomatoes, broccoli
&bull; Cooked pulses &ndash; I use chick peas
&bull; Handful of nuts or seeds &ndash; I use pine nuts
&bull; Marinade: miso, mirin, cooking sake and soy sauce (1 tablespoon of each)
&bull; Dressing: rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce (1 tablespoon each), pinch of sugar
 Method
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/01729ad4-b983-4210-9211-05d578a9fdc0.jpg?cachebuster=01342dc1-82e2-43ed-83f3-7f4691f36373" alt="Marinade" width="600" height="400" />
1. Make the marinade by mixing together the miso, mirin, cooking sake and soy sauce.
2. Chop the chicken breasts into cubes and marinate in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
3. Start boiling the rice according to packet instructions.
4. Make the dressing by combining all ingredients and mix well.
5. Fry the courgette and peppers in olive oil in a large flat-based frying pan until softened and slightly charred; set aside.
6. Steam the broccoli for a few minutes; set aside.
7. When rice is nearly ready, fry the chicken pieces in sesame oil in the frying pan you used for the courgettes and peppers until browned.
8. In a large serving dish, lay out your green leafy vegetables to create a bed. On top of that, spread cooked rice after allowing it to cool a little. Then add cold salad ingredients and pulses, and pour over dressing. Then add fried courgettes and peppers, chicken pieces and finally sprinkle over pine nuts.
Enjoy!
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/91ada6ac-0243-48c1-aa77-8af68172f017.jpg?cachebuster=35a7dd22-26b6-459d-a915-8fa2add942d9" alt="" width="600" height="400" />

When I was a teenager, I worked at a local French restaurant, Café Francais, in Headington, Oxford, where I grew up. 


When I was a teenager, I worked at a local French restaurant, Café Francais, in Headington, Oxford, where I grew up. The most popular item on the menu was a salad with a warm avocado and prawn mixture poured over it. This was my first experience of warm salads. The idea of warmth and salad going together seemed a bit odd to me. But after trying it, I discovered how tasty they can be – the warm ingredients gently cooking and wilting the salad below, and softening some of the crisp sharpness that cold salad sometimes has.
On a baking hot day, proper cold crisp salad is ideal. But in spring or autumn, when summer sun and warmth aren’t too far away but it’s a little bit chilly, then warm salads are perfect. Wherever you are in the world, keep this recipe to hand for when the weather isn’t quite sure if it’s hot or cold! 
Distance runner and Asics ambassador Mara Yamauchi
 
When I was running 100+ miles per week, the thought of eating salad didn’t appeal much. I was always so hungry and they just seemed a bit unsatisfying. But fear not! My warm salad recipe has plenty of rice in it to provide energy for anyone who’s training hard. And it includes a large number of different ingredients – the holy grail for obtaining a wide range of micro-nutrients. Altogether, it includes carbohydrate, protein and vegetables, so can be eaten as a meal in itself.
Japanese cooking is famous for having lots of variety – one meal might include 20 or more different foodstuffs. This recipe tries to copy that top billing on variety. It isn’t a typical Japanese dish, but I’ve used common Japanese ingredients to give it a ‘washoku’ flavour. During coronavirus lockdowns, buying unusual ingredients might be tricky, so I’ve stuck to basic ingredients which I hope are available in a supermarket near you. While enjoying this dish, just visualise some of the awesome athletics we can look forward to at next year’s Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
My thanks to the Japanese running club ‘Team Paris Marathon’ whom I coach, for inspiring me with their relentless pursuit of fine food. 
Team Paris Marathon
 
 
 Warm Japanese-style chicken salad
Ingredients

• Two chicken breasts
• Green leafy vegetables for the salad base – lettuce, spinach etc
• Wholegrain rice
• Courgette sliced, and red & orange peppers chopped into large chunks
• Variety of other vegetables, chopped – I use cucumber, radishes, tomatoes, broccoli
• Cooked pulses – I use chick peas
• Handful of nuts or seeds – I use pine nuts
• Marinade: miso, mirin, cooking sake and soy sauce (1 tablespoon of each)
• Dressing: rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce (1 tablespoon each), pinch of sugar
Method

1. Make the marinade by mixing together the miso, mirin, cooking sake and soy sauce.
2. Chop the chicken breasts into cubes and marinate in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
3. Start boiling the rice according to packet instructions.
4. Make the dressing by combining all ingredients and mix well.
5. Fry the courgette and peppers in olive oil in a large flat-based frying pan until softened and slightly charred; set aside.
6. Steam the broccoli for a few minutes; set aside.
7. When rice is nearly ready, fry the chicken pieces in sesame oil in the frying pan you used for the courgettes and peppers until browned.
8. In a large serving dish, lay out your green leafy vegetables to create a bed. On top of that, spread cooked rice after allowing it to cool a little. Then add cold salad ingredients and pulses, and pour over dressing. Then add fried courgettes and peppers, chicken pieces and finally sprinkle over pine nuts.
Enjoy!


Warm Japanese style chicken salad recipe healthy

Athletics@Home - this warm salad gives you variety, variety, variety!

&nbsp;
<h4><img style="width: 90px; height: 90px; border-radius: 50%; margin-right: 20px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/8a1d4507-5605-49b2-9512-d91eb3b43460.png" alt="Kate Carter" align="left" />You've probably heard about the 'runner's high', but there is actually some science to back up the theory that exercise can help your brain as well as your body.</h4>
<hr />
<h4 style="text-align: right;">Kate Carter (<a href="https://twitter.com/katehelencarter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@katehelencarter</a>)</h4>
&nbsp;
Regular runners know there's something near-magical about a run on a bad day. It doesn't matter how irked you are with the mundane stresses of life, how tired you are, how bored you are &ndash; life after a run always seems that little bit better.
Even after the most sleep-deprived night, there's a certain clarity that comes after a nice, easy paced run that makes your mind feel better, even if your body still longs for bed. I've never appreciated this more than I do now, in these uncertain, disquieting times.
But for years I just accepted this as fact &ndash; and never thought to wonder why. Then, a while ago, I started looking into what actually happens in your brain when you run. And my mind was, suitably, blown.
That our muscles and our hearts and our lungs work harder when we run is obvious. But inside your grey matter, too, things change. Much of what we know about this is very new and is still limited &ndash; and for obvious reasons. How do you study brain chemistry changes without cutting open the head? You also can't run in an MRI machine &ndash; or not yet, anyway. Nevertheless, in 1999, scientists made a staggering discovery. They divided their runner subjects &ndash; mice, not humans &ndash; into two groups: one given free access to a gym (ok, a wheel) and one group who got nothing. And guess what? The ones who ran actually had bigger brains.
Running causes a whole complex chain of interlaced reactions, in humans as in mice &ndash; increased blood flow to the brain, growth in the network of blood vessels, changes in some hormone levels. And, astonishingly, the birth of new neurons &ndash; something that, until a few decades ago, was actually thought not to occur once we reach adulthood. Now we know that actually, it continues through life, and is actively stimulated by exercise.
And exercise doesn&rsquo;t just create new brain cells; it makes them work better. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7816089" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Studies have shown</a> that it stimulates the levels of a protein known as BDNF &ndash; brain-derived neurotrophic factor. This protein helps both the birth and survival of fragile new-born neurons. Children who exercise even have bigger hippocampal regions of the brain &ndash; the area essential for memory formation and spatial navigation (and the area that is particularly associated with age-related decline).
Aerobic exercise also improves your attention span, multitasking ability and decision-making process &ndash; and it&rsquo;s never too late to start. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1053811915010721" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A 2015 study</a> saw increases in hippocampal volume in adults after only six weeks of regular exercise for previously sedentary people. Even in adults with degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer&rsquo;s, studies show that <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18768414" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exercise can have a beneficial effect on cognition</a>.
As for that miraculous post-exercise glow, there&rsquo;s science to explain that too. Running has a steep learning curve and the first few weeks are tough, but if you get over that, you will hopefully have a run where you suddenly &lsquo;come to&rsquo; and realise minutes &ndash; maybe even miles &ndash; have passed without you noticing. This phenomenon is called the &lsquo;transient hypofrontality hypothesis&rsquo; &ndash; the brain prioritising the areas it need for the physical act of running over those associated with analytical thinking &ndash; or indeed overthinking.
So you zone out into that flow state where you are just moving, being in the moment, life&rsquo;s cares temporarily vanished.&nbsp;
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/d74b5024-28ba-43db-b43d-1a77f55d74d4.jpg?cachebuster=01ffd19f-d23c-4267-8d1e-6de7908df8dd" alt="A runner in action" width="600" height="400" />
Conversely, sit around with nothing to do &ndash; or lie awake at night &ndash; and you&rsquo;ll soon find yourself in that state where unproductive thoughts chase each other endlessly and fruitlessly round your brain. In your brain, this state is associated with having an overactive &lsquo;default mode network&rsquo; (a series of linked areas of the brain). When we run, activity in these areas diminishes. And again, we feel better.&nbsp;&nbsp;
And I haven&rsquo;t even touched yet upon endorphins &ndash; those &lsquo;happy hormones&rsquo; that exercise produces. Until recently there was mystery here too &ndash; how did these hormones affect the brain when they were thought not to be able to cross the &lsquo;blood/brain barrier&rsquo;? Recent experiments have revealed that they do, though how they do it is still unknown.
Then there&rsquo;s the endocannabinoids &ndash; neurotransmitters which bind to the cannabinoid receptors in the brain and create a similar effect as those of the active component in cannabis: pain relief, reduction of stress, relaxation. All, of course, perfectly legal.
Both endorphins and endocannabinoids are thought to be involved in the fabled &lsquo;runners high&rsquo;, that glow that for some people is intense, in others more of a mild buzz. Even regular runners don&rsquo;t necessarily feel it often, but it&rsquo;s worth it for the moments when we do.
For me, understanding what is happening in the brain &ndash; insofar as I can understand the complex science, which is probably &lsquo;not much&rsquo; &ndash; only adds to the mystery and the sense of wonder that something so simple (one foot in front of the other, move a bit quicker) can produce something so valuable. And more valuable now, surely, than ever.

Kate CarterYou've probably heard about the 'runner's high', but there is actually some science to back up the theory that exercise can help your brain as well as your body.

Exercise boost brain runners high

The Athletic Life: how endurance exercise can give your brain a boost

Here in the UK, we have just completed four weeks of coronavirus lockdown. We are still allowed daily exercise, and I&rsquo;m loving seeing spring burst into life all around us during my daily runs. In other countries, outdoor exercise is limited or banned, and I am thankful every day for the simple pleasure of running outdoors in the fresh air.
This week in my kitchen, it&rsquo;s all about smoothies &ndash; versatile, nutritious, and convenient snacks that no athlete should be without. I lived in Tokyo for much of my life as an elite athlete, which was an invaluable window into the world of elite distance running in Japan. I was always on the look-out for lessons I could learn from Japan&rsquo;s top stars. Japanese food is famous for being very healthy, and making a fresh smoothie every day was one of the tips I picked up. This has become a lifelong habit and even now that I&rsquo;m retired, I enjoy being creative with different ingredients. 
<div id="5e9acc430d00ae08f026e6b3" class="dropMedia">
<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/7292fdae-0010-44ce-8de7-2801e19fad78.jpg');">&nbsp;</div>
Distance runner and Asics ambassador Mara Yamauchi</div>
&nbsp;
Smoothies are popular everywhere, but what is it that makes them healthy? For starters, they&rsquo;re a great way to increase your intake of fruit and vegetables. They expand the variety in what you&rsquo;re eating if you use plenty of different ingredients. You can put anything to hand in them, so are ideal for using up seasonal, local and readily available produce. They are portable and handy for taking to training or competition. They provide fluid and energy. They can be adapted for different uses (for example, rehydration, recovery, increasing iron intake). And they can be low GI if you limit the amount of juice and sweet fruits you use.
Not only that, but they can also be high in fibre. Some nutrition guidance says eating fruit and vegetables whole rather than blended is better for fibre intake. I try to keep the fibre content up by limiting how long I blend ingredients for, and thereby keeping the smoothie quite &lsquo;rough&rsquo;. I also sometimes make &lsquo;gritties&rsquo; &ndash; the coarser cousin of a typical smoothie &ndash; by adding things like seeds, nuts or oats which increase the fibre content and make the texture much rougher.
The list of fruit and vegetables you can put into smoothies is almost limitless, but here are a few of my favourite recipes. Just wash, peel if necessary, roughly chop all ingredients and mix in a blender. I try to drink smoothies as soon as they&rsquo;re made but they do keep in the fridge in a sealed bottle or container for about 24 hours. Enjoy, and happy blending!
&nbsp;
<hr />
&nbsp;
<h3>Basic everyday smoothie</h3>
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Square/2438777f-0a02-46b2-b2f8-03588d5f9de4.jpg?cachebuster=b215a14a-a2ad-4c2a-ab8f-87b203ef117d" alt="Basic smoothie" width="600" height="600" />
Ingredients Root ginger Apple Celery Carrot Banana Water (or orange juice)
&nbsp;
<h3>Recovery smoothie for after hard training or competition</h3>
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Square/ae73c371-8f9a-4d22-8e72-ccc890d1a927.jpg?cachebuster=6ce49b01-bb4b-412c-9e81-90f42dc33250" alt="Recovery smoothie" width="600" height="600" />
Ingredients Banana Plain yoghurt Honey Sesame seeds Protein or recovery drink powder (optional) Soya or almond milk Water
&nbsp;
<h3>Green smoothie for increasing micro-nutrients</h3>
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Square/ac4c43cb-e676-4e56-8a97-ed54e89f3eeb.jpg?cachebuster=32e8ae52-72b5-4236-935d-f94490c05f12" alt="Green smoothie" width="600" height="600" />
Ingredients Green leafy vegetable (spinach, lettuce, cabbage etc) Cucumber Kiwi Green grapes Avocado (adds thickness) Water
&nbsp;
<h3>Tropical smoothie for when you&rsquo;re missing the sun</h3>
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Square/c75da179-d4d8-4667-91e7-28d05918abf5.jpg?cachebuster=43915d20-b0a9-4b69-a045-f96da232da6f" alt="Tropical smoothie" width="600" height="600" />
Ingredients Pineapple Banana Lime juice Coconut milk Water

A treasure trove of nutrients for all athletes

Smoothie recipes athletes healthy

Athletics@Home - four healthy smoothie recipes

Mara Yamauchi finished sixth in the marathon at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, won the 2008 Osaka International Women's Marathon, and earned the 10,000m bronze medal at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games.
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/ed88df49-9246-4842-a978-362cf59837d3.jpg?cachebuster=0ec4047f-1194-4526-91fe-cd68b8a64d52" alt="Mara Yamauchi" width="600" height="400" />
She retired in 2013 and now works as a coach, commentator and speaker. And to help pass the time while in lockdown, Yamauchi has focused on one of her other passions: cooking. Here are two of her recipes for healthy bakes. 
<hr />
 We are living in extraordinary times, but as runners we are very lucky that we can still do the sport we love. Swimmers, gymnasts and athletes in other sports aren&rsquo;t so fortunate. We&rsquo;ve lost some of the best things in our sport &ndash; races to work towards, the joy of running with friends, and top-class competition to inspire us. But this lockdown also brings positives and opportunities that we won&rsquo;t have again, like running without the pressure of looming races, and plenty of time at home to work on strength and conditioning.
This is the ideal time to take a long hard look at what you&rsquo;re doing on all the things which support your running, including nutrition. I&rsquo;ve decided to use this lockdown to raise my game on what I&rsquo;m eating and drinking &ndash; reducing coffee intake, trying new recipes, and aiming for 10-a-day on fruit and vegetables.
In the next few weeks, I&rsquo;ll be bringing you some ideas and recipes from my years as an elite athlete, when I was fuelling 100+ miles per week. Now I&rsquo;m 46, well into retirement and much slower than I used to be&hellip;but we can all, at any age or stage in life, fuel ourselves like elite athletes. Ready for the ride? Here we go!
First up &ndash; healthy, nutritious, high-fibre snacks. Know the feeling when you have to go out for a run soon, but you&rsquo;re absolutely starving? I&rsquo;ve been there many times. You can&rsquo;t eat much, because there&rsquo;s no time for digestion. But you need something, or the world will end. My answer to this is snacks based on simple banana bread recipes, but substituting as many of the ingredients as you can to make them healthy &ndash; high-fibre, low GI, and nutrient-rich. Here are two examples. 
<h3>Sweet potato bread</h3>
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/9ed2b7f9-b8dc-452b-816f-b624a9d6c913.jpg?cachebuster=81c99ced-92d2-43ea-b2ba-ce6922973779" alt="Sweet potato bread" width="600" height="400" />
Ingredients 250g boiled &amp; mashed sweet potato 140g sugar (use honey/mashed dates instead) 140g butter* 2 eggs 140g plain flour (use wholemeal; can substitute with other flours) 50g raisins (optional - if you use these, reduce the amount of sugar/honey) Handful of chopped nuts/seeds/bran/wheatgerm (not in recipe but I add to improve nutrient &amp; fibre content)
* I don&rsquo;t follow the advice that saturated fats are all bad, so I use butter but you can substitute with vegetable oil.
Method &bull; Mix sweet potato, butter/oil and sugar/honey/mashed dates and beat well.
&bull; Add other ingredients and mix well.
&bull; Pour into greased/lined loaf tin and cook at 180 degrees for about 45 mins.
&nbsp;
<h3>Peanut butter blondies</h3>
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/4b762e75-7470-414a-9907-0e9caf8aaf3a.jpg?cachebuster=cb40ac40-a880-4658-8c8c-c0670a868301" alt="Peanut butter blondies" width="600" height="400" />
Ingredients 2 large tablespoons peanut butter 140g sugar (use honey/mashed dates instead) 100g butter/oil 140g ground almonds (or flour, ideally wholemeal) 2 eggs
As above, add small amounts of anything nutritious eg seeds, dried fruit, bran, wheatgerm
Method &bull; Mix everything together, starting with peanut butter, butter/oil and sugar/honey/mashed dates.
&bull; Cook at 180 degrees for 40-50 mins.
 I always slice and freeze healthy snacks, so I can quickly microwave a slice before runs when I need to. Variety is important in what we eat to ensure we get all the micro-nutrients (vitamins and minerals) that we need. So try substituting the sweet potato/peanut butter with things like mashed pumpkin, cashew nut butter, or grated courgettes or beetroots. Enjoy!

Mara Yamauchi finished sixth in the marathon at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, won the 2008 Osaka International Women's Marathon, and earned the 10,000m bronze medal at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

Healthy cake recipes Mara Yamauchi

Athletics@Home - unwind with these healthy cake recipes

Evan Scully is something of a paradox.
The Irish sports massage therapist has cystic fibrosis, which puts him in the &lsquo;at risk&rsquo; category in the coronavirus pandemic. Because of the reduced lung function caused by cystic fibrosis, any form of illness or infection poses an increased threat to people with the condition. And contracting COVID-19 &ndash; a virus that attacks the respiratory system &ndash; can have dire consequences.
But instead of living a life of fear, Scully is not unduly worried. If anything, his 33 years of adhering to strict guidelines has prepared him well for the restrictions that are currently in place.
&ldquo;This pandemic has showed me how I actually live isn&rsquo;t exactly normal,&rdquo; says Scully, who has worked with dozens of Olympic medallists and world champions in recent years. &ldquo;It has, however, made me realise how disciplined I am in life. The way we are told to currently live to prevent the spread &ndash; for example, washing hands, not coming into contact with someone who is sick &ndash; are things that people with CF already adhere to.
&ldquo;The symptoms of COVID-19 sound very similar to cystic fibrosis. I know what it&rsquo;s like to live with those symptoms on a daily basis, so I&rsquo;ve been trying to educate people. Worrying does absolutely nothing. In fact, it causes stress, and stress lowers your immune system, so you may leave yourself open to catching viruses.
&ldquo;My wife has pointed out that I am very positive, especially in the last two weeks. I try to see things rationally. You can&rsquo;t always be positive as suffering is an inevitable part of the human existence, but being rational is a more balanced approach.&rdquo;
Scully&rsquo;s daily routine has adapted over time. As a child, he would need nebulisers and physiotherapy up to five or six times a day just to help clear his airways. &ldquo;There was never a day that was missed,&rdquo; he says, &ldquo;not even Christmas day.&rdquo;
These days, he uses running as a form of self-physiotherapy, the pounding of the ground helping to clear his lungs. His medication has also reduced. &ldquo;Nowadays I take about 30-40 tablets a day, most of which are digestive enzymes,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I also take two inhalers each day for my exercised-induced asthma.&rdquo;
While he hasn&rsquo;t had to alter his medication during the pandemic, other parts of his life have changed. <a href="https://www.scullytherapyclinic.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">His clinic</a> in County Meath has had to close, meaning he is currently out of work. He is able to continue coaching his group of athletes, doing so remotely, but is unable to join them for their weekly long runs. He still runs six times a week, though.
<iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FevanscullyCF%2Fvideos%2F2261530017485452%2F&amp;show_text=0&amp;width=500" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
&ldquo;Funnily enough, I have actually increased my training,&rdquo; said Scully. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m up to between 60-70 miles a week. I run on country roads most of the time anyway, so I don't actually cross paths with many people. I also have loan of a treadmill, so I&rsquo;m prepared for whatever happens.
&ldquo;Nutrition is also important and we&rsquo;ve continued to focus on good food and the right balance of nutrients. If you focus on micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), your macronutrients will look after themselves. Depending on the time of year or training load, I will take supplements like selenium, magnesium, iron and zinc. I also make my own kombucha to help with gut bacteria. The gut is one of the most important aspects of health; it has more nerve endings than your brain.&rdquo;
Given his years of having to stick to strict guidelines, Scully is well placed to offer advice to the thousands of athletes who are now adapting to new ways of life in the current pandemic.
&ldquo;For athletes whose race plans have changed, you now get to train twice for one race,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;For anyone training for a marathon, whatever the level, these are the months where you can improve on your weaknesses and then target a PB in an autumn marathon.
&ldquo;Tracks and other training facilities might be closed, but this isn&rsquo;t the time to take the foot off the pedal and feel sorry for yourself. One thing I have learned from working with the best athletes in the world is that they can adapt to the situation. You can&rsquo;t complain about having to train on grass or trails when Kenyan athletes flourish on these surfaces. Usain Bolt used to train on a grass track as well. Control the controllable and focus on effort rather than what your watch tells you.&rdquo;
Running with training devices, such as heart-rate monitors, can be beneficial in other ways, though, Scully says. 
<div id="5e7f3d6975a0bb0e10a8d00e" class="dropMedia">
<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/59da26ca-1681-4d53-89d5-9173bb3f3a59.jpg');">&nbsp;</div>
Evan Scully</div>
&nbsp;
&ldquo;Your heart rate is a great indicator and precursor of health," he explains. "During a recent training trip in Kenya, my heart rate was 15 beats higher than normal. At first I thought it was a fault with my strap because I didn&rsquo;t exactly feel bad, but a few days later my lung function dropped by 12% and I had a temperature. I had to go on two different antibiotics and a course of steroids.
&ldquo;However, your heart rate can be slightly higher for a few different reasons, not just a virus or infection,&rdquo; he adds. &ldquo;Dehydration, a bad sleep, menstrual cycle, coffee, an inhaler, and of course not being fully recovered from the previous day&rsquo;s session. Like everything, you need to look at the bigger picture.
&ldquo;Your body is very clever and will tell you if it doesn&rsquo;t like something. Tuning into what it&rsquo;s telling you is hard because we have evolved to keep trucking on regardless of how you feel. But sometimes it&rsquo;s worth taking a step back from everything to tune into how we are feeling.
&ldquo;I make time to meditate on a daily basis. I read a quote by Russell Simmons: &lsquo;if you don&rsquo;t have enough time to meditate for 10 minutes, then you need to meditate for 20 minutes&rsquo;. You don&rsquo;t necessarily have to sit down and chant or hum for 10 minutes; running mindfully can be a form of meditation.
&ldquo;And, like everyone else around the world, a good dose of your current favourite TV series before bedtime is a must!&rdquo;
Once the pandemic is over, Scully is targeting a sub-three-hour marathon in a bid to reclaim the European best by someone with cystic fibrosis. Until then, though, he will continue to live his life in much the same way he has been doing for the past few decades, using running as his form of physical and mental therapy.
&ldquo;I hope,&rdquo; he says, &ldquo;that my approach to cystic fibrosis and running is a positive influence on anyone that may be suffering.&rdquo;
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics


Evan Scully is something of a paradox.
The Irish sports massage therapist has cystic fibrosis, which puts him in the ‘at risk’ category in the coronavirus pandemic. Because of the reduced lung function caused by cystic fibrosis, any form of illness or infection poses an increased threat to people with the condition. And contracting COVID-19 – a virus that attacks the respiratory system – can have dire consequences.
But instead of living a life of fear, Scully is not unduly worried. If anything, his 33 years of adhering to strict guidelines has prepared him well for the restrictions that are currently in place.
“This pandemic has showed me how I actually live isn’t exactly normal,” says Scully, who has worked with dozens of Olympic medallists and world champions in recent years. “It has, however, made me realise how disciplined I am in life. The way we are told to currently live to prevent the spread – for example, washing hands, not coming into contact with someone who is sick – are things that people with CF already adhere to.
“The symptoms of COVID-19 sound very similar to cystic fibrosis. I know what it’s like to live with those symptoms on a daily basis, so I’ve been trying to educate people. Worrying does absolutely nothing. In fact, it causes stress, and stress lowers your immune system, so you may leave yourself open to catching viruses.
“My wife has pointed out that I am very positive, especially in the last two weeks. I try to see things rationally. You can’t always be positive as suffering is an inevitable part of the human existence, but being rational is a more balanced approach.”
Scully’s daily routine has adapted over time. As a child, he would need nebulisers and physiotherapy up to five or six times a day just to help clear his airways. “There was never a day that was missed,” he says, “not even Christmas day.”
These days, he uses running as a form of self-physiotherapy, the pounding of the ground helping to clear his lungs. His medication has also reduced. “Nowadays I take about 30-40 tablets a day, most of which are digestive enzymes,” he says. “I also take two inhalers each day for my exercised-induced asthma.”
While he hasn’t had to alter his medication during the pandemic, other parts of his life have changed. His clinic in County Meath has had to close, meaning he is currently out of work. He is able to continue coaching his group of athletes, doing so remotely, but is unable to join them for their weekly long runs. He still runs six times a week, though.

“Funnily enough, I have actually increased my training,” said Scully. “I’m up to between 60-70 miles a week. I run on country roads most of the time anyway, so I don't actually cross paths with many people. I also have loan of a treadmill, so I’m prepared for whatever happens.
“Nutrition is also important and we’ve continued to focus on good food and the right balance of nutrients. If you focus on micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), your macronutrients will look after themselves. Depending on the time of year or training load, I will take supplements like selenium, magnesium, iron and zinc. I also make my own kombucha to help with gut bacteria. The gut is one of the most important aspects of health; it has more nerve endings than your brain.”
Given his years of having to stick to strict guidelines, Scully is well placed to offer advice to the thousands of athletes who are now adapting to new ways of life in the current pandemic.
“For athletes whose race plans have changed, you now get to train twice for one race,” he says. “For anyone training for a marathon, whatever the level, these are the months where you can improve on your weaknesses and then target a PB in an autumn marathon.
“Tracks and other training facilities might be closed, but this isn’t the time to take the foot off the pedal and feel sorry for yourself. One thing I have learned from working with the best athletes in the world is that they can adapt to the situation. You can’t complain about having to train on grass or trails when Kenyan athletes flourish on these surfaces. Usain Bolt used to train on a grass track as well. Control the controllable and focus on effort rather than what your watch tells you.”
Running with training devices, such as heart-rate monitors, can be beneficial in other ways, though, Scully says. 
Evan Scully
 
“Your heart rate is a great indicator and precursor of health," he explains. "During a recent training trip in Kenya, my heart rate was 15 beats higher than normal. At first I thought it was a fault with my strap because I didn’t exactly feel bad, but a few days later my lung function dropped by 12% and I had a temperature. I had to go on two different antibiotics and a course of steroids.
“However, your heart rate can be slightly higher for a few different reasons, not just a virus or infection,” he adds. “Dehydration, a bad sleep, menstrual cycle, coffee, an inhaler, and of course not being fully recovered from the previous day’s session. Like everything, you need to look at the bigger picture.
“Your body is very clever and will tell you if it doesn’t like something. Tuning into what it’s telling you is hard because we have evolved to keep trucking on regardless of how you feel. But sometimes it’s worth taking a step back from everything to tune into how we are feeling.
“I make time to meditate on a daily basis. I read a quote by Russell Simmons: ‘if you don’t have enough time to meditate for 10 minutes, then you need to meditate for 20 minutes’. You don’t necessarily have to sit down and chant or hum for 10 minutes; running mindfully can be a form of meditation.
“And, like everyone else around the world, a good dose of your current favourite TV series before bedtime is a must!”
Once the pandemic is over, Scully is targeting a sub-three-hour marathon in a bid to reclaim the European best by someone with cystic fibrosis. Until then, though, he will continue to live his life in much the same way he has been doing for the past few decades, using running as his form of physical and mental therapy.
“I hope,” he says, “that my approach to cystic fibrosis and running is a positive influence on anyone that may be suffering.”
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

Evan Scully cystic fibrosis coronavirus running

How a life with cystic fibrosis has given Scully a head start during lock-down

Funny how when you can&rsquo;t do something, it&rsquo;s suddenly all you pine to do. And in these strange and disquieting times, exercise can provide much-needed solace. So for habitual runners, or footballers, or gym-goers, or pilates devotees, the prospect of cancelled games, races or classes is sad, and the temporary loss of the community that goes with them perhaps even worse.
Around the world, communities are either in total lockdown or partial social isolation. Some can still get out and run - the lucky ones - but plenty can&rsquo;t. People who are really desperate to exercise will usually find a way - I&rsquo;ve seen some brilliantly creative videos of people running in the bath, read stories of people jogging 60,000 times round their dining room table. This is magnificent lunacy which I can only applaud. But really, most of us aren&rsquo;t as adaptive or creative. But we all need to exercise. 
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_tSVsu8Y1P8" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
 When I say all, of course not if you are ill or have health concerns. But if you are healthy, just stuck indoors, then I beg, in fact implore you to keep exercising. Or start! Sure, it&rsquo;s good for your body and your physical health, but perhaps even more importantly, at least in the short term, it&rsquo;s good for your mind.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s 2020, so if you have internet access, you have an entire world of free online workouts, many of which require nothing more than a small amount of space. Youtube has a video for every exercise niche - but the sheer choice can be a little overwhelming. So to start fairly simply: the NHS here in England has <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/nhs-fitness-studio/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a really good site with 24 videos</a>, from 10-45 minutes a piece. If you find something you really like then you can explore that in more detail, using the countless apps and subscription sites - or even face-to-face ones with an instructor over FaceTime or Skype.
But really, you don&rsquo;t even need that. You&rsquo;ve got your own gym at home already.
Looking sceptically around you? No, honestly, you really do! Do you have a step or stair? A suitcase or holdall? Some books? Any bags of sugar or flour? If you are lucky, perhaps an old skipping rope lying around somewhere?
Just a few of these, and you have a home gym. Here&rsquo;s a short suggested selection of exercises you can do with stuff you have lying around anyway (or using nothing at all). But there&rsquo;s plenty more that you can do with nothing more than your own bodyweight and 20 minutes. So do yourself a favour: take that 20 minutes, close down the alarming news, step away from social media, and try and raise some endorphins.
<h3>SIMPLE HOME WORK OUT EXERCISES</h3>
<h3> Plank</h3>
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/5f686659-976c-48a7-9769-951e7895ae06.jpg?cachebuster=009b1835-927a-4c28-8669-75e491f81a59" alt="Plank" width="600" height="400" />
First of all, clear a little space - push back chairs or tuck away things from the hallway. If you have a yoga mat, set that up somewhere. It&rsquo;s not essential - if you have carpet you don&rsquo;t need anything, if it&rsquo;s a hard floor maybe put a towel or two down just to protect your arms. Get into position: lie on your front with your forearms on the floor (parallel to each other), toes tucked under, then push up your bodyweight so you are resting on your forearms and your feet. Keep your body in a straight line - brace your core muscles, don&rsquo;t sag in the middle. Hold!
Work up to holding 1 minute. If you&rsquo;ve never done it before, have a google of &ldquo;plank daily challenge&rdquo; and follow that - in days you&rsquo;ll move from 10 seconds to 60, and possibly well beyond. If you&rsquo;ve already a regular planker (which sounds, to my English ear, horribly close to an insult, sorry) then try variations like side planks or harder adaptions. Check online videos for correct form but also always remember my own personal plank rule 1: while planking you must spend the time thinking about the fact that the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51618159" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world record for a plank is 8 hours and 15 minutes</a>. It&rsquo;s strangely cheering, mainly because no one is making you do it.
<h3> Farmer carry</h3>
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/11087a3c-aaab-425d-b4f6-803e7815de39.jpg?cachebuster=1eb7b57e-ad50-4430-9030-f8f472737dee" alt="Farmer carry" width="600" height="400" />
Just when you thought holidays were a dream, it&rsquo;s time to fill your suitcase! Use books, tins, old CDs - whatever you&rsquo;ve got. Squat slightly to pick it up (don&rsquo;t bend over) and make sure you brace through your core and then walk, keeping nice and even and straight backed. Of course, you can do this with one &ldquo;weight&rdquo; in each hand but that might be tricky to balance properly at home - unless of course you happen to have two sacks of rice lying around.
Again there are some <a href="https://www.coachmag.co.uk/full-body-exercises/5492/the-farmer-s-walk-is-the-epitome-of-training-efficiently" target="_blank" rel="noopener">good online videos and explainers</a> by better qualified people than me - but please do start light and gradually add weight if it&rsquo;s too easy, rather than the other way round. Ideally you will work up to using an amount of weight you couldn&rsquo;t carry more than a couple of hundred metres max.
<h3> Step-ups</h3>
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/c68a69b0-f5bd-4bc2-ad25-dc79c4121362.jpg?cachebuster=66764883-42b1-44f3-8961-e07c1d282635" alt="Step ups" width="600" height="400" />
Things you can use for this: a step, a low bench, a toddler&rsquo;s chair - anything that won&rsquo;t move and can comfortably take your weight. Stand in front, step up with one foot, bring the other up stand up on the step. Step backwards using the same leg. Repeat on the other side. So basically it&rsquo;s a constant up-and-down but each time you are alternating your &lsquo;lead&rsquo; foot. Try to keep your back nice and straight again and your core braced. Do as many reps as you can until you feel like your form is starting to go a bit. Maybe keep a count of how many that is, and aim for a few more next time.
<h3> Free weights</h3>
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/b95434bc-6d00-4fcd-b83e-ed6481822042.jpg?cachebuster=912403f3-50b3-4362-a759-7e53b233b5bd" alt="Free weights" width="600" height="400" />
Time to unpack again! Get some of those tins or bags out of the suitcase and use them as weights. There&rsquo;s almost an endless list of exercises you can, from simple bicep curls to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jan/11/baked-bean-tin-workout-cheap-ways-get-fit-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deadlifts</a> - but there&rsquo;s also <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5YK40YBsmmCxPJ1p6cXc4dT/the-tea-time-toning-challenge-makeyourmove" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a really good BBC workout set here</a> using only cans. You can also use them when you get super good at planks - together, we can all come out of isolation one day in the happy future with cores of steel.
<h3> Skipping</h3>
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/8a6c6c12-cdac-4e07-b53b-62c624f50247.jpg?cachebuster=759cf194-10ac-4f03-ae89-0d7c554d9449" alt="Skipping" width="600" height="400" />
Skipping with a rope is a truly fantastic cardio exercise, challenging a lot of muscle groups and working your hand/eye coordination and timing into the bargain. Of course you do need a bit more space for this but if you can, it&rsquo;s a brilliant way to get the heart rate up and fantastic particularly for runners who can&rsquo;t get out.
Only the truly hardcore could probably manage to skip for any serious length of time but mix in repetitions of, for example, a minute of skipping then working through the other exercises above - then repeat times 5. Or just see how many skips you can do before you snag yourself with the rope, then try and beat that each time. 
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tgUDYOlgx1M" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
 Kate Carter for World Athletics

Funny how when you can’t do something, it’s suddenly all you pine to do. And in these strange and disquieting times, exercise can provide much-needed solace. So for habitual runners, or footballers, or gym-goers, or pilates devotees, the prospect of cancelled games, races or classes is sad, and the temporary loss of the community that goes with them perhaps even worse.

lockdown exercises

Self-isolating? Here are five lockdown exercises to keep you fit, focused and sane

Start your weekend here, with a round-up of some of the best athletics, running and fitness-related stories from the past seven days. 
&nbsp;
<h3><a href="https://www.outsideonline.com/2409987/2020-olympic-trials-marathon-results" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The coronavirus outbreak puts running into perspective</a></h3>
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/7a999e92-665a-4cda-9bdd-004179934ee4.jpg?cachebuster=9cd1466f-043e-4634-b0b6-526a1a9a68a6" alt="Runners" width="600" height="400" />
As the pandemic continues to surge and major races are canceled, we can return to running for its own sake
<a href="https://www.outsideonline.com/2409987/2020-olympic-trials-marathon-results" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full article</a> (outsideonline.com)
&nbsp;
<h3><a href="https://www.podiumrunner.com/training/marathon-training/what-should-i-do-with-my-training-since-my-goal-race-has-been-canceled/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">What should I do with my training since my goal race has been cancelled?</a></h3>
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/c3cbca8b-65e7-4926-b23c-52ddc6cc2f47.jpg?cachebuster=63512fee-0279-4c28-aea4-efe796a40de9" alt="Cancelled race" width="600" height="400" />
When your race is cancelled, you can parlay your race fitness into a PB later in the year, but first here are some options and training adjustments for closing your season.
<a href="https://www.podiumrunner.com/training/marathon-training/what-should-i-do-with-my-training-since-my-goal-race-has-been-canceled/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full article</a> (podiumrunner.com)
&nbsp;
<h3><a href="https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/news/a31466033/running-during-coronavirus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">How to run safely amid coronavirus concerns</a></h3>
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/8ed756a0-b181-4ddc-a8a4-ad32640c3742.jpg?cachebuster=542f4ce5-2077-44a5-aa32-7af742ec0cef" alt="Runner" width="600" height="400" />
While the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, causing running races - and many other large events - to be postponed and cancelled, you might be wondering what you should do for your own personal health and how this could affect your training.
<a href="https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/news/a31466033/running-during-coronavirus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full article</a> (runnersworld.com)
&nbsp;
<h3> <a href="https://lopemagazine.com/2019/12/17/100-greatest-runs-jumps-throws-all-time-rudisha-benoit-owens-bolt/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The 100 greatest runs, jumps, and throws of all time</a></h3>
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/1dca3471-cfdf-4cee-b2f3-81698331f757.jpg?cachebuster=0bc20adf-2625-4d5e-86b9-cc41ea8b6b3b" alt="Abebe Mekonnen" width="600" height="400" />
Ethiopia won the first &mdash; and, it would turn out, only &mdash; IAAF World Challenge Road Relay. The event would return in 1992 as the rebranded IAAF World Road Relay Championships before fading out in 1998, disappearing into track and field&rsquo;s history. The run has not, however, disappeared for good &mdash; it has been ranked No.100 in L&oslash;pe Magazine&rsquo;s 'The 100 Greatest Runs, Jumps, and Throws of All Time'.
<a href="https://lopemagazine.com/2019/12/17/100-greatest-runs-jumps-throws-all-time-rudisha-benoit-owens-bolt/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full article</a> (lopemagazine.com)
&nbsp;
<h3><a href="https://www.nnrunningteam.com/news/2020-03-10-eliuds-olympic-reflections/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eliud's Olympic reflections</a></h3>
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/f6df7405-ce0d-4038-8d7b-72cd8d0b41cb.png?cachebuster=fd69da3e-a2b1-4e28-9cd1-116e499b3998" alt="Eliud Kipchoge" width="600" height="400" />
Eliud Kipchoge is set to compete at his fourth Olympic Games when he takes to the start line for the marathon on the streets of Sapporo in August. The Kenyan reflects on his three previous Olympic experiences in which he has mined a medal of every colour.
<a href="https://www.nnrunningteam.com/news/2020-03-10-eliuds-olympic-reflections/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full article</a> (nnrunningteam.com)
&nbsp;
<h3><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/athletics/2020/03/12/dorothy-tyler-remarkable-character-should-far-remembered/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dorothy Tyler was a remarkable character who should be far more remembered than she is</a></h3>
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/be3561d4-5902-4ec2-83ee-de7a066a32c1.jpg?cachebuster=ecdf870e-7dff-4115-8908-71a3930dc1be" alt="Dorothy Odam-Tyler" width="600" height="400" />
It was one of those moments that made soup bowls rattle, caused buttered knives to miss bread rolls and inspired choking fits in those mid-gulp. It was a fancy sports awards lunch in 2008 and it is fair to say that Dorothy Tyler turned one of those rather nauseous backslapping fests into something far more memorable.
<a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/athletics/2020/03/12/dorothy-tyler-remarkable-character-should-far-remembered/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full article</a> (telegraph.co.uk)
&nbsp;
<h3><a href="https://www.letsrun.com/news/2020/03/craig-virgin-recalls-his-epic-victory-at-the-world-cross-country-championships-40-years-later/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Craig Virgin recalls his epic victory at the World Cross Country Championships, 40 years later</a></h3>
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/4ec04244-c79a-4571-b658-89836f2bf709.jpg?cachebuster=0b59041c-c6f4-43ca-a7c1-cac9f7440c42" alt="Craig Virgin" width="600" height="400" />
The day before the 1980 World Cross Country Championships, Craig Virgin went to study the course at Paris&rsquo; Longchamp Racecourse. He noticed the venue&rsquo;s thick, energy-sapping grass, designed for thoroughbreds, not humans, and realised he would have to run on the worn section a few feet off the rail, where the grass was beaten down.
<a href="https://www.letsrun.com/news/2020/03/craig-virgin-recalls-his-epic-victory-at-the-world-cross-country-championships-40-years-later/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full article</a> (letsrun.com)
&nbsp;
<h3><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/51800436" target="_blank" rel="noopener">David Rudisha: Olympic 800m champion on personal struggles, and Tokyo comeback</a></h3>
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/0c7558f8-7651-469b-8bde-6399ceef5165.png?cachebuster=8c47f3e6-5aaf-4de6-9124-823f6d67893a" alt="David Rudisha" width="600" height="400" />
Snoozing in Nairobi airport's departure lounge in a navy blue suit, David Rudisha looks like just another businessman having a quick power nap.
<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/51800436" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full article</a> (bbc.co.uk)
&nbsp;
<h3><a href="https://www.podiumrunner.com/nutrition/ask-pete-do-carbo-loading-and-fat-loading-work/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Do carbo-loading and fat loading work?</a></h3>
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/3e2a22c0-1b5c-4f39-93ff-de3fc75091a8.jpg?cachebuster=77fc3458-e655-4c17-acbf-80a872e2f20e" alt="Pasta" width="600" height="400" />
Question: I hear runners always talking about carbo-loading before races, while others fat load. Does either work?
<a href="https://www.podiumrunner.com/nutrition/ask-pete-do-carbo-loading-and-fat-loading-work/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full article</a> (podiumrunner.com)
&nbsp;
<h3><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/athletics/2020/03/07/katarina-johnson-thompson-meets-mary-peters-want-have-47-year/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Katarina Johnson-Thompson meets Mary Peters: 'I want to have a 47-year celebration of Olympic gold, too'</a></h3>
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/LargeL/3203d61f-c8bc-476b-bd3a-b6ed868660d2.jpg?cachebuster=d9e8d6ff-1cae-4d0d-a93b-3e2ae32411ed" alt="Mary Peters and Katarina Johnson-Thompson" width="600" height="400" />
Ahead of a big summer in Tokyo, the current heptathlon world champion takes inspiration from another successful British female combined-eventer
<a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/athletics/2020/03/07/katarina-johnson-thompson-meets-mary-peters-want-have-47-year/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full article</a> (telegraph.co.uk)
&nbsp;

Start your weekend here, with a round-up of some of the best athletics, running and fitness-related stories from the past seven days.

Weekly curated athletics articles summary

Weekend reads: the best athletics stories from the past seven days

&nbsp;
<h4><img style="width: 90px; height: 90px; border-radius: 50%; margin-right: 20px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/8a1d4507-5605-49b2-9512-d91eb3b43460.png" alt="Kate Carter" align="left" />As International Women's Day approaches, a humble tribute to the women who faced barriers which are so easy to forget now.</h4>
<hr />
<h4 style="text-align: right;">Kate Carter (<a href="https://twitter.com/katehelencarter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@katehelencarter</a>)</h4>
&nbsp;
I've run quite a few serious marathons, countless half marathons, 10ks and 5kms, and even once attempted the long jump (more of a short jump at 2.36m), shot put (a whopping 5.36m) and discus (14.90m) in a crazy 30 minutes while competing in a vets division when our team was short, and any effort counted. Indeed, some of my efforts have made me feel like a fraud, lined up alongside vastly faster and fitter runners. Yet I have never questioned whether I have the right to compete. That is one of the great strengths of modern track and field.
And yet it is only so shockingly, jarringly recent, that women could - were actually allowed to - run in endurance races. The World Major marathons weren't open to women - at any level - before the 1970s. Women were not able to run beyond 200m at the Olympics until 1960, and further than 1500m until 1984. Not till 1988 was there an Olympic female 10,000m champion.
I know these facts - and yet it&rsquo;s also almost surreal to me that these are Olympic Games I actually remember watching as a child. The history of women's athletics really isn't past tense: it's not written in dusty tomes on untouched library shelves. It was made by women who are still very much alive and kicking - in fact, sometimes even still setting running records.
With International Women's Day around the corner, it is high time that some of the great stories of female athletes were better known. It was only pretty recently, for instance, that I became aware of the Fanny Blankers-Koen. Born in 1918 in the Netherlands, she was so good at so many sports - tennis, swimming, gymnastics, ice skating, fencing and running - that she couldn't choose her favourite, and was persuaded to stick to running on the grounds that there were fewer Dutch women likely to qualify for the Olympics in that event.
Her talents were probably best suited to the 800m, but that was a non starter: introduced for women in the 1928 Olympics, false media reports (early fake news!) claimed that the female participants all collapsed in near-terminal exhaustion, and so it disappeared again at the Games for 32 years.
And so young Fanny was selected for the 1936 Olympics for the high jump and the 4x 100m relay. She took fifth place in the former, and fifth in the team final - and grabbed Jesse Owen's autograph into the bargain (it remained, apparently, her most treasured possession). Then followed marriage, children - and a World War. Any one of those would have been the end of most women's ambitions - female athletes who were married were rare enough, but those who were mothers too? Inconceivable. Yet Fanny kept training, set world record after world record, and in 1948 qualified for the first post-war Olympics.
By this time she had reached the ripe old age of 30 and the British athletics team manager was hardly alone in his considered opinion that she was "too old to make the grade". Rarely has anyone been proved so wrong quite so comprehensively: over the course of seven days Blankers-Koen won gold in the 100m, the 80m hurdles, the 200m and 4x100m. Before the Games, many felt she should be home looking after her kids. On her return, she was greeted as a national hero: thousands lined the streets. Her neighbours presented her with a new bicycle.
If that seems like ancient history - well, Koen only died in 2004. And then there are the heroines from my own country - women like Mary Peters, or Diane Leather. Peters - who, aged 80, still works to support young athletes - herself trained on a pothole-riddled track, taking two buses every day through Belfast&rsquo;s Troubles, carrying her sister&rsquo;s starting blocks to practice. She too was &ldquo;past it&rdquo; at the age of 33 in the Munich Olympics - but came home with the pentathlon gold medal, laying down a path which female multi-eventers in the UK have followed successfully. Leather, meanwhile, was the first woman to dip under five minutes for the mile - in the same year as, and overshadowed by, Roger Bannister&rsquo;s more famous sub-four.
Each of these women faced barriers which are so easy to forget now. It wasn't just about which races they were or weren&rsquo;t allowed to enter, but the hostility and whispers of disapproval that most of us are lucky enough not to encounter: the constant voices of criticism, disapproval, the loneliness of being the only woman at the track, or in the team.
Recently I read about marathoner Joan Benoit&rsquo;s early days of training as a high school athlete in the USA. She grew up in a pretty affluent, liberal part of the United States, yet it was considered so odd and unusual that a girl would go for a run that she trained almost in secret, in a park, rather than risk &lsquo;standing out&rsquo; on the road. Only when she met a female rower who was running in the open did she brave public scrutiny.
It made me realise how lucky we are now, as women, to have so many role models. Whatever your niche, in almost all sports, there is now someone we can look up to. But for the role models themselves? On the paths they chose, not that long ago, they had no guidance, no path to follow. In many ways it makes their achievements - alongside others like Bobbi Gibb or Katherine Switzer - even more extraordinary. Kids should learn these stories at school, and the names of these pioneers should be as well-known to us as their male counterparts so frequently are.
&nbsp;

As International Women's Day approaches, a humble tribute to the women who faced barriers which are so easy to forget now.


 As International Women's Day approaches, a humble tribute to the women who faced barriers which are so easy to forget now.Kate Carter(@katehelencarter)
 
I've run quite a few serious marathons, countless half marathons, 10ks and 5kms, and even once attempted the long jump (more of a short jump at 2.36m), shot put (a whopping 5.36m) and discus (14.90m) in a crazy 30 minutes while competing in a vets division when our team was short, and any effort counted. Indeed, some of my efforts have made me feel like a fraud, lined up alongside vastly faster and fitter runners. Yet I have never questioned whether I have the right to compete. That is one of the great strengths of modern track and field.
And yet it is only so shockingly, jarringly recent, that women could - were actually allowed to - run in endurance races. The World Major marathons weren't open to women - at any level - before the 1970s. Women were not able to run beyond 200m at the Olympics until 1960, and further than 1500m until 1984. Not till 1988 was there an Olympic female 10,000m champion.
I know these facts - and yet it’s also almost surreal to me that these are Olympic Games I actually remember watching as a child. The history of women's athletics really isn't past tense: it's not written in dusty tomes on untouched library shelves. It was made by women who are still very much alive and kicking - in fact, sometimes even still setting running records.
With International Women's Day around the corner, it is high time that some of the great stories of female athletes were better known. It was only pretty recently, for instance, that I became aware of the Fanny Blankers-Koen. Born in 1918 in the Netherlands, she was so good at so many sports - tennis, swimming, gymnastics, ice skating, fencing and running - that she couldn't choose her favourite, and was persuaded to stick to running on the grounds that there were fewer Dutch women likely to qualify for the Olympics in that event.
Her talents were probably best suited to the 800m, but that was a non starter: introduced for women in the 1928 Olympics, false media reports (early fake news!) claimed that the female participants all collapsed in near-terminal exhaustion, and so it disappeared again at the Games for 32 years.
And so young Fanny was selected for the 1936 Olympics for the high jump and the 4x 100m relay. She took fifth place in the former, and fifth in the team final - and grabbed Jesse Owen's autograph into the bargain (it remained, apparently, her most treasured possession). Then followed marriage, children - and a World War. Any one of those would have been the end of most women's ambitions - female athletes who were married were rare enough, but those who were mothers too? Inconceivable. Yet Fanny kept training, set world record after world record, and in 1948 qualified for the first post-war Olympics.
By this time she had reached the ripe old age of 30 and the British athletics team manager was hardly alone in his considered opinion that she was "too old to make the grade". Rarely has anyone been proved so wrong quite so comprehensively: over the course of seven days Blankers-Koen won gold in the 100m, the 80m hurdles, the 200m and 4x100m. Before the Games, many felt she should be home looking after her kids. On her return, she was greeted as a national hero: thousands lined the streets. Her neighbours presented her with a new bicycle.
If that seems like ancient history - well, Koen only died in 2004. And then there are the heroines from my own country - women like Mary Peters, or Diane Leather. Peters - who, aged 80, still works to support young athletes - herself trained on a pothole-riddled track, taking two buses every day through Belfast’s Troubles, carrying her sister’s starting blocks to practice. She too was “past it” at the age of 33 in the Munich Olympics - but came home with the pentathlon gold medal, laying down a path which female multi-eventers in the UK have followed successfully. Leather, meanwhile, was the first woman to dip under five minutes for the mile - in the same year as, and overshadowed by, Roger Bannister’s more famous sub-four.
Each of these women faced barriers which are so easy to forget now. It wasn't just about which races they were or weren’t allowed to enter, but the hostility and whispers of disapproval that most of us are lucky enough not to encounter: the constant voices of criticism, disapproval, the loneliness of being the only woman at the track, or in the team.
Recently I read about marathoner Joan Benoit’s early days of training as a high school athlete in the USA. She grew up in a pretty affluent, liberal part of the United States, yet it was considered so odd and unusual that a girl would go for a run that she trained almost in secret, in a park, rather than risk ‘standing out’ on the road. Only when she met a female rower who was running in the open did she brave public scrutiny.
It made me realise how lucky we are now, as women, to have so many role models. Whatever your niche, in almost all sports, there is now someone we can look up to. But for the role models themselves? On the paths they chose, not that long ago, they had no guidance, no path to follow. In many ways it makes their achievements - alongside others like Bobbi Gibb or Katherine Switzer - even more extraordinary. Kids should learn these stories at school, and the names of these pioneers should be as well-known to us as their male counterparts so frequently are.
 