The general definition of ‘restricted’ is ‘limited in extent, number, scope or action’ (Oxford Languages, 2020). The first word alone speaks volumes. 'Limited'. In essence, a restricted runner is a limited one. Therefore, any athlete who restricts their intake rather than eating freely is limiting where their potential lies. Why deny yourself something so simple as food. Restricting is very counter productive. We work so hard in training, yet if we don’t fuel properly, we are placing limits on where that hard work can get us. 

Wrong mindset 

If you are focusing on restricting yourself, chances are you are in the wrong mindset. I know from my own experience, that when I was restricting my intake my focus was in the wrong place, and on the wrong thing. I was more preoccupied on ensuring I didn’t eat too much or eat certain things. Whilst my focus wasn’t necessarily on how I looked, it was primarily on food rather than my performance. I thought if I wanted to be the best athlete I could be, I needed to eat less, and this overtook my life. My mindset was on doing something that was limiting my progress rather than boosting my performance, which is now my priority. Now, I want to do my best to become the strongest and fastest athlete I can be, and I know this involves fuelling myself properly to allow me to perform to my best day in and out. When I was restricting I was preoccupied with denying myself vital nutrients more than anything else. 

Lack specific nutrients

If you are restricting your intake, then you are undoubtedly denying your body of some nutrients or specific foods. In order to perform to our full potential we need to have a balance of everything in our diet. This ensure nothing is depleted and that we aren't deficient in anything. Restriction and denial is likely to lead to deficiencies which can in turn effect our energy levels, our ability to recover properly and how well our body operates when training. By preventing yourself from having specific foods, whether they are whole food groups or just specific foods, you will be limiting yourself. In the past, I found myself restricting all forms of dairy, thus denying myself vital nutrients such as calcium.  

Wasted energy 

Restricting your intake takes a lot of energy. I speak from experience, it is exhausting. It consumes your entire life. Whether you are feeling slightly flat in a session or over thinking how much you ‘should’ eat in your spare time, it is hard on the mind and body. However, if this energy is channelled elsewhere, and not into restricting, it can have a significantly more positive effect. At my lowest, my energy was so transfixed on restricting that I was knackered when it came to training. Not only physically (because I couldn’t even run a lap of a football pitch) but also mentally, because I had spent the entire day fighting hunger. If all this energy is transferred to a positive place and used in a constructive way, things may head in a better direction. It is also tiring when you waste so much energy doing something you think will help you succeed, but it has the opposite effect. This is part of life, but not when you know what you are doing is detrimental. 

So, next time you think about restricting, remember what it is you are trying to achieve and question whether that will help you achieve it. I still have to remind myself when that little voice creeps in, but I know the danger of restriction. If that voice of restriction is still too powerful, or you just need to talk to someone, there are a few links below. 

Beat Helpline: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/support-services/helplines
MindCharity: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/eating-problems/useful-contacts/

A lot of you may know that I am a Mizuno lover. Even before I was lucky enough to have the support of Mizuno providing me with excellent kit, I was a dedicated fan. Besides from the very first pair of trainers I had, which I quickly dismissed as they didn’t work for me, every pair of trainers I have had since then has been Mizuno, and this isn’t an exaggeration. I have been a Wave Rider girl since day one. So, I thought it might be helpful for some of you if I wrote about what shoes I wear for what, and why I wear them. It can be difficult to find the right shoe for you and a brand that suits your style, but for me, a neutral runner, these are my go to shoes on a daily basis.

Easy runs and long runs 
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My go to shoe for everything easy is the Wave Rider. Whether I am going for an easy 30 or a 90 minute long run, I will always have Wave Rider’s on my feet. For someone like me they are the perfect balance between being cushioned whilst also being light weight. I’ve worn the Wave Rider for a long time, but the Wave Rider 24 with the new Mizuno Enerzy technology is another class. It is such a smooth shoe to run in and feels so much more responsive than the previous riders. It is definitely a shoe to try!

Muddy
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I personally think the Wave Rider GTX is a revolutionary shoe. How often do you go for a run, step in a puddle a few minutes in, and for the rest of your run your feet are soggy and grim? I do it literally all the time! However, the Rider GTX has a waterproof lining so when you step in a puddle, your feet stay dry. When I wear these shoes I don’t even try to avoid any puddles, I just run straight through them. It is even more fun when you feel invincible as you know your feet will be cosy and dry.

Racing

​This is one of my favourites. Mostly because it means racing and we definitely haven’t been able to do enough of this in the past year. For road races, I wear the Wave Aero. These are a much more traditional racing flat in comparison to a lot of present day racing shoes, but they are springy and fast. They glide your foot off the ground and are incredibly light weight. They truly help get me in the zone, as they are a lot lighter than my training shoes, so I feel like I can go so much faster.

I consider myself very lucky as when it came to finding the right trainers for me, I only tried one other brand before I realised Mizuno suited me (and this was nearly 17 years ago!!). The shoes above all work for me and I think you'll like them too. 

To some, running is just putting one foot in front of the other, but to most, running is so much more than that. Not only is it a type of exercise, but it is also a form of education. There is so much running can teach you, and some of the lessons I have learnt from it are invaluable. This got me thinking, what are the 5 key lessons running has taught me?

1. Importance of fuelling. This had to be at the top of my list, because in my eyes, it is one of the most precious lessons I have learnt from the sport. You can’t drive a car without fuelling engine, so why do we think we can run without fuelling ourselves properly? It wasn’t until I malnourished my body, that I was able to learn how important it is to eat enough and not restrict myself. Whilst I had to learn the hard way, I don’t want others to. Malnourishment led to injury and all sorts of complications that did not aid my running, but sufficiently nourishing myself and being the strongest, healthiest individual I can be, has allowed me to run faster than I have previously, and will hopefully allow me to get A LOT faster.

Whether you’re a long distance runner or a sprinter, there is no set way you should look, as long as you’re eating plenty and you’re healthy, you look how YOU should.

2. Respect and listen to your body. Your body, just like your mind, needs to be respected. It works hard, and we ask a lot of it, so in order for it to gives us what we want, we need to try to respect and listen to it.

To get the most out of it, we need to work with it, not against it. So, if our body is telling us, today I am very tired, there is no point working against it, because this won’t be productive. If instead we listen to it, maybe take an extra easy day, or factor in a rest day, we are bound to reap the benefits of a refreshed, stronger feeling body the next day. Just like with anything, if you respect it, it will work with you. Thus, in order to get the most out of our running, we need to do just that. It has taken me a while to listen to my body, and even now I struggle, but I am getting better at knowing when something doesn’t feel right and I need to take my foot off the pedal a little bit.

3. Patience. This is something running is still teaching me, because I can’t say I have fully learnt it yet. I am not a very patient person when it comes to getting things done. Especially when it comes to work, paid or uni, I like to be on top of it, and get it ticked off in plenty of time, but of course to the best of my ability. However, with running, you are forced to be patient. No matter how hard you train, you are always going to have to wait. You won’t get to your full potential overnight, nor would you really want to. It can take years to reach your best. There is no point smashing your body to the limit for a couple of weeks and then dying for the next month, because there is no consistency to this. If we consistently tick off solid weeks of training it will add up over time and have a positive effect, but there is no benefit in rushing this. I began to learn this after my injury a few years ago. I learnt that if I ran more than I was told, and ate less than I should, I WOULDN’T get where I wanted faster. Progress can’t be rushed. Running and improving takes time and consistency, so patience is key.

4. Hard work. From what I have witnessed so far in my journey, and what I have seen from others, both professional and non, this is 100% true. As the quote goes, “Hard work beats talent when talent refuses to work hard”. I believe there is only one way to succeed in this sport, and that is through honest hard work. I think this is a vital lesson that relates to everything in life. If you work hard for what you want to achieve, you will, at some point, be rewarded for this.

There is no easy way to achieve your goals, if there was, everyone would succeed at what they want to do, and for example, everyone who thought they wanted to be an Olympian would be one. Unfortunately, or I think fortunately, this isn’t the case. I feel, whenever you witness progress and see yourself developing from hard work, the reward is so much greater, because you know you have worked hard to get there and you have given your all. Nothing worth having is easy, it takes hard work over a long period of time.

5. Importance of enjoyment. Running is a tough sport, but it is also an incredibly positive and rewarding one. There is no better feeling than that you have after completing a tough session or finishing a race. Nothing compares to it. However, I have learnt over the past few years, that my best running occurs when I am enjoying it. I have placed too much pressure on myself in the past, and still do at times, and this never seems to have the same positive effect as running happy does. When I am completely relaxed in my approach to the sport and enjoy the journey, no matter what each day throws at me, training and my progress flows a lot more smoothly. Whether it actually does, or I am less sensitive to every up and done, I don’t know, but enjoyment and positivity is so important. Yes nerves do arise, and this is good, but when I am excited to run and enjoy training as much as I can, the process and the journey flows better.

These are my top 5 lessons that I have learnt from running, what are yours? I’d love to hear what running has taught you.

In previous years, it was often difficult to lose direction as an athlete because we always had a race to work towards. This is why athletes have the personalities they do, because they thrive off the focus and direction their sport provides. No matter what else you do in a day, training always provides a sense of purpose and structure. You always feel like you have achieved something with your day because you have worked towards those racing goals you have. 

However, this year has been a little different. Whilst in normal times we all work towards long-term goals as well, there are always regular races to act as stepping stones to keep you focused and feeling directed. With racing once again a thing of the past, it can be difficult to feel like your goals are very far away. As a result, we can lose sight of what it is that motivates us and what we want to achieve. 

When all you see on social media is professional athletes training in Dubai and other athletes abroad, it is easy to feel as though you are a long way from where you want to be. Whilst other times the gap doesn’t feel so big, at times like this it can feel a lot bigger. 

This is when it is vital to remember your why. Keep reminding yourself of what you are training for, and WHY you do it.

Keep those long-term goals in your mind at all times. No matter how difficult this period may seem at times, especially without racing, it will return, and we will get back to the life we knew before, it’s just a case of holding on. This time of training, even if you aren’t abroad, is incredibly valuable. It will be helping you, both mentally and physically, step closer to your long-term goals than you realise. 

Also, be cautious not to put too much pressure on yourself. There is no need to pressurise yourself at the moment. The key thing is to enjoy training. The time we have now had to focus on training and get in a solid block of work is a once in a lifetime opportunity. There really is no pressure. If the odd session doesn’t go to plan, it isn’t the end of the world, because we are in no rush to be fighting fit yet. Instead, it is a great time to embrace a little bit less pressure and be raring to go when the time comes. 

So, if you are finding times tough at the moment, both in and out of training, try not to lose sight of the bigger picture. Better times will come and racing will return, we just have to be patient. Remember this next time motivation is feeling low.

Up until the past 3 years, when it came to periods, I was deluded. I believed in order to be a better runner it was better not to have periods than to have them. I was convinced that is was normal to not have periods as an athlete. There was next to no accessible information out there to tell you about the importance of periods to training. Or, if there was, no one seemed to speak about it, especially not at a club level to developing athletes. Due to the lack of education on the subject, I saw periods as a nuisance that would slow me down, interrupt training, and signify that I weighed too much- I was living on another, incredibly unstable planet. 

Unfortunately, I learnt the hard way. It took two stress fractures, in the tibia of BOTH my legs, at the same time, to realise that periods signified health, which would allow me to develop into a stronger, and subsequently faster, athlete. As a consequence of not having periods, my bone health suffered. I’m no specialist, and this blog is completely about my own experiences, but I have learnt how vital periods are to my long-term (and short-term) health. 

Fast forward three years to today and it is a completely different story. I am not shy, and am in fact proud to say, I have consistently had a period every month for the past 2 years unaided (I’m not on the pill). 

It sounds sad, but I genuinely get excited when my period arrives. The heart sinking feeling I used to get is a very far cry from the excitement I now get. I know it is a sign that I am a healthy functioning woman (even if I do look 12!). It allows me to see that I am fuelling myself well alongside training, and my body is coping with the intense activity I am asking it to do.

Learn the signs.

I have also come to know my body and understand why it feels how it does at certain times. Leading up to my period, my legs feel heavier in training, my stomach becomes more sensitive, I can get VERY emotional and my concentration can be all over the place. Rather than beating myself up for my body reacting in these ways, I accept it as a part of me. I used to get angry at these bodily responses, but now I am actually proud and fascinated. I am amazed by my body’s ability to respond in this way, and sometimes be quite predictable (not always!). Whilst I experience these feelings, they are very individual and vary from person to person. 

About a year ago, I started using the FitrWoman App, and I have found it incredibly insightful. I had no idea about the symptoms I experienced at different times of my cycle or that my legs feeling heavy was even linked to my period, until I started using the FitrWoman app. It has allowed me to understand what my hormones are doing at different times of my cycle, what might be best for my body, and notice patterns in my symptoms.

It was also a tool that allowed me to open up about periods. If there is an app for them, and near enough every woman has them, why aren’t we speaking about them more. I now feel 100 times more comfortable discussing periods than I used to. 

Talk.

This leads perfectly on to my last point. I recently changed coach, and one of the first things he asked me was about my periods. I felt so relieved that he spoke to me about this topic, and it was so refreshing. Periods aren’t something to be ashamed of or hidden away from, and we should feel more confident to speak to our coaches about them. If you have ever worried about approaching the topic with your coach before, you may find it helpful to break the ice. It isn’t an excuse when a session might not go to plan because your body isn’t feeling great, instead it is a valid explanation that your coach should know about.
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I am still learning to listen to my body and not beat myself up when the symptoms I am feeling are working against me.

Whoever you are, no journey is ever going to be completely straightforward. There will be ups and downs, but accepting that is all part of the process. There is no point hating every second of what you do, if so, it’s not the right path for you, therefore, you need to embrace the rollercoaster nature of it, and just go with the flow. Accepting there will be ups and downs is the best place to start. Once you’ve done this, the whole process will become a lot more enjoyable. That being said, it’s not as easy as it sounds! 

It is worth noting that NO JOURNEY IS LINEAR. It is never going to be a straight path from where you are to where you want to be. If that was the case, everyone in the world would be extremely successful and achieve all their goals, but it doesn’t work like that. With every journey, whether you are working to become a doctor or an athlete, there will be challenges along the way, and the hardest but most rewarding part is how you handle them. Some will retreat and give up when things get tough, others will ride it out and stick with it. It’s up to you to decide which route you will take, but we all know which one pays off. Resilience and persistence, no matter what happens, is so incredibly important. Try not to give up when things get tough. I focus on being positive and sticking with it.

This lack of linearity doesn’t necessarily just apply to the larger picture. It is relatable to training on a daily basis. It shows how some days your body may not be feeling as strong as it usually does, and this is ok. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have lost all fitness and your goals are unattainable. It is simply your body telling you that today it needs to go a bit slower. There is no point fighting against the difficult sessions and the downs in your journey, try to just go with it.

I find my best and happiest running tends to come when I don’t force it or overthink it. When I go with the flow, turn up day in and out, don’t focus too much on how I might feel, get it done and then be ready to go again the next day.

This is ALL JUST PART OF THE PROCESS. Ultimately, if you stick with it, ride out whatever you are going through, because remember, a down can only be followed eventually by an up.

Whilst times are tough for everyone at the moment, and it is still difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel, everyday is a step closer to it. Stay strong and stick with it, no matter how you feel, because it will all be worth it at the end of this bizarre time and you won’t regret it.

Running is a powerful sport. Almost everyone who runs, does so because they enjoy it and it makes them feel happy. Whatever your goal and whatever you are training for, running is a great escape. It allows you to shut out all your troubles for a while and just focus on your movements and the route you are running. 
For me personally, it is a time when I can be completely in the moment. There is nothing else I can do; I can’t respond to emails or check my phone, it is just me, running and the great outdoors. This is powerful, however, this great feeling can get abused, and this is something I learnt in the past.

Running should be respected. No matter who you are, how fast, far, or frequently you run, it needs to be given a certain amount of respect. I forgot this and it didn’t end well. I ended up injured, malnourished and unhappy. The opposite of why we run; to be happy and healthy. 

I was running irrationally, and consequently ran myself into the ground in an attempt to search for happiness. Rather than seeing running as something that could add to my life, I relied solely on it. I was running to escape stress, which many do, but at an unattainable level. I was going through pretty testings times in life that I had absolutely no power over, and I was desperate to feel an ounce of control - running allowed this.

​I believed, running gave me an excuse to malnourish myself and run as much and as often as I wanted. I believed the more I ran and the less I ate, the happier I would be. I wasn’t, it doesn’t work like this. When abused, the ability of running to make you feel good can have the opposite effect. I used running to please bad cravings. I used it for all the wrong reasons, which resulted in me abusing it.

USING the sport however, is incredibly different to abusing it. Running can ADD happiness to your life and it can give you a sense of guidance and purpose, even when you are injured. It can’t cause happiness, but it can make you feel better. When used correctly, it can allow you to escape the stress of the world, clear your mind, and feel stronger inside and out. 

There are ways to ensure you get the most out of running, and USE it in the best way. It is important to HAVE DAYS OFF. This allows you to miss the sport, and I can assure you one day is enough to make you desperate to get back to it. Running streaks, in my opinion, are a thing of the past. Rest days also allow you to continue using running to feel a sense of relief. They allow your body to recover, keeping your feet in your trainers and running pain free. 

Another way to use running to its fullest, is to NOT SEE IT AS TORTURE. It is not a way to punish your body for the food you have eaten, or the time you have spent on the sofa, but instead a way to free your mind. To get the most out of a run is to see it as its own activity, rather than a chore to compensate for something else. 

Think of the positives: how good your body and mind feels afterwards, how nice it is to run in the fresh air, and what you are adding to your life. We don’t HAVE to run, so we should be grateful for the opportunity to do it. 

Being hit by yet again another lockdown is not easy for anyone. Whilst we have all started to get used to spending lots of time at home, it still hits you hard when the news arrives. It is that feeling of taking one step forward followed by 10 steps backwards. It is easy to feel as though your own life is outside of your control which can send you into a spiral of negativity. However, it is important to try and stay as positive as possible. For your own sanity and health. Positivity isn’t something that just happens, you have to work hard to be positive. Here are a few things I employ to stay positive when times feel very testing. 

Write lists. 

I LOVE writing a list and I write them every single day. Whether it’s an outline of my day, what I want to eat for dinner, shopping lists, to do lists, whatever it is I love a list, and there are many reasons why. 

It helps me feel like I’ve achieved. There is nothing more satisfying then ticking things off a list.  No matter what I’ve done in a day, whether it is completing a piece of work or going to the supermarket, when I tick that job off my list there is a sense of achievement and accomplishment attached to it. A list allows you to feel as though are succeeding at something, even when there is little to make you feel like that outside of your bubble. However, remember, there is also no harm in leaving things on your list. You don’t need to finish everything you write on it. Simply move it on to tomorrow’s list or the next days. You will eventually get round to ticking it off. 

Another power of the list is the structure it adds to your day. If you write down everything you want to get done, ideally in the order you want to do it, you have your day planned out in front of you. With lockdown, for some there is little motivation to get up for the day ahead. However, writing a list sorts your day out and gives you that drive to get up and start ticking things off it.

The little things. 

It’s been a while since we have had the usual things in our lives to look forward to. However, this doesn’t mean that we can’t get excited by anything, it just means we need to find excitement in other things- the little things. 

For me, my excitement tends to come from food, but there are other things too. If you try to cook new things, or recipes that you find particularly tasty each evening, you will find yourself getting slightly excited by this. Be kind to yourself, and allow yourself something tasty to enjoy each day. You will feel much better, trust me. There is no need to deny yourself anything in normal circumstances, but doing so during lockdown, will only make you feel miserable. Another thing you can do is get stuck into a series. Box sets have been the saviour of the past year. I have been watching The Serpent on BBC and recommend it to everyone. It is based on a true story, which makes it absolutely shocking, but it is also very addicting. If you enjoy reading, like I do, order some books and get stuck in! 

Fresh air. 
This is ESSENTIAL to staying positive. Never underestimate the power of exercise, even if you don’t like it. You will feel SO much better for exercising and getting some fresh air. Even on the days where all you want to do is lie on the sofa and watch movies, getting outside for any form of exercise, be it a walk or a run, will brighten your mental state considerably. This time is about looking after your mental health, even more than your physical health (whilst this is of course very important), but prioritise being kind to yourself. Exercising in the fresh air, 100% makes you feel better. You will then enjoy curling up on the sofa all the more.

Catch your thoughts. 
Finally, when you feel your mind drifting to a place of negativity, catch it. Find things to distract yourself to keep your mind in a present, positive state. If a negative train of thought is taking over, direct your thoughts elsewhere, to what you are going to cook later, maybe phone a friend, do anything to bring it back. Another thing I find helps is colouring. It helps concentrate my mind and stop it from wondering off. I always remind myself that positivity is something you have to practice and it will eventually become habit. This is what I have found myself. 

Being positive isn’t easy, we have to work at it like we would anything else. You will then see it as part of a journey and welcome the challenge of learning to be more positive. 

This year has been a weird one, and this Christmas will be far from ordinary, but we do have a lot to be grateful for. Whilst things may not have gone to plan, and we may not have been able to spend as much time with those we love as we would’ve hoped, I feel the kindness and care of the close to us has really come to the fore this year.

No one has had it easy to say the least, and I feel people have truly recognised this. Everyone has learnt to look out for one another more than they ever did in the past, and, without the ability to hug and be close to our closest friends and family, we have thought of other ways to show we care. Whether it has been a phone call, a card in the post, or a simple message, there has been so much thought for one another. I feel this is an incredible thing to have happened, and a very positive thing to have come out of 2020.

I wish everyone a very Happy Christmas, and whilst it may be a lot quieter and more distant than before, we are all still here for one another. If anyone feels alone or lost on Christmas Day, remember you are not alone, and there are so many people who are here for you and care about you, myself included. Take some time in the day to do what you love, be it go for a run, watch a movie, eat a load of food, or go for a walk. It is important to take some time for you.

Stay safe and positive this Christmas, and even if you feel lost, remember there are so many people who are here for you.