With the colder weather arriving and some sessions being done in minus degrees, it is even more important to look after our bodies. If we want to be able to consistently train all year round, even when the bleak bitter weather arrives, we need to help our bodies have the best chance of doing so. What can we do to help ensure this?


Fuelling sufficiently
This is vital at all times of year, but just that little bit more when I body is having to work slightly harder on a normal basis. When the temperature drops and its cold outside, our bodies have to work slightly harder to keep us comfortable. Thus, more energy is being expended when we are just sitting around. By fuelling your body well, you ensure you have the energy needed in and out of sessions at all times. If our body needs that little bit more food, give it to it! 


Unexpected rest day 
With winter, in and outside of coronavirus times, comes the arrival of more coughs, colds and bugs. As athletes our immune system is having to work harder as we are pushing our bodies, thus making ourselves vulnerable to catching different lurgies. If feeling you are feeling run down and your body feels zapped of all energy, don’t feel the need to trudge on through. This may result in weeks of you feeling below par. If you take an unexpected rest day, let your body recuperate and do some self care, you may notice a huge difference. Plus, one day of rest is far better than having to take multiple further down the line because you pushed on through when you needed to rest.

Vitamin d 
As the days get shorter and more time is spent in the dark (some days we don’t see the sun at all!) it is extremely difficult to get a sufficient amount of vitamin D in Britain in the winter. As written by … ‘The average daily vitamin D intake […] by the majority (97.5%) of the population’ (SACN, 2016) is less than recommended. Whilst I am an advocate for trying to get what you need without supplements, I 100% agree with taking vitamin D. ‘Dietary sources are essential when sunlight containing UVB radiation is limited (e.g., during the winter months) or exposure to it is restricted (e.g., due to lack of time spent outdoors)’, both of which are more likely in the winter months. Therefore, unless you’re able to afford hot weather training camps for the whole of winter, which I’m not, you are going to struggle to get the vitamin d your body needs. 


Wrap up
Personally, I think us runners are pretty hardcore, and nobody likes having to step away from the shorts and reach for the leggings. I for one hate running in leggings and love shorts, but sometimes, those legs just need an extra layer. Being able to run without feeling restricted is one thing, but running with numb legs that hurt is another, and we don’t NEED to do that. Wearing leggings instead of shorts means nothing! No one is going to give you a sticker or a gold medal for braving the entire winter in shorts. In fact, you’re less likely to step towards getting that gold medal if you force yourself to wear shorts in freezing temperatures and then do yourself damage as a result. Plus, your body is having to work hard to keep you warm rather than just being able to focus on putting the effort into your session. So, whether it leggings, long sleeves, gloves, or hats, don’t hesitate to layer up. 
​

Hot chocolate milk for after training 
This one isn’t just for strength, but also because it just makes you feel great. There is nothing like drinking a nice hot drink outside in the cold! Chocolate milk is already a great post-session recovery option, but warm it up (hot chocolate) and it gets even better. Plus, if it can be classified as a post-session recovery drink, why not go for it.
Just because winter has arrived, doesn’t mean we can’t remain as strong, if not stronger, than we do in the brighter, warmer summer months. 




References

SACN,. (2016) Vitamin D and Health report. Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition. Public Health England. TSO, London

We wouldn’t take it from other people if they repeatedly offended us and told us we weren’t good enough, so why do we take it from ourselves? It’s part of human nature, but there is also a point when it becomes excessive and destructive.

I am a very self critical person, and in the past this overwhelmed me. Everything in my life seemed to take a turn, and the only way I felt able to cope with it and prove myself to have some worth, was to restrict my eating. I was good at that, so it made me feel successful, even if it was destroying me. I have since, thankfully, learnt that self criticism and destruction are not ways to validate myself and there is no need to be so hard on myself. We need to be our own biggest supporters and need to employ this.

Makes us feel awful.

Putting ourselves down comes with one thing, negativity which makes us feel crap about ourselves. Whilst we know it makes us feel awful, for some reason, we still do it. It’s like we get a buzz off it, or it comes so easily to us that we don’t even have to think about it. Kindness is the first trait we show to others, but when it comes to ourselves, it is easier to be cruel than it is to be kind. Why do we do this?! If we put that extra effort in to making others feel special, why not use some of that energy on ourselves? One of the post important types of kindness in my eyes, is the kindness we show to ourselves. That takes real strength.

Putting ourselves down serves no purpose. Sometimes it might motivate us to work hard, but 99.9% of the time, it simply makes us feel worthless and not good enough. It is a way of imposing limits on ourselves for no reason. If we encourage ourselves, like we do others, imagine how effective this could be in driving us forward! Take a race setting for example. If other people are shouting at you mid race, you feel a boost to keep pushing and work harder than you thought possible, but if people were to constantly shout demotivating, critical phrases at you during a race, you would feel awful and probably perform sub-par. So, why do we do this in everyday life to ourselves? We are basically psyching ourselves out before we’ve tried to support ourselves. We should be our own cheerleaders not enemies. We don’t need to fight ourselves, so why do it? It’s pointless.

Positive self-talk.

Something I try to do is practice positive self-talk. This is when, rather than allowing the doubting, critical thoughts to over power me, I encourage myself and actually physically tell myself this. I say to myself that I CAN do this and I am stronger than I believe. I think positive, encouraging thoughts, so that my mind doesn’t get the opportunity to try and push me down. Even if I feel tired and my mind isn’t feeling quite there, being kind and positive towards myself, allows me to get the best out of that day.

Finally, I find putting myself down is exhausting! I get so fed up of my mind saying things such as you aren’t feeling great today, that I don’t have time to listen it. Those thoughts are the ones holding me back, unnecessarily wasting energy. Ultimately, we are the ones who believe in ourselves the most, not others, so we need our minds to tell us that. Of course I sometimes wonder if my goals are too ambitious, but someone once told me that no dream is unrealistic. If you want something, work for it, and push those doubting thoughts to the side, because you’ve got this.

We all run for different reasons, whether that be to keep active, improve performance, for mental health, or just for the sheer enjoyment of it. With any runner, some days it all goes to plan and running feels effortless and other days it can be a struggle, but when those days arrive, it is important to remember your ‘why’. It is this which helps get you through the challenging days, as even when your legs aren’t feeling it, your head or heart can push you on. Just keep reminding yourself, why do I do it?
 
Is it passion? For a lot of us, myself included, it is our love of running that gets us out of the door most days. Even when I’m not quite feeling it, as soon as I get going and my legs start spinning, I love every second. For those who don’t run, it is difficult to explain to someone how a single sport can produce so much passion, but it isn’t necessary simply the sport itself, but instead, what it represents. Yes, I love the act of running but I also love the way it makes me feel, the journey it has taken me on, the people it has lead me to meet, and the path that lies ahead of me. It is my passion for all of these things that adds up and contributes to the passion that gets me out of the door each morning.                                                                                                                                           
 
For mental health? There is the saying, a healthy body equals a healthy mind, and I firmly believe this. I feel so much happier and more positive after I have exercised. I enjoy everything else I do more, and I feel a lot fresher and sharper in my mind. I have never gone on a run or done another form of exercise a regretted it. Whether it is pouring with rain or bright sunshine, the clarity I feel in my mind after I have got my training done is incomparable to anything else.  

​To keep fit? Our health is the most important thing we possess, so we need to look after it. Ultimately, a healthy body is one of the strongest weapons in life and exercising regularly is one of the easiest ways to make sure you keep fit. If you don’t enjoy exercising, keep reminding yourself of the benefit it will have. Not only will it keep your body in good check, but it will also make other tasks seem so much easier. Whether that is cleaning the house, walking up flights of stairs, or taking the dogs for a walk; all these tasks can become that little bit easier if you partake in regular exercise. 
 
For longer term goals? Especially at the moment, when there is a distinct lack of races going on, it is my long-term goals that are helping to keep me motivated through the winter months. Without immediate goals to direct my focus, I find it important to look further ahead, and use this to keep me motivated on those gloomy days. Whether it is a goal 1 year away, or 10, thinking of those allows me to remember the importance of training now to my future. 
 
Whatever your ‘why’, keep it in your mind at all times, as that is what will carry you through the tough days and make them all the more worth it when you come out the other side. 

Something I have come to recognise more and more, is, I am someone who always looks ahead. I am a planner, an organiser, and I try to be a predictor, but no one can truly predict what is going to happen. Whilst sometimes it may help to think ahead, a lot of the time, it doesn’t. It only acts as another form of stress and anxiety. This is because I am always thinking ahead to what things may be like in an hour, a day, a month, or a year. Consequently, I spend a lot of the time thinking about the future, rather than being present in the moment and enjoying where I am at now. This is something I have been working on, because who really wants to be thinking about what’s going to happen next, rather than what is happening now. In all honesty, one of the only times I am COMPLETELY IN THE MOMENT, is when I am completing a tough session, because truly, there is nowhere else I can be, or want to be. Whilst beforehand, I may be thinking ahead, during, I’m very much present, and after, I feel so much happier in myself and do feel more present. 
 
Be grateful for what I can do each day. 
If lockdown has taught me one positive thing, it is the importance of enjoying every day for what it is. It has taught me to reflect on what I do within each day that I am grateful for. Having had a period of 6 months where I didn’t do a single run, followed by several months of running/walking, due to injury a couple of years ago, I am so grateful for all the training I can do now.  Especially over lockdown, training truly is the main thing that keeps me positive and accountable every day. 

​Process before outcome. 
It is very easy to get dragged into thinking about the outcome over the process and to place extra emphasis on the importance of the ‘end goal’. However, when you think about the grand scheme of things, we spend far more time in the process phase then we do in the outcome phase. As a result, if we spend all that time thinking about the end goal, we forget to enjoy each day of training, and thus, risk having wasted time. No one can get anywhere without undergoing the process of it. Outcome just doesn’t exist without process; therefore, the process is just as much something to enjoy as the outcome is. Thus, we should learn to enjoy the journey as a whole, no matter what stage of it we are at. 
 
Find happiness in the little things. 
Seeing as we can’t plan big things to look forward to and there are no races to focus on, it has confirmed the importance of finding happiness in the everyday. For me, this is predominantly training, writing and reading. Whilst I was initially frustrated at the lack of racing on the horizon, I have very quickly come to be happy with the training I am doing. I do get excited by being able to tick week after week off. It may sound sad to non-runners, but this is very satisfying. As important as training is, recovery is too, therefore, sitting down and reading a book or writing (working), acts as a source of happiness to me. The everyday makes me happy. 
 
Enjoy the journey. 
Something I don’t want to do, is look back on my life in 10 years+ time, and say I wish I enjoyed the journey more. Whilst getting to the end goal will be great, it is the journey itself that is the most important part of progressing. We spend the majority of our time on our journey, and only a small amount of time at the destination, so we should try to enjoy that moving stage as much as possible. This is something I am trying to do.

With the arrival of a second lockdown, races once again being cancelled, and any idea of when this may all end being unknown, it can be difficult to feel hungry and determined every day. Whilst no one is immune to feeling a lack of motivation, there are a few tips and tricks I employ to try and keep my motivation high when times are testing.

One of the most important things I find is to remind myself why I do it. I train like I do because I love to run and it makes me happy. When I feel my motivation to get out the door dwindle, I remind myself of this, because, inevitably, every time I get out the door and run, I feel 100 times better than I did before. Even if the session or run doesn’t go quite to plan, I still feel better for doing it then I would sat at home (which I would not enjoy and would never do instead of training!). I always remind myself that I am doing this because I love it, no one is forcing me to. As soon as I recognise that training is completely my own decision, my motivation rises as I know this is what I choose to do.

Now there are few short term goals to aim for, as races are absent, my motivation now comes from focusing on my long-term goals. Just because those immediate races are gone, doesn’t mean the purpose of training has disappeared. If anything, I feel more motivated than usual at times, because I realise I am working towards aims I have in the next 2-10 years, so it doesn’t matter if the odd session doesn’t quite go to plan! The hard work doesn’t stop week on week, but we are able to get a long period of consistent training in that we might not otherwise have had the chance to do.

As an organised individual with a love for plans and schedules, the inability to plan ahead due to coronavirus is a shock to the system. Therefore, whilst I can’t make long term plans, I can structure and plan each day, and training is something that plays well to this. Whilst some aspects of daily life may have been thrown off course, I try to structure each day and plan what I want to achieve. This allows me to feel as though I am achieving something each day. For example, having a structured training plan to follow and focus on means when I get to the end of each session or day, I feel I have accomplished something and moved forward, as I have been able to tick off that day’s training. Some people love randomness (I’m not one of those), but I feel, having a structure to each day (you can obviously allow for natural variation) means I don’t feel overwhelmed by the lack of control or progress of life at the moment.

If you are someone who likes to feel as though you are achieving something and moving forward, it can help to set little goals. This allows you to track your progress and feel as though you are still moving in the right direction, not simply reaching a stalemate. Whether they be small personal goals, or training specific goals, they can help reduce the overwhelming nature of this second lockdown and big period of training. 

Another thing that can help, is to make yourself answerable. This can be done by letting someone else know what you are doing. If you have a coach, this is already sorted, but if you don’t, tell someone else what you are doing training wise. This will ensure that you do do it. If you have told them what you are planning on doing in advance, you want to be able to tell them you have done it, not say you decided to stay at home instead.  

Whilst I find it helpful to find ways to keep my motivation high, it is also ok to accept that motivation won’t be super high all the time. This is only natural. Training, and life, has ups and downs, and how we feel mentally goes up and down as well. I am learning to accept this, because it can’t all be great all the time. Sometimes accepting that you don’t quite feel 100% is better than beating yourself up because of it. I am a naturally motivated person, but on those days when I don’t feel quite as headstrong, I acknowledge it, work as hard as I can, but try not to dwell on it too much. 

Whilst some days it may be hard, always try to look for the positives, because there are some out there, no matter how hard it may seem to find them.

Something I am slowly learning, is the importance of being myself. It is inevitable that there is always going to be someone who doesn’t like you, someone who doesn’t agree with how you live your life, and someone who just has something to say about you. However, as sad as this is, it is simply part of life. Some people seem to like having something to say about other people, whether it be about your personality, appearance, or life choices, and usually, it isn’t the nicest comment. I am beginning to learn that I don’t need to be liked by everyone or appease everyone I meet, because this would only mean one thing, that I am not being true to myself. One of the most important things I believe you can be as an individual, is your unique self. 
 
Enjoy time with those who care about you.
 
It sounds depressing, but life is short. It is definitely way too short to be trying to impress other people, especially those who don’t like what I represent. Instead of wasting time trying to get those who dislike me to like me, I believe, it is much better to spend that time and energy on the people who do like and care for me, and who are my true friends. If someone doesn’t like who I am, I probably don’t need them in my life, and if getting them to like me means changing who I am, we probably aren’t meant to be friends. 

​Not everyone needs to like you.
 
When I was younger, I wanted to be liked by everyone. I hated the feeling of having someone say something bad about me, as I’m sure most people do. I spent so much time trying to please others and gain their approval. This is still a trait that I possess today, as I never want to do wrong or let people down, but sometimes, I have to remind myself to stop worrying about it, because it’s exhausting. Whilst I may spend hours worrying if I said the right thing to that person or did the right for someone else, chances are they have forgotten what I said immediately. Other people don’t waste their time worrying about what I said to them, so why do I spend so much time worrying about what came out of my mouth? If a talkative person, who sometimes speaks before they have processed what they are saying, is who I am, as long as I don’t cause harm to anyone else, that’s fine. I should embrace who I am rather than beat myself up, and I shouldn’t feel the need to gain the approval of every soul I meet. 
 
Importance of being yourself. 
 
There will always be someone who does not like me, doesn’t agree with what I do, or just has something to say, but I am learning to let this go. The path I choose to follow in life, however “abnormal” it may seem to others, is up to me. It is important for me to learn to let this go because it only makes me question my decisions, when I don’t question those of others. We all have different personalities and ambitions in life, so we are all going to want different things, thus, we aren’t always going to understand why some people do what they do. 
 
Ultimately, we are the ones who need to be able to live with ourselves and who we are. So, if I spend time trying to become someone else, someone who I probably don’t want to be, just to please someone else, I am only going to be letting myself down. If someone doesn’t like me, that is their problem not mine. As long as I am happy with the individual I am and go to sleep each night feeling as though I’ve been true to myself, then that is all that matters. 
 
Why try to be someone else when we can be our own unique selves?

Before now, I had never really taken much time to contemplate what I feed my brain. I have always been conscious (at times more than is healthy) of what I put into my body. I eat what I want, when I want, but naturally I have quite a healthy diet, simply because I enjoy cooking, I am interested by food, and I have been brought up to cook from scratch. Whilst I am aware of the food I put into my body, I have never really thought about the effect of what I feed my brain, or what I actually expose my brain to.

Through many conversations with an incredible woman I know, my attention was brought towards being more aware of the food I feed my brain. When I analyse it, I feed my brain a lot of “mental junk food”; a lot more than is healthy! When I refer to “mental junk food”, I mean what goes into my brain that scrambles it and makes it feel heavy and blurry. We all have those things we look at or watch that trigger a negative mood. Whether that be a sad, destructive, grumpy, or quiet mood, there are certain things that don’t make us feel great (like eating too much junk food!).

For me, one of these things is Instagram. As I mention a lot on my blog, I do believe that Instagram holds a positive, powerful place in society, and in many aspects it is a great tool to use. For example, promoting or advertising products, following what your friends are up to, and allowing you to see pictures of those you rarely get to see in the flesh, as well as documenting your own journey, but it can also have negative impacts. Largely, this includes the likes of trolling, but it can also do self-inflicted damage. This is what I struggle with most. At times, I find myself pointlessly scrolling through Instagram, barely even looking at the images I am liking. I love being able to see other people’s successes, but when I am stressed, it can have a damaging effect on my brain. Predominantly, it causes my brain to tell me that I am not good enough and forces me into a place of comparison. For me, this isn’t healthy.

​I am a much more level-headed, confident individual when I don’t see everything that other people are up to. I go into races knowing I have done all I can do be the strongest and fittest version of myself. However, when I have too much access to seeing the training of others, it’s as if my brain goes into self-destruct mode, even though I have done all I can to be the best version of myself on that day. Other people can’t influence what I do, and what they do has nothing to do with how fit I am, so logically, making myself feel as though I am not good enough is completely illogical. It doesn’t actually make sense as it has no physical effect on me. This is something I keep telling myself. 
 
Like anything in life, it is all about moderation and balance. Exposing myself to the training and lives of other people via Instagram is great every now and then, it gives you that boost to keep working hard to be able to push against your opponents, but when used too much, it can have the same effect as an overload of junk food; it can make you feel groggy, cloudy, heavy-headed and negative, like eating too much rubbish food. So next time you go to ‘stalk’ someone or endlessly scroll through Instagram, think, is it going to be good for your brain, or is it complete “junk food”?

I have been writing my blog for a few years now and this got me thinking back to why I started it in the first place. I started writing at a time when I had running taken away from my life. I had just found out I had stress fractures in the tibia of both my legs and it was going to be a long road to recovery. I personally feel, as soon as runners get injured, they go off the face of the earth. They post daily on social media when running and racing is going great, and reveal none of what the injured life is like. If I’m completely honest, I would rather see the hard, determination that is required when injured than only have my feed filled with people’s amazing results. Don’t get me wrong, it is great to see people running and performing so well, but that is only one side of the story. Instagram, and other social media platforms, become sites to only document the good. I felt like no one else provided an insight into what life was like as an injured runner, so I wanted to openly talk about and document it.

Honesty. 
To me, honesty is something I live by in everything I do. Whether it’s in running, everyday life, or how I communicate with others, I want to always be my genuine, honest self. Therefore, this is why I feel the need to not hide away from revealing the difficult times in relation to running, such as injury. I appreciate that a lot of the time, people who are injured, don’t want to spend time on social media, as they don’t want to see loads of people running happily on your feed, but I think it’s important when documenting your journey to show this. I find it too much to see everything other people are doing when I am running healthily, but I still believe being honest with those who do follow you is important. This is why I chose to shut off from what others were doing, and to not spend hours scrolling through other people’s photos, but instead to use it as a tool to document what injury was like for me.

How far I have come.
Something I find so powerful about having documented my thoughts and experiences through my blog, is being able to look back on it and reflect. I find it can be very easy to let myself become consumed in what I haven’t achieved and the drive of always wanting to improve and step forward, and not take the time to look back on the leaps I HAVE made.

If I ask myself, what would the Hannah who wrote the first blog article say about where the Hannah of today is? If I’m completely honest, I think she wouldn’t believe where I am. From hobbling around on crutches for 3 months, followed by 6 months of zero running, before another 3 months of walk/run sessions, to representing England a year later in October 2019 for the first time and again in January 2020, I think she would be shocked. I always put a lot of pressure on myself to improve, and I think most athletes do as they want to see where their potential lies, but sometimes it is nice to be able to look back and see the progress I have made. At times, I feel we don’t give ourselves and our bodies enough credit for all they have done. They are pretty tough and work hard, even when they’re tired, to achieve some amazing things.

Help others.
This is the most rewarding, worthwhile aspect of writing about running and everything that comes with it. If I can achieve anything with my blog, I want to be able to help others recognise that they aren’t alone on their journey and that other people have difficulties too. I falsely believed that I was the only one with struggles, and I felt like the only person who had an injury at the time I was on crutches, but I wasn’t! Therefore, I want to help others avoid feeling how I did, by revealing the less picture perfect elements of being a runner, and writing about them! I want other runners, whether they be younger or older than me, to feel as though they can message me at anytime, about anything, even if they just want someone to chat to (because I love to chat!!). Running can be tough so why not help make it as enjoyable as possible for one another.

Ultimately, I feel documenting the entire journey is such an important thing to do, not just for myself, but for others too.

I personally think of myself as quite a positive person. In difficult situations, I always try to find the positives and work hard to convert negative thoughts into positive ones. Don’t get me wrong, everyone has down days and times at which being positive is a lot harder said than done, but if you consciously look for the positives, it will soon become second nature.

I had a time in my life where I lost this positive drive. I let my mind dwindle into a place of negativity and I accepted that was where I was stuck. However, I decided that was no longer where I wanted to be, and positivity is something I have worked hard to get back. I personally, truly feel that looking for the positives in every situation can have an immense impact on your daily life. Even in difficult times, such as those of coronavirus, there is always a positive to find. As the saying goes, ‘always look on the bright side of life’.

Make it habit.

You have to start somewhere, and if you start by consciously searching for the positives every day when you mind veers towards negativity, overtime, the conscious effort won’t be so noticeable anymore. This is where positivity becomes a habit. Every time you find yourself saying or thinking a negative, switch it into a positive or look for the upside in the situation or thought. For example, if it’s pouring with rain outside and you have a session today, rather than dwelling on how horrible it is, think how good training it is, because you could be faced with any sort of weather on race day, and see it as a positive challenge. You’ll surprise yourself with how liberating running in the rain and wind can be! ​

Positivity is contagious.


Being as positive an individual as you can be is an incredible way of setting a tone in your life and in others. Positivity is contagious! Being around positive people helps you feel much more upbeat and happier. If you are able to look on the bright side of life and search for the positives, you can help others feel better too! You will probably have more of an impact than you believe. Positivity has to start somewhere, and if you are able to encourage others to be positive by spreading some upbeat cheer, that’s great!

Challenges.

One of the major effects I have found, is how influential positivity can be on your approach to challenges. Whether that be in training or in general life, if you approach something that is possibly difficult or stretches you with positivity, you can surprise yourself at what you might be capable of achieving. Challenges aren’t something to be feared because you believe you aren’t strong enough, instead, they are opportunities to get stronger and take one step closer to achieving your goals. If anything, approaching a challenge with a negative mindset places a cap on what you can achieve, with positivity, anything is possible. You don’t know where your limits lie, so why set a barrier when you don’t actually know where it should go! Try to be positive and go into challenges headfirst with 100%. ​