What helps everything feel good leading to better and faster enjoyable running?
In October 2023 I entered the national class (80%) for my age category (50-56 years old) at Burgess parkrun event #486. I ran a personal best of 18mins 32secs, it still shocks me and gives me a tingling feeling.
A lot of people have asked me how I achieved this. I’m not a coach so I can't talk about running form and such. However I can talk about the additional things that have improved my enjoyment of training which I believe have led to improved performances.
Massage gun
Unequivocally the most important piece of equipment has been a handheld massage gun. Recommended to me by my masseur, they didn’t just tell me about it, they used one on me and I was sold. I was so impressed I went out and bought the exact one the following week and it has been an absolute game-changer for running a faster 5k.
As I’ve become older I don’t have the same ‘bounce back’. Whilst the trainers below will absolutely let you run faster, the massage gun lets you train more regularly, at high intensity reducing your risk of injury.
How it works
It works by using a percussive force, like a drill, to hit the skin and stimulate underlying tissues, improving circulation and reducing muscle spasms. They relax tight muscles and promote deep relaxation. Deep tissue massage encourages blood flow reducing stiffness and helping alleviate pain and muscle tension.
The benefit
I have felt the benefit of using the massage gun in ALL areas of my life as you can use it on your neck, shoulders back and thighs and calves.
The downside
They can be expensive. There are lots of different models on the market which can feel confusing.
I recommend - Theragun - elite
It might seem expensive however it’s an investment in your total health and wellbeing. It’s the single best thing I’ve bought to improve my maintain my running.
Alternatively, two of my quick, running friends have the - Bob and Brad Q2 which is considerably cheaper than the Theragun.
I honestly can’t recommend a massage gun enough, you will thank yourself for buying one.
2. Carbon plated trainers
Technology keeps advancing in all areas of life and for trainers, this was particularly true in 2018 when Nike launched the first carbon-plated running shoes. Since then most manufacturers have launched some type of carbon-plated shoe and world records all around the world in both the men’s and women’s races at all distances have been falling.
I’m not saying they’ll make you run a world record but it’s the single thing you can buy which will show you the biggest instant improvement.
I wore the Nike Vapourflys when I broke my 5k personal best and achieved national class status. They don’t sell mine anymore however this is the latest iteration - New Generation Running Shoes and I’ll be buying a pair when Vapourflys retire.
3. A sports watch
It is said that good runners run the second half of a race faster than the first. To help you do this a watch is ideal. My running started to improve when I could see what my current running pace was real time.
The sports watches out there can give you a dizzying amount of information but mine is set to simply show me how many kilometres I’ve run and what my current pace is.
I spoke to a few running friends before making my purchase which is - Garmin Forerunner 245
It’s got ease of use, charges swiftly, great GPS and an easy-to-read screen.
4. Headphones
There are days when my motivation is low, almost non-existent, the thought of intervals and shredding myself, totally unappealing. However a good tune can deliver a pump to the system, music can make ALL the difference.
I’ve used a lot of headphones over the years, these are my favourite to date - Powerbeats Pro they sit in the ear and have a hook over the ears providing a stable locked in snug fit. With noise cancelling and great musical detail through the treble and base ranges your tunes are going to sound GOOD. With intuitive controls for volume, you can lock yourself in and let your tunes supercharge your run.
5. Strava
Logging and tracking my progress in one place helped me see the body of work I was putting together. Seeing the weekly progress was a motivation in and of itself. And I could geek out with the numbers and I could dream BIG.
If you’re using a running watch like Garmin there’s an app called Garmin connect which will let you see all your runs. But I use an app called Strava.
It is easy to sync with any Garmin watch and the platform gives you so much additional value. With social media, photo uploading, route suggestions, segments, data analysis and leaderboards it is an entire running ecosystem.
Amazingly Strava allows you to track how much mileage you’ve done in your shoes, key to for knowing when to change your trainers to prevent injury.
There’s a free version and a paid version. I use the paid version which I feel is an absolute bargain however you can start with the free version and see how you get on.
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