‘Running’ tips for non-runners

by clairesan | Jan 28, 2021 | Blog

Maybe it’s because I am preparing myself for an ultra race later this year but I find myself comparing the log hard slog of National Lock Down 2 with running and ultra distance event. And I’m noticing the tactics I use to keep-myself-going-when-everything-hurts-and-I really-want-to-stop are actually useful in these strange times with no apparent end in sight.

So in the spirit of being helpful (hopefully) and partly to help myself keep going, I thought I’d share some top ultra running tips which seems to be helping me in Lock Down 2. Non-runners, who knew you needed more running tips in your life… think of it as the benefits of running without doing any running…

Don’t compare yourself with others – it’s not a race

I never use the term ‘race’ about an ultra, yes there are a few super humans who are gunning for the glory of the podium, but for most of us it’s about just getting round in one piece – without losing too many toenails. When you’re overtaken by someone else it’s tempting to push yourself harder to keep up but rule number one is: ‘run your own race’. Having felt very low in the first Lock Down because a one stage I had very little paid work but saw many peers being very ‘busy’ or because other people were being more ‘useful’ than me to society I also know how harmful comparison can be for our wellbeing. 

Try and enjoy it

You’re kidding me right – enjoy the LockDown? People often say that to me about my hobby too – ‘are you doing it for charity?’ they tentatively ask, as that would be the only legitimate reason they can imagine to do something so daft.

I had the opportunity to witness a really great ultra runner up close last month when I supported Sabrina Verjee on the final leg of her Coast-to-Coast run. Despite the fact she had run nearly 190 miles with only an hour’s rest, in really tough winter conditions, I was struck how cheerful she was. Yes, her legs and feet clearly hurt and she must have been knackered, but focussing on the scenery, or chatting to other runners, or enjoying the cake you’re eating to fuel yourself keeps you going better than thinking about your blisters. 

This Lock Down we’ve been doing GLAD at home daily at tea time to lift our mood (citing 1 thing for which we’re Grateful, something we’ve Learned, Achieved and Delighted in). I’ve also been doing crazy ‘fun’ things and laughing about them with my friends: like eating Xmas dinner with my family in the backyard; long dark hikes round the local villages with friends; enjoying outdoor theatre in a torrential downpour; ‘testing’ waterproof socks by wading through the flood waters; camping in the freezing cold when all the hostels closed. Basically being a bit daft and trying not to let the restrictions stop us doing the things we normally love, even if that means it’s a bit ‘type 2 fun’ at times.  

Eat well and often

A cardinal rule is low mood = eat food. People say an ultra is basically a picnic with some running, and keeping your energy up is important. In Lock Down when so few other pleasures are still allowed making nice things to eat, treating ourselves to nice snacks and experimenting with new recipes has definitely helped keep my family’s spirits up. 

Manage your mood

Stay positive – don’t agonise constantly over what might go wrong or has gone wrong. In a long race – like in a pandemic – things will go wrong, and there will be a lot you can’t control – like the weather. It’s not easy, but work on your inner Stoic – when shit happens, ask yourself can you do anything about it? If not, try not to waste mental energy on it and focus on what you can control. 

Look after your body

This tip comes from legendary fell runner Nicky Spinks – what she termed ‘the rule of three’. If you think to yourself three times ‘I’m a bit cold’ or maybe ‘I’m hungry’ or ‘my foot is starting to rub’ then act on it – your body is telling you something and if you want to be able to keep going, you need to listen to your body’s needs and deal with them: whether that’s eating, putting on an extra layer or dealing with a hotspot before it becomes a blister. Women (including Nicky) sometimes beat men outright in ultra races and some have speculated a factor in this is that women athletes tend to look after their bodies better during the race – they don’t ignore and push through pain so they are less likely to encounter an injury or problem later that causes them to stop. 

Bottom line: if you want to go far, you’ll need to take good care of your body and this applies in Lock Down too. Feeling tired? Early night – guess who was in bed at 9pm on NYE? Feel a migraine coming on? Stop looking at the screen; have a nap; a cuppa and get some fresh air. Challenge yourself
In his tips for ultra runners, Pennine Way record holder and coach Damian Hall suggests setting yourself a goal that scares you. Finding something that slightly takes you beyond your comfort zone can be motivating and stops you get bored. And goodness knows I have been very bored at times. For many of us work and life has been disrupted in many ways in Lock Down so there are lots of opportunities to try new things that stretch us and offer some satisfaction by having learned a new skill. Coach (not running coach!) Shirzad Chamine encourages you to look for the ‘gift’ in an apparently bad situation: what would you want to learn or take from a tough situation that would mean it has some value afterall? 

Break it down intro bitesize chunks – and just focus on the next mile

In the first Lock Down I got excited about ‘building back better’ and the chance to shake things up for good; goodness knows that still needs to happen. But I also became self-critical and doubting – why wasn’t I doing something more useful? I ended up feeling over-whelmed and hit a bad patch and became unproductive.

This time I’m made my peace which what I can do right now which is mainly ‘backstage’; supporting my family (which includes frontline medical staff); and supporting others by giving anything I earn, above what I’ve decided I need, to charities. I hope I can do more to tackle inequalities later, but now I’m just focussing on surviving this phase – head down, slogging on best I can. 

Focusing on the next mile with two kids at home trying to learn looks like a day-by-day horizon, and at most looking a week ahead – mainly so I know what to order for the weekly food shop.  

Keep moving but pace yourself – it’s not a sprint

So just as I set off slowly in a long race, I’m pacing myself during Lock Down.I’ve made the mistake of setting off too fast so many times in marathons and then suffered the consequences that I know now to take it steady from the start. 

I’ve no idea when this current phase is going to end, but I’m trying to be realistic that we might be home-schooling til Easter and that 2021 might not be significantly better to 2020. To me it feels like we’re in it for the long haul, and I’m also under no illusions that the ‘real fun’ doesn’t end with the medical crisis, with this lot in charge I suspect that’s only the start. But do try and keep moving slowly – it’s easier to move at a slow pace than stop and start.

Know that you will hit a rough patch at some stage

This happens in ultra events, and it happened to me in the first Lock Down a couple of times when I could feel my mental state declining. I acted quickly on the signs – took a day or two off work and did what I needed to (usually for me that’s going for a long walk on my own and some early nights).

Two final thoughts about what happens once you finish an ultra. First, you need a recovery period: to rest and recover fully before taking on any new challenge. Second, once you’ve recovered you will be stronger and proud of what you’ve achieved. Oh, and you might need to see a chiropodist…

The unexpected gift

by clairesan | Jan 28, 2021 | Blog

It seems to have been raining, muddy and cold for weeks now – I can barely bring myself to watch the news or look beyond what we’re having for tea that day. It’s pretty bleak in the UK right now. But it’s not all bad and holding onto the positive outcomes and possibilities definitely helps me. 

Last year I learned a new technique for finding those ‘silver linings’ that we all need to keep us going on a pilot for a new coach training programme based around the Positive Intelligence model.

It’s very simple, and old as the hills, but we are simply invited to find the ‘gift’ in an apparently difficult situation by asking one of the following questions:

‘If you could take something good – a gift – from this situation, what would that be?’

‘For you to be able to look back on this situation and in hindsight to have learned something new, what would that be?’

Simple, not new, but useful.

Positive thinking isn’t a panacea and doesn’t change that sh*t happens, but it offers us a tool to motivate ourselves to keep going when the going is tough. 

I’ve started using the ‘gift’ question in some coaching sessions recently and have been humbled when clients who’ve been made redundant find the courage to find a gift of pursuing a better work/life balance or more creative fulfilment in their next roles. I’ve also seen a possible gift enable fresh thinking about what is possible in a situation which felt hopeless. 

Positive thinking has served me well in the past. Many years ago during one of the endless restructures that happens at the Arts Council I experienced a major career disappointment; I had been acting Team Leader for around a year but when the post was advertised internally I was not appointed to the permanent role. Adding insult to injury I had been acting up alongside doing my original job so was working ridiculous hours, and continued to be expected to ‘act up’ whilst the post was externally advertised. It felt like a very public humiliation, as well as big disappointment to me personally. Going into work each day those months after my unsuccessful interview felt really tough. But I managed to focus on supporting my team through the restructure as best I could and when I was interviewed for a dream job at British Council a few months later I was told by the panel that experience of leading change helped me land that role. 

In terms of CV19, I was reaching a bit of a low spot earlier today looking at the relentless rain outside and wondering when I’d ever get out of these four walls. So I started to think about what ‘gifts’ I have been offered by Lock Down that I want to keep after restrictions are lifted and I came up with a few, as follows:

1. More time with my children in the evenings as I’m travelling less
2. Wild camping in UK last summer after my hiking trip to France cancelled
3. Working with a wider and larger range of coachees
4. Opportunities to run more training and facilitation online in future
5. Time spent birdwatching with my daughter on our daily walks to the allotment
6. Chance to (almost) complete my Wainwrights in 2020 
7. Discovering a new favourite corner of the Lakes after rescheduling our summer holidays

Those seven gifts came up for me quite quickly, and I know I’m not alone in finding some ‘gifts’ in Lock Down – time and again I hear coachees tell me there have been unexpected upsides to the disruption (notably for many greater flexibility for home-working) which they are keen to hold onto.

But the real power in the ‘gift’ technique is to look forwards, not backwards, and to find an opportunity in what first seems like a bad situation. So right now I’ve got a minor running injury that’s meant I’ve had to pull out of my first race of the season, but the ‘gift’ I’ve found is that I can focus on doing a period of weight-based conditioning instead which should prevent injuries in future and enable me to do more running later in the season. In a work context, I’ve got some time on my hands as I’m doing less training delivery than usual due to CV19 but finding the gift of researching new materials and redesigning my training resources so the course I am running will be improved quality.

I’m not suggesting it’s easy to find the ‘gift’ or that these gifts offset the bad stuff, but I find it helps. So – what gifts could 2021 offer you? 

Productivity tips from a nerd

by clairesan | Oct 23, 2020 | Blog

I sometimes joke that ‘one multi-task too far’ will probably be my epitaph, because I’m always trying to do too much. There are a lot of downsides to this way of being, but I’ve also learned a fair bit about productivity along the way. As a coach, mentor and co-worker I often hear others looking for tools and tips around productivity so I thought I’d share mine here in case it’s useful:

Disclaimers:

Some might be useful to you, others might not be your cup of tea – I’m not suggesting these work for everyone, they just work for me. If you have alternatives please share these – I’m always interested to hear other perspectives and ideas.

I doubt any of these are ‘my idea’ – like a magpie I take shiny ideas and techniques I spot around me that work for me and line my nest with them. I try and credit any sources when I can remember them, although sometimes original source may have been lost or my way of doing things altered the original beyond recognition!

1. Start with the end in mind (this phrase might be from Stephen Covey, but it’s also based on the GROW model of coaching)
   I never do anything unless I’m clear why and it is aligned with my priorities. That means setting priorities or ‘goals’. I set annual goals and chunk these down into ‘termly’ goals – about 12-13 weeks in length. Being a coach I make sure my goals are clearly defined – outcomes (not activities), specific/ measurable, positive and stretching. So earlier this year this was one of mine:

‘Develop capacity to deliver brilliant and inclusive events online through new skills, resources and training.‘

I limit myself to no more than 4 goals in any term – and then develop a plan that identifies the key tasks/ actions and resources I need to make sure the goals are achievable. 

I stick these goals where I can see them (they are in front of my desk) – and I also have a pictorial version that I’ve sketched which is a more fun way to convey a sense of direction.

2. Develop your own systems to keep you on track

I have 4 main systems for managing my time productively:

Firstly, I use a daily planner based on the ‘Self Journal’ template. I don’t use that particular journal in its entirety, but I like the day planner which means I block out my time daily (usually the night before or over breakfast before I start work) so I’m clear what I’m doing when. It also encourages you to identify 3 targets each day – this is often difficult as I can usually think of at least 5; but it reminds me to focus on the key 3 things…

Secondly, I use task management software called ‘Toodledo’ which was suggested in a book about productivity which I highly recommend (How to be a productivity ninja – by Graham Allcott). Toodledo is where I keep my ‘to do’ list which I can segment into different categories (Home/ Finance/ Work/ Waiting On) and organise into sub-folders like projects, importance or urgency. There’s an art to writing a good task – specific, doable – which Graham explains in his book. And he suggests you should never add a task to a list that takes less than 2 mins to do – just do it. Having somewhere I can reliably ‘park’ the millions of things I think of to do each day keeps me focussed and means I don’t forget to do too many things. I also have managed to stop worrying about forgetting to do things. There’s an app and desktop version.

Thirdly, my email ‘filing’ system is based on these same folders too – Waiting On/ Home/ Receipts/ Action. If there’s something I need to do, I put the email in ‘Action’ and write it on my task list. If I need the info saving, it gets saved in a folder. Otherwise I delete emails to keep my inbox as close to empty as possible (and periodically I tidy it up and delete anything that slips through on a bad day). 

Fourthly, I use my calendar to block out time to do work – for example, anytime I book in work I make sure I block the time I need to prepare/ follow-up as well as deliver the work (for example if it’s to facilitate an event I’ll block a half-day to draft the plan etc). The vast majority of what I need to do is blocked into my calendar at the point I commit to doing it so I can see at a glance whether and when I have space to do things. (I have quite a few other systems for planning my work but will stop sharing now as I’m picturing getting weird looks already).

3. Focus on cultivating habits

Jim Richardson recommended this book Atomic Habits in a tweet once and I really like it too. For years I’d been using the technique of setting goals and identifying specific tasks but the regular things you do daily or weekly don’t fit well do well into that model of planning. James Clear makes a strong case for the power of cultivating positive habits, and offers some very practical advice (backed up by neuroscience) about how to break bad ones and make the ones you know you should do but find hard to stick to a bit easier.

4. Active reflection

Research shows that as little as 15 mins a day reflecting on how things have gone and how to apply that learning to future action can increase productivity by 20%. I try and make a habit to set aside an hour for reflection once a week – and I keep a very simple log of any insights/ observations about what has worked/ not worked so well and how I plan to use that learning in future. 

I’m slightly conscious as I share this how nerdy this might sound – but it works for me. I hope there’s something in this that might work for you too…