All posts filed under: Active Running

Fun at the Malaga Marathon

I was pretty excited about heading to the Malaga Marathon. In all honesty I was more excited about having four days away in Spain with my girlfriends than I was about putting myself through 26.2 miles! Although in the lead up to the marathon, the weather in Malaga had been cool and wet, we were rewarded with four days of sunshine. Feeling the warm sun on my face in the middle of winter was a wonderful treat. We had a day of acclimatisation when we intended to stay off our feet but ended up shopping and walking miles; we had some great tapas though! We found getting around Malaga on the train and tube system really easy, and cheap too. We’d read that getting to the out of town expo to collect race numbers was harder than the marathon itself but we had no problems whatsoever. We’d been very frustrated that we hadn’t had any pre-race info in English, the marathon guide was in Spanish and despite sending emails (in English and Spanish) we hadn’t …

Malaga Marathon – here I come!

Published by Dr Juliet McGrattan

When I’m choosing a challenge I just have to find something that catches my eye and makes me say, “Oooo, I fancy that.” I never quite know what I’m looking for but when I see it I know it’s the one!

Inspiring or Intimidating? Just be Proud.

Published by Dr Juliet McGrattan

I’ve been pondering the fine balance between being inspiring and being intimidating recently. The thing is, I think as we improve and smash our targets, as we progress in our health and fitness journeys, we often become intimidating and unrelatable without really meaning to. What we need is more and more people sharing their successes at all levels.

Change is hard – how to make successful changes.

Published by Dr Juliet McGrattan

Changing your behaviour is a very difficult thing to do. How many times have you set a New Year’s resolution only to break it before the end of January? I’ve done this countless times. You have good intentions and even when you think you’ve set a pretty realistic goal you just don’t seem to be able to sustain it for any length of time.

Tips for Healthy Running- Guest post from Alexandra Merisoiu

Published by Dr Juliet McGrattan

I’m delighted to welcome Alexandra Merisoiu to the blog today. Alexandra has a background in Martial Arts (she still competes at international level) and a fascination with how the body moves. She is a Running Coach, specialising in running form and technique. She works with runners of all abilities to help them run faster, further, more efficiently and most importantly, with fewer injuries. I still frequently hear, “Running hurts my knees” so I thought it would be helpful to have Alexandra share some of her wisdom about minimising the impact of running. Head to the Merisoiu Technique Institute to find out more but in the meantime I will hand over to Alexandra to share some of her top tips for healthy running.

Exercise to Empower

Published by Dr Juliet McGrattan

There are so many benefits of exercise. From getting fitter and helping control weight, to easing stress and lifting mood. I certainly began learning to run, hoping for the former and continued when I realised the latter. One of the unexpected benefits I discovered however was the ability that exercise has to empower.

You’ve run 5k, now what?

Published by Dr Juliet McGrattan

Reaching the 5k target is a huge accomplishment so congratulations on your achievement! Perhaps you’ve done a 5k race or a parkrun to mark the occasion and are still basking in the glory of success. What do you do now though? Has running become a regular part of your life that you can’t do without out or more commonly, are you still wondering what all the fuss is about and dreading putting yourself through another run? Deciding what step to take next can be tricky. It’s very easy to find yourself not running at all and quickly losing all that fitness you’ve gained. Take a few minutes to consider which way to go now. Here are some ideas and options.

Top Tips for Running in the Heat

Published by Dr Juliet McGrattan

I’d been training in freezing temperatures and cold winds when I was suddenly plunged into the heat of the Virgin London Marathon in 2013. As a relatively new runner and taking on my first marathon, I was anxious about running the distance anyway and this quadrupled when I realised how warm it was going to be. How much should I drink? What speed should I go? Would I even make it round now? So many extra things to think and worry about. I survived without incident and I’ve since run marathons in soaring temps in Mallorca and Boston and along the way I’ve picked up lots of tips for running in the heat.

Manchester Marathon Debrief!

Published by Dr Juliet McGrattan

So, it’s done. All those months of training and previous blog posts and the Manchester Marathon 2018 is finally over! So how was it?

Manchester here I come!

Published by Dr Juliet McGrattan

So, Sunday is the day! I’ll be lining up on the start line at Old Trafford and only 26.2 miles will be between me and the finish. If I’m honest, I’m in complete denial. I think possibly that’s a good survival tactic, there’s no point expending energy worrying about it.