Music is something that can be a major part of any run, including the Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon, so we asked Today FM producer and broadcaster Ann Gleeson for the tunes that get her in the zone on those training last vital training runs and on the race day!
Here is Ann’s dance influenced running list – plenty of BPM’s in this lot to keep you focused and pushing on. We hope they can inspire you to push yourself over the coming days!
Today FM producer and broadcaster Ann Gleeson is a familiar voice to many in the country and she, like thousands of others, will be taking to the streets of Dublin on the June Bank Holiday weekend for the Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon. Along with several of her Today FM colleagues, Ann has been in training for the big day for several months now, and she talked to Elverysblog.com about how her training has gone.
It’s not the first time the Tipperary native has taken part in the Women’s Mini-Marathon and she is looking forward to getting out again in a few weeks time.
“Loads of people you know are taking part in the run, it’s such a well run event. And not that the 5k is easy or anything but 10k is a good slog and it is a real sense of achievement at the end of it then. Last year I did it with Roisin, from here [Today FM], and we made a point of stopping at every marker sign and took pictures of everything – we called them the stations of the cross as we went around, so we made a real go of it. When I was asked this year I was delighted to get involved as it’s such a great thing to do.”
“I’m running for Epilepsy Ireland because two of my brothers suffer from epiliespy. Every time I have done the mini-marathon, I think I’ve done it three times now, and every time I have run for Epilepsy Ireland and obviously it is a charity close to my home and to my heart because of the two boys. It’s a much needed cause and whenever I can help them out I will.”
The popular presenter has fond memories of her first Women’s Mini-Marathon as it was a personal milestone for her.
“It would have been three years ago [that I ran my first]. I had been sick myself for a while and I did a couple of races then myself after I got better and that was the first 10k that I did. It was such a great buzz. I actually cried at the end of the first one as I was so emotional after doing it, after going through so much and being able to do a 10k… and plus I was wrecked tired!”
As an experienced mini-marathoner, Ann explains how you can get through the race even if you haven’t been able to train like a pro.
“Let’s say if you didn’t have time to get out and train, but were fairly fit, you could definitely at least walk it. I think, on the day, because there are so many people around, so many people to take part you can’t help but get into the buzz of it, the adrenaline kicks off then and there’s always something very special when there are so many out running with you. When you’re out of an evening running yourself you could kind of go ‘Will I stop now, I could just go home now..’ but when there’s so many people around you, when they are all going for it, they’ve taken their time to train and raise money and get the t-shirts made, some people wear costumes and stuff like that.. you do get swept up in the hype and it’s a great thing to be part of.”
“In general, I would be a frequent gym goer, I’d go to the gym four or five times a week anyway but in the last couple of months I’ve started to go out on a run on a Saturday and Sunday and even if it’s just 2k or 3k, it’s just to get into the swing of running. It’s very different to going into the gym and do a class for forty five minutes to going outside to consistently run – I think it’s harder to keep going, to discipline yourself to keep going, so like I said in the last couple of months I’ve only had a chance to go out at weekends to pound the pavement as they say, but it’s just to get used to it, to get used to the feeling of the consistent running.”
“I would be ok fitness wise from the gym, but there are times you’d say ‘It’s really dark outside’ or ‘it’s really cold’, but as long as you go out and do a little bit and you can come back in and say, at least I’ve done something then that’s good. There are times of course when you just don’t feel like it at all but as long as you keep it semi-regular at all, then that’s ok.”
She will have a slightly unorthodox run up to the event herself she explained but will be tucked up in bed early the night before she laughed.
“Well, the Forbidden Fruit festival is always on that weekend, so I might go to that on the Friday and Saturday but I might leave off the Sunday. You’d need a lot of adrenaline to kick a hangover and then run 10k so you’re better off taking it handy, getting a good rest. In the morning then it’s best to eat healthy, don’t do anything out of the ordinary, just have something basic – I would have a banana on a bagel and some porridge. Nothing too filling and nothing that you wouldn’t normally eat yourself.”
It’s all worth it though in the end according to the producer of The Louise Duffy Show on Today FM says.
“Once you turn that corner and see everyone cheering, and you cross the line, get your medal, it’s just something then that you can give yourself a clap on the back whether you’ve come through sickness or you’re just doing it for fun, or raising money for a loved one. It’s a nice thing to be able to look back and say ‘I’ve done this’, and you can look forward to the next year then. If you struggle in the middle of it, the uphill out the N11 and you think it’s longer than you imagined, but once you get to the end, no matter what you told yourself in the middle of it, you always go ‘I want to do that again tomorrow!!‘.”
You can donate to Ann’s fund-raising here https://give.everydayhero.com/ie/ann-s-mini-marathon-2016
Elverys Intersport Vhi WMM ambassador Hayley Coleman has pushed on with her preparation for the June Bank holiday weekend and she has found that rest and recuperation is just as important as her training over the last few weeks.
Feeling fragile after a recent 10k race in Castlebar, Hayley has been singing the praises of her Trigger Point foam roller.
“I’ve been using it all week since I did a 10k on Sunday,” she told us. “I was not feeling the best all week in the run up to the race, but I said I’d do it anyway but I was sore since. I went and did another 5k then, and a few (fitness) classes and maybe I should have rested but [the foam roller] has been brilliant. I’ve been living with it all week!,” she laughed.
Her experience on foam rollers was limited prior to starting her training but she recognises the benefit now.
“I would have used it in the gym but because I didn’t have one at home I wouldn’t have spent as much time using them. It completely loosens out any knots you have, it is really good. I didn’t know that my hip flexors would be so tight from the running, but I’ve used it on those and my glutes all week and they are a lot better now. If you have little knots it helps stretch them out and works your muscles. It’s been great, I think I’ll keep using it all the time.”
“The guys in the gym showed me how to use it properly and if you have one you need to know what to do, but if you do it’s really beneficial. I wouldn’t have known what to do with it before, I’d have been just looking at it but it’s been great.”
She has found it especially useful after a long day in the car and on her feet at work.
“Totally. Your lower back, glutes, if they are tight, your back, your hamstrings will be at you and this is why the foam roller is so helpful – I’m using it even when I’m watching TV! Just to give yourself a good stretch, it might hurt a bit but that’s the way you know it’s working!”
Hayley also branched out to using fitness technology in the shape of a FitBit Flex to keep her up
“I’ve been spending my time getting the hang of it, because to be fair there is a lot to it, there are so many bits to it that keep surprising me. You can track your steps, you can check your sleep patterns, everything. I get an email which tells me what my most active day was, and that is great because it is a good reminder.”
“You’re finding new parts to it the whole time, even with my running it tells me how far I’ve gone, the pace I’ve been going at, things I wouldn’t know. You can input your age, your weight, whether there’s any weight loss you want to reach, when you want to lose it by, how much you’ve lost each week – it’s a great help. You wouldn’t even notice you have it on either, it’s very unobtrusive and light.”
Hayley discovered that her fitful sleeping habits can be an issue prior to running so she’s hoping to get in more sleep before the Vhi WMM race day.
“With my sleep [patterns] it’s telling me that I’m only sleeping five hours a night – I would have thought it was more, but I wake eleven times a night on average. You don’t realise why you’re shattered in the morning – you’re thinking you’re after a good night’s sleep. It’s great like that, it’s really helpful.”
“After the 10k I was shattered and I only really came back to myself a few days after but what happened was that I was working very hard that week and I was up at 5am, 6am every day, and by Sunday (race day) I woke up and I was shattered. What I learned was that I need to ensure that I have plenty of rest in the days leading up to the race itself on June 6th. I was burnt-out, and maybe a bit dehydrated. It shows how important sleep and rest is and it’s just as important as training.”
Follow Hayley’s progress and much more on Elverysblog.com every week until the big day June 6th
Between now and the big race day on June 6th Elverys Intersport will be giving you tips and tidbits on how to get yourself ready and on the road to the Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon.
Today chartered physiotherapist Michelle Lyons talks to us about about how to be at your best for the Women’s Vhi WMM and how to ensure your training continues smoothly!
By now, hopefully your training is well underway as June is only around the corner! I’ve worked with lots of female athletes (both professional and beginners) and there are often a couple of niggly problems like back pain or a bit of leaking when you run….that may be holding you back. Often it can be an issue with your pelvic floor – did you know that 1 in 3 women have some sort of pelvic floor problem? But don’t panic, there’s a solution!
Your pelvic floor muscles run like a sling from the front of your pelvis to your tailbone and they have a number of jobs, like giving you control over your bladder and bowel and keeping your pelvic organs where they are supposed to be. But they are also really important when it comes to preventing low back pain, as they provide stability for the joints of your lower back and pelvis.
The muscles can become stressed during pregnancy and childbirth or if you have chronic constipation, which can lead to problems with low back pain, some leaking from the bladder or bowel or even a dragging feeling as if things are moving down and out.
For many women, leaking when they run is a very common problem. I say common, but it’s really important to remember that leaking is NEVER normal and there is almost always something that can be done about it! Probably the best way to address the issue is to check in with a women’s health physio who also works with athletes: she will be able to not only help you address your pelvic floor issues but also look at your running form. Remember: most women don’t need pelvic floor strengthening (no more kegels!) but they do need to re-learn coordination of the pelvic floor with the breath.
In the meantime, here are some tips to help you get started:
Your pelvic floor muscles do a number of jobs, including controlling bladder and bowel function. Find your pelvic floor by taking a deep breath in, and as you exhale, relaxing all the muscles in and around your pelvis. Take another breath in, and this time as you exhale, close your anus and lift up and in, (as if you were trying to stop gas escaping) Count to 5 out loud (to make sure you’re not holding your breath. Then (this is the most important part!) fully relax your pelvic floor. Congratulations! You just found and activated your pelvic floor muscles!
Now that you know where the muscles are, practice coordinating with the breath. This will give you more stability during your run and may help with your endurance. Take a breath in and feel how both you lower tummy expands a little and your pelvic floor drops a little. As you exhale, your tummy should gently move back in by itself and your pelvic floor rises a little. This cycle should happen with every breath but if you are worried about leaking, you may not be fully relaxing the pelvic floor, which might be making the problem worse! Try this exercise standing, sitting or lying still, and as you get the hang of it, try to incorporate the breath and pelvic floor muscles into your running.
Keeping your ribcage over your pelvis when you run can help manage the pressures of running on your pelvic floor. Wearing supportive clothing like a good sports bra and EVB shorts can really help improve both form and function when you run in my experience. If you are worried about leaking or painful breasts when you are running, that can actually make the problem worse by causing extra tension in the body and can lead to other mechanical problems or injuries. Set yourself up for success and enjoy your run!
Find more from Michelle Lyons, MISCP, RPT, CNT at Celebratemuliebrity.com & check out more on EVB Sports here http://bit.ly/1q0FrnH
The weeks are slowly counting down towards the June Bank Holiday weekend and the Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon, and three familiar faces are looking forward to the big day, having already faced up to big challenges themselves this year.
Clare Scanlon, Noeleen Lynam and Lucy Dillon will be well known to viewers of the massively popular RTÉ show Operation Transformation, and the three ladies are now gearing up for their next milestone – the Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon.
The three Leaders from the RTÉ show are looking forward to the event as they continue the training regimes that saw them drop a combined 64.9 lbs over the course of the show.
Clare Scanlan is fighting through the pain barrier at the moment with a troublesome knee injury but she is adamant that it will not stop her making the finish line in Dublin in June.
“I’m not setting out to jog it because of my surgery. I have my cartilige torn and i am aiming to walk it but I hope to jog a little bit too. They are kicking off a new park run in Newcastle West in the coming weeks and I will definitely be doing that but at the moment I’m walking every couple of nights and cycling.
“I’m doing the bike to suit my knee, it’s non-resistant, you’re not putting pressure on it, but I’m also walking two nights a week plus the exercises online from Karl Henry so it’s a combination of all those you know. ”
One of the most important things aspects of the Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon is of course the fact that it is something for women of all ages, and abilities to enjoy and Clare says that even if she can’t run it, she’ll still finish it and use the training as part of a healthy life-style.
“A lot of people walk it anyway- the majority of people do walk it. Running isn’t for everyone, it might never be for me even, but you never know!
This [staying healthy and fit] is a long term project. I have come a long way in a short time, the intensity we had on Operation Transformation, I suppose you couldn’t sustain that. Right now it’s about preparing for the Mini-Marathon and getting into a rhythm that suits your lifestyle. I’ll definitely keep it up and won’t go back to the way I was definitely.”
Her fellow Operation Transformation leaders Noeleen Lynam and Lucy Dillon were in full agreement that the fitness kick wouldn’t stop once the cameras stopped rolling on the show and Noeleen is working hard to get herself ready for the race.
“It’s going well,” she says of her prep. “I downloaded a plan, we had the app for doing the 5k and now I’ve to move up to the 10k and I’m following that to the best of my ability and it’s going well – hopefully I’ll be ready for June!”
“I know with Operation Transformation people say “oh my gosh [what happens] once it finishes?” but they (RTÉ) are very good and we had a life coach session with Dr Eddie where your goals for the next year were set out, either fitness or in other areas. I actually find that I try to do the running and swimming every second day and the resistance training on the other days, and I have got to the stage that I feel if I don’t do them I’m missing out. I feel bad for not doing them! It’s not something that would have happened before but you get into that way of thinking and when you know how good you feel after doing the exercise, you don’t want to give that up.“
Lucy Dillon agrees and believes that park run is the perfect way to get yourself ready for the Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon. She says having the goal of the race has helped her carry on her work from the show.
“It has definitely, if not helping me even more. My fitness regime is stricter than my food plan at the moment – that hasn’t gone out the window, I’m lighter now than I was on the show- but my fitness plan is going very well.
“I find it easier now, I’m doing more exercise than when I was on the show because Op Trans was very intense, trying to fit everything in. I can now do it at my own leisure rather than fitting it around the camera. Even on Wednesday night there I did a 10k in Dundalk and that’s something I couldn’t do when on the show.
“I do the park run every Saturday morning and that gives me confidence knowing that I have that every Saturday. Other than that I’m on a ten week training plan, the interval training is good. I signed up for the 10k to give me a taste of it.”
Her advice for anyone still thinking about signing up for the Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon is do it and then get yourself down to the nearest park run to get into your stride.
“Jump in, do the park run, there’s plenty of people doing it and that will push you on because you’re not on your own. There’s still plenty of time to get ready for the mini-marathon. You can walk it if you want, and anything you do between now and then is a bonus really.”
Get your official Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon gear now at Elverys.ie http://bit.ly/1MBVRbE
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