We hosted a talk at our workshop with Dave Bone from Camino Ultra to discuss essential training techniques, nutrition tips, and motivation strategies to improve your running performance and avoid injuries.

On a chilly Thursday evening we opened our doors at the work:shop to welcome runners of all abilities. Our talk's theme was how to run happier, sharing training tips to train smarter and finish a run with a smile.

We were joined by Dave Bone from Camino Ultra, who spoke alongside our founder, Rich Keegan.

Camino Ultra are a London-based tribe of ultra-marathon runners and coaches who run and support London run events. Dave is one of the co-founders and is currently training for the Hackney Half and the Badwater ultra-marathon in July.

Rich was a cross-country runner as a child, and then largely abandoned this in his 20s, coming back to running in his 30s. He is currently training for the Hackney Half, his first half marathon race.

We had a lovely group of guests who kindly shared their running stories, including someone who suffers from shin splints but is determined to start her running journey, someone who was told he wouldn't be able to run but has beat the odds anyway to run ultras, and a few seasoned runners who are training for a variety of distances including half marathons, 50km, to 100km.

Here are some of our highlights.

How to train smarter

Regardless of the distance you're training for, Dave suggests that we think about completing at least 3 runs per week - 1 speed run, 1 long run, and 1 slow run. You can then add in extra runs depending on how you're feeling and what you're able to fit in.

The speed run works by increasing your pace, often by running short intervals at speed, and then either walk or run slower in between. The long run, as the name implies, is running a longer distance - this is done at a medium to slow pace. The slow run is then just a slow and steady run where you learn to listen to your body.

Dave talked about the importance of warming up your body beforehand. For Dave this is a walk to warm up his body and mind (see next section for more on this), but this can also be doing a few stretches and warm up exercises. Don't just set off on a run straight away.

Another technique Dave is a big fan of, is to think about your strides. He sometimes uses this during speed work, or when he's starting to feel a bit tired, which is done by increasing the distance in between each step and striding out to run faster and further.

How to stay motivated

We all need to recognise the powerful nature our brain has when it tells us stuff. A book both Dave and Rich love, The Chimp Paradox by Dr Steve Peters, discusses how managing the emotional, impulsive "chimp" part of your brain can help you think clearly, make better decisions, and improve your life. The chimp can tell yourself "look it's raining out, let's stay inside" and then you listen to your chimp, and it carries on raining all day and you haven't run. Also recognising that one negative thought is scientifically proven to lead to a chain reaction of further negative emotions.

So instead you have to develop a "practice" to counter this. Dave calls it his "gratitude practice" and he makes it completely non-negotiable that he walks to warm up his body and his chimp brain to think about gratitude such as walking in his local park and think "it's beautiful here", then using this to motivate him to start his run in the right mindset.

It's not easy, because we all get grumpy! But we have to try small and learn to talk to yourself in a kinder way.

What nutrition is right for me

We had a few questions about nutrition and how to maintain enough energy for a long run, with an interesting thought from one of our guests if gels and nutrition could be considered "cheating". Dave explained that it's all very personal, but you absolutely have to stay fueled in whatever way works for you. There are a range of options out there - from natural supplements being the equivalent to baby food, to home-made protein balls, to high-tech gels and electrolytes.

Rich shared how he is obsessive about his diet and avoids sugar in all foods, but ignores this for his training. As he explained when training or competing in long distances, whether that is a half-marathon, ultra, or even a Channel crossing swim, the body needs energy, and if this is sugar-based, it almost doesn't matter as the body will expend that and it will leave your system regardless. Also the alternative to sugar often is highly manufactured with limited nutritional value, citing muli-dextrose as a popular sugar-free alternative.

Dave advised, that just like training your legs, you also need to train your nutrition, and try out a variety of different brands and types to see what works for you. As a rough guide for every 1 hour of running, he suggests to aim to take in some nutrition. Dave's personal preference are gels and electrolyte drinks. Don't leave this to race day and take on whatever freebies are available road-side if you haven't tried this before.

At the end of your training or race, remember to put some energy back into your body and drink plenty of fluids.

Avoiding injury

Another topic that came up is how to avoid injury. One of our guests suffers from shin splints and another is running a long road race and wants to minimise the impact of repetitive pounding on hard surfaces.

Dave talked about trying to recognise the difference between being broken and injured, where broken may need medical attention and a pause from training, versus managing your injury and being slow and kind to your body. Rich talked us through his rehabilitation from injury, which introduced the benefits of using a foam roller to help with muscle pain, inflammation, and range of motion.

We also talked about having the right shoes. With a trend to thicker more cushioned soles providing relief against constant impact, Dave suggested it might be helpful to also train in softer shoes that allow you to listen to your body a bit more and feel what the impact of your stride is doing. While Rich learned to change his stride from heel-strike to mid-sole, Dave explained that it isn't necessary to completely change your running style, but try to improve things iteratively.

Wrap up

Thank you to everyone who came to the evening, we really enjoyed the experience. We wrapped up with a tour of the workshop and talking through our run and swim collection. All guests were given a little goodie bag with our newest stickers and coin purse.

We were also joined by one of our Hackney Half competition winners, who won a place at the sold-out Hackney Half marathon courtesy of Camino Ultra, and a personalised race kit from Usual Objections. Olivia picked out her race vest and shorts which we will customise with gel loops and printed using our mallow watercolour pattern, as well as add her name on the front - perfect for a shout-out from race spectators, guaranteed to make you run with a smile.