Whizz-Kidz September training day

I really enjoyed the training day that Whizz-Kidz organised last Saturday. It was held at the University of Greenwich buildings near the Cutty Sark - which I went to gawp at because I arrived too early!

After wondering around lost for a bit and peering at the campus map, I came across someone in running gear who was also running for Whizz-Kidz and thankfully had more of an idea where we needed to be. 

The events team were so organised and friendly - they had bought our training vests along for us to take (which I wore with pride - see below!) and had some goodies such as bananas, cereal bars and coconut water - which was ideal as I'm obsessed with it! I had to reign myself in from asking Coach Phil a million questions about my dodgy knee, and we all sat in a classroom to listen to the talks.

It was useful to hear from Stacey, who has done a lot of fundraising and events for Whizz-Kidz in the past, including the London Marathon. She have some good tips on what works fundraising wise, and how to train smartly. Just listening to her describing the race gave me goosebumps - I can't wait to experience that feeling. And hopefully cross the finish line with my legs still intact...

We also heard from a beautiful little girl called Grace, who has severe cerebral palsy. Whizz-Kidz have provided her with a motorised wheelchair which has given her so much more freedom and independence. She was so happy and cheeky, and it was humbling to think that fundraising such as mine could help children like her.

We also listened to a great talk from Coach Phil - about everything from nutrition to training and recovery. I think it's so brilliant that Whizz-Kidz offer Phil to their runners - he really is invaluable and so knowledgeable. It was great to get the tips in early, and hopefully it will help us all avoid injury. The main things I took away were to keep stretching, foam rolling and strengthening exercises, to make a training plan, and to look more into nutrition and hydration. He mentioned about mixing training up a bit with temp runs - where you run at a faster pace than you normally would for the duration of your run. I tried this on Tuesday....it hurt!! But I can definitely see the benefits of this type of training.

The last part of our training day was to have a group run round Greenwich park. The route was 1.5 mile laps, and we could choose the number that we completed. Unfortunately the first part was a rather painful long incline (the same one that left me half dead at mile 12 of Run to the Beat I might add) and also unfortunately, I am too competitive for my own good! I did 3 laps and attempted to out sprint someone at the end. Then felt a bit silly as he clearly wasn't racing! Coach Phil suggested I foam roll my hips as well as leg muscles, which seems to be relieving tension. I'm trying to foam roll twice a day.

Thank you so much to the events team for organising a brilliant day. They were all lovely, and made the effort to get to know us and be really helpful. It was really good to meet some of the people who I will be fundraising and running alongside for the London Marathon.

The team before the run!