Debbie Discusses Her Passion For Competing In Road Runs And Marathons

Starting running later in life was something I never would have thought I’d be doing and it sparked my desire to learn sports therapy. It's definitely something I’m proud of and I’ve gone on to love both running and my massage therapy job with a passion.

I’m a road runner at heart, with marathons being my current favourite distance – my dream is to run all six (soon to be seven!) World Major Marathons. I’m ‘half way through’ with London, Berlin and Chicago in the bag. I was due to run Boston last year, after gaining a qualifying time, but due to injury I unfortunately couldn’t make it. With no option to defer, I’ll just have to try and get another qualifying time this year!

So, what’s a typical training week for me?

As I get older it’s more important for me to focus on the strength and conditioning side of my training to help reduce the risk of injuries and keep my muscles and joints in the best condition I can.

A lot of the running injuries I see in the clinic can be attributed to weakness In the muscles causing gait issues when running. So, I complete strength and conditioning sessions at least four times a week - focusing on my arms, legs, core and balance.

These days, I run five times a week. It used to be six, but to help reduce impact on my joints, I have replaced one of the days with cross-training so I do a bike or rowing session.

My runs, depending on what I’m training for, generally consist of two easy runs, an interval session, tempo session and a long run. My weekly mileage can be anything from 35 -100 miles depending where I am in my training cycle.

Rest and recovery is equally as important, as is sleep – an area I definitely need to improve on! I often see injuries in clinics related to over training or increasing loads too quickly. So I ensure I have one full day off a week. I also train to my heart rate which has brought my running on significantly. This helps me to adjust my training according to how my body is recovering. If I'm tired, ill or over training this can clearly be seen in my heart rate and I can adjust my programme and efforts accordingly.

I start every session with a good warm up. Again, as I get older, I find these really help to prepare my body before I run. The time spent warming up varies depending on the session. For easy and long runs they last about 15 - 20 minutes with lots of dynamic stretches and active moving. For more intense sessions they may last between 30-40 minutes, consisting of dynamic stretches and drills.

At the end of every run I spend time cooling down. If I’m running outside, I always plan a route that allows me to finish approximately a kilometre from home so I can walk back (it just so happens I live at the top of a big hill!) so a nice cool down to bring the heat rate down finishes with some static stretches and gentle foam rolling afterwards – not forgetting a warm shower finished with a blast of ice cold water!

Following my injury last year, I had a very long recovery to make sure everything was repaired well. I took the time to slow down a little and try something a bit different by completing a Trail Ultra around the Hope Valley, to support my friend Jim in his training for this year's Winter Spine race. Well, all I’ll say is I have a completely different respect for these trail, hill and fell runners! (and am also in awe of Katie's fell-running achievements!) The views were amazing and it was nice to be running at a pace where I could take time to enjoy them. I'm normally pounding the tarmac looking ahead or focusing on my pace, completely oblivious to my surroundings!) It was a novelty eating so many snacks, brownies and roast potatoes at the check points rather than grabbing a cup of water and swallowing down gels.

And the kit layout was a whole new experience! I normally have a pair of shorts, vest, trainers and socks but I needed extra everything!

As much as I enjoyed it, the training was very different. I’ll leave that one for Katie to explain. The day was incredibly long, cold, wet and windy and I was desperate for a massage afterwards to ease my muscles that were totally in shock from the elevations, declines and length of time I was using them.

So, I’m more than happy to get back on the tarmac and concentrate on getting round the course as quickly as I can, although the speed of some of the trail runners over that terrain was incredible!

This April, I’m really hoping to complete the London Marathon again. I am at a good age but I’m still recovering from my injury, so I’m having regular treatments with the physios here at Activ and regular sports massages from Katie to support me in getting my body in the best condition to be able to compete again.

If you would like to book in with Debbie, call our team at Totley on 0114 235 2727.