Liz Yelling - Training Zone

Liz Yelling knows a thing or two about running marathons. Having spent the best part of a decade competing in long distance events she has demonstrated the commitment and desire needed to run the agonising 26.2 miles. The 35-year-old has twice competed at the Olympics and also won the bronze medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia.

“It’s incredibly difficult to describe what people need in order to complete such a hard event. Dedication, commitment and desire are the first things that come to mind,” explains Liz. “I also think you need a certain amount of single mindedness as making yourself get up and train on a miserable day can be tough.”

The level of dedication shown by the Poole based long distance runner in training for major competitions led her to cover an astonishing 115 miles per week. This is a daunting task for any day-to-day runner but this hard work enabled Liz to set a personal best of 2:28:33 at the London Marathon in 2008. To put this achievement into perspective the average time for a female runner is 5 hours and 10 minutes.

A week of training in the build up to a major event requires Liz to train twice a day, six times a week. “In peak training I run over a hundred miles a week with one rest day. I tend to run twice a day five times a week but each run is different. Some days it will be an eight and a six mile run whereas the next day could be a 19 mile varied pace session.

“I tend to have a 12 week focus period and during that time I increase the mileage and the pace to make it specific to a marathon, but you can only really do that hardcore training for a limited period of time. I will also do plenty of strength training which will involve taking on a route that has plenty of steep climbs and hills.”

The physical conditioning gets the body ready for the challenge but the mental aspect is just as important. “You have definitely got to be able to train the mind to be able to deal with the distance and the time that you are on your feet for. It’s an awful long time to occupy the mind and stay focused. The aim is to avoid ‘hitting the wall’ and making sure that you get your pacing right. A lot of people talk about the proverbial wall, which is effectively when you run out of energy, but this can be avoided by fuelling yourself properly.”

It is every runner’s nightmare to reach the stage when you cannot push the body any further, which is why diet and nutrition is such a major issue. “Making sure you eat straight after running is really important as it helps start the recovery process straight away. This is definitely something that I struggled with when I was young and inexperienced. However, I quickly realised that if I was going to be training so hard I needed to refuel the body as quickly as possible.

“I am burning hundreds of calories each time I train so I need to take on board plenty of carbohydrates. I try and make meals from scratch using lots of vegetables as I have to steer clear of any processed foods, so I can’t have any treats such as chocolates or crisps. Sometimes it can be hard to avoid really nice puddings and cakes but then if I did eat them I know I wouldn’t perform as well.”

Like many runners, Liz feels as though she has improved with age. Having competed in marathons around the world she has learned that her pacing is one of the most important factors. “I used to train hard all the time. Every run I would try and make it count as I thought that training harder was better. Then when the volume went up I kept breaking down, so I had to start looking at how I could recover properly. I know it might sound a bit crazy, but I had to learn how to run easy,”

Learning how to run easy and at the right pace is also the advice that Liz offers to any budding runner. “I think the best thing is to simply go slow and make sure you can run the distance. Then as you get stronger you can increase the time and the pace. I think the mistake a lot of first time runners make is that they try and run too fast, too soon and they end up in a puffed heap on the floor. It’s about being gentle to begin with and building a solid foundation for longer distances.”

Having given birth to her first daughter, Ruby in late 2009, Liz shows no sign of slowing down. “I am back into serious training and will be taking part in the Chicago marathon later this year,” concludes the proud mother. With her training back in full swing there is no reason why this dedicated athlete cannot become a three-time Olympian at the London Games in 2012.

Liz Yelling is one of Lucozade Sport’s ambassadors. For more information on taking on the Virgin London marathon visit www.lucozade.com/vlm���