Inspiration Archives -

Emma Pallant’s top tips to run stronger

From building the foundations to developing strength and increasing intensity, get ready to combine the tools you need to run stronger. In partnership with Digme Fitness, check out HOKA athlete Emma Pallant’s top tips below. You’ll be stronger, conditioned and ready to test your limits.

Running is very much like dancing…

In terms of rhythm, if you are rigid and stiff, you won’t be able to flow, so mobility is a super key part to your running. Relax and feel the flow, then your mobility work will be able to functionally get involved in your running.

Be alert…

When you’re doing your strength training, if you aren’t thinking about the right movement patterns, then you don’t build those neuromuscular channels. Take time to do your gym training. Do it when you’re fresher and find it easier to concentrate too, then it will be so much more beneficial.

Get the right muscles to work…

The easiest way to get the right muscles to work is to fire them up before you head out. Activation doesn’t take that long, but it can make all the difference to good running form, to prevent injury and increase speed, so invest that little bit of time pre-run to get into good habits.

The best runners run from their hips…

But this means you need really good core engagement. Injuries mainly come from overloading the lower limbs, so combine a good strong core with good muscle protection over the legs, then you can spend more time running.

Get out of the grey…

The ‘grey zone’ of training is that uncomfortable pace that people do so much of their training in, but where the real benefits don’t lie. The real benefits come from the balance of running easy and hard. The really nice, easy runs help you get into good habits, which then allows you to do the super-hard key sessions to the best of your ability, unlocking the speed that will keep pushing up your VO2 max.

Run your easy runs easy and focus on efficiency…

The more efficient your style, the less energy you waste, the faster you go and the more fun you have. So really slow things down and feel your running when you run easy. Check for dead spots and eliminate any areas throwing you out of pattern.

Take intensity to the next level…

Now the fun begins. When you are well conditioned, you can let loose and start to love the pain. Learn to embrace and teach your body to hold a hard rhythm and pattern when it is hurting the most. Intensity is a lot about breathing out the pain and being strong in the mind.

Test your limits…

The deep, dark place in training is the place of growth. Now you can find your limits, record them and keep coming back to challenge them. Sometimes you will win, sometimes you will lose, but never give up. Failure is only quitting. Not getting through a current limit just means you have to come back and try again.

Photo credit: @thatcameraman and Activ’Images

Time to get together at our elite athlete weekend

It was a case of sun, sea and all things HOKA ONE ONE last weekend as more than 50 of our elite athletes came together at our annual training camp in Mallorca.

Our annual HOKA elite athlete weekend is the one opportunity in the year when our athletes from across road, trail and triathlon can come together to learn more about the brand and each other.

Hotel Viva Blue on the north-east coast of the Balearic Island was the choice of venue for the third year in a row as the HOKA family took advantage of familiar trails, good weather and fantastic opportunities to train.

The weekend kicked off with a group run by the lake, with trail specialist Marie Perrier leading the way alongside HOKA legend Ludo Pommeret and German marathoner Frank Schauer.

Our athletes learned more about Time To and the inspiring stories behind the people featured, including Sam Holness and Sophie Power. As well as learning about the patented elements that go into every shoe we build, the entire team was introduced to the latest HOKA products and exciting innovations.

New athletes, including triathletes Anne Reischmann, Thomas Davis and Elliot Smales, were exposed to the story behind HOKA ONE ONE. They heard how radical change often comes about in trying to solve a simple problem – and how redesigning a shoe that helps an athlete tackle 100 miles in challenging conditions can actually help all runners perform.

Breaking out of the classroom – and on to the track. Some of our athletes, including Manon Genet, Arnaud Guilloux and Lucie Lerebourg, headed down to the local track on Saturday afternoon to put in the kilometres before settling down to watch the US Olympic Marathon Trials and HOKA NAZ Elite athlete Aliphine Tuliamuk’s success.

Teamwork makes the HOKA dream work. It’s Time to Fly.

Photo credit: James Poole

Yvonne bids farewell to long distance triathlon

HOKA athlete Yvonne van Vlerken bid farewell to the world of long distance triathlon last weekend after an illustrious career. With a record 17 sub-9-hour long distance triathlons under her belt, silver from the 2008 IRONMAN World Championship and friends and memories she wouldn’t change for the world, Yvonne reflects on her long distance career after signing off with victory at Challenge Almere on Saturday.

Long distance racing, you have been my everything for the past 20 years, ever since I first saw those heroes racing Challenge Almere two decades ago.

My dreams of triathlon, and especially long distance racing, all started in the Netherlands. I looked up to the stars from back then, like Cora Vlot and Bert Flier, and decided that long distance racing is what I wanted to do too.

I then started chasing my dreams of becoming a little star in this crazy sport.

Early years

I had a great relationship with my first coach, Frank Senders, and today until I rest my head, I will be forever grateful for what an amazing job he did with me in those first eight years of my career. These years set me up for a beautiful career in long distance racing.

Every single year, I would ask Frank if I was ready yet to do my first long distance race, and every single year I got the same answer.

“No, Yvonne, you are not.”

In 2007, finally, I received the answer I wanted to hear. I raced my first long distance race at Challenge Roth in 2007 – and won. I was more than ready and so hungry to see what I could do. Almere followed two months later and the rest, well, is history.

Final chapter

Last weekend I raced my 45th long distance event and with that, this story and this chapter in my life has come to an end.

It’s hard to put into words what this sport and in particular long distance racing has given me. It has changed me as an athlete and as a human being. Each of the IRONMAN or Challenge races I have done has their own story, each has been a result of hard work and determination.

It hasn’t been all glory, it wasn’t easy by all means. I have suffered horribly as everybody does in this sport and over this distance. I’ve pushed my body over and over again, but I’ve always raced clever.

Words of advice

I never won with huge leads as I wouldn’t go all-out if it wasn’t necessary. This is one of the many reason that my career has been so long, so stable and so successful.

It doesn’t matter if you win with 1 minute or with 20 minutes, it is all soon forgotten and the only thing that matters in the end is who won.

I think I did a good job and couldn’t be prouder of what I’ve accomplished. But all good things have an end and, for me, it’s time to close this chapter.

I know I could keep up this level for some more years and win some more races, get some more sub 9s, but it’s time to say thank you to my body, to heal and to pamper her.

I decided to have my final, farewell race at Challenge Almere in the Netherlands, where it all began. It feels good, a dream came true to be able to deliver on race day, and leaves me at peace.

Photo credit: Eagle Fotografie

HOKA athletes face test of strength and endurance

“I was worried about whether I would be able to handle the demands of the course,” says Jenny. “But that’s the great thing about cross country, it is unpredictable. I told myself that everyone else would be thinking the same thing, and that it was the World Cross Country Championships, it was supposed to be hard!”

One week on and HOKA ONE ONE athletes, Jenny Nesbitt and Adam Hickey, are still very much feeling the effects of one of the most “brutal” cross country races they have both ever competed in.

Described by some as the “greatest footrace in the world”, the World Cross Country Championship is a biennial event that gathers the best distance runners in the world. It’s an occasion steeped in history and occupies a unique place in the hearts and minds of grassroots fans and distance runners.

And the race in Aarhus, Denmark exactly one week ago certainly lived up to the billing.

Living up to the hype

Much of the talk in the lead up to the race was about the course. The two-kilometre loop, completed five times by both the senior men and women, featured a cheering tent, ‘Viking Zone’, sand pit and rooftop running. It was innovative and different.

It was also “extremely undulating” according to Adam, and started with a 400m hill. Paths covered in sand sapped energy from tired legs. Long climbs and steep descents hammered the legs and exhausted the mind. There was little respite.

“The biggest takeaway from the whole experience is, without a doubt, the pain in my legs,” laughs Adam, who goes on to describe the Clifton 5 as a “godsend” in his recovery runs since.

“I didn’t really appreciate just how steep the hill up to the roof of the museum was or just how relentless the course would be,” says Jenny, who raced in the Evo XC Spike and finished 34^th overall. She was also part of the Great Britain team who finished a creditable fourth.

“I don’t think there will ever be a race like it again. I certainly wanted to get the opportunity to be able to say I had been there and done it!”

True test of strength and endurance

Both Jenny and Adam earned the chance to test themselves against some of the very best distance runners in the world by winning the UK trial event last month.

It was Jenny’s first time at the World Cross Country Championships. For 30-year-old Adam, it was his fourth appearance, having competed as a junior between 2005 and 2007. The road to his first senior outing, though, didn’t run smoothly.

Starting almost from scratch at the beginning of January after an ankle injury last autumn, Adam has gone from local county champion to 51^st in the world in just twelve weeks.

With the race more an ambition than an expectation at the start of the year, the firefighter and father-of-two cut short a family holiday with his wife Katie, two young sons Leo and Beau, and his parents to join up with the Great Britain team in Denmark last Friday.

Rubbing shoulders with the elite

For the first time at the World Cross Country Championships, club runners also had the opportunity to run alongside their heroes and be part of the event. One of those was HOKA ONE ONE field support representative, Joe Wade.

Joe (pictured below with HOKA NAZ Elite athlete Steph Bruce) was gifted a sub-elite place in the main race as a 30th birthday present from his twin brother, Tom.

So, how does Joe’s World Cross Country Championship experience compare to Jenny and Adam?

“Pure fun!” he enthuses. “Running in such a high-profile race without any pressure, rubbing shoulders with that calibre of athlete, was unforgettable.

“The course was something special, and the involvement of Mikkeller brought a real party feel to the whole thing.

“The organisers made everyone really feel part of it all and, for me, just having the opportunity to run was special.”

Photo credit: Emmie Collinge/Phil Gale and Joe Wade

Marathon man training in the home of champions

German international and HOKA elite athlete, Frank Schauer, has been training at high altitude in Iten, Kenya in preparation for a spring marathon. Find out what training Frank has been up to over the last few weeks, what it’s like to train at altitude and why it is such an inspiring environment.

It’s the third time that I’ve been to Iten, Kenya as part of my marathon preparation. Iten is the stronghold of running. You see hundreds of Kenyans as well as athletes from all over the world training here every day. Among them are Olympic medallists, world champions and national record holders. It’s a very inspiring environment.

I choose to come to Iten as it is at high altitude, around 2,400m above sea level. It’s a great place to build the aerobic base for the marathon. There are not many places in the world where you can train at this altitude. It’s also very tough terrain but the environment is varied. It’s hilly and is filled with difficult trails. Back home in Magdeburg, Germany, I run a lot of my kilometres on the streets and the only climbs are bridges!

I’m in Kenya with some of the best marathon runners from Germany and sometimes we train with marathon runners from Switzerland too. My day starts at 6:00am. Usually, we start training around 7:00am, depending on which workout is planned. We train for around two hours, then at 10am, I have some breakfast and afterwards take a nap. Lunchtime is around 12:30pm. I then go to get a massage before training starts again at 4:30pm. At 7:00pm, we’ll have dinner at the hotel restaurant before having a chat and playing some cards. I tend to go to bed around 10:00pm.

I’m doing a lot of ground work in Kenya, running between 200-230km every week. There haven’t been any special workouts, although tomorrow morning I will go on the track to do intervals. The workout is: 8x1000m (faster) alternating with 7x1000m (slightly easier). I’ll aim to run the faster ones at 3.15/km and the slower, recovery ones between 3.50-4.00/km. Last week I did it in 3:18s and 4:05s. Now I have to go a bit faster.

It’s tough to do the quality workouts on a dirt track. The ground isn’t even and it has stones and potholes. You have to concentrate on how you set your foot the whole time, and get more tired because of it. I have never felt very good while training at such high altitude. But I know that I am getting some good work done – and usually it has paid off in the end.

In my downtime here, I don’t do much besides sleeping. Training is hard and there is not too much to do. Sometimes I just enjoy the view. It’s good to concentrate, but sometimes it can get a bit boring. Some athletes have problems with their stomach because of the different food and lower hygiene standards than we’re used to in Europe. If you are in Europe, you can’t believe how good it is for us and how fortunate we are in comparison.

The kids are so inspiring in Kenya. They come running with you if you pass them and they are happy. Every kid asks “how are you?”. It is a bit annoying after a while, but also adorable. Even if you run past their home, the children run to the fence and ask you. I think that must be the first sentence they learn in English at school. Sometimes they also just call us “Mzungo”, which means “white men”. Truly, Kenya is another world.

Photo credits: Frank Schauer