fitness 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

Meeting the night head on at exclusive Fly at Night launch

For one night only, HOKA ONE ONE took over the premium KXU Gym in the heart of west London for an exclusive event to celebrate the launch of the new Fly at Night Collection.

The night started with HOKA co-founder Nico Mermoud sharing the story behind the brand. From the over-sized prototype built to help people run faster on the mountains to the stylish and responsive Fly at Night Collection fit for the road, gym and everywhere in between. It’s been quite an evolution.

HOKA athletes Jenny Nesbitt and Adam Hickey were on hand to share some insight into the life of a HOKA elite athlete. They also told us what flying in HOKA means to them and explained more about the unique features of the Fly at Night Collection.

Jenny, who runs 90 miles a week, every day of the week, often twice a day, says: “When I first saw the HOKA shoe, I thought, ‘Wow that’s a big shoe!’ Only when I held the shoe and put it on did I discover how lightweight it was. The Fly at Night Cavu offers me the sort of support and responsiveness I didn’t feel I was getting with other brands. It also looks super cool.”

Adam, English national cross country champion and father of two, says: “I’m a firefighter as well as a HOKA athlete, so often do twelve-hour shifts before I even get to go running. My legs are exhausted before I get started! The Fly at Night Mach has the perfect level of cushioning and lightness – and has certainly helped keep me running consistently.”

Specially designed for running at night, the Fly at Night Mach features black reflective logos, a reflective heel tab on the lightweight upper, and a reflective midsole. It is a versatile running shoe with a bold, black as night look designed to help you meet the night head on.

Made for those who run but don’t just run, the Fly at Night Cavu isn’t just built for the outdoors – as the evening’s HIIT and Run sessions proved. The Cavu features our much lauded “intelligent” PROFLY cushioning. Softer in the heel for shock absorption and firmer in the forefoot for propulsion and energy return – the perfect ammunition for a workout that involved dumbbells as much as it did treadmills.

Everybody was put through their paces as they got the chance to put the Fly at Night Collection to the test. The results?

Kieran, freelance writer and HOKA convert, says: “It was fantastic to be among the first to put the new Fly at Night series to the test at probably the swankiest gym I’ve ever been to. But once we hit the floor and the treadmills for the HIIT & Run sessions, it was more sweat than glamour. With a mix of strength and condition and hill sprints, it really gave us and the shoes a thorough workout!”

Isaac, exhausted journalist and HOKA fan, says: “I thoroughly enjoyed putting the Mach and Cavu Fly at Night through their paces. Both shoes are impressively lightweight, but manage to combine that with HOKA’s trademark cushioning, which makes for a winning formula. The class itself was great, in the sense that it was absolutely knackering!”

Find out more about the Fly at Night Collection

Hit the trail with Charlie Watson

No matter where you are, there are new paths to run and trails to discover. Join Charlie as she takes us for a run along her favourite trail route in Henley-on-Thames, UK.

I have been an avid runner ever since completing my first marathon in London in 2012. I’m not a natural runner, in fact I have to work really, really hard, but I truly believe that anyone can run a marathon if they want. And I’m proof of that. I’ve run hundreds of miles running new trails and new races across the globe since.

My goal is to champion the journey to a healthy, more active life where honest fitness and food makes wellbeing more accessible to all. You can read more about my goal on my Runner Beans blog, which aims to pace the way to healthy without missing out on any of the fun.

My favourite way to explore new areas

When I train for a marathon, I often run 5-6 days a week, most of which are done in the early morning and so require an easy running route straight out of my front door. I ran hundreds of miles this winter on the only lit two-mile route near my house, which was the one safe place to run in the dark.

On the weekends, I was craving some excitement and a different challenge to my runs, so I’d run further afield. I’d drive to new trails and sign up for races across the country to add some variety to my training. Changing up the scenery gave my training that boost in both motivation and inspiration. It also ensured I actually took in my surroundings rather than just focusing on my pace and breathing. Plus, running is always my favourite way to explore a new area.

Running along the River Thames

I love this run as along the River Thames – it makes me so happy running alongside the water. It helps me feel calm, eases any mental stresses and the route is usually pretty flat. It’s an out-and-back run in a loop because of the lack of bridges to cross the river in Henley, however I don’t mind. It helps knowing that you only have to cover what you’ve already run.

“Changing up the scenery gave my training that boost in both motivation and inspiration.” Charlie Watson

In the early mornings and even on the bleakest of days in mid-winter, there are always other runners out there and rowers on the river, and I love feeling like part of this secret club that works out no matter the weather.

Perfect for any terrain

My run covers a lot of terrains, from road, to path, to trail and grass – and often a lot of mud when it’s wet. My shoes have to stand up to all the demands I put on them, which the Speedgoat 2 were able to do with no problem.

They provide support and comfort over undulating terrain, and I was especially appreciative of the thick sole when running over cobbles, shingles and exposed tree roots. Despite looking chunky, they are very lightweight, perfect for packing in your bag for holidays, mini breaks or when you want to explore a little closer to home.

Learn more about the SPEEDGOAT 2 SHOES Charlie wears.