Who Did What At The Edinburgh Marathon Festival

Edinburgh Marathon Festival 2017

Last Sunday, May 28th 2017, saw people from all over the country descend on the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, to challenge themselves with one of the original modern olympic events, the Marathon.

I would like to give a couple shout outs to clients and friends who ran the Edinburgh Half and Full Marathon in some pretty warm and humid conditions. Just when you think running 13.1 miles and 26.2 miles respectively was not enough they had to combat the heat and the humidity to get over the finish line.

The first shout out goes to my client Steven who signed up to do personal training with me roughly 6 months ago. He came to me with the goal of finishing the half marathon with an elite time - 1:20 or less. This as you can imagine excited the hell out of me. I could see in his eyes from the first time chatting with him this was no joke and the next 6 months unleashed some outstanding milestones.

Together, we focused on building up his running strength, I came up with a running plan and I focused on his diet, three things that not only had a positive impact on Steven but the three pillars to every training programme I build for clients. He was extremely committed to his training sessions and worked his ass off outside of his PT sessions in an attempt to achieve his goal.

As the months passed, his strength was increasing at an amazing rate, from a guy who had never squatted in his life or lifted any of the big three compound lifts for that matter, Steven was hitting very impressive strength numbers; a personal best for squatting 80kg, deadlifting 100kg and benching 70kg.

In the run up to the event, the programme was tailored as the taper began. His final measurements were taken and over the 6 months he lost a very impressive 9.53 kilograms, (1.5stone). He decreased his body fat from 21% to 13% and got his running time down to 5:30minute miles. Everything was falling into place nicely and together we had done everything possible to make sure he was race ready.

However, this time unfortunately it wasn't to be. Not long into the run he suffered a hamstring strain and severe stomach cramps which hindered his results, but, he still crossed the line in a very impressive 1:34. In classic Steven fashion he has signed himself up to the next available half marathon which is in Glasgow with the goal of finishing this one in elite time.

I have no doubt that with the right recovery from the Edinburgh Half he will achieve his goals as he now has a point to prove to himself.

My second shout out goes to my client Alan. He has been training with me for a little over a month now and he was also running the half marathon.

This year, Alan decided he and a couple mates would run the half marathon to help raise money for Breast Cancer Ireland, which in my opinion is a fantastic way to raise money for a charity. Although, the main focus on his training hasn't been the half marathon itself. I have incorporated a variety of exercises to make sure he was getting stronger for the run. Strength training should be the main focus for anyone who is looking to become better at running. Don't start running to workout, workout so that you can start running.

I am excited to see where the next few months take Alan in regards to his training, he's always highly motivated during his sessions and always gives 100%, I can't ask more than that from a client. If you are a supporter of any breast cancer charities and would like to donate to his cause here's the link to do so - ​http://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/EricAndAlan

My final shout out goes to Anna and Emily for completing the half marathon on Sunday. These girls are not clients of mine, just good friend. It's been great to see and hear about their journey on the run up to the the event and it didn't always go to plan. Over the months of training, both picked up various injuries along the way. I'm sure there were times where they didn't want to do the run but and their strong minds before hand and their determination on the day got through over the finish line. So a massive congratulations to you both for an amazing achievement. Well done.

What Next...

Please send me an email at calumn(at)cdfitness(dot)co(dot)uk if you have been inspired by these great people and you would like to consider a running event for your next fitness goal.

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