Mindful Running

Run further, run faster, run happier

Mindful Running coaching for runners of all abilities

Specialising in women who are new to running

Mindful Running will:

1 Increase your confidence

2 Decrease running related anxiety

3 Lose weight and start a sustainable exercise routine

4 Increase your focus, your speed and your endurance

What is mindful running?

So firstly what is mindfulness and how can you apply it to running?

Mindfulness is about knowing what your mind is doing from moment to moment and being able to manage it so that it works more effectively for you. If you can increase your focus through practising meditation and mindfulness techniques, this will improve your performance in whatever area you want to apply it. That could be at work, at home or in your running.

The brain plays a vital role in our running right from the point where you make the decision to put your trainers on and get out. Mindful running will enable you to improve your speed and endurance as well as manage the barriers that are getting in your way. These could include anxiety, self criticism, lack of motivation, a tendency to give up and walk, maybe just the challenge of getting your kit on and getting out of the front door -  whatever is relevant to you. This can help you to realise your potential, or just make running a bit more enjoyable.

I will teach you about mindfulness and meditation and show you how to apply these to your running. We will discuss what is relevant to you and what you are looking to achieve and I will teach you the techniques to help you get there. The first part of the session will be seated to discuss your aims and goals and then I will do a guided meditation and run with you.

Mindful running is learning how to apply mindfulness to your running. One to one sessions allow you to set your own goals. Mindfulness has been scientifically proven to increase your focus and decrease stress and anxiety. Mindfulness will help you to remove self doubt and self judgement. In releasing the pressure, running becomes more fun and more enjoyable. When we enjoy something we tend to do it more often. 

Who is mindful running for? Mindful running coaching is beneficial to anyone at any level of ability or experience. Beginner runners are using mindfulness to make running more manageable. The elite athletes are using mindfulness to improve their performance. Whatever your level, or your goal, mindfulness can help you to get more out of running, and out of life. I particularly enjoy working with ladies who are new to running and who hesitate to define themselves as runners. Being able to increase your confidence can work wonders for your running and the rest of your life.

Mindful running will help you to run further, run faster and run happier. 

Contact me for mindful running sessions online and in person

Contact me for a free session to chat about how this could work for you contact@pennymetcalf.com

This is available to everyone regardless of ability, in running or meditating. These sessions will help you with both. 

Providing training for individuals and workspaces in Hook, Basingstoke, Reading, Woking, Farnham, Farnborough, London, Hampshire, Surrey, Berkshire, across the UK, USA and online.

What can mindful running coaching do for you? 

This is one example of how mindful running coaching helped someone to turn their life around.

I met Wendy in October, and in less than a year she has lost 20 kilos and increased her running speeds and distances way beyond our original goals. So what is mindful running coaching and how does it help?

Firstly we talked about what she wanted to change and where she wanted to be and made some goals that she planned to achieve before the end of the year. This was mainly around being able to run 5 K without stopping to walk. 

The Statistics:
Weight Loss: 20 kilos
Running Faster: 5 k times from 36 minutes to sub 30.
Running Further: From under 5 k to over 15 k. 

Once we had some goals, we started to work towards them, here is her story…

Mindful Eating:

We talked about her diet and nutrition and I introduced her to mindful eating. With two small children and a busy job, food choices were sometimes made at the last minute and based on what was available immediately, like what was left at 2 pm in the work canteen. We have all been there. With some small changes in planning and organisation we ensured that there were healthier choices available at all times.

“I hear your ‘you eat what you buy’ mantra when I’m shopping”

Mindful eating can change how you eat because it makes you more aware of your choices, so you act with a clearer intention. It doesn’t ban any foods. It allows you to enjoy chocolate. If you give your whole focus to a small amount of chocolate you find that you don’t need to eat as much. 

“When I see chocolate I see it by pieces not by whole bars - we maybe have 1 or 3 dairy milk cubes if we’re treating ourselves”

These are small and simple changes that bring about a powerful overall change.

“I hardly ever mindlessly eat now - I make sure I eat mindfully, especially the treats”

Mindfulness is about knowing where your focus is and being able to consciously respond to what is going around you whether that is work stress, self doubt, or food cravings. Mindful eating was the start of Wendy making conscious decisions about what she ate. She is a very busy working mum with many friends and a busy social life, but she found that making small shifts in her weekly organisation could enable her to make healthier food choices. This sort of healthy eating is manageable and sustainable so the weight you lose stays off.

Mindful Running:

We ran together about once every one or two weeks around her work schedule and family commitments. The two important aspects of this was to manage the pace and to make running a habit. Setting off a bit too fast meant running out of steam too early. We went back to basics and ran one mile consistently. Then one and a half and then two until we hit the 5 K goal. These sessions also made running part of Wendy’s everyday life.

We practiced running past the front door! Sounds simple but it can just help with adding on small distances. And then we went further than 5 K so that the race distance became more manageable. 

“I try to run over my target so I know I can achieve it when readying for a distance”

I taught her meditation and how to put it into practice while running. We focussed on checking in on her level of effort to make the pace sustainable. We discussed mindful strategies for the hard times, running hills, running further and running faster. She practiced on her own and checked in with me on her progress.

“Focusing in on my running, my heel tread, my feelings have made a massive difference to running”

Mindful Living

We made the goals realistic and achievable, and made them easy to work around small children and working irregular hours. Everyone gets too ill, too tired or caught up in home or family life. Mindfulness teaches you not to beat yourself up and not to give up. Talking more kindly to yourself can help you to achieve more. 

“I don’t beat myself up if I have an off day”

Mindfulness is about being aware of what is going on inside your mind and being able to manage it better. We all struggle with changing old habits, both in our behaviour and our thinking. Small changes in how we think can have a powerful effect on how we act. 

This can help with every aspect of life from managing change and stress to improving your health and fitness levels. It is up to you where you choose to apply it, but where you do apply it, you will see an improvement in both your performance and your wellbeing. This is what helps you to realise your potential.

“Consciously making choices in all aspects of my life has been great... understanding what I’m doing and why, and choosing to do it”

Contact me for a free session to chat about how this could work for you contact@pennymetcalf.com

In Wendy’s words:

“In Sep 2018 I decided I needed to make some changes - I have two beautiful children (my youngest was 5 months) and I wanted to be there to share and actively participate in as many of their adventures that I am able to and for as long as they’ll have me. With this in mind I signed up to the Hook Runners ABC (C25K) programme, recognising that I had limited pockets of time to work on my fitness and that running is a great way to exercise anywhere - all you need is trainers right? So, I completed my course, made some great friends along the way and realised that I actually quite liked running. BUT I was coasting - I wasn’t really pushing myself and whilst I was getting fitter I wasn’t really making a dent in the weight I had gained over the past few years. With this in mind I started experimenting with running a bit harder, eating a bit healthier, and drinking a bit less... I did this for a couple of months and started to see the effects. After losing a few pre-look-at-the-scale kilograms (I knew I had gained lots of weight and was a bit scared to jump on the scales) I weighed myself on the 12th October 2019 and set myself a challenge! My challenge was simple, challenge myself when running, drink less (I barely drank over Christmas), eat within my calorie target each day and make conscious decisions about how I was looking  after myself. 

I also started working with a coach to help me with my focus and channelling my energy. I was feeling fitter, I hadn’t cut anything out completely, and I was starting to see a difference. So I kept it up. And I’m still keeping it up, with some fabulous coaching along the way, and I’m loving the results - I have more energy, less stress (and that’s saying something with two under-5’s), sleep better, eat more healthily, feel healthier... and I’ve lost 20kg! That’s over 3 stone! And I feel great. It’s not so much the weight that makes me feel great -  it is a brilliant achievement - it’s more the lifestyle, the healthiness and the feeling that I’ve (hopefully) added years to my active life without really cutting anything out. If I don’t feel like running I walk the same distance, if I fancy a glass of wine I eat a bit less that day and drink more water, and if I fancy a food treat or a day off exercise I don’t beat myself up - I try to balance the maths in the day or the days either side... the key thing is I choose, proactively, I plan ahead and I have developed good, sustainable habits. My children also watch and love to join in with my running and cycling and they see exercise as a healthy, fun, social activity.

…I was happy before I lost three stone and I have always enjoyed and made the most of life... it just feels like this life might be a bit healthier and who knows some of these changes may have bought me a few extra years with my amazing children and husband - wouldn’t that be wonderful!!“

The Future

The future is physically and mentally stronger and healthier and being passed on to the next generation. 

Wendy said, “I love how much what we do inspires our children”

Contact me for a free session to chat about how this could work for you contact@pennymetcalf.com