{"id":96974,"date":"2025-08-27T19:00:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T19:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/96974\/"},"modified":"2025-08-27T19:00:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T19:00:11","slug":"im-a-top-running-coach-here-are-the-only-10-things-everyone-needs-to-make-running-easier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/96974\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I’m a top running coach, here are the only 10 things everyone needs to make running easier’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kim Clark started running<\/a> in 2012, when she was 29. Within two months, she\u2019d completed her first marathon<\/a> and has since gone on to run another 18, taking almost three hours off her first finish time at six hours and eight minutes, to three hours and 11 minutes. <\/p>\n

But like most runners, her journey hasn\u2019t been linear \u2013 there have been injuries and burnout, but through trial and error, she\u2019s cemented a sustainable training approach that guarantees results. Now, she coaches other runners on her platform, Track Club Babe<\/a> \u2013 here, she shares the ten tips that have transformed both her and her clients’ running. <\/p>\n

1.’You’re probably not taking in enough carbs before a race. Carb loading pre-race is a game-changer. I aim for 3 days of 450-500 grams of carbs. Start tracking your carbs before the race to make sure you’re taking in enough.’<\/p>\n

What to Read Next<\/p>\n

2. ‘Use heart rate for easy runs to confirm you’re not overdoing it. Easy runs should be at 60-75% of your max heart rate. If you’re consistently going higher than that, you’re sabotaging your progress.’<\/p>\n

3. ‘When you’re trying to go faster, instead of straining \u2014 think quicker steps!’<\/p>\n

\"running<\/p>\n

@trackclubbabe\/\/Instagram<\/p>\n

4. ‘Sleep is the single most effective recovery tool. Most endurance runners need 8-10 hours to keep up with the workload.’<\/p>\n

5. ‘Your training plan or even your coach’s plan is a recommendation, but ultimately you have to go by how your body is handling the workload. Only you are in your body and can tell if things are feeling off. Never be afraid to back off and take a rest day, skip a workout or shorten a run. Running is stress + rest = progress. You have to make sure that this is all at the right balance for you.’<\/p>\n

6. ‘Most runners are taking too little fuel during a race. I aim for a gel every 20-25 mins and my gels are around 40g of carbs.’<\/p>\n

7. ‘Long run workouts are the best, and every level can do them. They help you to feel stronger and learn how to close hard. At the beginning of the season, start with just regular easy runs, but once you have command over the distance, you can add in some work into that to practice paces on tired legs.’<\/p>\n

8. ‘Jogging slow between fast intervals helps you recover for your next rep even faster than walking or standing, plus builds better aerobic fitness.’<\/p>\n

9. ‘Strides improve quickness, power and efficiency and can be done at the beginning, middle, or end of any run, any day. This is the secret to speed. And just 4-6 \u00d7 15-20 seconds strides at the end of an easy run will make a big difference.’<\/p>\n

10. ‘In the heat, water ON your skin is as important as drinking it IN. The only reason we drink is to get it to the surface to cool your body. Pouring water on your skin in the heat skips the middleman and cools your body more efficiently than sweat.’<\/p>\n

RELATED STORIES\"Headshot<\/p>\n

As Women\u2019s Health UK\u2019s fitness director (and a qualified yoga teacher), Bridie Wilkins has been passionately reporting on exercise, health and nutrition since the start of her decade-long career in journalism. She secured her first role at Look Magazine, where her obsession with fitness began and she launched the magazine\u2019s health and fitness column, Look Fit, before going on to become Health and Fitness writer at HELLO!. Since, she has written for Stylist, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Elle, The Metro, Runner\u2019s World and Red.<\/p>\n

Now, she oversees all fitness content across womenshealthmag.com.uk<\/a> and the print magazine, spearheading leading cross-platform franchises, such as \u2018Fit At Any Age\u2019, where we showcase the women proving that age is no barrier to exercise. She has also represented the brand on BBC Radio London, plus various podcasts and Substacks \u2013 all with the aim to encourage more women to exercise and show them how.<\/p>\n

Outside of work, find her trying the latest Pilates studio, testing her VO2 max for fun (TY, Oura), or posting workouts on Instagram.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kim Clark started running in 2012, when she was 29. Within two months, she\u2019d completed her first marathon…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":96975,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[9262,47755,381,6647,102,1156,47754,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-96974","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-content-type-feature","9":"tag-contentid-cdab73fd-9371-48b2-8177-846e3ff1ad31","10":"tag-displaytype-standard-article","11":"tag-fitness","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-locale-gb","14":"tag-shorttitle-10-things-you-need-to-do-to-make-running-easier","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom","17":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96974","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96974"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96974\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96974"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96974"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96974"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}