Fitness for running at home

At home with the children? Kirsty Longley has the answers for you!

Lockdown and other restrictions during Lockdown is the time to remember why we run, says international athlete and mother of two, Kirsty Longley. "It is not all about winning races, getting PBs. I feel lucky to be healthy and enjoy running in its most natural form. So, my number one tip is to just run by feel. Instead of specific sessions like 5x800 metres or whatever workout you’ve read is great, crack out the stopwatch and run something like 60 secs hard 60 secs steady and cover a few miles. Or try 6min, 5min, 4min, 3min ,2min, 1min with 90secs rest all these can be run to feel instead of pace using an old-fashioned stopwatch.

If you have a garden, I would recommend doing Yoga and Pilates outside. It’s often overlooked but vital for every runner! Me, I have been doing a gymnastics workout 45 mins a day with my daughters on YouTube, so we ensure the whole family are staying fit and motivated.

Set yourself daily challenges

Trust me, you will come back stronger, refreshed and raring to go. Sometimes we are on a forward roller coaster and it’s situations like this we can use our time wisely and put our energy into positive thinking.