ClaudiS

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10th September 201910th September 2019
by ClaudiS

WORDS by Fiona.

I have no desire to win races. For many, times and medals and instagramable pictures and being competitive is a huge driver to participating in sport. But it just isn’t for me.

I was once told by an incredible ultramarathon runner I know, that if you don’t stand on the startline of a race not knowing if you can finish it or not, it isn’t a challenge. Not because you haven’t trained hard enough, or put in the work, or aren’t healthy but because exploring your own boundaries of possibility and limits is where we discover who we really are.

When I first took up running I remember finding the idea of running for a kilometre without stopping mind blowing. Now I feel confident running for about 8 hours without needing to walk. As I’ve tested my own boundaries and limits I’ve been consistently shocked by just how much further and faster and higher I can go. Months of training, hard work and a huge amount of dogged determination has seen me complete marathons, ultras, mountain races and even Ironman.

Along the way though I’ve realised that I have no desire to stick at one thing and ‘be the best’. My passion and enthusiasm is in my desire to pursue adventure. Relentlessly. With abandon. Passionately. Adventure is calling.

Don’t get me wrong: PBs are amazing. For me personally as a coach, there are two that are particularly joyous to watch: new runners shocked at achieving things they never thought possible and runners who’d counted themselves out for a long time and suddenly surprise themselves. As we all probably have, I’ve been through both of those. I’ve cried my eyes out at finish lines for achieving times that seemed ‘too fast’ for the runner I assumed I was. And yet, when I look back at my favourite memories in running: numbers don’t feature.

There is the moment in my Ironman where my husband, an hour up the race from me, crossed paths with me and we shared a kiss before heading off to finish our respective marathons. There was the time I paced my Mum, who’d promised me she’d never do any sport in her life, to complete her first 10k at the age of 70. There are the miles and miles I’ve spent traipsing up and down some remote mountain in Scotland with my Dad talking about anything and everything.

Fear of missing out and defining yourself by others achievements is a dangerous and unsatisfying pathway. There is a fantastic old tale of King Solomon, the richest man the world had ever seen who no matter how much wealth he had still felt unsatisfied. Will that medal or time or race really give you the fulfilment you are looking for? Or are you stuck on a relentless cycle of the next challenge, and time, and distance? When you achieve the time you’ve been putting so many hours in are you satisfied? Or do you then change the goalposts and look to shave off ever more minutes?

What if we all put aside the relentless marathon cycles and 5k PB hunts and just pursued adventure? Maybe we’d miss our time goals and what our peers might consider ‘good’ times but instead we might find something our hearts had been yearning for.

John Muir, one of the great advocates for the power of the outdoors in the late nineteenth century, famously said ‘The mountains are calling and I must go.’ I feel that call. Trapped in our city lives surrounded by constant noise and busyness and progress it’s easy to feel the overwhelming rise of fear and anxiety that grips so many of us. When I am in nature, I truly feel I am in a space where I remember what matters: not my job title, PBs, finishing position in some random half marathon but connection, love, passion, joy.

Maverick Race (Trail) in Bath, September 2019

So this Autumn what if you put aside traditional goals and instead reconnected with why you run. What if we pursued being outdoors as passionately as some people pursue qualifying for big city marathons? Give yourself fully still: commit, be passionate, work hard, dig deep. But pursue something less black and white. Measure your achievements in emotions and how well you slept rather than times and medals. Run with perseverance wherever your legs will carry you. Just run. And be. And exist.

Adventure in out there and it is most definitely calling. Let’s go.

Follow Fiona

Fiona is working towards her CiRF (Coach in Running & Fitness) qualification with England Athletics and has lead some of our Tuesday DB / FIRST LIGHT sessions, helped guide our trail runs and is an integral part of our community. When she’s not busy running a theatre company in Islington full time, she’s most likely out in the fells hunting trig points #hillbragging with Graeme or her dad. You may see her as RD at Hampstead Heath Parkrun or swimming in the ponds training for her upcoming Ironman 70.3. 2020 is going to be a big year for Fiona, make sure you follow her inspiring journey!

INSPIRATION

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8th April 201910th September 2019
by ClaudiS

WORDS by Matt.

It might be a strange and rare conundrum to have to ever deal with. Fewer people have sailed around the world than summited Everest.

But the concept of how to follow an all consuming challenge which has driven your life – both daily and into the near distant future for so long- is not, akin to marathon blues squared, cubed, or more perhaps.

I circumnavigated the world by yacht over the course of 2015-16 as part of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, over 50,000 nautical miles, through 11 months away and circa 9 months at sea. Twelve matched yachts racing around the blue.

Taking in Brazil, Australia, Vietnam, China… the Southern Ocean, the North Pacific.

Waves bigger than multi-storey buildings. Hurricanes in places where they are so frequent it’s just ‘weather’. Engineering feats such as the Panama Canal, natural wonders such as Table Mountain, symbols like the Statue of Liberty all coming into, and out of, view as we plied our way around the world.

So it was I came to find myself looking for another relatively extreme – albeit land-based – human powered challenge.

A one time runner. Still perhaps in the mind. But a runner who hadn’t run in over a year of being cooped up in a space measuring no longer than 21 metres in length for extended periods of time. So not in body. Maybe it was the overwhelming desire to stretch y legs and when presented with the Goretex Transalpine Run 2017 by a fellow crew member from the yacht race.

Four countries, two runners, one week – one dream. So goes the tagline for the eastern Alpine crossing.

You had me at adventure.

One comprising over 275 kilometres and 16,000m vertical gain across spectacular mountainscapes, ski stations all but transformed into a lush green summer playground. Snowcapped peaks. Verdant valleys. Populated by spirited people all pulled together by one goal; to cross the Alps on foot in one of the best footraces on earth.

It’s human nature to be curious about the world. Find and push our limits. Asking questions of ourselves that build character, resilience and train us for life. Survival, perhaps, but nowadays so much more. To escape the modern world, its ever increasing pace, pervasive digital connectivity disconnecting humanity.

There is something in being stripped right back, the raw power of nature and human performance. Something about mountains and oceans that connects us through history, and draws us in. Places laced with danger that we seek not to tame but co-exist within, even just for a time, share in the raw power of a world that reminds us we are just a small element of something so much bigger.

Freedom that invigorates the soul.

Calculated risk for unparalleled reward. The reason why sailors have always gone to sea, why mountaineers looked at far off peaks and sought to conquer their summits – and why they always will.

This year’s Transalpine run tackles the western route: three countries and a few less kilometres clocking in on paper at 255km, but I’m warned it is more technical and no less a challenge.

I return to complete the set of east and west crossings, to add to a circumnavigation, which collectively have shaped me as a person.

Inevitably, the question that follows will be both obvious and simple. What next?

Follow Matt

Let us know what you think and want to see more of. We’re keen to bring good content and great experiences to life. Interested?

TRAINING TIPS

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4th July 20189th September 2019
by ClaudiS

COACHING TIPS by Claudi.

Do you train for mountain adventures? Fascinated by the magnitude of majestic mountain ranges? Up in Scotland or in the Alps? If you are living in those areas, you are spoilt for choice. Training grounds for any ability and ambition, views for days.

Well and if you aren’t and are stuck like some of us in a city, the closest you can get to a mountain is to run up stairs in a tower block or do hill rep after hill rep to accumulate a mere hundred meters of elevation. Sounds like fun? Barely. But with the right attitude and some fun workouts we can even turn our concrete jungle into a fantastic training playground.

We’ve written up a few hill sessions and a little bit about the benefits of incorporating hill effort into your swim/ bike/ run and ultra training.

↠ Why should you incorporate hill training sessions?
– Hill training sessions are a great way to increase your power, stamina and form. More muscles get switched on (arm drive, knee drive, working from your glutes and core) compared to running on the flat. And as much as we loathe hills, they surely translate into flat speed. Hill work is speed work in disguise. Hills strengthen your lower body and work your core (stability / posture). Those sessions are perfect to mix things up, especially when you are crunched for time. Incorporate a hill session or run a hillier route once a week. If you train for trail and mountain races – build more of those sessions into your training plan. Some easy runs on a rolling route, a dedicated hill session plus adding 1-2 strength sessions to your running regime. Body weight exercises targeting your legs and core (hips / back / upper body – you’ll need all of this on the trail). If you feel confident in delivering those with good technique, add weights.

↠ TYPES OF HILL SESSIONS ↞
There are many ways to structure a hill session. And even in a relatively flat city like London, you can always find an incline to play with.

• Slopes and inclines
find an incline (bridge / fly over / hill / grassy slope / etc). The shorter the climb, the faster you want to tackle it. The steeper, the shorter your stride becomes, focussing on landing under your hips, upright position, slight forward lean from the ankles. Engage your glutes and core, drive the elbows back. Don’t cross your arms in front of your body. Look ahead / slightly up. Breathe naturally, deep into your belly not at the top of your lungs.

• Stairs
track down a set of stairs and work your way up. Taking every step (short stride / high cadence) and then drive every two (longer more powerful stride / power). As a warm up: dynamic squat jumps upwards, landing wide and light under your hips. Using rebound momentum to drive you up the stairs. Really use your arms for this, coming out of a low squat – drive upwards and forwards. Easy jog down.

• Time, effort, pace, rest
different inclines, different session. You can work with reps or time based. Effort – the shorter the harder, same effort up or down, hard effort up easy down. Rest can be active: easy jog down, walk or stationary: stop until your heart rate has come down enough to tackle the next rep. Aim to hold your last rep as strong and fast as your first. If you can’t do this, either pace yourself better in the beginning or opt for fewer reps. Build sensibly over time. Adding lots of hill work into your running will work your body differently – watch out for ITB / back / knee / calf issues. Too much too soon will get you into trouble. Give those big muscle groups a good stretch afterwards.

• Hill sprints
short and punchy, these can be anything between 15 to 45 seconds of hard uphill effort. Turn around at the top and recover on the down with a very easy jog. Go again. Start with 5 reps and add 1-2 each week.

• Kenyan hills
as mentioned above: steady to hard sustained effort up AND down. Rest at the bottom. Start with 5 reps and add 1-2 each week.

• Pyramid hills
15, 30, 35, 60 seconds uphill effort (hard). Jog back recovery. Great for working aerobic and anaerobic power. A pyramid means going back down as well: so if you feel good do 15, 30, 45, 60, 45, 30, 15 seconds. Take a good rest after each set. Start with 3 sets. Add one every other week.

• Long hill reps
3-5 minutes of continuous uphill effort. Well that’s going to be a challenge here as we won’t find a hill long enough for this. Find one that you can run up for around 60seconds (steady). Try to continue at the top, you may need to increase your pace once you hit the flat. Carrying over a harder effort. Start with 4 sets, add one every week.

• Progressive hills
Set yourself a set time or distance and with each rep you’re trying to become quicker: either run further in the time you’ve set (15sec to 5minutes), or reach the same distance (half way up the hill / top of hill) faster each time. In order to achieve this, start your first rep(s) easy (6/10 RPE). Build into steady (7/10). Steady into hard (8/10). Into all out (9/10). Opt for 4-5 sets and build more over time.

• Summit attack
Something like getting progressively faster. Find your hill and work 75% upwards at a steady effort (7/10). Attack the final 25% with a sprint. Or if you are lucky and have a hill that kicks steeper at the top: try to keep your legs turning all the way to the summit without slowing much (London: Primrose Hill). Start with 4-5 reps. Add on one when you revisit this set.

• In between heaven and hell
A killer set which will make you see power and endurance come together in no time. This session is particularly fun if you don’t have much of a hill or incline to run. Simulating fatigue in the legs by adding resistance work. Building essential overall strength too. Start at the bottom of a slope and get into a lunge position. 15 controlled repetitions of low, pulsing ones, 15 full range lunges. Swap legs. Then sprint up the slope/ hill as hard as you can. At the top, drop straight into 15 press ups (alternatively on your knees or a few less). Jog back down to the start. Repeat this cycle five times. No rest at any point. Catch your breath during lunges or the easier downhill section. Take a few minutes of standing recovery and go again. Opt for 2 sets (2×5) and build more over time. You could also play with the amount of repetitions (lunges / press ups), alternatively do wall squats (against a tree?), hold for 30-60seconds. Then sprint up. Here’s a little video of a session Claudi has down before work. It won’t take long and will leave you pretty toast.

↠ TRAINING PROGRESS ↞
To see if this is working – record your reps / time / distance of your first session. Any location, any session. As they are all different, note it down each time you do a new session. These ‘first hills’ will become your benchmark session. After some time (weeks / months) – revisit the session and see what’s different. You should become stronger, faster and fitter. Draw from those successes and keep up the good work.

Hills never get easier. But we hopefully we have showed you how to love them a little more. If you want more tips or are looking into getting coached, join us every Tuesday for our First Light sessions in London (free). You can also drop us a line hello@wearedaybreak.org. And follow what our community has to say on Facebook.

Tell us how your hill sessions are going. Or if you have any questions? What do you hate or love about hill work?

Your DB Coaching Team!

Follow Claudi

Let us know what you think and want to see more of. We’re keen to bring good content and great experiences to life. Interested?

TYPE 1 DIABETES

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13th June 20189th September 2019
by ClaudiS

WORDS by Heidi –

Does Type 1 Diabetes stop you from achieving your goals? The simple answer here is no.

Where it all began
I started running in 2014 when I ran my first 10km race in London. I then decided to challenge myself to train for a Half Marathon at Silverstone in March 2015. Followed by Windsor Half Marathon in September. After getting comfortable with running 10mile / 16km distances on my own quite regularly, I jumped at the opportunity to run the London Marathon in April 2016, to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis to support my niece who suffers from the condition.

Now this is when I started to really learn about my diabetes and exercise. Half marathons, I managed to control my insulin and blood sugars by just having 1 gel around mile 9 / 14.5km to support me to the end. Marathon training however was a very different ball game…

I personally wish I could provide every Type 1 Diabetic genuine advice to help them manage their blood sugars well throughout a long run. I have learnt that unfortunately insulin is a hormone that decreases your blood sugars, reacting differently to every individual under the circumstances they are going through. For example, this could be being poorly, drinking alcohol, being stressed or upset, for us ladies that “time of the month”, along with different types of sport you complete. Running severely lowers my blood sugars, more than any other sport. I have a very high intolerance to insulin, meaning my body reacts very quickly to it. Unfortunately, this has meant managing my blood sugars well throughout long runs. A challenge I have had to learn over the last four years.

Into the world of Marathon Running
I was not on my insulin pump (known as ‘Penny’) back then so I was injecting slow and fast acting insulin. Slow acting insulin (Levemir) manages my blood sugars throughout the day with no food, to help keep me alive. I would inject this twice a day as it lasts in your body for 12hours. Fast acting insulin (Novo Rapid) is what I would inject myself with when I had any food that included carbs which increase my blood sugar. This would last in my body for around 3-4hours. For my long runs I would decrease my morning Levemir by a unit, and also decrease my Novi Rapid with my breakfast by a unit or two. I would then have a gel from miles 8-9 / 14km, followed by another one after 16miles. This worked for me. I learnt the hard way however that I would need a gel after 20miles also, by running my last long run three weeks before the race which was 22miles / 35.5km. My blood sugars were very low after this run and I knew for Marathon day, I was not going to risk this and I would take one at mile 20 / 32km.

Trial and error. Like everyone, even without diabetes. Just unfortunately Type 1 Diabetes may get you a little more poorly when you don’t get things right.

After my long runs I always experience my blood sugars decrease incredibly during the night when I sleep. Not waking up properly in the morning due to bad low blood sugar hypos. So, I also started to decrease my Levemir by a unit before I went to sleep. Which helped. The same the next morning and day. My body was playing catch up for recovery (your muscles need the food) so I would have to be careful with my blood sugars and insulin intake here. Always learning unfortunately by being ill first. But that is how I have learnt to manage and now prepare myself better.

London Marathon was very successful. Great blood sugars before, throughout and after the race using the strategy above. Breakfast early, an engery bar an hour before my race after testing my bloods, followed by a gel at mile 9 / 14.5km, 16 / 25km and 20 / 32km. Bloods were 4.3 when I finished and I had a snack straight away. Bloods are meant to be between 4 and 7. I finished the race in 3 hours and 51mins and I felt amazing!

I won’t lie, that didn’t mean some races got any better for me unfortunately. The learnings continued.

I ran Manchester Marathon in April 2017. I had trained hard for this race. Strict intervals, tempo runs and cross training every week. I was in good shape for race day, even after suffering with Achilles injuries near the beginning of my training. The downfall came down to the fact that I had trained in cold weather conditions up towards April and when race day came along, the weather was incredibly hot. My blood sugars had not trained how to run long runs (with effort) in the heat. I was doing absolutely fine in the race until around mile 18 / 28km when I started to really feel it. I always carry more gels with me than I need “just in case” but by this stage I had taken 5gels, hitting 22miles / 35km and feeling awful. My pace really slowed down and I was struggling. I am an incredibly stubborn human being however, so I continued to race as I was not letting anything stop me. At mile 25 / 40km my muscles collapsed on me and I fell to the ground. I had to have a friend pick me up, helping me to walk as my body was really struggling. I ran and collapsed on the finish line (literally, the worst finishing race photos ever).

Penny my Insulin Pump
Since then, I went on my Insulin Pump (‘Penny’) in June 2017. It has been a life changer. I still have low blood sugars, they don’t disappear. But I can manage my sugars a lot easier. An insulin pump is only fast acting insulin (Novo Rapid) no slow acting (Levemir) at all. It is a piece of equipment I have placed on my stomach constantly, slowly providing me with little bits of insulin throughout the day. I can decrease this amount of insulin when I do anything active for a certain timescale. It also allows me to carb count a lot more accurately with the food I am eating, linking to my blood sugar machine helping me work out the calculations. It’s a triangle. Food, insulin and activity. All three have to be in balance.

Since Penny the Pump came into my life, I have raced 100miles on my bike, completed my first sprint triathlon and ran Athens Marathon last year 2017 after Manchester. I can happily say I have managed to control my blood sugars with my pump extremely well throughout Athens, even with the heat. I had learnt from my previous race mistakes and I had my pump Penny to support me.

“Life is a rollercoaster” for me personally is a great saying. Along with my mantra “You survive your diabetes, so you can survive what you have to achieve”. Everyone goes through ups and downs in different ways. We all have good and bad days whoever you are. Usain Bolt, Paula Radcliffe, Jo Pavey….. they have all been there even though they are talented athletes.

Does Type 1 Diabetes stop you from achieving your goals? The simple answer is no.

COLLABORATIONS

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12th March 20189th September 2019
by ClaudiS

In 2017 Strava launched ‘The New Home of Your Athletic Life
Introducing Athlete Posts’ – 36 athletes from amateur to pro were able to share their expertise beyond training stats.

Claudi, our Co-Founder, was amongst those first few chosen ones and has been bringing in her expertise as ultra runner, triathlon and mental performance coach.

Curating. Creating. Sharing. How training fits into life. How training changes when life takes priority. How both can be balanced and brought together. Her learnings are closely linked to conquering Europe’s stunning mountains. She has travelled most of 2017 taking in Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland, Austria and Italy. Her ‘EuroPeaks Tour’ was part of her preparations for UTMB – Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, a 170km circumnavigation of Europe’s highest peak Mont Blanc, with 10,000m of elevation gain, entirely racing, semi supported, on foot from France into Italy, Switzerland and back into France, starting and finishing in trail running mecca Chamonix. Leaving her flat London home base, discovering new challenges, physical and mental highs, setbacks and strength on this tour.

Her time spent exploring on foot and pushing her limits was also the beginning of We Are Daybreak – you can read about our grassroots in one of her Strava posts

Join The Euro Peaks Tour – Grassroots to life

Dip your toes in ↠
‘Passion doesn’t thrive on compromise. Your dreams deserve attention.
#JoinTheEuroPeaksTour is a vehicle for your dreams. Growth and development – physically, mentally and emotionally. A project aimed at longevity and facilitation. It’s dynamic with room for growth. It’s flexible and it’s shareable. It won’t just be about me, it will also be about you. It will be about us. A joint (ad)venture. Defining passion. Thriving from ideas and dreams.’

Which then led to our launch in January 2018:

We are Daybreak. New beginnings.

Dip your toes in ↠
‘No shortcuts in running. No shortcuts in life. This is why running (sports even) is such a brilliant space, for us to explore and learn. Move yourself and you’ll move your mind. In a familiar manner – Do as you say, do more than you say. Be real. Be honest. Stay true to your heart. Be good. And surround yourself with good people. And bloody have fun. It’s a wild world out there. And we’re here to help you get ready to explore and conquer.’

Find more of Claudi’s posts around her athletic life on her Strava post page.

Claudi has recently been ask to share her thoughts on Strava athlete posts and influencer Marketing on Freestak – The Endurance Sports Network. Home of hundreds of influencers in various fields of expertise and sports in the UK. Claudi herself having made a career in advertising, marketing and design over the past 20 years; shifting into entrepreneurial ship and coaching seven year ago. Having founded and helped shape some of the biggest run communities in London (AdventRunning, adidasRunners) and launching We are Daybreak in 2018 to inject a breath of fresh air into the saturated run community market; her expertise runs deep to create bespoke and engaging events and experiences for B2B and B2C.

How brands who are working with content creators will benefit

Dip your toes in ↠
‘I believe by being able to display insights into the athletic life of real people, brands can get a good feel about the athlete behind the profile. Marketing has shifted towards building brand values and brand loyalty through community, actual people walking the talk. Athletes on Strava become role models for the every day athlete (who are incidentally the majority of sports consumers).’

Read the full article on her tips for influencers and brands.

These are just some examples in how brands, networks and communities can do co-creation. How online platforms can create tangible offline experiences. And how our team at We are Daybreak can help bridge those two worlds.

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Let us know what you think and want to see more of. We’re keen to bring good content and great experiences to life. Interested?

IN THE PRESS

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20th February 20189th September 2019
by ClaudiS

Our Co-Founder Matt recently got asked by Adventure Travel Magazine to share his experience of sailing around the world with Clipper Around the World.

Matt left his corporate London life back in August 2015 to sail 50,000+ nautical miles in 11 months around the world. With no previous sailing experience necessary, teams of around 18 embarked on their journey in London on twelve 70-foot ocean racing yachts. Ready for an adventure of a lifetime. Eight legs and 14 races later he’s come back to his home port in July 2016.

Dip your toes in ↠
‘Ideal Travel partner and why? – Anyone with a sense of adventure, sense of humour, and a little resilience in the face of adversity! And someone prepared to throw the plan out the window!
Lifelong ambition? – I’m lucky to have already achieved on of my early ambitions of circumnavigating the globe by boat – perhaps next time I’ll go by foot.
Most memorable moment? – One of the standout images is, and will always be, sailing into Cape Town, South Africa. For the 24 hours before, the crew were constantly buffeted by a strong front heeling at 45 degrees and crashing upwind through and unsettled sea – in freezing temperatures. As we reached the continent, the weather suddenly lifted, the wind swinging in our favour as dawn and land approached.
Most dangerous moment? – …’

Ordinary, everyday people doing extraordinary things. We can’t wait for Matt to share more of his adventure with our Daybreak community this year.

Featured in: Adventure Travel Magazine. 2018 Adventure Bucket List cover story. Issue 133. January | February 2018

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Let us know what you think and want to see more of. We’re keen to bring good content and great experiences to life. Interested?