By Khilan Shah, Yoga Student and London Marathon Runner
Six months ago I made the commitment to run the London Marathon on the 24th April 2016. This was something I had always wanted to achieve and this year I thought it was time for less talk and more action! Whilst taking on the physical challenge I am raising money for a charitable organisation, One Cause. I strongly believe in the vision and aims of this organisation which is dedicated to improving the lives of communities around the world through education.
My training has included a combination of interval training and stretching during the week, followed by a longer run every weekend to build endurance in preparation for the 26 miles. Yoga with Jaina has been an essential part of my training. I have regularly been attending two yoga classes with Jaina a week, practiced at home throughout the week and used the poses learnt in class after running. This has helped stretch out my muscles and speed up recovery times, particularly after the long runs. I believe that yoga has helped me physically in strengthening my muscles, to keep me injury free, whilst the relaxation and meditation techniques have mentally prepared me with a positive belief to remain determined on the end goal.
Training has taken priority over many other activities and funnily enough has made life very simple! It has been important to form routines and stick to them as this makes it more enjoyable. Although waking up every Sunday at 6am for my long run is not always easy but when I’m out there running it is all worthwhile!
If you would like to make a donation to Khilan’s marathon fundraising, then please click here. Or send a Text Message To: 70070 with the code KHIL99 and the amount you wish to donate. Are you a runner? Or do you practice yoga alongside another sport? If so we would love to hear from you as well as any health tips and tricks you use alongside your training. You can leave your comments below.