What is the idea behind Twice The Health? How did you get started? 

We actually simply started TTH to stop boring our pals with running content on our own instagram pages. We were literally posting the same content as each other everyday, as initially we had two separate accounts. A last minute spot into our first London marathon gave us the nudge we needed to hit ‘create’ TTH and we haven’t looked back since.

What is your go to pre run snack?

For H it’s a bagel with (a lot) of butter and marmite, for E it’s toast with jam, and maybe a dollop of peanut butter too.

What advice would you give someone who wants to get into running?

Forget pace, forget distance, just run. We’re not saying there’s a problem with having these types of goals, in fact often they are good, but when you are just starting out it’s all about the enjoyment.  We suggest aiming to run out for 5-10 minutes, then run back. Or better yet, set yourself the goal of running to your favourite coffee shop. Then build up slowly, add a minute or two every other time and just take it at your own pace, there’s no point rushing. The couch to 5k is also a brilliant app! We would also always recommend going with a buddy!

What are your top three nutrition tips for someone wanting to get into running?

1) Don’t obsess over running nutrition, make sure your day to day diet is serving you before trying to perfect your running fuel.

2) Do not scrimp on carbohydrates. While running your body will mainly use carbohydrates to fuel your movement. If you are not consuming enough you will feel fatigued and sluggish.

3) Any form of exercise causes damage to our muscles, it is the repair of this that leads to adaptation in physical appearance and also performance. However, if you are not consuming enough protein then this repair can not take place which increases your risk of injury and/or fatigue. Aim for 0.7-1.5g of protein per kg of bodyweight per day.

What advice would you give someone looking to improve their 5K time?

Get specific. If you want to improve your 5k time, focus on specific sessions that will do that, don’t just try and run 5k faster every day. A session we like is a pyramid session, where you run each distance at just faster than your goal 5k pace. Say for example you’re training to run a 25 minute 5k, try this session at a 4.45mins/km pace. The session goes something like this:

• 1k warm up
• 200m
• 300m
• 400m
• 600m
• 800m
• 600m
• 400m
• 300m
• 200m
• 1k cool down
• (Rest for 45s in between each ‘rep’)

How do you stay motivated to train?

There’s no secret to this, but there are a few things you can try that we find often help us. The first is to have a goal, it doesn’t have to be a marathon, it could be running continuously for 20 minutes, or improving your 1km time. Just be sure it’s achievable at first, with room to grow. We like to set one big goal with a number of little goals to tick off along the way. The other thing would be to put your sessions in your diary like you would a meeting. That way you’re less likely to skip them! Finally, buddy up (of course)! Find a pal training for something similar and book in run dates. It’s far easier to motivate yourself when you know there’s someone else holding you accountable… we speak from experience.

What is your next big challenge/ goal you have set yourselves?

For H, it’s chasing the  sub 3 hour goal at either Berlin or Valencia marathon and for E it’s training towards that Vichyfull Ironman at the end of August.

What’s your favourite Mindful Chef meal?

• For H’s it’s got to be either the hidden veggie pasta, or the chicken kiev!
• For E, it’s the miso glazed salmon or any of the curries.

Yet to try healthy eating made easy? Get £10 off your first two healthy recipe boxes by entering code BLOG20 at checkout. Mindful Chef healthy recipe boxes provide you with the tools to cook delicious nutritious meals, in under 30 minutes. Each box contains recipe instructions, pre-portioned ingredients and fresh produce sourced from award-winning British farms.

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