31/01/2019
With just five months to go it’s time for that serious Charity Challenge training to start. Lewis Moses, former Team GB elite runner, running coach, Applied Sport Science honours graduate and MOVE charity fundraiser is a man who can help us. Over the next few months he is going to provide us some top coaching tips to help inspire and challenge you.
We caught up with Lewis to hear about how he became an elite athlete and how he is now helping others get active.
Lewis, how did you get into running and how did that journey work out?
I guess it all started at secondary school for me. I was never one of those kids who saw running as a punishment, for me it was a chance to be competitive and try and win. My form tutor told me to pursue running and totally believed in me. When I was 16 I decided it was time to take it seriously. That led me on an unbelievable journey, which was topped off when I got the chance to represent my country at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in 2012.
What are you doing now?
I am still training and competing at the top level in the sport. Last year I finished 3rdat the British Indoor Champs over 3000m and was ranked 58thin Europe for the 5000m on the track with a personal best time of 13.47. This was my first year of transitioning to the 5k, so I was over the moon with that.I have recently setup my own running coaching business; New Levels Coaching Ltd. This is an online coaching service helping runners around the world to find their own running potential. I currently do this part time, as well as the fundraising manager role at MOVE Charity, a charity founded by my inspirational wife Gemma.
What does your training regime look like these days?
I train twice per day every day of the week and this training consists of; running, gym work, general conditioning, stretching and movement & mobility work. I run up to 85 miles per week with my longest run being around 16miles.
We’ve got five months until the Charity Challenge – what is the best way for our teams to start to ramp up their training?
In terms of ramping it up, I would definitely say progressively and sensibly. The benefit of having 5 months is that you have 20 weeks which will allow you to do this. The disadvantage of having this amount of time is that people may become complacent and put the training off. My advice would be, always be ahead of the game and not behind it. Don’t play catch up as this is a very dangerous game to play and can often put you at increased risk of injury or illness. You can ahead of the game by putting a plan in place right now. Have a progressive plan, which is specific to the events you will be doing and this will ensure you are prepared fully for the challenge.Thanks Lewis – part 2 of this interview will feature later this week and we look forward to hearing more over the next few months. If you have a question for Lewis get in touch with us via our Facebook page. Pictures include Lewis and his wife Gemma on the Great North Run.