Womens_Running_UK_Issue_86_March_2017

womensrunninguk.co.uk MARCH 2017 25

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INTERVIEW: JENNIFER BOZON

e runner Hannah Philips

Day job Blogger, writer

e result Running a 5K PB of 26mins 27secs – knocking 2mins 3secs off

her previous best

When Hannah Philips, 31, from Wales, decided she

wanted to better her 5K time, deciding who her role

model would be was easy: Mo Farah, of course! What

better person to take inspiration from than Britain’s most

successful Olympic track and field athlete? Hannah met

Mo last September in a chance encounter at the Hilton

hotel in Newcastle, after taking part in the Great North

Run. She’d always been a huge fan but, after that, he

became an icon to her. After running her first marathon

last year, Hannah had lost her mojo, and decided to get it

back by setting herself a new training goal. With Mo as her

inspiration, she researched his training regime, finding an

article online documenting his daily diet. While she knew

she couldn’t rack up 100+ miles a week like Mo, or head to

Kenya for a spot of high-altitude training, eating a bowl of

Frosties for breakfast, like Mo, was doable. After following

his diet (according to the BBC article) to the letter for a full

week, adding some more quality sessions to her training

schedule and documenting her progress on social media

with the hashtag #whatwouldmodo, she picked up an

impressive PB at her local parkrun.

EATING LIKE AN ATHLETE

Mo is Britain’s national treasure when it comes to running

so I wondered whether I could stand any of his regimes.

I found an article online documenting what Mo eats. I’m

not the best with nutrition and I live with a fussy toddler

and an even fussier husband so health and nutrition often

goes out of the window in favour of any food that they will

eat! It’s inexcusable really, given how much running I do,

but it goes to show that you can’t out train a bad diet. Mo,

according to said article, eats pasta, steamed vegetables

and grilled chicken [for lunch and dinner]. He has Frosties

for breakfast and a little bit of dark chocolate if he needs

a boost. I decided, even with my fussiness, that diet was

totally doable. I did it for an entire week and ate exactly like

the article stated. No snacks, no extras, lots of water!

PICKING UP THE PACE

I couldn’t train like Mo. He covers something ridiculous like

120 miles per week, he runs twice a day and combines

it with strength and conditioning and massages! My

previous parkrun PB was 28mins 30secs. From my initial

PB to the #whatwouldmodo PB I ran far more. I organise

three social running sessions a week and I take a buggy

running class mid-week so I’ve always got quite a bit of

mileage under my belt. With the buggy running, because

I take ladies from couch to 5K, they were pretty much

interval sessions, which I think definitely impacted my

parkrun time. I only went over 5K once during my training

and that was a long, slow steady eight miles before a

speed session with the #runwithus running group which

was my most intense session. After running eight miles,

the last thing I wanted to do was run up and down a very

steep, terraced street in Treharris but run I did!

HELD ACCOUNTABLE

[It] definitely held me accountable posting on social media!

People were really intrigued about my times and the diet.

One lady said I’d inspired her and she’d lost half a stone and

ran a lot more than she normally would have, so it’s been a

very positive experience! I didn’t think I’d get a PB. In fact, I

put a post on my Instagram listing things not in my favour to

get a PB. Although, that was probably because I’d gained

quite a following on my progress, [and] the pressure gave

me a good kick in the right direction.

Favourite

place to run?

I live near

a reservoir

called

Pontsticill,

[with] a trail

run of just

under five

miles and its

hands-down

my favourite

place to run,

whatever the

weather!

Go-to post-

run meal?

Cake! Told

you my

nutrition is

bad!

Favourite

pre-run

breakfast?

I used to

swear by

scrambled

eggs but they

upset me

recently so

I’m back to

porridge and

a mug of flu

remedy!

QUICK

Q&A

Hannah met Mo after

the Great North Run

Social running is

important to Hannah

"YOU CAN'T OUT

TRAIN A BAD DIET"

MY PB /

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