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How to taper right for your next big race.

Most of you will be familiar with what a taper is. It is a recovery period when your training volume is reduced in preparation for a race. Generally speaking for a half marathon, marathon or ultramarathon the taper will be 2-3 weeks. Training runs are adapted by reducing the length of your long weekend runs, longer weekday runs and removing any big hill and speed sessions. For example in week 1 of a 3 week taper you may reduce your weekly kms by 30%. This is based on your peak weekly kms. In we...

Why runners are better at pretty much everything

Ok so I am a little bit biased but in my opinion runners have so many attributes that help in everyday life. Here are just a few and maybe when you read them you will think yeah thats true, thats me, that's why it's worth getting out, lacing up the shoes and keeping going. Its not only about your fitness there are so many things you learn from running:1. Runners tend to be optimistic types for a few reasons: it reduces anxiety, running releases endorphins, those little feel good hormones that ma...

How to pack for an ultra marathon

How do you pack your gear for races?For multi day stage races it depends on what and where I am going. My favourite brand is The North Face and I use their backpacks. This fits me perfectly and does up nicely over the chest with a velcro section so no matter your size it sits snugly. Its also great for women as it protects the breast and stop unwanted movement there. I also love that it has a pockets around the wide waist belt so you can always reach your snacks and electrolyte tablets which is ...

The dreaded side stitch - what causes it and how can you avoid it

There's a number of things that can be causing it but one of the main things is problems with the diaphragm; not getting enough blood supply to the diaphragm.What could be happening if this happens to you regularly is that you are breathing incorrectly; so using the top third of your chest rather than learning to breathe deeply with using the diaphragm.If you think this may be the cause there are some exercises you can do to make you more aware of your way of breathing and developing your belly ...

The first 6 weeks of a run training programmes for beginners

In this article I wanted to help those people who are absolute beginners when it comes to fitness and  those who have no idea where to start other than that they want to get fitter, stronger, maybe lose weight or gain muscle but have no background in sport or for those who haven’t done anything for a long time. It can be daunting getting your body moving and many will be self concious, nervous about whether they can do it, full of self doubt and lacking in confidence or just don’t know whe...

An Interview with living legend Sir John Kirwan

Few New Zealanders hold such a dear place in the collective heart of the country than the legendary Sir John Kirwan. A man of so many talents and exemplary qualities, Sir John is one of our country’s most prolific try scorers and a winner of the first ever Rugby World Cup tournament held in 1987. After his playing career, John went on to coach the national teams of both Italy and Japan and also lead the Auckland Blues for two seasons before stepping down in 2015. Beyond the sport of Rugby, Jo...

Running Drills - The Carioca Drill - Video

The what why and how of running drills - This week Neil takes you through the Carioca drill. Increase your running efficiency, form, technique - help avoid injuries and increase your speed...

How much protein do you need and why?

Are you getting enough protein?Athletes whether they be endurance athletes or strength athletes need more protein than the sedentary person.Protein expedites healing, recovery and your immune system function and provides building blocks for new cells it also helps the body produce hormones and enzymes. However protein isn’t a good fuel source for an athlete, it takes too many metabolic processes to break down efficiently for fast energy production. The amount of protein an athlete will need ...

The Man Who Would Stop Time

As another year has just rolled over and I quickly approach the half century mark in my life, (my god how did that happen?) I have to admit to a growing desire to do everything I can to slow the clock down and to stop the dreaded decline of old age. For both myself and my ageing loved ones.I am constantly on the look out for the latest in anti-ageing breakthroughs and technologies. It's something that preoccupies many of us in our quest to live long, healthy, strong lives. But what if I told you...

Inspiring people and stories I encountered on my Run through NZ 2250km

In 2009 when i ran the length of NZ 2,250km in 43 days for Cure kids and CanTeen i designed a programme which was instigated in the primary schools called “The K a day” challenge – a 14 day programmed aimed at getting kids out running and being active every day.The challenge took place during my run – kids followed my progress through the country through blogs, photos and videos and media, and were asked to get friends and family to sponsor them to do their own 14 day challenge (with the...

Why strength training is crucial for improved running performance

In order to improve your running performance runners need to have a comprehensive strength training regime.Improving speed, running efficiency (i.e. few calories burnt for the same distance and less oxygen required), technique, form and posture doesn’t necessarily happen by just clocking up more and more miles on your strata account. Research studies have shown strength training including the likes of plyometric jumping, heavy weight training, endurance based high intensity weight session...

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy - It's benefits and uses.

In January 2016 my mother suffered a severe Aneurysm and a stroke and was in a critical condition for three months. After she emerged from her coma she was in a vegetative state and her prognosis was very bad and she was released from rehabilitation for lack of improvement. When she came home she was still hospital level care and needed two people 24/7 to care for her.Our family was of course devastated and desperate and so I started researching everything I could on brain injury and came a...

The makings of a champion

We have all heard the saying "Work smarter, not harder", and that is true to an extent, but I would suggest working smarter and harder are the real keys to success.No one ever becomes a master overnight, on just talent alone or on wanting to be a champ. The hard graft, the daily grind, the small rituals that daily take you, often in micro increments, towards success require a 100 per cent commitment.Dedicating yourself to long hours of work and sacrificing those easy pleasures in exchange for ar...

To Choke or Not to Choke that is the question?

How not to choke under pressure.It’s so easy to do when you are under pressure and most of us can recall a time when it has happened to us but choking or freezing under pressure can be very detrimental to your safety, your career or sporting ambitions not to mention your self confidence so it is worth considering ways to mitigate it or stopping it all together.  Here I wanted to to take an in-depth look at whats going on and how we can help ourselves get back under control. In this world of ...

Why running isn't the most effective weight loss training system

We have been told for decades that weight loss is a matter of calories in vs calories out. We were told that cardio workouts were where it was at and that we should slog away running or cycling or to do some sort of cardio exercise that  raises the heart beat for long periods of time.We were told to stick within the aerobic zone where you could still talk and train at the same time. That this was the magical “fat burning” zone and not to go “anaerobic” as you were only going to burn gl...

Taking the High Road -by Chris Ord

In the space of ten hours, ultra runner Lisa Tamati has gone from being a crumpled unconscious heap on the floor of a remote valley in the Ladakhi Ranges, India, suffering heat stroke, exhaustion and sleep deprivation, to being a broken teary mess suffocated by a blanket of snow, sub zero temperatures and pitch darkness, 5300 metres up the side of a very angry mountain.Smothering Lisa further into the muddy morass at her feet is a sense of absolute hopelessness. For the past two hours she has ba...

The Makings of a Great Leader

Growing up, I remember my father always talking about how he looked up to one of his officers in the New Zealand Fire Service. This was a man my dad said he would follow into any situation. Given the danger firefighters face almost daily, this said a lot about the level of trust my dad placed in him. This officer my Dad said would never send his men in where he wouldn’t go and was a man who led from the front.I was really lucky to grow up in a family that had so many role models I could learn ...

The keys to the mind - Control your mind, control your destiny

The following are just a couple of the  powerful key traits and exercises that I have learnt over my long ultra marathon career doing the most extreme events and expeditions on the planet and through pushing the limits in my businesses and in my personal life.These will give you a taste of the lessons you can learn in my online academy, in“The Path of an Athlete” eCourse and insight in to your true potential if you control your mind. Why do you need mental toughness? Life is hard and you ...

The importance of working "In" and not just working "out"

Working out is great, but overworking your bodies by pushing it beyond reasonable limits is never a good idea. Even for well-trained and highly competitive athletes, striking the balance between working out and what I call working in, is critical to staying race fit, while maintaining optimal health. Now you might wonder if good health and being ready to compete aren’t two sides of the same coin. So did I, for a long time. The reality, however, is that in our pursuit of that fleeting fitness ...

Why are our Hormones out of balance and what are the implications

Hormones aren't just the sexy things in our body to do with sexual function and we have more than just estrogen and testosterone.They are chemical messengers that travel through the blood stream to the organs and tissues and tell them what to do and how to do it. You only need small amounts of these chemical messengers to cause major changes in your body. When our hormones are in balance (which differs for men and women and our stage of life) our organs functional optimally but when they get ou...

Mindset school - The importance of positive self-talk

Our brains chatter away at us constantly. There is never a let up. We have over 60,000 thoughts a day and not all of them are productive or even sensible. So how do we make sure to only let positive stuff spew forth and how do we cut the negative crap off at the knees. It’s easy to give into the whining, negative mentality, the poor me victim mentality, the “it’s unfair mentality” or the “I will never make it through this “ mentality. It takes a constant vigilance to recogn...

The makings of a champion - part one

What are the makings of a true champion?With modern athletes seeming to break every conceivable track, field and other sporting record as of late, it seems that the bar is constantly being raised with regard to what we as humans can achieve. As a professional athlete and coach, it makes me incredibly proud to see so many of my clients wanting to get in there and give it their very best to push past perceived limitations. With this in mind, this blog will discuss how you can overcome certain comm...

Dean Karnazes - An interview with my friend and ultramarathon legend

Dean Karnazes is one of the most celebrated ultra marathon runners in history. With 4 books behind his name, his fourth having just come out in New Zealand, Dean is both an accomplished athlete, author, businessman and philanthropist. With a list of accomplishments that are too extensive to mention here, it’s fair to say that Dean has reached legend status in the ultramarathon and running community. He is a real ambassador for goodwill, a safer and more united planet and a true hero of the sp...

Biohacking tips - part two

Last month I listed a few of my favourite bio hacks in part one of this series and here we continue the conversationBelow is a list of a few more biohacking tips and tricks for you to explore. I can only give brief descriptions here but list the resources I have found for you to further explore. Remember some of these items are still experimental and do not have full clinical proof and this article is meant only to initiate your interest and give you resources for searching further. Bio hackin...

Rhabdomyolosis and running - the dangers and causes

I felt compelled to write this article on the causes, effects and dangers of Rhabdomyolosis as this is becoming an increasingly common problem among marathon runners and even more so among ultra marathoners especially those competing in hot climates.  I have experienced this condition more times than I care to remember over the course of my long and extreme career and now it seems I am paying the price for it with kidney damage. Rhabdomyolosis in the case of runners (exertional Rhabdom...