Cara Hanson Knead To Run

15/03/2026

14/03/2026

Well done to everyone who ran Grindleford Gallop some great results, and we were blessed with glorious weather! Big shout out to for a 40 min PB, that is just amazing! Also, to for a great run despite going the wrong way and falling over!

I paced it on a tempo effort, and the heart rate shows I was pretty consistent 🥳! The biggest win was eating a jam and peanut wrap whilst climbing a super steep, muddy, and technical hill whilst in Z3 😆 and the biggest fail was not carrying salt tablets, it felt so hot 🥵. I had a low point on the Monsal trail, a few kms seemed to take forever, I find flat runs mentally hard, need to work on that!

Now for recovery 😀.

Speaking of recovery, now is the time to book your sports massages, March and April are busy . Link in the bio, message me if you don't see a time that suits and can add availability as and when required!

14/03/2026

Looks like I'm ready to Gallop around Grindleford after a 3 day mini taper😊. (Obviously, my taper will be longer for my goal race).
Proof that sometimes less is more!
Overload-recover-adapt is key!
Good luck to everyone to Grindleford Gallop today (or any other race) . See you there!

10/03/2026

Worth a read!
One advantage of having a coach is to prevent over training.

If you're feeling sluggish, tired and your performance has plateaued, it might be a sign of overtraining. Here's what to look out for.

08/03/2026

“Coaches are just for the elites”....that’s a misconception I hear often from recreational endurance athletes.

Yes, we associate them with the elites much of the time, but what does a coach bring?

Well often it’s simply the ability to add variety, a different, unbiased opinion, changes from old routines that can lead to progression, or maybe to simply become an outsource for our accountability and motivation at times when our lives are really stressed.

Despite self coaching and coaching many athletes for almost 25 years, I’ve often spent time under the tutelage of other coaches for all the reasons listed above.

It’s easy to slip into routines that work for a while, then plateau off, it’s easy to stick to and plan the sessions we want more than the ones we actually need, and perhaps most importantly, in our busy lives, it’s easy to skip or miss sessions when other things are taking priority.

I think outsourcing your accountability or motivation can be a powerful and helpful thing to do on occasion, to take the pressure off yourself of planning sessions and just be able to do the ones someone else sets for you is liberating.

There are many levels of coaching interaction and costs available these days, so is it time to think about whether this could work for you?

Generic, off the shelf plans can be great, particularly if you can adapt them to suit you, or if it’s your first time at a particular distance or event.

But maybe you need more next time to progress??

04/03/2026

I've often said I feel a little awkward on an easy run. This is probably why. In the first picture, the arms are swinging too far back and at an obtuse angle (more than 90°), which is causing external rotation in the shouders, which is then causing the hips to externally rotate resulting in hip drop. In the second picture, the arms are more where they should be, which instantly improved all the rotation issues. Yesterday, I put this into place during a mile trial and felt really strong. A few weeks of continuous competence, and hopefully, it will become second nature. Adding some work on pelvic stability and internal hip rotation control will also help.

Thanks to for your help with this as well as the help with the 'lactate intolerance' (another story that I'll save for another day ). Ben specialises in running mechanics, and I always see him in Hillsborough Park, helping the running community.

Being a coach doesn't automatically transform you into a perfect runner with perfect running form. We all have stuff to work on ourselves and learn. Constantly learning is what makes us better coaches 😀.

02/03/2026

A big part of training for an ultra is remembering to actually enter the event 😆! Job done, no excuses now!
If anyone fancies 30 or 40 miles of glorious countryside, that's not too hilly I fully recommend you join me 😁.

The Dukeries 30 / 40 starts in the heart of Sherwood Forest and keeps mostly to forest trails and footpaths. This HOBO Pace race takes place annually.

26/02/2026

RIP Jeff Galloway, the legend who created 'Jeffing' ! ♥️

24/02/2026

Just a reminder that I'm registered with the FHT (Federation of Holistic Therapists), so if you're with Westfield and have well-being and alternative therapies cover, then you can claim back for sports massages. Just ask me to email a receipt over.

Also, being a member of the FHT I am required to complete a minimum of 10 CPD points a year, so rest assured, I'm always learning/brushing up on previous skills to help you the best I can!

I'm fully booked this week but have appointments next week. Get booked in. Link in the bio. 😃.

24/02/2026

21/02/2026

Today, a nice little striders trip to Rother Valley parkrun. Great running by everyone , 2 of my Thursday night crew got 5k PBs, one of whom is marathon training, and the other, it was a bit of a benchmark which will see him now targeting sub 20!
For me, I was celebrating getting into Valencia marathon by running a marathon pace 😀.
Of course, there was post run coffee, and it was actually warm enough to sit outside. Thanks to Chris for organising.

#

20/02/2026

I swapped running for walking today! A hike to Bamford! The conditions going up to Back Tor and along Derwent Edge we're definitely interesting!
We had snow, ice, water logged paths, bogs, wind, and ice-cold rain smacking us in the face. It was that windy at one point the rain actually went upwards.
This is all part of the fun, right . Well, it was fun!

Wearing the right kit makes all the difference, I was never once cold despite wading in icy water. The cycling glasses were the one piece of kit I never knew I needed for walking 🤣.

A good day out, and good for ultra training! Lots of eating and 2 pub visits.