Training is my happyplace where I get to think for myself and be free...
Former Olympic athlete Perri Shakes-Drayton tells ABI JACKSON she still loves to get her running shoes on and how motherhood reframed her perspective on joy PERRI’S TOP TRAINING TIPS FOR NEW RUNNERS...
WHEN Perri Shakes-Drayton retired from athletics, she thought her training days were over.
“I thought that was it – I’m not interested in more running, that’s me done, don’t talk to me about no gym,” recalls the former Team GB Olympian, who competed in 400m sprints, relays and hurdles, and won three world medals during her career.
“Lies!” she adds, laughing. Because although the adjustment “was a bit wonky at times”, Perri, who announced her retirement in February 2020, quickly realised that training is her “happy place” – even if it did now look a bit different.
The London-born 35-year-old – who has a three-year-old son, Matthew, with her husband, former high jumper Mike Edwards – continues: “Then, when I was pregnant with my son, I would go for runs, but things became more low-impact and everything slowed down. I was like – oh, this is not the training I’m used to. I’m used to being in pain, you know? But I learned that just movement is important...
“It’s not for any extreme speeds or rewards now, it’s all intrinsic. That’s where I get to think for myself and be free.”
Perri, who took part in Channel 4’s Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins last year (“it was brutal”), is still “goaldriven”, however.
“I really do think that is how I work best,” she says. “It’s not about pressure, I think it’s just me kind of holding accountability. I have a reason why I’m doing it, you know?”
She took part in the London Marathon last year and on Sunday will be tackling the London Landmarks Half Marathon – once again running for the charity Tommy’s, which supports people who’ve lost babies and funds research to help prevent baby loss from happening.
It’s a cause close to her heart, after experiencing an ectopic pregnancy – which happens when a fertilised egg gets implanted outside of the womb, leading to pregnancy loss and potentially life-threatening complications.
“I didn’t really know what [ectopic pregnancy] was at the time,” Perri recalls. “And then, from sharing my story, a lot of people came forward saying, ‘Yes, it’s happened to me too.’ So I thought, why not continue to spread awareness?
“Obviously, I’ve not tried for a baby since, I’m enjoying my life with my one son,” she adds. “But who knows what the future holds?”
Becoming a parent has made her “see joy in life” differently, she says.
“I feel like my childlike side has come out a little bit more now. We go on what I call adventures, me and my son, we’re always out and about – the theatre, the museum, play dates.
“I like to see and explore the world, and I feel like having my son, I get to share it with him, so life is different in that sense,” she smiles. “It’s still active, but in a slowed down version.”
Have a training plan
“Definitely set a training plan. Don’t go out there thinking, ‘Right, I’m going to aim to just run this distance’, whether it’s 10k, a half marathon or a marathon. A training plan gives you breakdowns of how you’re going to get there – and that may be shorter runs, interval runs, speed runs and longer runs - but you never really go the full distance.
“Last time I ran the marathon, I had a coach and followed his programme. This year, doing the half, I followed the Nike [Run Club] training app and it’s been amazing. You’ve got guided runs on there, you’ve got a professional coach kind of talking you through the run. It’s the moments when you’re feeling like ‘I can’t do any more’ – they’re in your head saying, ‘You’ve got this’.”
Build in cross training
“I do a lot of strength training. I aim to go three times a week, as well as do my runs. I’m working on the arms, the legs, the calves – because, especially for long distances, you need to make sure those parts of your body are strong.
“It prevents injury. I’ve had a history of knee injury, and I’ve surprised myself that I’m able to go and do these distances and not have knee issues – and that’s because I continue to do the strength programme. There are also times when I ride my bicycle instead of running.”
Remember everyone has off days
“I know all about that... There have been times where I’m like, ‘I just can’t, I don’t know if I’ve got the motivation or strength’. And actually, I listen to my body – a couple of days off is fine. What I’ve realised is, when I go back into the training, I’ve got this burst of energy, you’re excited to be going on a run. And you don’t lose your fitness in that time, you really don’t. So do not beat yourself up for taking a few days off. “What is more damaging is not listening to your body, going ahead and doing it, and then you end up injuring yourself.”
Test out your fuelling strategy
“When I do my long runs, the only thing I’ll be implementing [in terms of extra fuel] is gels – but what people really shouldn’t do is try new things on the day. Try different brands beforehand, do you like the flavour, is it agreeing with you? Electrolytes, the same, that’s another thing I like to do because we lose a lot of salts when we’re running – but don’t be trying these things out [for the first time] on the day. I always make sure I have my three meals a day, get that protein in, get the carbohydrates in, a balanced diet. But generally, it’s all about eating. Eat the food!”
Embrace the atmosphere
“I train a lot with music, but when it came to me running a full marathon, I want to take in the atmosphere and the surroundings and everyone cheering me on. When you’ve got people running next to you, you kind of feed off one another, and it’s so nice hearing your name being cheered [so have your name on your top!], strangers saying ‘You’ve got this, you can do this’. It really makes a world of difference.
■ Perri is running the London Landmarks Half Marathon this Sunday. For details, visit llhm.co.uk