Diary of an academic mum

Dr Breanne Kunstler (BBiomedSci, BHealthSci, MPhysio, PhD). Physiotherapist, behaviour change scientist and run coach. Not all running is created equal. About 5 years ago I made a series of mistakes that made my first trail run my worst run ever. I still remember that day like it was yesterday. It was a truly horrible experience. Firstly, I had to drive 1.5hrs to get to the event, which just stuffed up my whole pre-race routine. I hate travelling far for races (which is why I LOVE virtuals !). I stupidly ate a bowl of bran with yoghurt before I started the drive, thinking that I’d have my carby bananas when I got there and be fuelled and ready to go like I usually am. That bowl of bran stayed we me the entire run and made me feel utterly miserable. Check out my post on how to get the most out of a virtual run Secondly, I had no appreciation for what I had actually signed up for. I didn't think I'd need to do anything different to run 35km on a rail trail compared to the

Dr Breanne Kunstler (BBiomedSci, BHealthSci, MPhysio, PhD). Physiotherapist, behaviour change scientist and run coach. When I was a kid I would always look at my parents and think they were old. My dad was in his 40s and my mum was in her 30s when I was 12 years old. So, I was young, and they were old. Now that I’m in my 30s I obviously see how wrong I was! I still have a lot of quality years of life in me. Although I’m certainly not “old”, I am considered a masters athlete once I turn 35 . That’s right, a masters (recreational) athlete at 35. Does this mean that I have automatically mastered the art of being a recreational athlete once I turn 35? Unfortunately, no. It just means that I’m getting older and, as a result, have special health and training needs . I need to think smarter about how I train in my 30s. This goes for any sport, but in my case it's running. I have decided to do some research into the specific training and recovery needs of the masters athlete (recrea