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During times like these, it’s so moving to see the compassion and support that we are able to provide each other. From posting “I’m here to help” slips through neighbours’ doors to doing food collections for the elderly, these small gestures offer significant reassurance to others.As a small business owner, I’ve seen a whole different angle to the COVID-19 pandemic. Friends with small businesses and local businesses that I follow all have their own way of dealing with this unexpected turn of events whilst still paying their lease, mortgage and staff. Whilst some businesses have closed up shop in the hope that...

This week’s guest post is by friend of VALA, co-founder of Ideas and Beers, motivational speaker and ultra runner Ryan Stephens who shares his top advice for anyone thinking of getting into ultra running below:"Hi all! I’m Ryan Stephens, I’m from Swansea and I’m an ultra marathon runner. I’ve been running for years, but in 2019 I decided to step up and do two marathons in a month and a 35 mile ultra marathon. In 2020 I’ve got a 32 miler, 50 miler and 100 miler planned! Here are my my top tips that might be useful for anyone thinking of getting into long...

It’s easy to forget how lucky we are in the UK to have such a diverse landscape on our doorstep and how much we take our parks, rivers and coasts for granted. Mixing things up and finding a new trail or route can help to ease the fatigue of constant training. I find running somewhere new a great distraction, as I’m concentrating more on the new sights, sounds and smells than overthinking my breathing or the niggle in my knee.Recently I’ve found Instagram, All Trails and Strava to be great tools for finding new hidden spots in the surrounding areas. I’ll often...

I've yet to meet someone that actually enjoys foam rolling (do they exist?) but this necessary evil has recently become my go-to. Having upped my running in the past few weeks due to a shoulder injury that I mentioned a few posts back, I've realised just how much having a @tp_therapy foam roller on hand can help with muscle recovery.This form of self-myofascial release is pretty straightforward and works by applying pressure to trigger points. If you’re new to foam rolling, start by slowly moving forwards and backwards over the roller (aim for an inch a second or slower), pause when you...

If you’re new to running or fancy a bit of variety in your current training programme, why not give Fartlek a try? This Swedish phrase meaning “speed play” involves the random interplay of different speeds. It’s an unstructured form of interval training where the total amount of work usually lasts around 30-40 minutes and incorporates sporadically varying intensities.When I first started running seven years ago, I was unintentionally ’lekking for the first few months whilst building up my stamina. I started with treadmill intervals of varying speeds and inclines (which I still love to this day) and would set “mini...

What started out as a conversation with my marathon-running partner Dann in the early days of VALA has since become our catchphrase. 'KEEP IT REAL' initially stood for 'KEEP IT natural and eat REAL food' but it has developed into so much more than that.KEEP IT REAL is all about being genuine, honest, authentic and kind to ourselves. It means having a positive mindset and getting out of bed to train on a muggy morning, when all you really want to do is snooze the alarm. It symbolises showing appreciation for family and friends for always waiting enthusiastically at the...