Interview with Liz Yelling
by Shannon Martin

Liz Yelling running as a pacesetter in the 2005 ING New York City Marathon.
Photo by: Alison Wade
New York Road Runners

Great Britain’s Liz Yelling, 32, will run the Flora London Marathon this Sunday. Yelling has been a competitive distance runner since the age of 11. Her accomplishments in the marathon are many including: winning the bronze medal in the marathon at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, qualifying for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens (where she was the first British finisher), placing 14th in the Flora London Marathon 2005, and placing eighth in the real, -Berlin-Marathon in 2003, where she achieved her marathon PR of 2:30:19.

Yelling has had a great year so far. On March 10, she won the British national cross country championships. On March 18, she overcame sleet, snow, and wind to win and break the course record the Silverstone Half-Marathon in 1:14:34, more than two minutes ahead of the second-place finisher. On March 25, she won the Bath Half-Marathon in 1:09:28, breaking the course record and placing her at fourth on the all-time UK women’s half-marathon rankings.

Yelling is married to duathlete Martin Yelling; together they have a health, wellness, and performance coaching program called Activefutures.

Fast-women.com was able to catch up with Yelling a few days before the Flora London Marathon. Not only does she share her preparation and goals for the Flora London Marathon, she also gladly discusses her accomplishments, her coaching company, and her dedication to health promotion in Great Britain.

Editor's Update: Liz Yelling placed eight in the Flora London Marathon with a time of 2:30:44.

Fast-Women.com: You have had such a successful winter and spring! You won the national cross country championships; you won the Bath Half-Marathon in a course record time; and you won the Silverstone Half-Marathon in terrible conditions. Tell me how each of these races unfolded for you and how you felt afterwards.
Liz Yelling: England’s national cross country championship was my first race in this series and followed a month of hard marathon work, two weeks of which were done in Lanzarote at Club la Santa to escape the British winter. Although cross country is not that specific to marathon running, I wanted to do the race for my club, to test my fitness, and also because I just could not resist; I love cross country running. I only had a two day taper from marathon training and raced only two days landing from Lanzarote. To win was a great feeling. The national championship has a brilliant atmosphere and is England’s most traditional race. It was a good indicator of my form and gave me a great confidence boost that spring boarded me onto my next two performances, the Silverstone and Bath Half-Marathons.

Silverstone was always going to be a training run for me. I did not have the time to taper two weeks in a row and so ran through and after Silverstone. The weather was horrific with gales and sleet - it would never have been a good day to run a fast time. I was surprised that I managed a course record in such conditions. But it just makes you tougher!

The following weekend I was looking forward to the Bath Half-Marathon. This race I tapered for to see what was really in the tank. Thankfully, the weather calmed down too. I was really excited about racing and felt that I was in PB shape. I started off and felt strong. I was running fast and I felt in control. I was lucky to have a good group of men to run with, including my husband Martin who ran into the windy sections for me. In the last mile, my calf went into spasm so I had to ease back slightly to ensure I did not do any lasting damage. Coming down the home straight I saw that the 13-year-old course record was in my grasp and was delighted with a PB of 69:28. I knew it was there but until you run it you can’t say anything. Running action speaks louder than words!

FW: What are some of the key workouts that you used to prepare for the Flora London Marathon?
LY: My key workouts involve the long runs, although I run these differently. Some weeks I gradually build on the pace; some weeks I just run faster for the last 20-30 minutes, sometimes I just run long and slow. Incorporating some half-marathon races into my long training runs means I get some quality workouts. I run on the track every two to three weeks just to maintain some pace in my legs. My key workout session is a tempo run 2-4 miles, followed by 2-6 kilometre repeats, and then another 2-4 mile tempo run.

FW: Do you have any specific goals for the marathon this year?
LY: I want to run faster than 2:28, and I want to qualify for the Olympic Games in Beijing 2008.

FW: Who are your running role models?
LY: Paula Radcliffe is an obvious role model being my clubmate and good friend, but I try and learn from a range of distance runners. One way doesn't suit all athletes. I was very inspired by Kelly Holmes and shared an apartment with her in the buildup to her double Olympic gold in the Athens Olympics. I was very fortunate to see how she prepares and how she spends her time between training and racing. I also admire Sonia O’Sullivan, Benita Johnson, and Deena Kastor for their dedication and achievements.

FW: Do you have training partners? If so, tell me a bit about them.
LY: I mainly run on my own. My husband, who is training for Ironman Switzerland this June, occasionally does a key session with me. This is great as he can give me feedback about how I am running and help push me. I do try and run with other runners when possible. When our schedules match up I run with Helen Clitheroe, a 1500-meter runner. She is a strong athlete and we are well matched in our training. Her strength is my weakness and vice versa.

FW: Devon Martin, an American who ran for a short period of time in Great Britain explained to me that cross country is huge in your country. Tell me more about your experience with cross country. Do you like it more than road racing?
LY: Cross country was my first introduction the sport. I loved the mud and the difficult terrain. It is definitely my first love in running terms. Cross country has a very rich tradition in British running. Recently I think it's become a little undervalued. It is a great apprenticeship to develop strong young runners. Each year I had a specific cross country season and this used to be followed by a track season before marathons became a part of my racing calendar. Cross country is big not only in Great Britain but in Europe. We have two major championships in the calendar year - with the European Cross Country Championships and the World Cross Country Championships but Europe is littered with high-class events November to March. Cross country was where I gained my confidence in my ability as an athlete and gained valuable experience at going to major championships abroad with the World Cross. I believe this helped to set me up as an competent athlete and helped me to make the transition initially onto the track and then onto the roads where I have found a love in marathon running. It gives you the mental and physical toughness that you need.

FW: Do you have any plans for the track this spring and summer?
LY: Since I have started marathon running, the track season seems to pass me by, as I always seem to be running on the roads or preparing for my next marathon. I do not miss the track, although if I was in great shape I would love to run a good 10K. It is difficult to get a good quality 10K track race in Europe before the major championships.

FW: Tell me more about your book The Real Woman’s Guide to Running.
LY: I feel very fortunate to have a book with my name on it! I currently write for Running Fitness magazine about women’s issues and running and this led to a coaching book for real women runners (i.e., not elite-level). I tried to write it to inspire, motivate, guide, and empower women to take up running or to be that best that they can be in the running that they do. I wanted to create a friendly, non-intimidating text for women that gives ideas on how to start running, how to keep going and improve, and other information like nutrition, and training schedules. You can buy the book on amazon.com and in some bookstores in the U.S.

FW: That’s so great that you have used your knowledge to communicate to women runners. I also like your blog, where I read that your mom introduced you to running through the Bedford and County Athletic Club. Are your parents athletes?
LY: I’m glad you like the blog! My mum has always been a runner, although mainly recreational. As a child I can remember going to watch my mum compete in road running races and occasionally cross country. I would often nag her to take me out running. At the age of 9 I would do the occasional run with my mum and loved it. This triggered my mum to take me to the local athletics club where I would be able to run with girls my own age and at my own level. The club was Bedford and Country Athletics Club. I am still a member 24 years later! I met my coaches, Alex and Rosemary Stanton - a husband and wife team - and also Paula Radcliffe; this is where we became best of friends at age 11. Alex has since coached Paula to the world record in the marathon and me to my own successes. It's not just us though, Alex coaches around 50 girls from under 11 to senior level. Over the years, he has had many successes at national and international levels with so many young athletes coming through his great system. What makes it work is the supportive approach he and Rosemary give to everyone. Young girls are not pushed hard for short-term success but allowed to grow into strong, healthy, well-rounded senior athletes. Of course they don't all make it to the top but many continue to run once they have grown up, married, and have children.

FW: At the national cross country race, the runner-up was your sister-in-law Hayley Yelling. How is it to compete against her?
LY: I love running with competition. It is healthy to be competitive and I thrive on it. I was looking forward to running against Hayley at the national cross country championshipsnot only because I knew I was in good shape, but I thought it would really test me and my fitness and indicate what extra work I needed in my training. I was surprised to run away from Hayley, as she is such a strong cross country runner; however she was not 100% as the previous week she had had her jabs for the World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa, Kenya. I have raced Hayley many times over the years and it's great. She is good; I think we keep each other going, drive each other to be better, or to train harder. If Hayley can do it, I can and it works the other way around too. Sometimes we train together, but not too often as we tend to run each other into the ground! I did a track session with her earlier this year, and it took me two weeks to recover from it. We have a great laugh together away at races and we are really close friends. Oh, and people always confuse us with each other, despite looking so different. Hayley is the small brunette one! I'm the tall blonde!

FW: Tell me more about your commitment to health promotion. What do you believe are the key factors to living a healthy lifestyle?
LY: With the current stats on growing obesity and heart disease in the UK I want to help people to be healthy and active in a non intimidating way. I think many people have bad experiences with exercise and are afraid to take it up again. I hate the term “no pain no gain” maybe for elite athletes that want to perform, but that is such a small percentage of the population. Exercise does not have to be painful. The benefits of being active are quite stunning when you look the research, from reduction of risk of getting some cancers, to reduce risk of heart disease, strokes, high blood pressures and high cholesterol, to weight management, to a better mental outlook on life…being active is a no brainer! People just need to find what they enjoy and get involved. I do a little coaching and workplace wellness consultancy through my website.

FW: What do you like to do when you are not running, coaching, or writing?
LY: Running takes up most of my time. But I love to paint abstract art when I am in the mood. I love to read trashy novels. I love going for a cappuccino with my husband and reading the papers. I love eating out and spending time with positive people, and my close friends and family.

Interview conducted on April 18, 2007, and posted on April 20, 2007.

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