So, you ran the London Marathon.... what next?

In the words of Holly Willoughby, "first of all, "how are YOU?".

You have had months of training, a structure to your life that has to include getting in the miles, making sure you consume the right fuel, sleep, stretching and recovery, but what now? It can be a bit "post party", when you have been planning for ages, had the woohoo and now it's the hmm, what next?


The fact is that you are no doubt fitter than ever but probably a bit grateful to have your life back and not factor in those long runs, or maybe you are already ramping back up for the next event. Maybe you didn't take part this year but were motivated and inspired by a friend and have started to wonder if you could enter a marathon yourself.

In our classes, we have several endurance athletes (they may not call themselves athletes but anyone taking part in an endurance event qualifies for that title!). We have marathon and ultra runners, triathletes, cyclists and endurance walkers and the TWO things we know are essential are the TWO things I am constantly talking about.... lifting weights and Pilates.

Ask any of my class attendees currently in training for various endurance events and they will tell you they NEVER skip Pilates as they have learned through experience how much it supports their training, reduces recovery time and helps them keep their mind calm and connected to their body. With that in mind, I am just fine tuning my cheering skills as I am very excited to be going as team mascot to support the irrepressible Lou who, this year is doing not one but TWO ultra marathons and I am accompanying her to the Scilly Isles for the "Scilly 60" (yes - 60 kilometres or 37.5 miles of hills and varied terrain) - there may well be some live Cornish online Pilates! perhaps from a sandy beach while Lou is slugging up hill and down dale, but more of that nearer the time.


I wrote a couple of weeks ago about why lifting weights/strength training is so important for runners and I am thrilled to be starting weight training sessions with my local running club, Hardley Runners. As well as going along to their track training and doing some post run sessions, I am recording some content for You Tube as a back up. I cannot wait to bring this to the many runners of hugely varied experience in a very busy and successful club and will report back!

So, why Pilates? 

Now listen... I know A LOT about converting reluctant endurance athletes to the importance of time on the mat. That was me! 

22 years ago, working as a personal trainer, I was lifting weights, teaching spin etc., etc.,  and was myself, in training for a marathon. I came from a life of endurance sport, and a lifetime of riding horses and running busy competiton yards. 

Very fit, very strong and rather over confident, I went along to a beginner teacher training course to see what it was all about...Well!!


 I couldn't do one side of it....it was hard, it was so much slower than the kind of workout I enjoyed and working slowly required a huge amount of discipline. Did I mention IT WAS HARD?  and that was what captured me. Gauntlet laid down... 

I threw myself into training, becoming fully addicted (as is my way) and choosing to move away from Personal Training and fully immersing myself in Pilates, so much was my passion for and belief in it. As once it was horses, I had found my new vocation.


There is a  saying in our industry that if you think Pilates is easy, you are not doing Pilates! 

If you have the discipline to set your alarm, get out of bed at some ungodly hour in order to get your long run in, push yourself to run further than you ever thought possible, skip a boozy party to get home to bed, obsess over protein and fluid intake then you have in you, the discipline to practise a form of exercise recognised worldwide for it's benefits in supporting so many other areas of your life. Why else do you see international athletes in the world of rugby, tennis, football, cricket and beyond, always including Pilates in their traning schedule? (maybe you don't! - but I do!)  If it's good enough for a world champion, it's probably good enough for you. 


I say very readily that you don't need to love Pilates in order to do Pilates... but you will love the many, many benefits it gives you in the sport or hobby that you do enjoy which invariably leads you to love Pilates! 


If you want to do it properly, it takes a whole load of discipline, control, focus, concentration and regular practise and just like a marathon, it is not for the faint of heart!


So, as you contemplate the "what next" - 


  • If you want to keep some discipline and stucture in your life while no longer doing your running training, do Pilates. 
  • If you are feeling stiff, sore, a bit broken, do Pilates.
  • If you are already planning your next event, do Pilates.
  • If you want to improve on your performance, reduce injury risk, move with more efficiency and reduce energy waste, do Pilates!

So... what next?

Whether you never want to see your training shoes ever again or are already thinking of your next event, take a good look at what worked and where you can improve.

  • Move better
  • feel stronger
  • have more energy
  • maintain discipline
  • eat more healthily
  • drink more water
  • drink less alcohol
  • keep some structure in your week.

Just getting to your mat on a regular basis will keep you on track before you let all that hard work slip away.


Finally, as someone who used to HAVE to sweat and burn, if I can learn to relax, slow down, be present and work on my practise, then I assure you, you can!

Members' news.

Thank you for your messages and requests. This week we had some back care focus in Pilates, a whole class dedicated to breaking down and understanding "Control Balance" and some hips and legs mobility and stretch. You ask, I deliver!


Please note, as per your email that there are some live class changes incoming. Lots of catch up classes in the library.


NEW IN THE LIBRARY THIS WEEK

30 min body conditioning with light weights and miniball (was a real burner!)

30 mins All levels Pilates pure mat (which was quite hard actually!)

Tuesday's Seated functional strength with weights.

Friday's strength class broken down - 30 mins lower body with heavy weights, followed by 15 mins (complimentary!) lower body stretch and mobility

Friday's all levels full body stretch and release with foam roller.

You will see that the library is undergoing a facelift - it ought to have scaffolding around it and warning notices. One of those jobs that I started without realising what a mammoth task I had undertaken but it will look much more funky and it's good for me to have a sort out and move about! Ongoing ...


May coffee and catch up - details in your calendar.


We are delighted to see some new members this week and have reached into several countries as well as all around our own. We are supporting two who are away from home caring for elderly parents, one very recently widowed and using her classes to keep some routine and structure and two coming back from surgery and illness. Our community is very precious and gives so much to so many - while getting in the car to travel to a class may not be possible, opening a screen and connecting to friends is invaluable and I treasure and protect it enormously.


Finally,


Your two greatest assets in life are

  1. Health
  2. Time.

Invest in your health. It will buy you more time.


Have a great weekend,

Jx

The Zanzibar Yoga Festival

By juliet • April 28, 2026
Members news. Week upcoming : Bank Holiday Monday - class running as usual and this coming Wednesday, 2 x 30 min classes. Details in library. As I am away a few days here and there in May/June, I will continue to put in extra classes now and then to keep everyone topped up. It's all about give and take! Following on from requests this week, upcoming we have a Roll over/Control Balance workshop (Thursday 8am), Back care (Thursday 9am) and Body Conditioning, sculpt and tone style (Wed 8am). All updates will always be in your live calendar. We welcome 4 new members this week and can't wait to see you on the screen! We can now add Portugal to our community! That means that currently, we are beaming into the UK from Cornwall to Yorkshire, Spain, Italy, Greece, France, Germany and now Portugal! We are so much more than Pilates and our community continues to support in so many ways. While a couple of our treasured members are going through some hefty challenges, I am so pleased that you use our online connection as a form of support and to use the friendship of your fellow members. Don't forget you can log in 15 mins early for a natter before class and on Thursdays, I will leave the meeting open after we finish the 9.45am class for anyone to stay on and have a chat. Grab a coffee and log back in even if you weren't in the class. If you would like to join our "Friends of JP's" what's app group , let me know - we are slowly growing and it is a friendly place for a chat and check in, (and a grumble about how tough the class was!). Have a lovely weekend, Jx 

Sitting in Southampton airport and other stuff

By juliet • April 9, 2026
I want to keep it as on point and brief as I can and here are some cold, hard facts. Doing SOMETHING is a lot better than doing NOTHING! Whatever equipment you use and program you follow is far less important than the fact that you show up. Regularly and consistently. Only 30% of adults meet the resistance training guidelines and this drops to as low 10% for older adults. What is required? Training all major muscle groups at least once a week Aiming for 2 - 3 sets per exercises Using a weight that is getting challenging by the end of the set Moving through full range of movement. Now, why this is good news is that this can be acheived in whatever form of exercise takes your fancy and over here on our Pilates mat, we tick a lot of those boxes. Going into the 100 and wishing for the end, sitting tall in your Spine Twist and pushing for JUST ONE MORE rep is meeting this! We go through full range of movement, we use bodyweight as well as small equipment, so even if you are not lifting weights, you are doing your bit. (N.b. provided this is min. 3 times a week and you are pushing yourself to max ability in each of those sessions in one way or another and bringing in bands, small weights etc for additional resistance) WHAT COUNTS BODYWEIGHT EXERCISES AT HOME BANDS, BALLS, BODY WEIGHT, LOOPS A QUICK EXPRESS SET WHEN YOU GET BACK FROM YOUR RUN/WALKING THE DOG 15 MINS IN THE KITCHEN - YOU DON'T NEED TO COMPLICATE IT IT DOESNT NEED TO BE FANCY, STRUCTURED OR ELABORATE. IT JUST NEEDS TO HAPPEN Generally ALL types of resistance training work, as long as they are performed with high efforts which means that you get to a point where you are almost at failure. In other words, choose what you enjoy as you are more likely to stick to it and work harder at ut. CONSISTENCY IS KEY and the BEST exercise programme to do is the one you enjoy and will be more likely to stick at! MEMBERS. We have multiple classes involving strength and resistance every week. NON MEMBERS - I am just putting dates together for another 4 week strength program. Please email me if you are interested. More details to follow (I am delighted to be starting a 4 week strength training session with my local running club so I really am doing my best to share the love! )

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By juliet • April 8, 2026
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