Training Tips from Running Groups: Beat Run Crew
We listened to the running routes, motivation methods, training details and much more from the Beat Run Crew team …
Just like other running groups, the Beat Run Crew running group is a team that is closely connected to each other, takes their training seriously, constantly sets goals and gets stronger from each other. During this period, where we continue to spend more time at home, we asked them how they continued their training, the details of their work and their training tips.
1. Can you tell us about the name of Beat Run Crew? What did you have in mind when giving this name?
“Beat Run Crew” is a very thought-out name. During the founding process of the group, we had a wonderful period where everyone in the team expressed their opinion, discussed the name of the group, its vision and the values that brought us together, and drew a roadmap together. In this process, our focus is always “why are we together and why are we running?” he had questions. The main theme that emerged as a result of our surveys and brainstorms was eventually summed up as “overcoming yourself, overcoming difficulties, being better than yesterday, running together and catching a rhythm”. At the end of the process, the word “Beat” emerged, which best summarizes all these concepts and reflects our desire to run together in a rhythm and become better runners.
2. Where do you like to run the most? How and often do you run?
Our favorite route; Caddebostan coast line.
Our favorite route as a team; Caddebostan coastline, where we run our Beat Monday runs, which is the most important meeting of the week for us. We can say that this track, which stretches between Bostancı and Fenerbahçe and is approximately 5K long, has now become our home. It is possible to meet a familiar face at any time on this route, which is the most enjoyable running track on the Anatolian side. Beat Monday is our most preferred workout with 8 different pace groups and 3K – 6K and 10K distances.
On Tuesday and Thursday evenings, we are doing interval training at Maltepe Beach Athletics Track, accompanied by our coach Mehmet Boztepe. Once a month, we run in Bebek Park, Yeniköy, Maçka Park and Karaköy with the Beat the City concept on a Wednesday. These runs are mostly activities where we come together and chat, drink our coffee after a short run and have a good time. On Saturdays, we do Beat Trail runs, where we choose challenging tracks for the team’s Trail runners, especially for our friends who have high earnings and are preparing for trail races.
In these runs, we prefer routes such as Taşdelen – Çekmeköy, Aydos Mountain, Kayışdağı Peak and Geyik Track, where we can train for Ultra Trail races where we stay on the track for long hours, we can rehearse our necessary equipment and in-race nutrition. On Sundays, we run our Beat the Forest themed trail runs, which is the lowest pace of the week. Neşet Suyu and Ayvat Bendi are the tracks we prefer most. Alternatively, when we want to get Ada air, our address is Büyükada.
3. How did everything proceed after you stopped running? How did you ensure the #evdeantraining process as a team?
The winter season was very busy for us. Especially as of April-May period, we spent the whole winter with long and hard training as the target races of the majority of the team were. When the opportunity to train outside was no longer available, the first one or two weeks passed with getting used to this process. Afterwards, we continued our daily exercise routine with individual workouts and instagram – zoom broadcasts. We continued to motivate each other with in-group challenges and maintain our fitness with training sharing.
4. Beat is a very crowded team. How did you choose the way of communication with this crowded team when there were no runs? How did you motivate?
Beat is a big family that is always in contact and meeting in social life outside of running. Therefore, even if there were no runs, we continued our usual communication with our whatsapp groups and online meetings. In the group, we have friends from all professions and ages. This diversity keeps the energy of the group always high. In this period when we could not run, we focused on strength training and channels where we can learn about sports.
We did Red Bull Project: Pro #evdeantraining programs of Red Bull athletes, closed group exercises on zoom and live broadcast trainings individually. Beat Monday continued every Monday in the format of Online Sport Talks. We had informative and enjoyable conversations on running, sports and health as a team. We will continue with the Beat Monday / Sport Talks series until our group runs start.
5. What kind of training and activities did you do other than the runs? How do you see the positive effects of strength training on running performance?
Apart from the races, we can also list different exercises such as Yoga, Pilates, Cross Fit, Kick Box that we have done in the past periods, especially the strength training we have done with Nike Master Trainer and Nike Run Club Head Coach Mehmet Çetin.
In this process, we saw better that running is a sport that needs to be developed 360 degrees. Especially those who run distance can see the need for strength training very clearly. Training that will improve not only strength, but also endurance and flexibility, as well as our performance in this direction, and their distribution in our training planning are very important.
As Beat Run Crew, as Beat Run Crew, we will continue to keep this type of training content active in our weekly monthly programs, as we have developed the areas we lacked in our homes with the training in this direction.
6. Red Bull Project for motivation: Have you been inspired by Pro training and athletes?
In these days when we are at home and away from running, being able to access Red Bull Project: Pro professional training programs of Red Bull athletes, to train with them at home, and to be able to call them #field together brought motivation and excitement to the group. We trained endurance with Ayhancan Güven, balance with Hazal Nehir and flexibility with Ayşe Begüm Onbaşı. Especially the process of reading ourselves #meydancing was very enjoyable for our team whose motto is #beatyourself.
7. Red Bull Project: If you made a program that could replace running with a selection of Pro training, what would be the 10 most powerful exercises you would choose?
Jumping Lunge, Shoulder Tap, Burpee, High Knees, Mountain Climbers, Russian Twists from Ayhancan Güven to maintain our endurance, Single Leg Box Jumps from Hazal Nehir to keep balance, Single Leg Tuck Jumps and Ayşe Begüm Onbaşı for flexibility. We would choose a super workout program with Child’s Pose and Leg Stretch movements.
8. What kind of guests did you host during the #evdekal process on the Beat Monday / Sport Talks program you made live on Instagram? What did you pay attention to while doing this program?
Between 2017 and 2018, we organized 6 different Sport Talks interviews with our speakers, who have an important place in the world of sports, with intensive participation. While we were thinking about what we could do as an alternative during the #evdeantraining process, we planned conversations where we could get together with valuable sports people and share their experiences and chat with the online Sport Talks concept, even though we cannot run together on Beat Monday.
Our national athletes Mestan Turhan, Mehmet Soytürk, Ercan Arslan, Ultra Trail runner Aysen Solak, our World Champion Aerobics Gymnast and Red Bull athlete Ayşe Begüm Onbaşı, Sweaters founder Elif Boyner and Nike Run Club Head Coach Mehmet Çetin offer very enjoyable and informative content. We made publications with. It is very important for us that the names we have chosen are guiding and inspiring, especially for amateur athletes with their experience and knowledge. While choosing speakers, we prefer names that we consider exemplary with their energy and vision.
9. Beat is also a Red Bull Challengers team. As the Challengers, which race was your favorite race with high energy? What does it matter to you to be one of the Red Bull Challengers teams?
The race that we could inspire many people was the Istanbul Marathon.
As Challangers teams, we can say that the race we were able to inspire and contact many people before and during the race was the Istanbul Marathon. It was both an incredible energy and motivation and a lot of pleasure to be able to help people to complete their distance according to their own pace during the period we prepared for the Marathon process and at the end of the race day with the workouts hosted by another Red Bull Challengers team every week.
As running groups, each of which has different characteristics but ultimately contributes to the running culture, organizing activities under the name of Red Bull Challengers and conveying our energy to all runners provides extra motivation for us. It is very enjoyable to be a part of this team!
10. Where do you plan to run as a team first, when we can go out? What did you miss the most in this process?
We missed Beat Monday the most in this process, our first route would definitely be Caddebostan Sahil. Although running is an individual sport, training as a team increases us all in terms of both development and motivation. We are looking forward to returning to our beat routine.