Liz McColgan-Nuttal MBE is one of the most iconic of Scottish distance runners. Liz was the gold medalist in the 1991 World Championships at 10,000m, and Olympic silver medalist at 10,000 in the 1988 Olympics. In the Commonweathl Games, Liz took gold in 1986 and 1990 (the only Scot to defend titles) and a bronze at the 3000m in 1990 as well. She won the NYC Marathon in 1991, in her marathon debut, as well as 1992 Tokyo and 1996 London (she also took 2nd in London in 1997 and 1998).
Jeff Benjamin caught up with Liz, who lives in Doha, Qatar with husband John Nuttal, who coaches in Doha.
Liz McColgan, 1991 World Champs, photo by Athletics Weekly
Awaiting The Baton In The Relay Exchange Zone – Profiles Of Athletes, Coaches & Legends During The War Against Corona
Profile # 10
Running & Coaching Legend Liz McColgan
By Jeff Benjamin
How is your daily training/coaching regimen going and how challenging has it been for you in this environment?
“We have been in lock down now for 11days and All my coaching is done online now.
As for my own training I have cut down the length and intensity of my runs and running solo outside on roads as all parks are closed here in Doha I have started doing a lot more S&C in the house with leg drill work so bit more emphasis on body strength/fitness than long runs or high intensity runs.”
What advice can you give to runners, especially youth, HS, and collegiate athletes who are challenged during this time?
“My advice is not to do high intensity training look at training in a build up phase and take the opportunity to work on weakness in your body ,so strengthen core ,legs and your body structure
Do not go crazy – no need to run for long in confined spaces. Sometimes you just need to step back and breath – So plan future races during this time and reset the training plans.”
