The Unconventional Running Coach

If you’re an athlete trying to improve, you’ve probably seen all kinds of training online — complex periodisation charts, colour‑coded spreadsheets, elite‑level routines that look like they belong in a lab. It’s easy to think that the more complicated the training looks, the better it must be. But here’s the truth I want you to hear clearly: Great coaching isn’t about making training complicated. It’s about making training work for you . That’s exactly what modern coaching principles — including those used in UK Athletics — reinforce. Why your training might look simple — and why that’s a good thing When you’re still developing (as we all are) — physically, technically, and mentally — the most powerful thing you can do is repeat the right skills consistently. That’s how your body learns. That’s how your technique becomes automatic. That’s how you build confidence. This is why I often rotate just one, two, or three core sessions across a training block. It’s not because I’...

As a self-confessed "obsessive researcher" of running science, I eagerly awaited my copy of The Norwegian Method Applied by Dr Marius Bakken. My goal was to see how it complemented the Norwegian Singles approach by James Copeland (Sirpoc) that I’ve been implementing earlier this year. While both authors advocate for a similar threshold-driven strategy, Bakken’s deep dive into the physiological nuances has given me several "lightbulb moments." Here is how I am refining my own training—and my coaching—based on these new insights. 1. The Power of the 'Cut-Back' Week Bakken reinforces the necessity of recovery, but he also suggests that a "week" doesn't have to be seven days. I’ve realised I’ve been training quite close to my limit lately. To stay on the right side of the injury line, I am introducing structured cut-back periods. Instead of a full calendar week of rest, I’m experimenting with a "mini-taper" approach: Wednesday: Reduced...

 In the modern era of "high-intensity interval training" (HIIT) and "no pain, no gain" fitness culture, the suggestion to slow down is often met with scepticism. However, if we look at the gold standard of exercise physiology, the evidence is clear: to run fast, we must first master the art of running slowly. Today, I want to take a deep dive into a seminal paper that forms a cornerstone of my coaching philosophy: "Maximum Aerobic Function: Method for Determining Aerobic Fitness in the Resistance Era" by Dr Phil Maffetone and Prof. Paul Laursen (2016).                                         The "Resistance Era": Why We Are Over-Training The authors begin by identifying a modern crisis in fitness. We live in an "over-fat" and "over-stressed" society, yet our approach to exercise is often to add more stress. Maffetone and Laursen argue that many athletes are stuck in a cycle of "anae...

 So this is hopefully going to be the first small entry of many on my fitness journal. My goal is to complete my transition from a 32 minute parkrunner to a 16 minute one. I have a PB of 17:08 but due to numerous issues over the year am currently just breaking 18 for the 3rd block (have run about 40 under 18).  So onto the journal.  So Monday 24th went pretty well. I did a 10 mile run in the morning, 2 miles recovery at lunch and my usual recovery and prehab / strength training. For me I had a sleep score of around 7 (based on feel) and my recovery was great, but then I a had only done a few long walks the day before.  Think that is it up for my first update, planning on expanding these as I go. 

The Brain Runs on Fat: Revisiting the Preferred Fuel of Human Evolution For decades, we've been told that glucose is the primary—and preferred—fuel for the human brain. But what if that story is incomplete? Emerging research and a deeper look at our evolutionary biology suggest that ketones—not glucose—may be the brain’s true super fuel , especially in states of fasting, endurance, or low carbohydrate availability. 🦴 A Look Back: Human Evolution and Energy Our ancestors didn’t eat every 3 hours. Instead, they evolved to thrive in environments where food availability was unpredictable , and long stretches without carbohydrate were common. During those times, the body would enter nutritional ketosis , converting fat into ketone bodies like beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) —which are not just an alternative fuel, but in many ways a superior one . Persistence hunting (chasing prey for hours): fueled by fat, not carbs. Rapid brain growth in Homo erectus : likely supported by nu...

I am covering January a little early because we have just had the last parkrun of January so it is a good time to asses my progress against my time based goals, even if the progress goals could be better judged at the end of the month. parkrun times are all I have to go with regards to outcome goals and I have progressed my post illness PB from 17:35 to 17:21. I should also note that the 17:21 was run with the start as my 1k and then 1 mile PBs and just hanging on... yeah not great to do the first km in 16 minute flat pace according to Strava. There has also been much more consistency with my parkrun times, they are trending downwards with my times getting consistently quicker. I really feel I have a big PB in my legs and just need the competition, weather and pacing to be right.  The above times set me up nicely for my target Half Marathon and mean my predicted finish time, in comparable conditions, would be sub 80.... something for me to wrap my head around as my current PB (on a...