The Unconventional Running Coach

In the pursuit of "faster, stronger, higher," it is easy to obsess over the intensity of the workout. However, elite coaching and sports science are shifting the focus to a different frontier: The Integration of Volume and Strength . Understanding performance isn't just about running more; it is about understanding how the human body adapts to specific training characteristics and supplementary loading. By reviewing three papers, we can see how the industry is moving toward highly structured monitoring and strength interventions to optimise performance. 1. The Blueprint of World-Class Performance (Haugen et al., 2022) To understand elite success, we must first look at the Training Characteristics of World-Class Distance Runners . This comprehensive review outlines how the best in the world distribute their intensity and volume to reach peak performance. Key insights from the elite framework include: Volume as a Foundation: World-c...

In the pursuit of "faster, stronger, higher," it is easy to obsess over the intensity of the workout. However, elite coaching and sports science are shifting the focus to a different frontier: Recovery . Understanding recovery isn't just about resting; it is about understanding how the human body literally rebuilds itself in response to stress. 1. The Overload Principle: Training as a Stimulus To understand recovery, we must first understand the Overload Principle . This suggests that fitness only improves when the training load is increased beyond what the body is used to. Training acts as a physiological stimulus . During the session, you aren't actually getting "fitter"—you are overloading the body. It is during the subsequent recovery period that the body adapts, repairs, and makes actual training gains, such as increased strength. Without recovery, the "overload" simply leads to fatigue and reduced performance. ...

The High-Acid Secret: What Our Stomach pH Reveals About the Human Diet There is a growing conversation around the idea that humans evolved to thrive primarily on a carnivore diet. While this often feels counter-intuitive due to decades of conventional dietary advice, examining our internal biology—specifically our stomach acidity—provides a striking starting point for understanding our true evolutionary path. The pH Scale: A Logarithmic Tale To understand why stomach acid matters, we first need to remember that the pH scale is logarithmic . This means that a pH of 1 is 10 times more acidic than a pH of 2, and 1,000 times more acidic than a pH of 4. When we compare humans to other animals, we find ourselves in a very specific, and somewhat surprising, biological category. Where Do Humans Fit? Research into the evolution of stomach acidity has shown that a high level of acid is not just for breaking down food, but also acts as an "ecological filter...

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...