"Yearlet," a merciless incline that pushes runners to their limits, testing their resolve with each painstaking step.

How many times have you eyed up a new distance, or a course that looks incredible and then held back from trying it because of some fear holding you back?

I didn't hear my name. However, in that split second, I realized something profound – the victory wasn't solely in winning the award; it was in the journey, the growth, and the unwavering support I received.

As you accumulate miles, you might notice a few raised eyebrows from friends and family, wondering if you’ve joined an exclusive “Runners Anonymous” club

A number of things have been a challenge in 2023, which as a coach can be difficult to reflect on - especially when you think the product you have, works!

In a moment of luck, a message from my friend Lisa came in about then asking how it was going because she was dot watching, and I simply replied “f******* awful”

Then the wobbler starts, that is the start of the toughest climb, up a number of steps, along a narrow path, and up the infamous bowl.

Since I began coaching, my aim has always been to provide guidance and a coaching service that is of very high quality, and helps my athletes achieve goals that was out of their comfort zone, something I was unable to find myself.

Three truths about Sports Psychology are that anyone of us can benefit from performance psychology. It is also meant to be used proactively, and it will also help to optimise your performance to the best of your ability

Its summer time, and we love nothing more than getting out on the trails and enjoying the views it provides, but it is also one of the most difficult times to train. As temperature’s and UV rises, it can make you feel that the fitness gains you made in the winter and spring have all gone, and getting out is a struggle, but we have solutions to make this time of year a great time to get out and enjoy your runs.

My wife is a teacher. A few weeks ago, she came home and said that AI (Artificial Intelligence) was blowing up education. Underwhelmed by her claim, she then whipped out Chat GPT and, as always, my wife was spot on. She asked it to make a multiple choice quiz about the Tudor monarchs; She then asked it to write an assembly script on mental health awareness; Next was a Maths lesson on Pythagoras written in Shakespearean sonnet followed by a Spanish rap on climate change. Wow!

A live interview with Strength and Conditioning Education.

Live interview with Wild Ginger Running

Have you ever started your session or before a race, and looked at the other runners and thought, is my warmup warming me up for the event I am doing? Or, before a training run, just started to run and not even warmed up?

Near to Shropshire’s County town of Shrewsbury, there is a village called Pontesbury. A hill sits just on the boarder, with two peaks, called Pontesford Hill and Earls Hill. This used to be the location of some very old forts. Standing at 350m high on the drive towards Pontesbury it stands out and looks somewhat punishing.

Most runners want to just go out and run, enter the local 10k race, and the odd marathon, and will never run at an ‘easy pace’. Or the thought is that its ‘just’ a run.

Typically as the nights draw in, and it starts to get cold and wet we use these as a reason not to go out and run, but there are quite a few good reasons to get out there and keep the milage going, and you don’t need to stop just because its dark and wet outside.

Its very easy to commit to training, getting into a good routine, good consistency, and the great feeling that comes with training, getting fitter and running faster.

To maintain your progressing fitness there are a few things to just be aware of, to avoid slipping up and allow you to continue on that nice steady progression.

Hi everyone, this will be a two part blog about periodisation because it is an in-depth subject to talk about. I form this blog on my knowledge of the subject, personal experience, coaching experience, and experience of other coaches and athletes. I have had input from Stephen Pearson, who is a lead tutor for UKA and coached athletes at international level, he is head coach of Horwich RMI Harriers, a mountain leader and has completed LMM and Bob Graham.

I have recently had an injury which has stopped me running all together, which for all of us runners, is the most frustration thing that can happen, because it’s our release, our space, our bit of freedom from the hustle and bustle of life. This got me focusing on strength and conditioning, stretching, and having treatment and massage, which, even for a coach, gives you an opportunity to refocus and think about the bigger picture.