🏟️ Welcome back Your weekly dose of what's happening in the running world — with a coaching lens on what we can actually take from it. This week, the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń just wrapped up. And Great Britain had a historic one. This one’s performance is worth breaking down. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Keely Hodgkinson — World Indoor Champion On March 2026, she delivered one of the most controlled championship performances we’ve seen. The result: 800m gold. 1:55.30. Championship record. How she did it: She took the lead from the gun. 27.26 through 200m. 56.96 at the bell. Never looked back. Won by 1.34 seconds over Audrey Werro — a gap you almost never see at this level. Why it matters: At 24, she's the Olympic champion, the world record holder (1:54.87), and now the world indoor champion. Every expectation was on her. She didn't force it. She executed a plan and let the race come to her. The coaching takeaway: That 1.34-second winning margin didn't come from going out reckless. It came from years of controlled racing — knowing her splits, trusting her fitness, and not panicking when the pressure was highest. She ran to her plan, not to her limit. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🇬🇧 Britain's Biggest Week in Indoor Athletics It wasn't just Keely. → Georgia Hunter Bell — 1500m gold in 3:58.53 (British indoor record, world-leading time). First global title. → Molly Caudery — Pole vault gold, clearing 4.85m. Regained her world indoor title. → Josh Kerr — 3000m gold in 7:35.56 the night before. Second world indoor title. Four athletes. Four world titles. Two nights. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 💬 Be honest with me: What's your niggle? The one you've been ignoring. The one you warm up and it "goes away" so you keep running. The one you haven't told your training partner about.

I went from a 3:17 marathon to a 2:19. From a 25:14 5K to a 14:34. And if I'm being completely honest with you — a huge part of that improvement had nothing to do with running more miles. It came from getting serious about recovery. I spent years thinking the answer was more sessions. More mileage. More intensity. And yeah, that stuff matters. But if you're not recovering properly between those sessions, you're leaving a massive amount of progress on the table. Recovery isn't a rest day. It's a discipline. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here are the 10 things that made the biggest difference — to me and to the athletes I coach every week: 1️⃣ Protein within 30 minutes of every hard session — have your shake ready before you even start. 20-24g. Don't wait until you've showered and sorted yourself out. By then, you've already missed the window. 2️⃣ Electrolytes, not just water — start every morning with a hydration tablet. The difference between feeling flat at 8km and feeling strong is often just this. 3️⃣ Good carbs before, protein after — you can't out-train a bad diet. Fuel it properly and it'll repay you on the roads. 4️⃣ Warm up and cool down every single time — I know it's boring. I know you're tight for time. But runners who skip these get injured. Runners who do them consistently stay healthy for years. 5️⃣ 8 hours of sleep — since having kids, I haven't always managed this. And I've felt every single missed hour on my runs. No app, supplement or training hack replaces sleep. 6️⃣ Yoga or mobility work once a week — when I went to my first class, I looked like a baby giraffe doing downward dog. Now I don't miss a week. Completely different runner for it. 7️⃣ Compression socks post-session — my calves used to twitch like mad after big tempos. 2-3 hours in compression socks after a hard run and it sorts itself out. 8️⃣ Legs up the wall — 30-45 minutes. Free. Simple. Works. Do it in the evening while watching TV. No extra time needed.

Hi all I have run numerous marathons, London 3 times and Manchester Marathon a few times too. I ran a half marathon in the last six months at 1:42 so I have entered the Manchester half in October to get a sub 1:40. I have been a prison officer for 34 years also. Nice to meet you all and be apart of a running community.

When it comes to improving your running, there are no shortcuts. But there are smarter ways to train. Over 9 years I improved from: 🏃‍♂️ 3:17 marathon → 2:20 marathon 🏃‍♂️ 25:14 5K → 14:34 5K And one thing became very clear during that journey: If you keep doing the same training every day, you’ll improve… But very slowly. Small tweaks to your training structure, recovery, and habits can make a huge difference over time. Here are 10 simple running “hacks” that can help you improve faster. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1️⃣ Build a Short Daily Routine One of the most underrated habits for runners is a 10–15 minute daily routine. This can include: • Core work • Strength exercises • Stretching • Foam rolling Even 2–5 sessions per week can dramatically improve durability and reduce injury risk. Small daily maintenance goes a long way. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2️⃣ Add Structure to Your Training Many runners simply run the same pace every day. That’s one of the slowest ways to improve. Instead aim for: • 2 harder sessions per week • Track intervals • Tempo / threshold runs • Hill repeats And remember the golden rule: Easy days easy. Hard days hard. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3️⃣ Let Your Watch Coach You Pre-building workouts on your watch makes sessions far easier to execute. Instead of constantly checking pace and time, your watch guides the workout: ✔ When to push ✔ When to recover ✔ When the interval ends This allows you to focus on running — not managing the session. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4️⃣ Strength Work Matters More Than You Think Strength training is crucial for runners. Stronger muscles help you: ✔ Handle higher mileage ✔ Maintain better form ✔ Reduce injury risk

Welcome — runners from around the world train together here. You’re officially part of the team — and we’re glad you’re here. This community is built for runners of all levels who want structure, support, and real progress. Whether you’re starting your running journey or chasing your next PB, this is your space to learn, improve, and connect with like-minded runners around the world. 🎁 What You Get — Completely Free ✔ A supportive running community for motivation, feedback, and accountability ✔ Access to training resources and community learning content ✔ Strength & Conditioning workouts ✔ Nutritional guidance and tips ✔ Weekly expert insights, discussions, and coaching advice. ✔ The chance to learn from runners around the world ✔ Monthly Webinar with Coach Nick ✔ Community leaderboards and rewards ✔ A free month of TrainingPeaks Inside TrainingPeaks you’ll be able to: • Follow a structured training plan built by Coach Nick for YOU • Sync your workouts directly to your watch (Garmin, Apple Watch, Polar, etc.) • Track your progress and training performance over time And yes — joining the community is completely free. You get access to the discussions, training resources and community support at no cost. Runners who want deeper coaching can upgrade later — but the community itself is free to join and participate in. Just show up, participate, improve and win rewards! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🗺 The Runner Map Inside the Hub you’ll find the Community Map. This allows runners around the world to connect. You can: • See where other members are based • Connect with runners when travelling • Find local training partners • Organise runs with other Hub members If you're travelling or looking for a running partner — the map is the place to start. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🏆 Community Rewards We believe runners who contribute should be rewarded.