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.

Last weekend I faced a decision every runner eventually encounters in a race. Stick to the plan… or go with the moment. At the Tokyo Marathon — one of the most special races in the world — that decision came much earlier than expected. Getting into Tokyo is incredibly difficult, so simply standing on that start line already felt like a privilege. But once the gun goes… the mindset changes. You're no longer just happy to be there. You want to race. Early in the race I found myself in a massive pack running much quicker than planned. It felt smooth. It felt effortless. So I rolled with it. But as every marathon runner knows… Those days don’t last forever. Around 14km in, reality kicked in and I backed off the pace. From there I ran almost 28km completely solo, often not seeing another runner ahead of me. Tokyo has a unique racing culture and I got caught up in what I call the “Japanese racing style.” Start fast. Hang on for dear life. Risky for a marathon… But when in Japan 🇯🇵 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here’s the interesting part. As a coach, I normally tell athletes to do the opposite: • Stick to the plan • Control the pace • Respect the distance Yet in Tokyo I did the exact thing I usually warn runners about. I went with the pack. And honestly? Part of me loved it. It’s chaotic. It’s risky. But it’s racing. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 💬 Your Turn Imagine you're standing on that start line. Your pacing plan says one thing… But the pack around you is moving faster and it feels comfortable. What would you do in that moment: Would you stick to your pacing plan —or take the risk and go with the pack?