We all want the same thing — run faster but make it feel easier. And if I'm being completely honest with you — for years I went about it the wrong way. I hammered every run. I chased pace on my watch. And I wondered why I was always carrying something. The answer turned out to be simpler than I thought. It starts with one number — your heart rate. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Here's how I break it down for my athletes and for myself: 1️⃣ Know your zones. Zone 2 (62–72% of HR max) is your bread and butter. Up to 80% of your training should live here. Think of it as the foundation to your house. Without it, everything comes crashing down. 2️⃣ Easy means easy. Can you hold a conversation the whole time? If not, you're going too hard. Your easy run should feel almost embarrassingly slow. I ran my easy runs too fast for years because I was worried about what it looked like on Strava. That held me back more than I care to admit. 3️⃣ Snap out of the comfort zone 2–2.5 times a week. Track, hills, tempo, quality long runs, races — this is the sharp end. The roof to your house. Around 20–30% of your weekly training. Don't do these back to back. Your body is a sponge — it needs time to soak up the work. 4️⃣ Shift the whole house upwards. Over time, you're aiming for one of two things — same pace at a lower heart rate, or same heart rate at a faster pace. Both mean you're getting fitter. And both come from consistency. Week after week. Month after month. 5️⃣ Your heart is a muscle. Train it. In my early years I could hit Zone 5, but I couldn't hold it for long. Now I can. That didn't come from smashing myself every session — it came from building the aerobic base first. 6️⃣ Get a proper HR monitor. Chest strap or arm strap. The built-in watch monitors are great when you're sleeping. As soon as sweat gathers underneath, they start lying to you. 7️⃣ Find your actual max HR. Two simple tests — sprint up a long gradual hill for 90 seconds, or race a flat 2–5km all out. From there you can work out your zones properly instead of guessing.

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.

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

One of the Toughest Challenges I've Ever Done. Last year I ran 4 marathons in 4 weeks. Berlin. London. Chicago. Cape Town. It wasn't planned. Covid delays meant all the races I had entered months apart suddenly landed one week from each other. I remember looking at the calendar thinking there's no way this is actually happening. But once it was locked in — that was it. As a coach, would I recommend this? Absolutely not. Was it smart training? Not even close. Would I do it again? No chance. Do I regret it? Not one single bit. Because sometimes in life you don't choose the challenge. The challenge chooses you. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🇩🇪 Berlin was the one I went all in on. I told myself before the race — run this like it's your last one. We hit halfway in 70:16. From around 25km the pack broke up and suddenly it was just me, my own thoughts, and the clock. I started picking off runners one by one. There's something about that feeling late in a marathon — overtaking people when the going gets tough — it just adds fuel to the fire. I genuinely believed I had sub 2:20 that day. Until I ran under Brandenburg Gate, did the maths, and realised it was going to slip. 2:20:08. 8 seconds. At the time I was gutted. But once it sank in — a 51 second PB is a 51 second PB. You can never be upset about that. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🇬🇧 London was a completely different kind of win. This one wasn't about me. I was running alongside one of my athletes, Anya. Three years before she had run 4:34 on this course. That day we were targeting 2:36 to 2:38. Everything clicked. Perfect day. Perfect execution. She ran 2:36 and finished as one of the top British athletes. To be right there next to her and watch that unfold — that's something I'll never forget. One of my proudest coaching moments. And honestly, more rewarding than my own PB the week before.

I’ve shared how I mentally break down a 5K, 10K, and half marathon, but I haven’t shared how I approach the marathon itself. After completing my 80th marathon at London 2024, I thought it was finally time. Funny thing is — after my first marathon 11 years ago, I promised myself I would never run one again. Clearly… that didn’t last long. Once the marathon bug bites, it bites hard. Over the years my mindset has evolved. I’ve tried different approaches and different ways of mentally breaking the race down. This is how I currently approach a marathon. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🟢 The Start → Halfway Switch the Brain Off For the first half of the race, the goal is simple: Conserve energy. You’ve probably heard the saying: “The marathon only starts in the second half… especially in the last 10K.” And honestly — it’s true. The biggest mistake runners make is racing the first half instead of preparing for the second half. So my approach is simple: • Have a clear race plan before the start • Soak up the atmosphere • Enjoy the crowds • Settle into rhythm But mentally… Pretend the race doesn’t start until halfway. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🧩 Half Marathon to Go — 7 / 7 / 6 / 1 When I race a half marathon, I break it down like this: • 7km — Warm up into the race • 7km — Actively working and grinding • 6km — Dig deep • Last km — Always find something extra But a marathon is different. Because when you hit halfway in a marathon… You’re not fresh anymore. So from here, I break the race down differently. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🎯 21–28km — Focus & Control This section sets the tone for the entire second half. Go too hard here and you’ll pay for it later. Hold back too much and you’ll leave time on the course.