Welcome to my blog

Marathon training – What should you do next?

Marathon training – What should you do next?

Marathon Training - What should you do next? Part 1 Now your marathon training plans have been thrown up in the air what should you do next? If you don’t have a marathon coach you have probably found your 16-week marathon training plan is suspiciously quiet on what to...

Make your long run count

Make your long run count

All marathon runners know you should make your long run count. We take masochistic pride in them. We know we should run them at a slower pace.  But often that feels pointless and unnecessarily time-consuming. So most of us struggle to resist the temptation to see how...

Staying Positive When Injury Strikes

Staying Positive When Injury Strikes

Staying positive when injury strikes is one of the biggest challenges. Sadly as an athlete I’ve got a lot of experience to call on here. From not running for nearly a year after rupturing my plantar fascia the day after the Commonwealth Games, to frequently missing...

Finding the right running paces for you

Finding the right running paces for you

One of the most common mistakes made by new runners – or even by more experienced runners – is to do most of their running at one running pace. There’s a misperception that good runners run fast all of the time. It’s true that to get faster you need to run faster –...

London Marathon Training Starts Today…

London Marathon Training Starts Today…

  It’s more than 8 months until the London Marathon 2020 but I’m starting my marathon training today. The Good For Age entries are open now. Contrary to popular belief the best way to get into London is not to take your chances in the ballot. Nor start...

The Third Quarter

The Third Quarter

No matter what the distance – from 800ms to the marathon – the hardest part of any race is always the third quarter. It’s after the start but before the end and its where a good run can be won or lost. But with the right coaching and a good race plan you can make the...

How did I get here?

How did I get here?

Like most people, I was introduced to athletics at school and joined Thurrock Harriers, the local club where I had my first coach, Roy Howe. From his coaching I learnt lessons I still value today – to train hard, how to race and the importance of confidence and...