Negative Split Running
Friendly, personalised coaching for runners who want to get better. From your first parkrun to your fastest marathon, and everything in between.
A bit about me
I'm a qualified Coach in Running Fitness (CiRF), currently working through further modules with UK Athletics. I coach at a London club founded in 1981, and independently for runners further afield.
Every runner is different. Your physiology, your life, your injury history, your time available, how your body responds to load. My job (and the part I enjoy the most) is getting to know you and solving the training puzzle that fits. The fundamentals of good training are well-established, but how you apply them has to fit the person doing the running.
That's why I keep learning. The Norwegian sub-threshold model, the Easy Interval Method, Canova full spectrum, traditional periodisation, the research on lactate dynamics and recovery: I've read it, applied it to myself, and tested how each approach holds up with the runners I coach. The skill is knowing what to draw from where, and when.
A note of caution: be wary of any coach offering a one-size-fits-all programme, or one built around what they themselves did as runners. That's a shortcut to training that wasn't really designed for you.
That depth speeds things up for the runners I work with. Breakthroughs come earlier when the training is genuinely built around you rather than a template downloaded from somewhere. The right combination of stimulus and recovery, applied consistently, is where progress lives.
Most of my runners are amateurs. Some chase a sub-20 parkrun, others a Good For Age marathon spot. A few just want to enjoy the sport without getting hurt. The principles travel across all of them: train sustainably, learn the craft, race regularly, and don't take it too seriously.
How I think about training
Runners who want to improve don't need exotic workouts. They need a clear, repeatable structure that fits around their life and keeps them healthy enough to do it again next week.
Sustainable beats spectacular
Most runners I see have done too much of the wrong thing. A few brilliant weeks bookended by injury, illness, or simply running out of road. My training is built around what you can actually do, week after week. The magic is in the repetition.
Running is a skill
Running well is partly about your engine and partly about how you move. Drills, strides, and quality intervals at controlled paces build the efficient form that makes everything feel easier. Fitness without form leaves a lot on the table.
Race regularly
A race every three or four weeks is one of the best training sessions you can do. It pushes you harder than any club session, sharpens your pacing, and gives the training somewhere to go. I build racing into most plans as an essential ingredient, not a treat.
The bigger picture
Training is just one slice of becoming a better runner. Strength work, sleep, fuelling, recovery, and how you talk to yourself all matter. Where you track health and wellbeing data, I'll connect it up so it actually shapes your training. None of it is complicated but it does need consistent attention. I'll help you join the dots.
What does a typical training week look like?
For most of my runners it's five or six days of running, with two or three quality sessions and the rest genuinely easy. Quality usually means controlled intervals at sub-threshold effort rather than max-effort track sessions. Add one short strength session a week and you've got a programme that builds fitness while leaving you fresh enough to race well.
None of it is fixed. Plans bend around your life, your travel, your work, the niggles that come and go. That flexibility is half the reason it works.
Do I need to be already fit to start?
No, but if you are quite early on in your running journey then unless you really need the accountability I may suggest a simple structure for you to follow alone prior to starting full training with me. I coach beginners working towards their first half marathon and I coach competitive runners chasing PBs. The starting point matters less than the willingness to be consistent. Whatever your level, we'll begin from where you actually are, not where you think you ought to be.
How do you deliver the training?
Plans go straight to your running watch with step-by-step prompts for each workout. After every session I can review your data, leave feedback, and adjust the plan as needed. Whether you're running with Garmin, Coros, or similar, the workouts come pre-loaded so you just press start.
Three ways to work together
Everything is personal and individualised. No off-the-shelf plans. Pick the option that fits your goals and life right now.
1-2-1 coaching
Ongoing month-by-month coaching with regular feedback on every run. We start with an assessment, a coffee chat if you're in London or a video call otherwise, then build your training together and adjust as life happens. Limited spaces so I can give each runner real attention.
Personalised training plan
A complete, individualised plan written to your race, your timeline, your availability, and your current fitness. Workouts push straight to your watch with step-by-step prompts. Best if you want structure without the ongoing dialogue.
One-hour coach call
A focused conversation about anything you want to work through. Training principles, race prep, kit, injury, motivation, getting unstuck. Useful as a one-off, or alongside whatever you're already doing.
Testimonials
"Working with Tom has been great. Consistently following a detailed training plan as well as learning about the skill of running has led to me drastically improving my times across various distances in a short space of time."
Matthew, Cape Town
"Tom's support and guidance has helped get me back to enjoying running. When things aren't quite working he knows how to change the approach to get things back on track. Most of all you can tell that Tom genuinely wants me to do well and succeed."
Chris, Chelmsford
"I've never enjoyed my running more. It feels like every run has a purpose."
Matt, Leicester
"Undertaking my first marathon was a big step for me. Tom was always there to answer all the questions I had and keep me on track, everything from training, recovery, to dealing with blisters."
Josie, Bristol
"The weekly run with Tom is a highlight of my daughter and her friend's week. They are learning to love running and have fun at the same time. They also both made the school cross country team following their summer sessions!"
Rob, London
Let's talk
Drop me an email and we'll take it from there. Tell me a bit about your running, what you're working towards, and what you'd like to get from coaching.
Replies usually within 24-48 hours. If you don't hear back, it might be in your spam folder.