Notes
Things I've learned from coaching runners and from getting my own training wrong. Written when there's something worth saying, not to a schedule.
- Training The Norwegian Singles method, and the case for boring training No hard sessions, no peak weeks, the same workouts every week. It looks too simple to work. Here's why it does, and where it falls short.
- Training Consistency is the result, not the reason Everyone credits consistency for good training. I think it's the other way round. How to read your body, adjust the session and stop digging holes.
- Training The Easy Interval Method, a revolutionary approach to running training I dismissed EIM as a gimmick. Six months later I had PBs at 5k, 10k and the marathon, on lower mileage. Here's what changed.
- Racing Why a negative split is your best bet for running a PB My first London Marathon started at 6:40 miles and ended slower than 8s. The one where I held back gave me a PB. The maths of pacing, from both ends.
- Training What is overtraining (and why runners need to avoid it)? I chose two more months of marathon training over racing when I was fit. I ran 2:58:54 and hated every minute. What overtraining looks like, from the inside.
- Technique Why it's time to think about your running form Running can't be reduced to engine capacity. Why form matters, why copying elites backfires, and the three habits that build the form that's right for you.
- Technique Why it's time to incorporate drills into your running routine I used to go through the motions with drills. Then I found Kenyan drills, was hopelessly uncoordinated, and started to notice the difference.
- Racing How (and why) to properly warm up for running If the first mile of a race feels like a struggle, your body is playing catch-up. Three warm-ups, scaled to the run, including the one I use before races.
- Kit Why carbon plate running shoes are amazing, and why they might not be I'm an unashamed fan and I'll be racing in mine. But I'm wary of what everyday use does to our feet, and the research is starting to agree.
- Training Don't be afraid of running in the heat I used to dread London heatwaves. Then a hot summer of training, ice cream and wine left me flying in cooler races. How to use the heat rather than fear it.
- Injury How to mitigate your running injury When a niggle appears, the best thing you can do is almost nothing. How to catch injuries early, get through the acute phase and rehab without making it worse.
- Reference A glossary of running My take on running terminology, from aerobic threshold to VO2 max. Plain definitions of the words coaches and training plans throw at you.
Let's talk.
If you'd like this thinking applied to your own running, drop me an email and tell me what you're working towards.
Email Tom