On the 9th of November 2025 I graduated from Couch to 5 km for a 3rd time. Despite having been a regular runner since 2012, a running coach since 2021 and having run numerous marathons (including winning a very, very sparsely attended one), I found myself having to completely stop running and most other exerciseContinue reading “Osteitis Pubis”
Tag Archives: Running
How to Run in Zone 2
I’ve started using Threads a lot more and answering random questions that come up. The one that seems to come up most frequently and I feel I can never quite do justice to answering in a short thread is “How do I run in zone 2? Whenever I try my HR spikes and I haveContinue reading “How to Run in Zone 2”
The Frog
Or “How to boil your athletes alive” or, more formally, 12×400 with reducing rest. I’m not 100% sure what inspired me to write this session; we were nearing the end of road and track season and starting to train for the cross country season. Track and road racing tends to have me focusing on shortContinue reading “The Frog”
The Long and Winding Road to Sub 3
This is an edited collection of the various journal entries I wrote on my 9 year journey from targeting a sub-3 marathon to actually achieving it. This is a long read, so grab yourself a suitable beverage before starting! 17th October 2013 When I left school in 1995 the height of my running prowess hadContinue reading “The Long and Winding Road to Sub 3”
Pass the Parcel!
A good fun track workout for a special occasion (Christmas, someone’s birthday etc.); its basically 10x400m but with a twist. Wrap a small (or large) prize in 10 layers of wrapping paper, between each layer of paper put a number of seconds. This number of seconds in the first layer that will be unwrapped (theContinue reading “Pass the Parcel!”
Alternating Group Chase
This is another ‘classic’ VO2 Max improving interval set but with a twist to keep it interesting. We’re going to aim for 3 minutes hard effort (faster than 3km race pace) followed by a 3 minute walk. But to keep it interesting as a group we’re going to add in a little twist. As alwaysContinue reading “Alternating Group Chase”
Group Catch-Ups
This is a workout designed for a group to have a bit of fun (type 2 naturally together) whilst working on technique and the alactic/neuromuscular systems. After a really good warm-up, a minimum of 15 minutes with a build to the top of your aerobic zone, i.e., where your running companions can hear you breathing.Continue reading “Group Catch-Ups”
Zoe Merchant
Zoe is the kind of runner who I love to coach, she likes to understand why she’s doing something and likes to ask interesting questions. A chatty run with Zoe very often has me back at my desk afterwards looking up the latest research to try and find good answers to her questions. Zoe’s journeyContinue reading “Zoe Merchant”
Group Fartlek
Almost every post I read on Fartlek running starts with “Fartlek is Swedish for Speed Play”, so that’s where we’ll start. Fartlek is, normally, a set of variable length self-paced intervals with variable length self-paced rest, i.e., depending on how you feel you run quick for a bit, then slow for a bit and repeatContinue reading “Group Fartlek”
800’s With a Hard Start
It is well established that psychology plays a significant role in running performance[1] and this workout, whilst having VO2 Max enhancement benefits, is mainly aimed at making an athlete comfortable with being uncomfortable. In order to do that we place high demands on the bodies’ aerobic and lactic systems at the beginning of the intervalContinue reading “800’s With a Hard Start”
Coach Alex Masidlover 