https://www.rockstarrunners.com/

Endurance Therapy and Performance, Met Con Leeds, Topcliffe Lane, Morley, Leeds (2026)

20/03/2026

If you’re in the middle of a spring marathon block, it’s very normal to feel a few ni**les creeping in.

More mileage, longer runs, and accumulated fatigue mean your body is being exposed to more repeated mechanical load.

What you’re feeling isn’t random. It’s just a response to that load.

Most of the time, these ni**les aren’t injuries - they’re just a reflection of how well your current capacity is matching what you’re asking your body to do.

That’s one reason why two runners can follow a similar plan, but only one starts to feel things building up.

The goal isn’t to panic or to ignore it.

It’s to understand what’s being asked of your body, and make small adjustments where needed:

🌕 Managing intensity

🌕 Keeping some strength work in

🌕 Paying attention to recovery

You don’t need to get through marathon training feeling perfect.

You just need to keep things moving in the right direction.

If something has been lingering and you’re not sure whether to adjust or push on, drop me a message and I’ll help you make a call on it. 🤘

17/03/2026

Sometimes the best training… is what you don’t do.

Today I was meant to hit a solid session.

But I’m not 100%.
So I adapted it.

Not because I’m being soft…
But because I’m thinking long-term.

👉 Progress isn’t built on one “perfect” session
👉 It’s built on stacking good decisions over time

Forcing sessions when your body isn’t ready?

That’s how you:
❌ Dig a hole
❌ Pick up ni**les
❌ Stall your progress

The best runners aren’t the ones who train the hardest…

They’re the ones who train the smartest.

And sometimes that means:

Doing less today… so you can do more tomorrow.

—

If you’re someone who struggles to ease off when needed…

This is your reminder 👇

Adaptation > Perfection

16/03/2026

Don’t be afraid of feeling tired when training for a marathon.

It’s part of the process.

Marathon training isn’t meant to feel easy all the time.

If you’re building the endurance needed to run 26.2 miles, there will be days when your legs feel heavy, your pace feels slower, and motivation isn’t there.

That’s not failure.
That’s adaptation happening.

The key is learning the difference between:

🔸 Productive fatigue – normal tiredness from consistent training
🔸 Excessive fatigue – when recovery, sleep, or nutrition need attention

Marathon training is about stacking consistent weeks, not chasing perfect runs.

Some sessions will feel great.
Some will feel like hard work.

Both are part of the process.

Trust your training.

Keep showing up.

You’ll thank yourself come marathon day!

03/03/2026

“It depends on the person.”

Honestly… that’s my answer to most coaching questions.

How many reps should I do?
How many miles should I run?
Should I lift heavy or light?
Should I do intervals or threshold?
Is Zone 2 best?
Is carb loading necessary?

It depends.

And I know that’s not sexy.

But here’s the truth:

Generic plans work for generic outcomes.

If your goal is:

“Just finish”
“Just move a bit more”
“Just get fitter”

Then yes - Copy and paste something from the internet and crack on.

But if your goal is:

Break 3:15

Finally get rid of that recurring Achilles issue

Run strong at mile 22 instead of surviving it

Balance training around a stressful job and 3 kids

Come back stronger at 45 than you were at 35

Then it can’t be generic.

Because performance isn’t just sets and reps.

It’s a mixture of:

Your injury history
Your training age
Your stress levels
Your sleep
Your biomechanics
Your mindset
Your available time
Your recovery capacity

Two runners can have the same goal time… and need completely different plans.

One needs more strength.
One needs less volume.
One needs fuelling work.
One needs to stop hammering every session.
One needs to actually train harder.

“It depends” isn’t me dodging the question.

It’s me respecting the complexity of the human in front of me.

If you want average results, use average advice.

If you want specific results, you need specific advice and programming.

It’s not complicated.

It’s personal.

02/03/2026

“Ease into Monday…”

So I did.

With 8 x 5 mins uphill at LT2. 😅 Cheers

On a treadmill.
In a non-ventilated room.

Basically turning my clinic room into Snowdonia’s angry cousin.

All part of my build to UTS 50.

Why?
• LT2 work → raises the aerobic ceiling
• Treadmill incline → relentless climbing strength
• Hot room → sneaky heat adaptation

It’s not sexy.
It’s not heroic.
It’s just controlled discomfort, repeated.

UTS won’t care how fresh I feel on a Monday.

It’ll care how durable I’ve made myself, and I’m here for it. 🤘

25/02/2026

Shocked when race day doesn’t go to plan?

“Legs felt heavy.”
“Fitness just wasn’t there.”
“Didn’t feel prepared.”

In reality… your training slot was living in the same place as:

👉 “I’ll run if work isn’t busy”
👉 “I’ll go after dinner if I’m not tired”
👉 “I’ll fit it in somewhere this week”

That’s not a training plan.
That’s a hope strategy.

If it matters, it goes in the diary.
Not the “maybe” diary.
The actual one.

The runners who improve the most aren’t more motivated.

They’re just the ones who decide:

“This is when I run.”

Non-negotiable. Like work. Like school pickup. Like your Sunday roast.

Funny how consistency suddenly appears…

…and race results start behaving themselves too.

Schedule it → do it → get the results.

Simple.

Not always easy.

But simple.

23/02/2026

UTS50 build is well underway.

Training’s shifting from general miles to more race-specific work now — more elevation, more technical terrain, more time on the kind of ground I’ll actually face in May.

Currently:
🏃‍♂️ Running 5x/week
🏋️‍♂️ Lifting 1–2x/week
✅ Body feeling good

I’m also working with Kelvin at — he’s raced UTS50 himself and coached plenty of athletes through it successfully, so it’s great to have that experience guiding the process.

Keep stacking the weeks.
No drama.
Just consistent work.

On to another week. 🤘

19/02/2026

Reduce the friction. Get the session done.

Last night I had a recovery run planned.

It was freezing. Dark. And all my warmer running kit was in the wash.

My options were simple:
👉 Treadmill
👉 Skip it

So I jumped on the treadmill and got it done.

Not every run needs perfect conditions. Most missed sessions don’t happen because people are lazy - they happen because the barrier to starting feels too high.

If it’s cold → run indoors
If time’s tight → shorten the session
If motivation’s low → just start with 10 minutes
If life’s chaotic → adjust, don’t abandon

Consistency isn’t about ideal plans.
It’s about removing excuses and making the next step easy.

Make it easier to start, and you’ll finish more sessions.

16/02/2026

Ni**le or injury? Here’s a quick check in…

At this stage of marathon training, a lot of runners have something that feels a bit off.

That’s pretty normal. Training is ramping up, and fatigue starts increase.

The trick is knowing whether it’s just a training ni**le… or the start of something that’ll wreck your race if you ignore it.

Probably just a ni**le:
• Feels stiff when you start, then eases once you get going
• More tight/achey than sharp
• Doesn’t make you change your stride
• Settles later that day or by the next morning
• Next run feels the same or better

More likely heading towards injury:
• Gets worse the longer you run
• You start limping or protecting it
• Still sore (or worse) the following day
• Sharp, very specific, or building each run
• You’re constantly thinking “this doesn’t feel right”

My simple coaching rule:
If it warms up and behaves, keep training (possibly adapt certain factors) and monitor it.

If it’s worsening or changing how you run, don’t be a hero - adjust early.

Most marathon injuries don’t come from one bad session.

They come from ignoring the warning signs for a couple of weeks because you’re scared to miss training.

Of course, this isn’t intended to be individual advice, and you should seek a professional opinion if you’re unsure. You can do this by dropping me a message and we can arrange an assessment (Face to Face or Online).

11/02/2026

Marathon Training is NOT a Fat-Loss Phase.

If you’re training for a marathon, now is not the time to aggressively try to lose body fat.

Marathon prep is a high-stress block: big mileage, long runs, hard workouts, poor sleep some weeks, and a lot of cumulative fatigue. Trying to diet on top of that is like trying to build a house while taking bricks away.

Here’s what can go wrong when runners push fat loss during marathon training:

🚩 Higher injury risk — low energy availability reduces tissue repair and bone resilience
🚩 Slower recovery — sessions stack up instead of absorbing
🚩 Poor workout quality — you can’t hit paces when under-fuelled
🚩 Hormonal disruption — especially with chronic calorie deficits
🚩 Increased illness risk — immune function drops
🚩 Flat race day — glycogen stores never fully topped up

You don’t get fitter from training alone — you get fitter from training + fuelling + recovering.

Want to improve body composition?
Do it in the off-season or early base phase — not in the final 12–16 weeks before your marathon.

Fuel the work. Earn the adaptations.

08/02/2026

Evidence of the last coached runner who skipped their strength work…🤣

06/02/2026

Alpine skiing or soggy running - you decide! 😂

Give yourself a pat on the back if you’re getting out there at this time of year.

It’s pretty grim isn’t it!

Those races don’t train for themselves though do they?!

Legs still a little heavy from the weekend, but an easy weekend, then the Ultra build is on. 🔥

Endurance Therapy and Performance

20/03/2026

17/03/2026

16/03/2026

03/03/2026

02/03/2026

25/02/2026

23/02/2026

19/02/2026

16/02/2026

11/02/2026

08/02/2026

06/02/2026

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