Tom Hollis Health

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Tom Hollis Health

Sports nutrition & running coaching
Registered Dietitian & UK Athletics Coach
MSc, SENR Practitioner

'As a Registered Dietitian with years of experience and a love of distance running, I offer tailored nutrition advice and structured diet plans specifically periodised to your schedule, to optimise your training, race day, and recovery. Consultations can take place face to face (London) or virtually, and consist of one-off appointments or ongoing sessions as part of your race day build up. My primary interest is delivering vegetarian and plant-based advice, but all dietary preferences are welcome.'

15/03/2026

Málaga Half...tough day 👎

Wasn't at all sure where today would land, but it didn't go well, and am in a bit of a tough patch trying to work out where my fitness Vs fatigue is currently.

Felt tremendous until about halfway, but then I think the short turnaround post marathon caught up with me and I allowed myself to back off...massively. 73 something in the end, which is a blow to the ego for sure, but it's all a journey isn't it and important to share the tough days and not just the PBs.

The timing of this one was never ideal on paper but was chosen for family holiday reasons, and with that in mind, I'd better dust myself down quickly and draw a line under it. At least the sun is shining! ⛱️

01/03/2026

When Strava comments hit the spot 🥹

Seville Marathon took it out of me in a BIG way. I got pretty sick the week after, so I suspect this was why it felt such a grind on the day, but even so it is a tough one to take when hopes were so high.

There's no shame in 2:31 if that's my floor being raised, but the race experience was just so 💩 as my body wasn't playing ball. I'm so glad I eased off in the final 20 mins, otherwise recovery would have been even harder than it has been.

So I just wanted to give a quick shout out to people like these two who take the time to write a thoughtful comment on Strava (especially since I don't even know one of them). In that post marathon emotional rollercoaster, these two really hit home. Thank you 🙏.

16/02/2026

Seville 2026...some days you win, some days you learn.

Not the race I wanted. 2:31:29 was the result, which I know is nothing to be ashamed of, but far more frustrating is the fact I felt rubbish throughout and couldn't enjoy the race.

I'm the fittest I've ever been and conditions were perfect, but my body just wasn't right. On good days (like Abingdon), it all flows and the kms tick by. Yesterday was the opposite. I kept waiting for it to feel smooth and it never did. I stayed disciplined (HR) and hung in there until about 35km, then called it a day effort wise and jogged it in to minimise the damage when I knew my goals for the day were all gone.

I have my theories as to why my legs and body felt so off yesterday, but I don't want to sound like I'm reeling off excuses. Ultimately it just wasn't my day.

So while it feels like a wasted opportunity for a huge PB, I have to focus on the positives (didn't quit despite being desperate to, still never DNFd a race) and more importantly, learn from it and use it to fuel my 🔥 for better race days.

Marathons are hard, especially when the difference between a good and bad day is only 2-3 sec /km, and there are so many factors that need to fall into place.

I've rambled 😂, but hopefully useful to share my honest reflections on a tough day. I'll dust myself down and go again.

P.s. It was at least an excellent weekend of meeting loads of happy runners from various running communities, not least my best man John (pictured), who smashed his PB by 8 minutes to 2:43, and we celebrated appropriately 🍻.

14/02/2026

Unfinished business 🇪🇸

This time last year, injury robbed me of the chance to race , but as I jogged round the course, I took everything in and promised myself I'd be back next year to attack it.

Well, here I am. This was going to be my big sub 2:30 hope, but having got to that milestone unexpectedly early at in October, the goal for tomorrow is looser.

It's been a top block, and conditions look incredible, so it's a case of execute well and see where that lands me 🙏. Vamos.

22/01/2026

✍️ New blog! 2025 highs / lows and 2026 goals 🎯

From broken bones in January to achieving lifetime marathon goals in October, it was an unforgettable year with lots of highs and lows.

I learned loads in 2025 and left it a wiser and better runner. 2026 is shaping up to be huge, with some lofty goals...

Check out the blog on my website if interested! Via link in bio / URL below / link in my IG story 🙏.

tomhollishealth.com/blog

01/01/2026

My running 2025 recap 🏃‍♂️

The key numbers:

4️⃣4️⃣9️⃣4️⃣km total...10% lower than last year, but...

1️⃣ horrible race accident with 4️⃣ traumatic injuries (1 broken toe, 1 broken rib, 2 smashed up knees)...and 2️⃣ months of missed training.

4️⃣ x marathons, with 1 PB, 1 victory, and finally going sub 2:30 to achieve my lifetime running goal (guess I now need a new one).

3️⃣ x HMs, with 1 PB (70:41…next stop sub 70?).

3️⃣ x 10Ks, all a bit grim in different ways, and the race distance that got away from me in 2025.

6️⃣ x 5Ks, all within 16 sec of each other but with 1 new (parkrun) PB too (15:52).

Above all though, the running 🔥 burns stronger than ever. While I definitely still don’t have that perfect work/life/dad/running/sleep balance (in fact this took a backward step this year), I'm quietly confident 2026 is going see some big changes on that front 👀.

I appreciate everything that running brings to my life and career, and hope never to take it for granted.

Happy 2026 ❤️.

#2025

30/11/2025

British Masters 5K: 4th place M40 (and final race of the year 🎉)

Pretty sure that's the last race of 2025, and it wrapped up with a decent but unspectacular one. 8/10.

Great conditions, so perhaps a missed opportunity for a PB, but I'm very much in the thick of marathon training and not speedwork now, so I'll go easy on myself.

Thought I'd paced it to perfection and went sans watch check for the final km thinking I was smashing it, only to then be pretty surprised and disappointed when I saw the time 🤣.

All good, even a big PB wouldn't have got me a medal today...very classy M40 field dominating the race.

2025 has been eventful and needs a summary at some point, but for now, back to good old marathon training ♥️.

Next stop 🇪🇸.

19/11/2025

It had all been going so well...
..then I went and raced like an absolute 🤡. And this is the face of a man that knows it.

Brimming with confidence after PBs in the 5k, HM and M over the past couple of months, I lined up for Fulham 10K on Sunday thinking the full house was on.

A combination of dodgy GPS and a stacked field of fast runners meant I set off at the frankly absurd pace of 3:04, kept assuming my watch was wrong, then hit 5k at 15:54. 2 seconds off my 5k PB. Oops.

So yeah, the next 5k was absolutely horrific! Very nearly packed it in, but somehow chugged along to finish in 32:51, surprisingly only 6 seconds shy of my 10k PB.

Pros:
- Fitness must be in a good place to race that badly and still get close.
- Didn't throw in the towel, and still never DNF'd a race.

Cons:
- Clearly even a 7/10 performance would have been good though for a PB, and I delivered a 3.

If one of my experienced clients had done this, I would have been in disbelief, but we all got it wrong sometimes. The key is to learn from it and not be a 🤡 again next time.

This was certainly a day when the floor was raised rather than the ceiling.

22/10/2025

I did it! I am finally a sub 2:30 marathoner 🥹

19.10.25
1st place 🥇
2:29:24 (PB)

The hips creak and the calves are tender. I've got a lovely cold sore to remind me of the massive hit to my immune system. And I've started booking 2026 marathons.

Pretty standard day 3 post marathon stuff ✅.

But Sunday in Abingdon was a non-standard day. Probably the best executed run of my life, and a landmark moment in my running journey.

Since 2023 I've run 7 marathons between 2:30 and 2:34, and I had started to wonder whether my chance of 2:29 was slipping away.

Well, I certainly didn't expect it to happen last week, but my coach (who I sometimes think knows me better than I know myself, and is the perfect example of why coaches like myself need coaches), believed in me and gave me a perfect race strategy.

To win the race was a (huge) bonus, and I'll write more on how it actually panned out, but this sub 2:30 milestone is huge for me, and now I can look to even bigger things in 2026 with renewed confidence. Let's go.

20/10/2025

2:29 PB 1st place 🤯
..Mantelpiece Monday 🥇🏆🎖️

Hard to put yesterday into sensible words (hence I've not yet done a proper race post), but you might have seen from my stories it was a special day for me, both as runner and coach.

Lifetime running goal finally achieved and I've been so buzzing that I've barely slept since.

How about this for a mantelpiece haul from one race 😂. From the left:

🏆 Overall marathon winner
🎖️ BMAF marathon winner
🏅 Abingdon marathon finisher's medal
🏆 Men's V40 winner
🏆 England Athletics V40 winner
🏅 England Athletics Masters badge

I can't believe I'm finally a sub 2:30 marathoner! Race post(s) to follow after I wind down a bit...

🏅

18/10/2025

England Vest time again 🥹

What an honour! It's my second time qualifying to represent my country in the marathon at masters level, this time in my new age category of V40.

I want to run at a high level for the rest of my life, but equally, don't want to ever get complacent about this sort of thing.

Excuses out early: it's looking wet and windy tomorrow, and this comes at the start rather than the end of a marathon block, but I'm ready to rumble and see where I land.

14/09/2025

🇩🇰 Copenhagen HM: 70:41 and 2 PBs in 8 days ❤️

The wettest race of my life, but certainly one of my proudest too.

Still getting faster at 41 and after 15 years of running...anyone who thinks pinpoint nutrition doesn't make the difference is:

a) wrong, and
b) in need of a better coach.

Great event, more to come! Love this game.

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