AJ Running Coach

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AJ Running Coaching
Specialised in 10K/Half Marathon coaching

I offer custom training programs that will be created for the individual taking in to account their personal goals

A £250 pair of shoes cannot buy you a sub-3 marathon.They can help.That difference matters.Sub-3 still means holding rou...
29/08/2026

A £250 pair of shoes cannot buy you a sub-3 marathon.

They can help.

That difference matters.

Sub-3 still means holding roughly 4:16/km or 6:52/mile across the full marathon.

That requires training.
Specific endurance.
Pacing discipline.
Fuelling.
Recovery.

Enough durability that the final 10K is still a race rather than a negotiation.

Then, when all of that is in place?

Absolutely use the best legal race shoe that works for you.

Advanced footwear can improve economy.

Just earn the goal first and let the shoe sharpen it.

DM me “SUB3” if the goal is close but the training still feels uncertain.

AJ
www.AJRunningCoach.com

Carbon gets all the attention.It is not the whole story.Modern super shoes work as a system.Lightweight construction.Hig...
28/08/2026

Carbon gets all the attention.

It is not the whole story.

Modern super shoes work as a system.

Lightweight construction.
Highly resilient foam.
Geometry.
Stiffness.

And yes, often a carbon plate.

That matters because runners start assuming more carbon or more stiffness automatically equals more speed.

It does not.

Research has shown that simply adding a carbon plate does not guarantee an economy benefit, particularly when stiffness does not suit the athlete.

Stop shopping by one buzzword.

The whole shoe has to work for the whole runner.

Comment “CARBON” if you thought the plate was doing nearly all the work.

AJ
www.AJRunningCoach.com

28/08/2026

Sometimes the best recovery tool is good company. ❤️

30 mins easy today — 4.10 miles at 7:19/mi, avg HR 127.

After yesterday’s repetition session, today was simply about getting some gentle movement into the legs before a full rest day tomorrow.

And I had some company again.

This time my son jumped on his bike and came along for the run. 🚴‍♂️🏃‍♂️

We spent the 30 minutes chatting as we made our way around the local bike paths, and before I knew it, the session was finished.

That’s probably one of the easiest ways to keep an easy run genuinely easy — forget about the watch, have a conversation and let the body find its own rhythm.

The legs already felt noticeably better after yesterday’s speed work, which was exactly what I wanted from today’s session.

4.10 miles
7:19/mi
127 bpm

Nothing complicated.

Just 30 minutes of relaxed aerobic running, some quality time with my son and another session ticked off.

Now for a well-earned rest day tomorrow before we go again.

Very happy with how the body is responding at the moment. 👊

AJ
www.AJRunningCoach.com

27/08/2026

The speed is starting to come back ⚡️

Another repetition session ticked off as I sharpen things up for my first 5K race in Germany.

Today’s session:

15 mins easy, then 5 sets of:

200m repetition pace
200m slow jog
200m repetition pace
400m slow jog
400m repetition pace
200m slow jog

Then 15 mins easy to finish.

9.01 miles total with the reps averaging 4:49/mi pace.

I really enjoy this session… although I still can’t say I look forward to those 400s! 😂

One of the challenges since moving to Germany has been finding the right routes for different sessions. Today I found a nice flat stretch which was perfect for getting some speed into the legs.

The wind made a few of the reps interesting, but when you’re running somewhere with scenery this good, it’s difficult to complain.

These repetition sessions aren’t about destroying myself. The focus is on running fast with good form, taking the recoveries properly and teaching the legs to become comfortable turning over at speeds much quicker than race pace.

That’s another important session completed ahead of my 5K in September.

And I’ll admit…

I’m starting to wonder what I might be capable of over 5K right now. 👀

Potential PB race?

I have a number in my head.

Let’s wait and see…

AJ
www.AJRunningCoach.com

You probably do not need carbon shoes for every single workout.They can make hard running feel smoother.That is partly t...
27/08/2026

You probably do not need carbon shoes for every single workout.

They can make hard running feel smoother.

That is partly the point.

Advanced footwear has consistently been associated with improved running economy.

But there is a coaching problem if every session becomes a super-shoe session.

The splits get quicker.
The workout looks better.
Confidence rises.

And suddenly it becomes harder to separate shoe benefit from actual fitness progression.

I would rather use footwear deliberately.

Race-specific work where it helps.
Normal trainers where the session does not need the extra assistance.

DM me “ROTATION” if nearly every quality session is now carbon-plated.

AJ
www.AJRunningCoach.com

27/08/2026

Easy running is even better with company ❤️

30 mins easy today — 4.12 miles at 7:16/mi, avg HR 122.

After the big repetition session earlier in the week, today was all about keeping things relaxed and getting some easy miles into the legs.

But this one was a little different.

My wife and daughter jumped on their bikes and joined me for the run. 🚴‍♀️🏃‍♂️

One thing I’m already loving about running in Germany is the amount of bike paths around Bad Lippspringe. It means the family can come along without having to worry about cycling on busy roads alongside me.

And it completely changes the run.

Instead of thinking about pace, heart rate or how the legs are feeling, we were chatting and enjoying being outside together.

Before I knew it, the 30 minutes were done.

The numbers were pretty nice too:

4.12 miles
7:16/mi
122 bpm

Exactly what I want from an easy recovery run.

I’ve always loved running, but being able to combine it with family time makes these sessions even better.

Hopefully there will be plenty more family bike-and-run sessions while I explore our new home. 🇩🇪

AJ
www.AJRunningCoach.com

Your mate’s fastest shoe might not be your fastest shoe.That is worth remembering in the super-shoe era.Runners do not a...
26/08/2026

Your mate’s fastest shoe might not be your fastest shoe.

That is worth remembering in the super-shoe era.

Runners do not all respond identically to footwear stiffness and geometry.

Research has found individual differences in the metabolic response to racing-shoe designs.

So buying whatever won the latest shoe test is not automatically smart.

Fit matters.
Stability matters.
How the shoe works with your stride matters.
How it feels after 30K matters.

A shoe can be incredibly fast in theory and still be wrong for the runner wearing it.

Choose performance you can actually use.

Comment “FIT” if you keep getting tempted by whatever shoe is currently fastest online.

AJ
www.AJRunningCoach.com

Stop treating your race shoes like museum pieces.You do not need to burn through them in daily training.But race day sho...
25/08/2026

Stop treating your race shoes like museum pieces.

You do not need to burn through them in daily training.

But race day should not be the first proper test.

Modern racing shoes can feel very different from ordinary trainers because of their geometry, resilient foams, and stiffening elements.

The response can also vary between runners.

You need to know:

Does the fit still feel good after an hour?
Does the lacing hold?
Does goal pace feel natural?
Do the calves or feet react differently?

That is race preparation.

Not wasting the shoe.

DM me “TEST” if your race shoes barely leave the box before race day.

AJ
www.AJRunningCoach.com

25/08/2026

Speed is back! 🔥

Today was my first proper speed session in quite a while, and it felt very good to get the legs turning over again.

The session:

15 mins easy
10 × 200m repetitions / 200m jog recovery
800m jog
10 × 200m repetitions / 200m jog recovery
15 mins easy

20 × 200m in total, averaging 4:45/mi pace on the reps.

This is quite a big session, but the important part isn’t simply running the 200s as fast as possible.

For me, repetitions are all about running form, speed and efficiency.

The recoveries matter too.

Run those 200m recoveries too hard and suddenly you’ve turned a repetition session into an interval session. I made sure I stayed disciplined, recovered properly and concentrated on good form when the speed went back up.

After so much easy running recently, it was a completely different stimulus for the legs.

And yes… I can definitely feel it now! 😂

But I’m really happy with how I performed.

I’ve got my first local German 5K coming up next month, so if I want to see what I can really do over that distance, these are the sessions that need to happen.

The marathon engine is there.

Now it’s time to sharpen it up for 5K. ⚡️

9.42 miles total.

A very successful morning.

AJ
www.AJRunningCoach.com

Super shoes work.That does not mean they can rescue bad marathon training.Modern racing shoes can make running more econ...
24/08/2026

Super shoes work.

That does not mean they can rescue bad marathon training.

Modern racing shoes can make running more economical.

Research has repeatedly shown genuine performance benefits from advanced footwear technology.

But they do not fix the boring stuff.

Poor pacing.
Weak fuelling.
Long runs you kept cutting short.
A block you never really absorbed.

This is where runners get carried away.

The shoes feel fast, so suddenly the goal feels more realistic too.

Use the advantage.
Absolutely.

Just make sure there is proper training underneath it.

Comment “SHOES” if you want me to break down how I would use super shoes properly.

AJ
www.AJRunningCoach.com

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34 Poplar Way
Chippenham
SN14 8PR

Opening Hours

Monday 5pm - 11pm
Tuesday 5pm - 11pm
Wednesday 5pm - 11pm
Thursday 5pm - 11pm
Friday 5pm - 11pm
Saturday 8am - 10pm
Sunday 8am - 9pm

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