Runfast coaching

Before the watches, splits and PBs, there was simply the joy of running.

Races are brilliant.

They give us purpose, structure, discipline and a reason to push ourselves harder than we otherwise would. They make us chase early mornings, extra miles and uncomfortable sessions.

But somewhere along the way it’s easy to let the times, pressure and expectations take over completely.

Don’t let chasing performances make you forget why you fell in love with it in the first place.

Jordan Hilton with his training partner

7 weeks ago he decided he wanted to run the London Marathon.
No perfect build up.
No 16 week plan.
No ideal conditions.
Just a lad with a busy life, two kids, work, responsibilities… and a willingness to throw himself into something difficult.
He got the charity place sorted, raised the money and committed to it.
Then a week before the race he got ill.
Most people would’ve panicked. Some would’ve pulled out. Others would’ve used it as the excuse to mentally check out before the race had even started.
Jordan still turned up and surprised himself with a great run.
And honestly? There’s loads more in there. I genuinely believe he’s capable of going at least 5 minutes faster right now and eventually 10+. But that’s not the point of this post.
The point is the type of person he is.
He’s not someone who grew up as a runner. He wasn’t smashing miles as a kid or living the classic “born to run” story. He was a footballer. A normal lad who’s had to learn this stuff later in life whilst juggling adult responsibilities.
And weirdly… I think those people often make the best coaches.
The people who have to fight for progress.
The people who can’t just rely on talent.
The people who have to think, adapt, learn and problem solve.
I’ve always related to that myself.
Most runners at my level were racing at 60-64kg. I raced Seville at 74kg. I’ve always had to be absolutely meticulous with training because things didn’t just naturally fall into place for me.
When progress isn’t handed to you, you develop empathy. You understand frustration. You understand inconsistency, setbacks, fatigue, life stress and self doubt.
That’s why lads like Jordan will always help people.
Because they get it.
And that matters more than people think.
This marathon isn’t the end point for him. It’s probably the start of something much bigger.

Sub 2:50 at the London Marathon for Connor Robinson. Proper buzzing for this one.
Connor is just one of them lads you can’t help but like. Proper down to earth, sound as they come, no drama, no ego. He’s been part of the Runfast team for a while now, turned up to parkruns, trained with us, grafted week in week out and fully bought into the process.
What I respect most is he does the work even when nobody’s watching. Gym work. Cross training. Recovery. The boring bits. Very rarely do you need to chase him up or tell him twice. He just gets on with it.
And this block definitely wasn’t perfect either. He decided to run 30 miles a day in December which, fair play, is absolutely mental 😂 but it left him carrying an injury and January ended up being a bit stop start. Even into early February he wasn’t really in amazing shape.
But instead of panicking or throwing the towel in, he stayed patient, rebuilt properly and kept chipping away. That’s what makes this one satisfying.
2:49 at London is class. Especially considering where things were a few months ago.
The best bit? There’s definitely more in the tank. We’ve already had some great races together over the shorter stuff and I genuinely think he’s only scratching the surface of what he can do.
Whatever comes next, another marathon, a fast 5k, an ultra, whatever it is… he’s got the mindset to keep progressing.
Proud of you mate 👏

The obsession is not the medal at the end. It’s becoming the type of person willing to chase it every day

Middle of the year is honestly one of the best times to be a runner.

The winter marathon blocks are done. Spring races are wrapping up. Now we move into summer.

Loads of you are building towards something now and it’s exciting to watch.

honestly, this is the sweet spot of the running year.
Lighter mornings. Longer evenings. Hopefully less rain. Parks full of runners. People chasing fitness again.
It’s a great time to be an athlete.

One thing I always say though is recover properly after races, enjoy the down time a little, freshen the body and mind up, but don’t drift too long without another target in the distance.

You don’t need to jump straight into another brutal training block, but having something there matters.
A race gives purpose to discipline.

It gets you out of bed early. It gives purpose to eating better. It keeps you consistent when motivation drops. It stops you slipping back into autopilot.
Without something pulling you forwards, it’s very easy to slowly lose the habits that made you feel good in the first place.
And the truth is, the people who last long term in this sport are rarely the ones obsessed only with outcomes.
They learn to love the process.
The routine. The structure. The early mornings. The steady progress. The simple act of showing up.
Some people in this group genuinely love running to their core and you can feel it around them. That’s why they keep improving year after year.
The race matters, of course it does.
But what really changes people is who they become whilst preparing for it.

This is rob recently completed Manchester marathon, he is recovering well and training for Manchester 10k

Most runners only want the result.

Very few want to understand what it actually takes to get there.
is different.

From day one he’s asked questions. Not just what’s the session, but why it matters. Fueling, pacing, recovery. The small things most people ignore.

Perfect person to coach

He was flying earlier this year. Everything clicking. One of those blocks where you think this is going to be big.

Then shin splints hit and changed everything.

No smooth build. No momentum. Just cross training, stop start running and trying to hold onto fitness while the body wasn’t playing ball.
That’s where most people fall off.
He didn’t.
Busy life, kids, stress. Still no excuses. Just got on with what he could do.

I’ll be honest, that stuff hits me as a coach.
When you’re flying I’m buzzing. When it goes wrong, I feel it. I want the best for every runner I work with.
You can’t control everything in this sport, but you still take responsibility for it.
That’s why I’m proud of that London Marathon.
Not because it was perfect.
Because it wasn’t.

It was earned the hard way.
We’ve had Malaga, 5Ks, PBs across the board.
But this block says more about him than any of those.
Resilience beats perfect every time.

Mr Ben Maher

What a year.
Came to me injured, couldn’t string weeks together. 40k weeks felt like a stretch. Constantly managing something, always one step forward one step back.
Fast forward to now. Full marathon block done properly. Consistent. Robust. Actually training, not just surviving.
Manchester Marathon this weekend and he delivers. Proper run. Built it, executed it, got what he deserved.
Since we started he’s stacked PBs across the board. 10k, half marathon, and now the marathon. But more than that, he’s turned into a completely different athlete.
The biggest shift was after Christmas. Something clicked. Training stopped being something he tried to do and became something he just did. No drama, no excuses, just consistent work.
That’s when things change.
And this is just the start. He’s got way more in him. Low 1:20s half is there. Sub 3 marathon is there. No question.
Buzzing to coach him

Ryan’s been with me close to a year now, and I’ll be honest… before the injury, everything was lining up perfectly.
He was flying.
Training was clicking.
I genuinely believe there was 15 minutes more in him on Sunday if that block had stayed clean.
But it didn’t.
He got hit with a proper setback. The kind where you’re not even sure if the race is happening at all.
And this is where most runners lose it.
They either do nothing… feel sorry for themselves… drift.
Or they do too much… poke the injury every day… make it worse.
Ryan did neither.
He got his head down.
Smashed the cross training.
Did the physio work properly.
Didn’t chase fitness… just rebuilt it.
That’s the bit people don’t see.
As a coach, was I cautious bringing him back? Probably.
Would I tweak a few things looking back? Yeah. That’s part of it.
But none of that takes away from what he did.
He showed patience.
Discipline.
And when it mattered, he still turned up and delivered a solid performance.
That’s a proper athlete.
Proud to have coached him through this one, and if anything, I am hoping this is just the start.

P.s he also didnt run in carbons

Most runners aren’t undertrained

They’re just permanently tired
Every run creeps a bit too fast
Every session turns into a test
Every week becomes something to survive

They think they’re working hard
But really they’re just dulling the signal
Fatigue doesn’t build fitness
It hides it
You don’t get better when you’re exhausted
You get better when your body can actually respond
Train tired all the time
and nothing moves
Be honest with yourself
Are you training
or just accumulating stress
Have you ever been 2–3 weeks out from a race
thinking you’re in the shape of your life

Then race week comes
and you feel flat, heavy, dead
Nothing there

Tell me I’m wrong 👇

This is the bit most people don’t want to hear.
It’s not a lack of effort. Most runners I see are trying hard. Probably too hard if anything. But that’s the problem. They rush the process, bring intensity in too early, turn every run into something it shouldn’t be, and end up training off ego instead of actually building fitness.
There’s this constant feeling of needing to prove something. Run a bit faster, push a bit harder, squeeze more out of the week. It feels productive, but it’s not. You’re just stacking fatigue on top of fatigue and calling it progress.
Then a couple months in it all starts to show. You’re tired all the time, little niggles start creeping in, sessions don’t feel great, and you’re not really improving. And instead of looking at the structure, people just accept it as part of running.
It’s not.
The difference is nearly always how the training is put together. The runners who actually improve aren’t smashing every session. They’re patient. They keep easy days easy, they recover properly, and they build things over time. Nothing fancy, just consistent and controlled.
It’s not sexy, but it works.
If you’ve been stuck in that cycle and you actually want to do it properly this time, comment RUN and I’ll send you the details.