In this episode, I stay with a part of running most of us know well: the stretch where the work is there, the consistency is there, but things still do not quite come together the way we hoped. Through the story and training approach of Sifan Hassan, I look at what runners can learn about patience, range, timing, and staying healthy enough for progress to last.

I also get into the kind of workout that helps when you want to move forward without forcing it, how nutrition supports training when the body feels flat, and why spring can bring soreness in the upper quads and groin when hills and forest running return after a winter on flatter ground. There is also a masters running section on how to keep improving through better rhythm, recovery, and durability rather than chasing too much intensity.

To close, I bring it back to my own Sub-20 5K project, now only a couple of months from the deadline, and talk honestly about where things stand with the base training, the missing speed, and the adjustments needed around back pain, migraines, and recent groin soreness.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode comes from a week of training in Gran Canaria, where warmer temperatures, steep terrain, and a different daily rhythm change how running feels and how training needs to be handled.

We look at how to stay consistent during travel without forcing structure, and how to adjust effort when heat and hills shift the demands on the body. The episode explores how alternative movement like hiking and cycling can support running fitness, and how small adjustments in nutrition and hydration help maintain energy, recovery, and overall well-being.

There’s also a focus on reading body signals in a new environment and making small decisions that keep training moving forward instead of building fatigue. For masters runners, we look at how to manage recovery, spacing, and maintaining some connection to speed while adapting to changing conditions.

The Sub-20 project update reflects a period of interruptions, with injury and reduced intensity, and what it means to stay consistent when progress isn’t linear.

Overall, this episode is about keeping the rhythm of running alive, even when routines change, and allowing the body to adapt so that training continues to build over time.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Late March brings the start of the indoor championship season and a shift in the running calendar as spring approaches. This episode looks at what indoor racing can teach everyday runners about pacing, composure, and changing effort smoothly when the race rhythm shifts.

Profiling the British middle-distance runner Josh Kerr, the conversation explores how elite athletes handle pace changes without losing form or control, and how those same ideas can be practiced in everyday training.

The episode also includes a progressive tempo workout designed to rehearse controlled increases in effort, along with reflections on nutrition stability, hydration, and the role of simple recovery habits during a busy season of training.

There is also an injury check-in focused on lower-leg durability as surfaces change from winter to spring, with practical thoughts on strength work, massage, stretching, and managing training load.

For masters runners, the discussion looks at how recovery timing changes with age and how small touches of speed can help maintain responsiveness without disrupting consistency.

The episode closes with an update from the Sub-20 project, reflecting on recent interruptions from migraines and a back issue, and the reality of rebuilding momentum while protecting long-term progress.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.