The Amateur Athlete Diaries

Dan Buchanan has spent over 20 years working at the sharp end of elite sport — Reading FC, Derby County, Argentina Rugby team, and even a stint helping Diversity dance group. Now co-founder of Go Perform, one of the South East's leading sports rehab centres, he's building the same environment professional athletes rely on, for every kind of athlete. In this episode, Dan explains: why rest is often...

As an Amateur Athletes you might recovery is something you do after training. Ice baths. Stretching. Massage guns. Sleep trackers. But according to Dr. Peter Tierney — a PhD in Applied Sports Science who has spent 14+ years working across elite sport with Chelsea FC, the English FA, Leinster Rugby and lululemon — people often miss the point entirely. In this episode, we break down the science behi...

What does it really take to chase elite performance while living the busy life of a Architect? In this episode of The Amateur Athlete Diaries , I sit down with heptathlete and full-time architect Lucy Woodward. An athlete balancing one of the most demanding disciplines in sport with a seven-year professional career pathway to becoming a qualified architect. What stood out from our conversation was...

What if your brain, and not your body, is the real limiter of performance? To open up Season 3 of the Amateur Athlete Diaries, we’re joined by Humphrey Bodington; founder, ultra-endurance athlete, and someone who turned ongoing concussions symptoms into a deep exploration of brain performance, human potential, and now a business. After experiencing the long-term effects of head injuries through ru...

This is The Amateur Athlete Diaries. Listen in to learn, connect, and hear stories from those performing in their sport whilst balancing work and life. In this episode, I sit down with Damaine Benjamin. A European Masters Champion in the 400m hurdles, sports massage therapist, coach, father of two, and full-time working athlete. He trains five to six days a week. He funds his own competitions. He...

What happens when everything in your life starts to fall apart but you still have a date circled in the calendar? The latest episode of The Amateur Athlete Diaries is from my conversation with Keaton Loader back in November. We discuss how discipline is forged in difficult moments, the power of having a goal, and why boxing goes beyond sport to influence other areas of life. We talk about: Trainin...

What happens when the thing you love most is taken away from you? In this episode, I sit down with Scottish decathlete, Tom Chandler, who is fresh off winning the South of England Combined Events. We talk about injuries, identity, pressure, and what it means to persist when sport stops becomes less one dimensional. After three knee operations, Tom opens up about how injury forced him to confront w...

Something a little different here... We quizzed Kyle on some questions you may be wondering after hearing about his 3,000+ mile run around the perimeter of Britain. Question 1: How Much Did You Spend? Question 2: How Much Did A Search For Meaning & Purpose Influence Your Decision To Take On This Challenge? Question 3: What Has Your Recovery Been Like Since Finishing? Question 4: What Was The R...

Running 4 miles every 4 hours for 48 hours sounds simple on paper but sleep deprivation, fueling mistakes, and mental fatigue make it considerably harder in practise. In this episode of The Amateur Athlete Diaries, I’m joined by Katie Williams to unpack her experience taking on the 4x4x48 challenge, a brutal endurance test that became less about running fitness and more about mindset, recovery, an...

Running thousands of miles sounds extreme, and it is, but for Kyle it was necessary and fuelled by nothing other than a delusional level of self belief. In this conversation, I speak with why The Milky Runner, just a normal guy working as a chef came to take on, and complete, such an impressive feat. Kyle talks honestly about what it took to keep going when the novelty wears off, injuries hit and...

Running thousands of miles sounds extreme, and it is, but for Kyle it was necessary and fuelled by nothing other than a delusional level of self belief. In this conversation, I speak with why The Milky Runner, just a normal guy working as a chef came to take on, and complete, such an impressive feat. Kyle talks honestly about what it took to keep going when the novelty wears off, injuries hit and...

What happens when you achieve something huge…and it doesn’t feel how you expected? In this episode, Rose Landreth reflects on completing her first Ironman and why crossing the finish line didn’t bring the emotional high so many athletes talk about. Beyond this we discuss the reality of endurance sport, diving into the the mental discipline required, the sacrifice to work and relationships, the cos...

In this episode of The Amateur Athlete Diaries, I sit down with my friend Jack Rampton, who opens up about what it really takes to bridge the gap between living as an Amateur Athlete and now, turning professional. From painting-and-decorating shifts at 6AM to international Sevens tournaments across the world, Jack shares the sacrifices, doubts and breakthroughs that shaped his journey into profess...

Episode three of this series brings a powerful, honest episode, where I get to sit down with triathlete, runner, coach and family man Jayson, whose journey through Ironman racing has not only reshaped his life, but quite literally saved it. Our conversation dives into: - How triathlon transformed from a bucket-list goal into a lifeline - The pressure, joy, addiction and emotional rollercoaster of...

In this episode of The Amateur Athlete Diaries, I sit down with Alex, a father of three, full-time professional, and ultramarathon runner who took running from a “lamp post to lamp post” jog into a 100-mile endurance feats. Alex shares how running became his coping mechanism for life’s hardest moments, from grieving his father’s passing to balancing the pressures of work, family, and self-discipli...

Welcome to The Amateur Athlete Diaries podcast, where we share stories from the gap. The gap between recreational trainers and the professional athletes of this world. The gap where Amateur Athletes sit, balancing their training with work, family, and everything life has to throw at us. Season two is here. You now get to enjoy seeing the faces of all the Amateur Athletes we will be welcoming to th...

Today’s episode looks at how Amateur Athletes prepare for Race or Game Days. We look specifically at how we prepare, what we do right or wrong, the mental preparation, flow states and reflection. Media Recommendations: Deep Work: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Deep-Work-Focused-Success-Distracted/dp/1455586692 Shoe Dog: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shoe-Dog-Memoir-Creator-NIKE/dp/1471146707

This week, we dive into injuries and how they can affect you as Amateur Athletes. An injury can derail athletes at any level. The mental and physical battle can be tough to say the least, so in this episode we share what we have learnt through our experiences, what coping mechanisms we used (good and bad), along with what we do now to prevent new injuries and avoid re-injury. Media Recommendations...

Entry #3 of The Amateur Athlete Diaries dives into Rose's story with sport and what brought her to reach the mighty challenge of a first full IronMan. We explore her childhood and the search for a direction in training, battling a herniated disc injury, taking on Marathons and now triathlons. Links to both media recommendations we speak about at the end are below. She Races: https://www.sheraces.c...

Entry #2 of The Amateur Athlete Diaries dives into Harrison's story with sport and what brought him to where he is today. We go all the way from his start in youth, the adjustment to Men's football, and the highs and lows of battling two knee injuries. Links to both the books we speak about at the end are below. More Fuel You -  Renee McGregor: https://www.amazon.co.uk/More-Fuel-You-Unders...

Diary Entry #1 Welcome to the Amateur Athlete Diaries. In our first episode, we dive into why we are here, what it is like to train for performance, an insight into injuries, and balancing recovery.