The Running Rules Podcast

In today's episode I talk about how to make the most of your harder sessions - intervals, tempos and hills - by controlling factors like fuelling, conditions and your warm up. Although it's difficult to be as prepared for every session as you are for race day, it is certainly worth planning ahead so you have the best chance of a good session and build confidence throughout your training. I...

In today's episode I recap the NI Masters championships 3000m race which I joked is 39k too short for me. However, it allowed me to be challenged in a different way that I will take forward into future races. I go into my preparation for this race, how I found it to be mentally different as well as physically different and how the heat played its part. I also used bicarb for the first time in...

Today's episode is all about laying the foundations of a good marathon training block by thinking about and planning some of the things that we might leave too late. Whilst it's too early to worry about very minute details of the race weekend or get those specific marathon workouts in right now, it is worth thinking about some of the big things on marathon weekend and also reflect on any o...

This week I've been reflecting on how nerves show up on race day and how similar situations in other walks of life may be similar or not. Whilst a few nerves are good as they show you care, you don't want to be overcome with nerves for a big event and run the risk of not performing at your best. I recently pushed myself out of my comfort zone and joined an orchestra for the first time in 2...

Today's episode is a race recap from Swansea half marathon where I was running for Northern Ireland masters alongside clubmates Andrew and Dawn. Running 5 weeks after pacing Belfast was always going to be a different challenge in finding some fitness and plan without having any structured half marathon prep behind me. I talk through the logistics of getting to and from the race which weren&#39...

Today's episode breaks down the (only!) two factors that contribute to your speed - cadence and stride length - and how at least one of these need to increase for you to get faster. Whilst this should happen naturally over time with good training principles that I shared in episode 173, it can be worth having a look at cadence and stride length to see where improvements are going to come from....

Today's episode is a deep dive into setting up successful training. Sometimes the most important things are overlooked while we focus on things that won't help if the foundations aren't there. I walk through my 'pyramid of training importance' starting off with the most important and fundamental concepts and layering on more advanced concepts finishing with 'nice to haves&#...

Today's guest is the amazing Georgia Sherwood. In 2021, Georgia underwent surgery for a brain tumour that was discovered after stroke like symptoms following a bout of Covid. Georgia was kind enough to share her powerful story of not knowing whether anything could be done through to relearning how to do basic tasks during recovery. She also shares how she got the drive to push herself physical...

Today's episode is all about reviewing some of the changes I made for the Manchester marathon cycle and analysing which ones worked and which ones I'll throw out. I made quite a few subtle tweaks to training and nutritions, most of which I will probably keep in for the future. However, there were some changes that didn't seem to make a lot of difference and the odd one that backfired....

I said I wouldn't run another marathon this year. That didn't last long. I got the call last Thursday to see if I would be the official 3:15 pacer for the Belfast Marathon and it was too good an opportunity to turn down. In today's episode I relive the entire marathon from how I came to be running it to what our pacing plan was and how it turned out on the day. I found an extra respect...

My guest on the podcast this week is the inspirational John McDonnell. John is a running coach and 2:54 marathoner achieved at the age of 55. In 2017 John suffered a stroke and underwent heart surgery to fix an 11mm hole in his heart. His amazing story is documented in his book ‘A Heart for Running’. He has also written training books for beginners and seasoned marathoners alike and now coaches ma...

Today's episode is the full story of my third Manchester marathon, 18th overall and first for NI Masters. I learn something new in every race I do and this one was no different. There were definitely a few more ups and downs than expected and I go through both Manchester as a race and my own experience. I also offer thoughts and takeaways for anyone racing a marathon soon or thinking of doing Manc...

Today's guest is the brilliant Rob Sillito, co-host of the 'Couch to Coached' podcast. Rob is a mental health nurse who got into running in 2021 and ran his first marathon in 2022 for Parkinson's UK. He started up the 'Couch to Coached' podcast soon after that first marathon with coach Ben and has been joined more recently by fellow marathoner Emma. The whole team will run...

Today's episode looks at why running two marathons together isn't an easy thing to do and why a marathon is more than just a training run. With spring marathons right upon us, I also cover tips for a successful taper and why getting to the start line fit and healthy is the most important thing now. Finally I look at how a holiday in the taper period can be challenging in its own way but ho...

Today's guest is the inspirational Tracey Atkinson. Tracey is a 2:55 marathoner, masters runner and mum of 3 who ran 12 races in 12 months in 12 countries in 2025. She got into running after her brain surgery in 2012 and went on to become a European masters medalist and now part of the Puma Project3 team for London 26. She is also co-founder of the NI Rave Run and an author with her first book...

Today's episode is a full recap of the Rome marathon and why it's a great one to consider for next spring! I ran the marathon with my brothers Jonny and Phil who did amazingly well and we even had time for some sightseeing and people watching either side of the marathon. I talk about how plans can go out of the window early on, how big iconic sights can keep you going and why the Rome mara...

Today's brilliant guest is Running Rules client Dawn Blain who recently ran 3:08 at Tokyo marathon, a 12 minute personal best qualifying her for the championship start at London marathon. Dawn was previously on episode 70 of the podcast where we talked about her progression in the marathon from 4:04 to 3:29. In this episode, we dig into the last couple of years building towards Tokyo marathon...

This week's episode focuses on the feelings we can get deep into a marathon training cycle when a session or race doesn't go to plan or we see others doing something different to us. I step through 5 common mental pitfalls that I have mad and/or talk to clients and other runners about. I talk about how to overcome these so that you can get to the start line confident but not expectant. Boo...

Today's guest is the incredible Emily Bond @operationironwoman who will take on completing every UK Ironman race in a single season this year. After major leg surgery in 2018 and years unable to run, Emily has worked her way back from her first 5km to now pursuing the ultimate endurance test which will make her the first woman to achieve the feat. Emily was very kind to share her struggles and...

Today's episode is a special one as I bring in both my brothers Jonny and Phil to talk about how training has been going for Rome marathon and what the plan is for the weekend itself. We cover why we are all drawn back to the marathon despite its challenges, tackling heat in marathons last year and even sibling rivalry. We lay down what the aim is on race day, what happens if we split and wher...

Today's episode covers all the basics you need to put a simple nutritional plan in place that covers all your bases and makes sure you are fuelling optimally for your running. Even when you know about the importance of nutrition, staying on top of it effectively day in day out can be overwhelming and we can end up taking shortcuts or missing what is important. Worse still, we can think we'...

This week it is the 3rd birthday of the podcast! A massive thank you to everyone listening and supporting what I do! This week I explore why we run through my own journey of someone who would avoid P.E. and games at school to this point where running is a massive part of my life. When looking back I found that my 'why' changes from time to time but some core things unite all the phases of...

There is so much of a general narrative around how you are past your best once you are in your forties and beyond. For non-elite marathoners which most of us are, I think this is simply untrue. In this episode I look at why even some elites are still getting better into their forties and how our situation can be much more different. I look at the progress that we can still make as recreational run...

Today's episode is a guide to creating a marathon race fuelling plan. What do you need, why and how much? When are you going to have anything and how are you going to make it happen? I step through fuelling and hydration and what you need to consider and practice now in your training so that you don't get caught out on race day. Your plan doesn't need to be overly complicated but if yo...

Having confidence can be the difference between hitting your goals and missing them but it can be difficult for some of us to build our confidence. It's also easy for confidence to get knocked by difficult sessions and races or even just by thinking we are stuck at a certain level. Today's episode covers why confidence is important, how to build it in training and races and some examples o...