The Running Rules Podcast

Today's episode is all about some calculated tweaks I'm making to my training week to try to optimise this training cycle for Manchester marathon. It can be easy to change too much at once and opt for things that aren't sustainable in the long run. I have also found it difficult to move away from things that have served me well in the past. So these tweaks hopefully will blend the best...

Happy new year! In the first episode of 2026 I go through the reason marathons are a big step up from half marathons. It doesn't mean you should be scared of them but it's certainly important to respect the distance. There are some things you can get away with a bit more over shorter distances but over the marathon you can get found out. I go through how to make sure you are prepared for t...

In the final episode of 2025, I go back through the year and pull out the highs and lows with the lessons I learnt and will take forward to 2026. I reveal my race plans for next year and also that I will be joining the NI running show as a speaker in February. I hope to see a lot of you at the show - to get £3 off your tickets use the code RunningRules at checkout or use the link below: www.eventb...

Thank you for all your support in 2025! Today's episode is a short one reflecting on how busy Christmas can get and to make sure running is enhancing your holiday period and not adding a bigger stress to it. The days after Christmas can be a good time to get back on track quickly but it's about getting the balance right. This is also a time when I reflect on how lucky I am to have your sup...

Today's guest is 2:33 marathoner and coach Nick Weston. He is also a 4 time iron man finisher and 6 time 100mile ultra finisher and we talk about his transition into the marathon. Nick opens up about his experience of chronic underfuelling and the consequences early in his endurance journey. This was an incredibly powerful conversation that could affect many runners pushing their miles up. We...

On 7th and 8th February 2026 there will be a brand new NI running show at the Eikon Centre. Today's guest is the event's director Oonagh Cattigan. She has a background of many years putting on big events in England and is combining that with her passion for running. Oonagh got into running through a local 5k after returning to Northern Ireland as a new mother and describes the amazingly po...

Today's episode is a recap of my race at the Seeley Cup 10k from the weekend past and the takeaways from it. Coming 4 weeks off the back of NYC marathon, I always viewed this race as one that might not happen for me, but having something in the calendar really focused my recovery efforts. With near perfect conditions, a flat(ish!) course and a fast field, I felt I could get close to my best but ma...

The biggest thing that can hold you back in running is not running. Whether it's an injury, illness or lack of motivation, failing to achieve consistency is the reason most people won't fulfil their potential. That's why recovery is so important. It doesn't have to be fancy but getting a lot of the basics right will get you most of the way to guarding against injury or illness and...

Unbelievably Christmas is around the corner again so in this episode I run through the gear, shoes and nutrition products I've been using this year and what to look out for on those Black Friday deals. Whether you're looking for present ideas for a runner or just looking for an excuse to get something for yourself (you never need an excuse!) this episode reviews everything from stocking fi...

This month is diabetes awareness month and Friday is world diabetes day. It is also a year since I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). In this episode I recap what diabetes is, how I got diagnosed and how I have balanced my blood sugar management with running. I also talk about the emotional side of learning about a completely new life and dealing with a chronic condition day after day. As w...

Wow - New York city marathon was incredible! It was my 16th marathon, 5th different world major and 1st New York marathon and it didn't disappoint. I was also representing @pumarunning as part of the Project3. This episode gives the full rundown of the experience with the days and prep leading up to a mile by mile breakdown of the course. I share all the ups and downs (literally and metaphoric...

New York marathon will be my 5th world major marathon and 2nd since my type 1 diabetes diagnosis. I will also be running as part of the Puma project3 team. In this episode, I talk about my last couple of weeks leading up and what will happen this weekend. I share my expectations and challenges. I also talk about how to prepare for something huge like this and also how to recover and reassess your...

This week I'm discussing three of the hot topics in big marathons that has divided opinion. Dublin marathon has changed its general entry process to ballot only, Paris has announced no cups or bottles on course and Cape Town, the 8th candidate major was cancelled at the weekend. I give my view on each highlighting how marathons have changed and are continuing to change and how you can try to p...

This week I am 3 weeks away from New York marathon so things are starting to get real! There's still a few big sessions to go but also most of the work is done and recovery and tapering are key. Today, I share some of my tapering principles and focuses, how we need to lean into the uncertainty of what is going to happen on race day and how to cope with stress using 'flow activities'. T...

Today's episode is a Q+A covering questions sent to me through instagram, from clients and podcast listeners. To send a question for a future episode, message me @therunningrules on IG. To skip to a particular question, go to: 02:30 - Will my marathon time suffer if I spend a cycle tackling shorter races? 18:05 - Why should I run in different shoes for different sessions? 32:55 - What snacks d...

Today's episode is all about how to pace yourself on race day. I look at different possible pacing strategies and why going out slower in longer races is likely to help you get your best race time. I talk about how to get around GPS inaccuracies and how to prepare mentally for the end of a long race to stop you losing a lot of time. I also look back to a rare race victory this weekend at the Annag...

Today's episode is an update on what's happening inside the Puma Project3 in terms of the help we've been getting as well as the first drop of gear including the Fast R3s. I'll go through why I've had to make some changes to my marathon preparation even though Belfast went so well. Sometimes you might be forced into changes but it's also worth looking at what improvements y...

Today's episode gives you a look into my latest half marathon race whilst looking forward to Belfast half marathon and giving some tips for first time half marathoners. I let you into some of the mistakes I made in my first half marathon in 2014 as well as reflections and learning points from the weekend. Best of luck to everyone running the half marathon this weekend whether it's your fir...

Autumn marathons are just about on us but there is still time to make a difference in your next race! Today's episode is all about things you can do right now to improve your chances of running your best in the marathon. I cover aspects of nutrition, mindset, pacing and planning as well as an overview of the master the marathon course that will get you ready and confident for your upcoming rac...

Today's episode is half race review of the GRC Coastal 5k and half my thoughts on the pros and cons of running races. With 9 weeks left to New York marathon, the 5k race on Friday past is likely to be my penultimate tune up race before the big day as we're now getting into the big work of the marathon cycle. I share my thoughts going into the race and how it panned out and where it leaves...

This November I will be taking on New York marathon as part of the Puma Project3. I was very fortunate to even get a place in New York nevermind be a part of this exciting programme. In today's episode I reveal how it's taken me 7 years to get to New York with some of the ups and downs on the way. I give an overview of what's in store with the Puma Project3, what I'm excited for an...

Today I talk all about parkrunning with guest Linda Harley. Linda is closing in on 400 parkruns and has run over 100 different parkruns including all the Northern Ireland parkruns at various times (new ones are continually added). Linda also writes a brilliant blog of all her experiences and details of the parkruns at www.dancingatlunacy.com We discuss milestones and different parkrun challenges a...

Today's episode is a race recap from the Mallusk 5 mile road race. The course is infamous with 550 feet of ascent, mostly in the first two miles up the Sealstown road. Races like this help to give you a different focus rather than fixating on pace and they can also offer up something different to your training. I talk about how to objectively assess a non A-goal race and also how racing on you...

Protein is quite high up on the list of nutritionally important things for runners to think about yet it's possibly something that gets a little forgotten about. As runners we might think that protein is simply something that bodybuilders need to worry about but it is important for everyone and especially for anyone physically active. In this episode I explain what protein is, why it is an imp...

Today's episode is for anyone who feels their training feels a bit harder than it should which includes me right now! If you aren't struggling right now then bookmark this for a time when you are. Sometimes we know what the issue is but it can seem overwhelming or sometimes we simply don't know. We can end up doing too much or not enough but it depends on the reasons for the dip. This...