My Coaching Philosophy: The ‘Live Healthy’ Approach

My coaching is built on a single, fundamental principle: Live healthy to run well. While my primary qualification is in running coaching, I have spent over a decade researching nutrition, strength training, and sports psychology. My goal is to provide a holistic framework that improves your performance by first improving your well-being.

Core Values & Methodology

1. Prioritise Happiness and Health

Training should enhance your life, not consume it. I advocate for a "life-first" approach where sleep, recovery, and family take precedence. When you are happy and well-rested, your body is in the optimal state to adapt to the physical stress of running.

2. Run Slow to Run Fast

The most common mistake runners make is training too fast, too often. This leads to stagnation, burnout, and injury. By mastering the art of low-intensity aerobic training, we build a robust foundation that allows for true speed when it matters most.

3. Nutrition: You Cannot Outrun a Poor Diet

What constitutes a "good diet" is highly individual. Having overcome morbidly obese beginnings and a severe sugar addiction, I personally find success with a carnivore-adjacent, sugar-free lifestyle. However, for most, the priority is removing ultra-processed foods and building metabolic flexibility. This can be achieved through strategic intermittent fasting and occasionally performing workouts in a fasted state to teach the body to utilise fat as a primary fuel source.

4. The Mental Edge

Physical attributes like mileage and strength are only half the battle. Performance is often dictated by what happens between the ears. Elite athletes, such as Keely Hodgkinson, have famously attributed up to 90% of their success to their mental state. We will work on building a resilient mindset, viewing activities like walking or rucking as valuable training, and developing the confidence required to push your boundaries.

5. Strength Training for Longevity

For athletes over 35, strength training is arguably more critical for longevity than cardio. This does not require "thrashing" yourself in the gym three times a week. We focus on consistent, functional movement—whether that is bodyweight exercises integrated into your day, resistance band work, or supplemented gym sessions—to ensure your musculoskeletal system can support your aerobic engine.

6. The Benefits of Barefoot Training

Evolutionarily, humans are designed to move barefoot. While modern racing shoes provide the cushioning necessary for peak competition speeds, incorporating barefoot-style footwear into your routine can be transformative. It encourages better technique, naturally forces a slower pace, and strengthens the intrinsic muscles of the feet and ankles. We approach this slowly and purposefully, prioritising foot health above all else.

7. Purposeful Speedwork

From an evolutionary standpoint, the human body is designed for shorter, intense bursts rather than frequent marathons. Consequently, I generally advise against the marathon distance, suggesting a maximum of one or two half-marathons per year for experienced runners. Our speedwork focuses on high-reward, low-risk sessions:


Why This Works

By ranking health above "glory," we create a runner who is not only faster but more resilient and energised. This is about building a body that can run for decades, not just for the next race.