A snapshot round up of a host of recent achievements by coachees across performance levels from fully fledged international through club big hitters to others with slightly less all-consuming goals. Mainly marathon focused but definitely not entirely so.
December 3rd brought the ever-anticipated Valencia Marathon which is gathering a huge reputation. It isn’t an official world major and it seems that serious runners seeking fast times care not a jot about this particular branding niche as they flock there in numbers. This year the depth was extraordinary with 300th place at 2.24 and 800th at 2.32 – and almost 5000 runners sub 3 – so about 15% of the entire field. From the runcoach1to1.com posse there were 8 out of 10 PBs, headed by George S with a high 2.24, almost 2 minutes progress since London; chased by Hallam G in 2.32 (3.5 min PB), Immie M leading the women with a 2.56 PB, Luke J 2.58 (22 min PB), Brad with a fine 3.02 (6 mins progress since London ), Francois 3.04 (11 mins PB). Particular viewing bonus was that the BBC provided live coverage online with quality commentary by James Thie and Richard Nerurkar – keeping the comms IQ as high as the aerobic ability on the tarmac.
A week earlier on November 26th, Josh C had a super debut with 2.54 at San Sebastian and at exactly the same time in Florence Sal C was doing very similar, his 2.57 achieving a whopping 18 minute PB and excellent progress over 6 months of build up.
Plus big progress from Joe H chalking up a 2.43 in Ravenna on November 12th which is a 15 minute PB. Highly recommended course and organisation too. His build up included a swift half PB of 74 minutes too.
Whilst down in the rhone valley Jess A notched up a 10k PB of 37.55.Racing at similar level Immie M ran an almost PB of 82 mins in Amsterdam Half following her progress over summer to 37.31 in the musselbrough 10k and 17.54 over 5k.
Chicago in early October brought a super new PB by Nick Impey, 2.24 at age 41 and a 2 minute improvement from his fine run at London this spring. First UK Male to finish too. And another with a 3 minute advance was Alessandro down to 2.51. Just a few seconds ahead of Jeremy A, now well into the V45 category .
In some non-marathon highlights…..having started coaching Highgate big beast Jacob A in August it was very exciting to see him place a mighty second place in the classic great south run 10 miles with a sparkling 47.13. He has pedigree over some years but this was a breakthrough.
George S notched up a 5k PB of 15.21 and almost PB of 69.50 at the Cardiff half marathon whilst new coachee Ed C since May ran a fine 3000 PB of 8m27 , a strong 30.45 at the Stirling 10k and on his favoured cross country surface has raced very well with 3rd in the London championship followed by a win in the south of Thames champs and a swift 4th in the highly competitive Surrey league.
September 24th marked the weekend when the autumn marathon really starts up. That's right, it’s Bedford Aerodrome day and there are also a few who attend the Berlin Marathon.
From the runcoach1to1.com perspective the day had 10 marathoners and 9 PBs. The one who missed out was Alex L with a mid 2.18 in Berlin, not a meltdown but not quite what was sought after the excellent 2.15.01 in London. After a solid 64.42 in a warmish big half marathon there were hopes of shaving the PB.
Leading the rest of the Berliners was Jess A with 2.54 (3 min PB) then debutant Connor with 2.56. Fine progress in his 50s by Jan F with 3.22(5 min PB).Also a shout for ex high flying sprint swimmer Philip L with a 3.23 debut, which from a 1.48 half marathon just over a year ago is great progress. And newly minted 60 year old Philip D improved his PB to 3.44 at Bedford.
London this year was a big highlight for many. Weather was ideal for racing and almost every coachee had a very fine run relatively to their level and experience. First home was Alex L, who I have coached towards his debut marathon since December 2022 (he is already National 10k champion with 28.47 PB) so his 2.15.01, for 15th place in the whole field and 6th Brit (beaten only by GB Olympians and Internationals) was a very strong debut. As a generic coaching point, his garmin had a truly bad day – it showed him covering a somewhat extended 27.3 miles(!), with a heart rate of a measly 129 after a 4.58 opening mile yet soaring to 182 after the 2nd mile. Neither bits of statistical nonsense bothered him en route, which is as it should be.
Setting highly deserved PBs both at 2.26 and both improving by about 90 seconds were Nick Impey and George Suthon – and both ran negative splits too. Nick had planned to pace a friend to 2.40 until the week before the race! Close behind was Martin Green , yet another super 2.30 in his 49th year. Then a big 5 min PB of 2.37 by Fred Damas and not far behind was Frank S, his fine 2.42 a PB by 3 minutes. Next home with his first marathon as a 55 year old, Paul H ran tremendously well to log 2.52.
Leading women, running really even well judged races, were Immie M with 2.57, a 12 minute PB, and just seconds behind on 2.58 followed Kate M, herself with an 11 minute PB. Then the meticulous 64 year old Clive A with 3.08, the best as he’s ever achieved with age factored in. Racing simultaneously in Vienna, Alessandro P ran 2.54, taking his 2022 PB apart by a 24 minute margin, which I don’t think he or I had foreseen a year ago. While over in Madrid at the same time, dealing with a hilly course, hot weather, and 700 metres altitude, Catherine E ran excellently to score 3.34, a 12 minute PB in her second marathon, based on 4 runs per week (so far!) Some fine debuts by some much newer runners too, creeping under 3.30.
Prior to London, big improvements notched up by Welsh runner Hallam Girardet with wins in the Les Croupiers Cardiff 10 miles in 54.58 followed by the Berkeley half marathon in 71.28 and a very pleasing 2.35 at the Newport half marathon, all substantial PBs.
Much more seasoned Welsh compatriot Martin Green has held things together amazingly well in his 49th year including a new half marathon PB of 71.33 at Wrexham plus fast 10ks of 33.07 at Chester and 30k at Rhayader in 1 hour 48, placing 3rd in the race and as ever right at the front of his age group at national level in his London Marathon build up. George H picked up a half marathon win in Olympic park with low 75 mins, whilst in Cannes at a similar level Frank S took his won Half Marathon PB down to high 76 minutes.
A lively handful of Masters runners raced the ever-difficult Boston Marathon and arguable highlight was Jan F with a big PB of 3.27 in the 50+ category, and also a worthy-of-PB 3.35 by 63 year old Bob Empson the inspirational Fulham Runner.
Clive A from Berkshire ran a very impressive 88 mins at the Reading Half in his 65th year, backed up by 2.20 over the Bramley 20 miles and a near PB in parkrun of 19.38. Immie M scored PBs at 5k and the Cambridge Half Marathon (by nearly four minutes) HM with 18.12 and 82.08 respectively. Isaac L’s 10k PB came down nicely to 33.23 at Battersea whilst Kate R raced within 7 seconds of her HM PB of 88 mins after taking much of 2022 away from any running. Speedy 55 year old Paul H has pushed on very well with a 79.56 Half Marathon at Fleet and equally impressive 2 hours 6 minutes at the Essex 20 miles. In the same 20 miler Cara P ran a strong 20 miles in 2.20 in her own marathon prep and won the V40 category in the very hilly Coniston 14 miles in 97 mins.
Runner Profile
The usual starting point is asking you to complete thoroughly the Runner Questionnaire. This gives a holistic picture of where you are as a runner. It is valuable to spend this time at the outset, so that the programme starts off from a fully informed position.
Induction and Goal Setting
Ideally the induction will include a thorough face to face meeting and a chance to actually watch you running, if that is practical. This usually lasts about 80-90 minutes and is backed up by a through personalised email debrief shortly afterwards. I was canny enough to be the first in the niche world of UK running coaching to use '1to1' but not canny enough to stop others from copying it.
It helps the planning process if you can identify an event at least 12 weeks later, and ideally around 26 weeks, as a personal goal, and we'll consider, whatever your level of fitness, a realistic target for that event. We will also discuss suitable milestone events en route to the target race and will suggest suitable options if you wish. This provides the framework for each monthly programme.
Ongoing Communication
There is a choice of feedback and contact options, mainly by email and phone, and unlike many, there are no 'gold/silver/bronze' type packages. Experienced thorough coaching is experienced thorough coaching, not determined by how much a runner is paying for a good service. I do my best for you. The details will vary as individuals vary; and indeed may well vary for the same individual over time.
Each athlete is an experiment of one. In the real world runners will occasionally be injured or ill; they change jobs, have children and life can be unpredictable. Experience suggests that this is often when a coach is most helpful, advising, strictly in the context of any relevant medical advice that the runner receives and shares, a suitable cross training programme so that the fitness built up through running can largely be maintained by alternative training methods.
Costs
Prices are as follows:
Induction - a thorough holistic meeting, face to face, including , feedback from questionnaire, analysis of running movement and backed up by detailed email debrief - £110 (payable in cash at the end of the induction meeting)
Monthly training schedules and ongoing advice £73 pcm by monthly standing order. Fee is pro rata'd if there is a specific target date eg a start date of 1 December for the London marathon in April would be charged accordingly. The first month's training programme is usually sent as an addition to the debrief.
An 11% discount (to £65 pcm) on the monthly rate is offered to runners employed in the public or not-for-profit sectors.
A one off consultation comprising induction meeting including analysis of running movement; thorough individualised debrief and training recommendations is £125 (payable at the end of the meeting).
Can be used as a birthday or Christmas present.
In addition to the fuller profiles set out below, which span much of the time I've been coaching with a focus on recent and long term high achievers....
Runners I coach took 5 places in the Top 75 men in the London Marathon field in 2018 - which was as ever the National Championships, including the first UK man over 40.
In 2019 this London Marathon stat became 6 in the Top 100, with 4 of these setting PBs in the range of 2.24 to 2.30.
In the year to January 2024 four runners I coach have clocked marathon PBs of 2.15, 2.22, 2.23 and 2.24 and all being well a further three guys aim to join the sub 2.30 crew this spring.
Since August 2023 I have been coaching Jacob A, a talented and proven international level athlete. Highlights over this period included an outstanding 47.13 to place 2nd in the Great South 10 miles, a big PB of 63.18 at the Barcelona Half Marathon, and a PB 10k of 28.44 in Valencia, where running for Team England he finished just ahead of the dazzling new women's world record performance
From mid 2017 to 2020, Izzy C joined the crew and she set Serpentine club records at numerous distances, highlights being the 5k road in 16.43, 34.34 on the track at 10,000 in 2018, 76.29 PB at the Cardiff Half where she placed 19th in the Commonwealth Championships incorporated, and 5th place in the National 10,000m championships.
For those interested in pace below Marathons, and we all should be, in recent years I have coached 11 runners in 14 minute 5000m territory (three of whom went sub 14 by some margin). 5000m is the distance where 'long distance running' officially starts
From 2017-19 I coached Christine K, an extraordinary V60 runner and twice, at her peak in the 1990s, Dublin Marathon winner with a 2.35 PB. She is the oldest woman ever (at 59) to have broken 3.00 for a marathon and recently won the World Masters half Marathon in Spain by over two minutes (94 mins in 27 celcius, for a 63 year old women seems swift to me!), backed up by silver in the 5000m. She pushed on again at the San Sebastian Half Marathon 90.23. As context, if this had taken place 4 weeks later, she'd have equalled the World Best for a 64 year old.
From 2016 to 2020 I coached leading BBC broadcaster Sophie Raworth to numerous PBs at 10k, half (94) and full marathon (3.27, with recent PBs at age 51 and selection to run for the England Masters in a Home Countries International at Half Marathon.
Alex LeP, 30, London
I started working with David ahead of my first attempt at the marathon, London 2023. At that stage I felt I was able to self-coach for the distances I was currently racing, from 5k up to the half-marathon, through a mixture of attending the club sessions with Highgate Harriers and my own experience. To train for a marathon, however, I thought needed a different approach but was outside my own experience and so I asked David to structure a personalised training plan for me.
The initial target for London 2023 was to run 2:15. While a little ambitious for a first attempt, it was also something I thought I was capable of achieving with the right training. However, by the time I came to line up on the start line, a minute or two quicker seemed possible. David's coaching, his experience and wealth of knowledge of the sport all contributed to convert my fitness at the shorter distances into marathon fitness, setting a plan for me that was challenging but achievable. The sessions that he sets are always engaging and clear in what they are trying to achieve. David also helped advise me on everything around the actual running as well, from nutrition strategies to the benefits of heat training. In the end I ran 2:15:01 (although with some slightly better pacing in the first half, I may have been able run that minute or two quicker).
A year later and I'm still working with David, not just for the marathon, but all distances. Having someone with David's skill in your corner is invaluable.
Alex had already run sub 63.30 at half marathon and sub 29 for 10k when we started the link. Since then in addition to the fine London Marathon debut (2nd finisher with a day job!) he has also set a 5000m PB and ran 2nd fastest leg at the prestigious National 12 stage road relay, and come 2nd, twice, in the Southern X Country championships.
Will, now 47, London
I started coaching with Dave in November 2009 after a disappointing and painful New York marathon. I had run at club level at school and after long absence returned to running entering the London and then the New York Marathon. At the time of New York, my running career seemed to have reached a dead end. Since then, well, my results have been, from my perspective, fantastic - I cannot speak highly enough of Dave as a coach and the transformation he has brought about to my running career.
Dave has an encyclopaedic knowledge of "how to" train and race effectively and his approach to training encompasses all aspects - from the training itself (and recovery), to running form and technique, diet, strength and conditioning etc. Over the last 10 years I have become a better and stronger athlete, my running technique has improved, and racing performances have improved markedly as a result.
Dave's coaching programme is extremely well tuned to what you can achieve as an athlete- it is hard, challenging and varied however always conscious of overtraining, and the need when training at high intensity to get "more out of less". I am always surprised how Dave can judge where an athlete is in terms of performance - from directing the training pace in a series of intervals, to predicting race performance. To my mind, it is a sign of his experience and knowledge that he always knows the level at which I should be pushing to achieve, and when to push it harder and when to ease off. It is also a sign for how much he understands the athletes he trains and how much attention he pays to them. Dave also clearly understands the demands of running whilst also holding down a full time job and the limitations this can place on recovery and he has tailored his advice to me to take this into account.
Dave's technical knowledge of the physiology of running is impressive and comprehensive - for every session there is a reason for why the session is being ran, what the session is trying to achieve physiologically and how that transforms itself into better racing. I have found that Dave builds the same methodology into his overall training cycles, so I have confidence in working towards long term goals. Dave’s advice is distilled into practical, easy to understand methods and reasoning – always honest and to the point, and with a sense of humour and appreciation for everything else that goes on in life. In 2014, coming up to his 40th birthday, Will ran perhaps his best race thus far at the Leeds Abbey Dash clocking 31.17, one of the leading UK10k marks in his age group. In 2018 Will, now 43, made even further progress, with PBs at Half Marathon of 68.16, 3rd across the UK V40s, and at London ran a super PB of 2.27.02 to be the first UK V40 in the entire field, In May he completed a great London triple, a PB of 31.15 in the Vitality 10k, just pipped for first V40 in the UK Championship race. December's Valencia Marathon brought another career highlight where, 2 days before turning 44, Will ran 2.24.47, ranking him 2nd in the UK rankings for 40+ for 2018. Will is greedy in the most admirable focused way and so London 2019 nudged forward his PB to 2.24.18, 2nd UK V40 beaten only by a man barely out of his 30s! In June he raced in the prestigous England National Track Champs at 10.000 and excelled again with 31.05. His outstanding 2019 continued with a win at the famous Highgate Night of the 10,000s, another PB of 30.50; with tremendous progress at 5000, clocking 14.48 at Milton Keynes and then a mighty 14.35 at Wimbledon, the FASTEST ALL TIME by a UK runner of 44 or older.And the year ended with a mighty 67.47 at the Cardiff Half and a tremendous 30.30 at the Telford 10k, significantly just a few days after his 45th birthday - placing WIll 4th on the UK All Time lists for this event. March 1 at the Big Half Will stepped up again,67.13 a PB and a stunning 3rd on the UK All Time lists for 45+. With a Covid-driven racing lull over 2020, Will returned again with a fantastic PB of 2.24.11 at the Cheshire Elite Marathon in April 2021, aged 46 and again in the Top 5 marathons ever by UK runners in the V45 category. Keeping his racing schedule light but meaningful, WIll placed second in the notorious Sevn Sisters/Beachy Head Marathon in October, then on the undulating Brighton Marathon course in April 2022, now in his 48th year, he placed a close 3rd, on 2.30.02
Paul, 41, London
"I started my coaching journey with David in 2017. Prior to approaching David, my times had plateaued, and I was keen to see if a Coach could help me get my times down further. Since being coached with David I have taken notable chunks off all my PB's at every distance from 5k to the Marathon. David's coaching knowledge, built up over many years' experience is as comprehensive as you can find in the running sphere. David's coaching style is refreshingly straight forward and easy to follow. Feedback and communication is thorough and well thought out. David has also written a couple excellent books on distance running. I cannot recommend David's services more highly."
Paul Piper
2.23 Marathoner.
Paul came to me with a few years of very high mileage and a 2.28 PB and the statement that "at this stage I expect PBs to come in seconds not minutes, as he was close to plateauing. My view was that the onslaught of mileage, around his shift pattern at London Heathrow, was worth reviewing. He is highly committed and well organised and was very keen to experiment and this has nudged his marathon PB forwards on 6 occasions in the last 5 years. His typical volume dropped by maybe 25% to 30% and the targeted sessions have continually evolved to seek marginal gains and all this as he aged past 40. So the culmination of 300 seconds of marathon improvement came in Valencia in December 2022,just after turning 41, when Paul got everything just so and further trimmed his PB to 2
23.10, which ranked him 6th of all UK v40s for the year.
Chris, 26, London
To beat my former 17-year-old self. That was the target I had when first approaching Dave. It became clear that my ambitions would have to be bigger and within 6 weeks I’d revise that goal. Dave started coaching me in February 2018 towards the back end of the cross-country season and after implementing some fundamental changes to my training programme, positive results started to emerge. In early spring we managed to eclipse my 17-year-old self over the half marathon running 68:42, a personal best by over a minute.
Just over a month later I went on to PB over 10km, running 30:40. Within six months we had managed to rewrite my PBs over the 3,000m (8:25), 5,000m (14:29) and 10,000m (30:55). In the autumn 2018, after progressively increasing my training throughout the summer, I was in the shape to run a 2-minute PB for the half marathon running 66:29 for 21st place at the Cardiff Half Marathon incorporating the Commonwealth Championships. A year on, highlights from the 2018-2019 cross country season include a 4th placing at the Metropolitan XC League, 3rd at the Middlesex XC Champs, 8th in the Southern XC Champs, 31st at the English National XC Champs and 18th at the Inter County XC Champs (as part of the gold medal winning Middlesex team). My PB streak under Dave continues with a 66:10 clocking at the Reading Half Marathon in March 2019.
There are many things I value about Dave’s coaching, not least his endless knowledge and sincere passion for the sport. Most of all though, I value his honest approach, his challenging training ethos and the well-earned results it leads to.
My revised ambition… to beat my 26-year-old self.
Angela, 38, London
Dave started coaching me when my marathon PB was 3.17,and introduced me to a structured training programme, based around my next ambition, a sub 3-hour marathon. The junk miles were dropped and a much more varied and satisfying way of training began. The rewards came with improved race times from 3k on the track to the marathon which has gradually improved to 2.49 and included wins in both the Edinburgh City and San Sebastian International Marathons.
Dave's strengths as a coach lie in his depth of knowledge and in his capacity to acquire new knowledge and stay abreast of current thinking. He is flexible with the training schedule whenever adaptations are required and he is open to feedback and responds to my opinions on what I feel works and what might need adjusting. Mostly, though, I trust what he tells me to do, because of the results I have seen. With the training being so varied, I stay motivated and Dave often comes along to races to give support, as well as offering advice on which races to enter. He gives generously of his time.
Angela again ran 2.49 on a hot day in the Flora London Marathon, placing 22nd in the Women's elite race. In 2008 she ran 2.50 in the London Marathon and early in 2009 ran 80.20 for a half marathon on Scotland. She moved back to Scotland in 2010.
Jake, 24, Oxford University, New Mexico, and London
I began training regularly at the local club as a fourteen-year-old in 2005 and progressed from 4.22 to 3.57 for 1500m in my teenage years with the help of several of the club coaches. In 2009, I felt that my progress was beginning to stall and that I would benefit from a more individualized training program, so I contacted Dave. Since beginning to work with Dave as my coach my times at all distances have improved dramatically and I have been more successful at avoiding and managing the injuries that I had previously been hampered by. I am now much more consistent in my training and racing and Dave has helped me to achieve the difficult transition from a promising junior athlete into a competitive senior athlete.
Dave has many strengths as a coach. His extensive and detailed knowledge of endurance training inspires great confidence, yet the rationale behind each training session is never overcomplicated. Dave is always happy to discuss why we are doing certain things in training and will go out of his way to learn new things if questioned on something that he is unsure about. He has some world-class contacts in all areas related to distance running, such as physiotherapists, podiatrists, strength & conditioning coaches, and other highly qualified coaches and athletes - all of which I have made good use of! He is very easy to contact and will always reply promptly , often to give common sense feedback on training that will appear obvious after Dave has pointed it out!
The amount of time and effort that Dave has put into coaching me is incredible , and shows the passion that he has for the sport. For me, the key thing that sets Dave apart from other coaches is his ability to really listen to what I am saying and to understand me as an individual athlete with unique training requirements.
Jake, whom I coached 2010 to 2016, is a highly talented runner, with PBs achieved in this period, of 3.43m for 1500; 7.59 for 3000m; and a big improvement to 13.46 for 5000m (12th ranked in UK at both 3k and 5k for 2015). He is also very knowledgeable and reflective about his running, so from a coaching point the challenge is to work with him on the 'one per centers' that will help him make further progress, for which he has considerable scope given his relatively low training mileage to date. He completed a coveted 2 year athletics scholarship at the University of New Mexico , aiming to make further inroads at his best distances. He debuted, very promisingly, at 10,000 metres on the track, acheiving 29.26 to place 12th on the UK Rankings for the year. He closed 2016 on the roads with a fine PB of 29.23.
Chris O 31, London “I started working with David in April 2017. After finishing the London Marathon in a big PB 2.33, I sought David’s advice to take the step up to reaching my next goal (sub 2.30). Within 12 months of working with David he has been fundamental in helping me reach my goal, achieving 2.29 in a very hot London Marathon in 2018. On the way to reaching my goal I have achieved substantially improved PB’s in 5k, 10k (31.28) & 13.1 miles (68.07), and this has largely been down to David’s training plans and regular advice. David has provided a clear training plan that works well around my very busy job as company director. This has allowed me to perform at work whilst also allowing me to perform in my running, something I have struggled to achieve in previous years.
David keeps things manageable, clear, simple but also focussed, and this has provided me the belief that the training plans will bring results, which they have done. Aside from training plans, David regularly keeps in contact, showing a real care for the individuals he coaches whilst always providing a great soundboard to discuss training. This was most recognisable after sustaining a stress fracture, in which period he was a fantastic positive energy throughout rehabilitation. Without doubt, I recommend David as a fantastic running coach but also a great guy, to anyone wishing to achieve their running goals. He makes dreams into reality. I look forward to continuing working with David, and seeing what else is achievable”
Chris had a good background of being well coached previously and was doing plenty of mileage so his improvements over one year – close to 2 minutes at 10k and 4 minutes at half marathon, at his high level, have been very pleasing and should still have plenty of upside. April 2019 and Chris had a great run in the London Marathon, 2.26.03, big PB and a coveted negative split to boot. This PB setting rolled on into summer, with 31.48 at the London Vitality 10k Road Champs and a 15.14 5000m at Wimbledon, followed a week later with a barrier-breaking 14.58 to place 3rd in the York 5k, and another Half Marathon PB in the classic Great North Run, 67.18. After some ongoing niggles over 2020/21, not to mention the Covid period which ruled out racing, Chris returned really impressively in Autumn 2021 with a big PB of 2.22.40 at the Valencia Marathon. Four months later Chris returned to the Marathon fray in Manchester, almost matching his Valancia performance with 2.23.21.
Martin, 45, North Wales
' I had been training consistently for 4 years and had brought down my marathon time gradually from 3.11 to a very pleasing 2.48, the latter based on a high mileage plan from the famous Pfitzinger schedules. I felt that to make further progress I needed a more individual and tailored approach as the mileage was pretty much at the maximum I could sustain. David has brought a more detailed, varied and periodised approach to the training and this has been done without actually increasing the volume. Indeed, if anything it involves slightly lower but more specific mileage. With David's guidance I have done nine further marathons and set new PBs eight times [noone sets PBs in Snowdonia!]. '
Martin is a very sensible marathoner, and always balances ambition and reality in his goals and pacing, so that he has a great record of even splits in his marathons. He chooses his races smartly and each new marathon is tackled off a slightly higher 5k/10k platform. Martin took another major chunk off his PB, with 2.31.04 in the 2017 London Marathon, backed up with 2nd place in a very windy 2.34 at the prestigious Abingdon Marathon. Further, in 2018 he won the Trimpnell 20 in a PB, PBd´again in the Wrexham Half with 72.35, won the Wrexham Marathon in a 2.38 training effort and in a steamy London Marathon he bagged silver in the Welsh Senior Champs held within the race. Late Autumn brough Martin's self assessed 'best race ever' [revised in autumn 2020!] with second in the notorious Snowdonia Marathon and enough recovery to scoop a 10k PB of 33.03 in Telford, in his 45th year. London 2019 and the PB edged forward once more - 2.30.53. He is the 2nd fastest 45 year old Mr Green on this webpage. Another one to find new ommph as he hit 45, early 2020 saw Martin clock 32.32 at the Colwyn Bay, a new PB and again a very high UK ranking in the V45s, and a further very fine PB of 1.53.17 at the Wrexham 20 miles in March. The pandemic didn't affect Martin's comitment or fitness and so come October,and fresh from turning 46, in the Bedford Marathon he once again surpassed himself with a barrier breaking PB of 2.28.11, placing him 1st V45 in the UK rankings for 2020. Through 2021 further PBs at 5k and 10k and Half marathon came, all in the top handful of the UK 45+ age category, mixed in with two very fine and similar marathons at 2.30, at Cheshire in April and Manchester in October.
Mariah,31, London/Washington DC
I joined Serpentine in autumn 2008 and started working with David. Through a series of conversations he helped me make some decisions about where I wanted my running to go and how best to get there.
David stressed the likelihood that my peak marathon times would be reached through strong racing ability in the shorter endurance distances. In 2009 I ran a respectable half marathon in 1:22:10. Since then I have now raced at a variety of distances with noticeable improvements, introduced non-running training such as strength and conditioning and pilates, and had a better cross country season with some satisfying results. She has set PBs of 10.07 at 3000 metres and 36.38 for 10k on the road.
Working with David has definitely been a really good experience. He has a wide range of expertise and is able to suggest suitable races and training for my abilities and longer-term goals. He is personable and easy to get in touch with, and his help with my training schedule is invaluable and takes so much pressure off. Additionally he is flexible and understands that other things such as 'life' happen sometimes.
Mariah has now moved back to Washington so we continue to plan the training by email. Fast forward to 2017 and now a fairly recent first-time mother Mariah has errrm popped out a 5 mile PB of 29.27 in the St Paddy's event in Washington state as part of the prep for a highly pleasing 2.51.04 PB in Berlin. Both her fastest marathon and her most well paced and managed on the day.
Martin, 35, London
I started running regularly in 2009. This involved running four times a week with the only really "structured" section consisting of running a few intervals around a square in London. After tackling my first marathon at Loch Ness in 2011, clocking 2.53, my supportive girlfriend fortunately put me in touch with Dave at the beginning of 2013, and I've been working with him since.
In that time my running has progressed markedly, and my enthusiasm for the sport has grown exponentially. Dave's input has been central to both. He has a truly thorough knowledge of the sport and thoughtfully puts this to use when devising highly individualised training advice, which from a personal perspective has greatly assisted me in becoming a better runner. He has also helped me set challenging, but realistic goals which have proved highly motivating (and satisfying when met). I would wholeheartedly recommend working with David for anyone who would like to progress in their running and realise the great enjoyment that comes from doing this.Over summer 2015 he focused on track, chopping his 5k time down to 15.45 and in March 2016 he ran 1.53.02 in the Finchley 20 miles, further progress before pushing on to hit 2.30 in the London Marathon (where despite his PhD in Economics and repeated conversations on pacing with his PhD-less coach, he passed through half way in under 73 minutes and so had to compromise in the final miles to keep on track). Big breakthrough in Berlin 2017 with 2.27.15 - which as he reckoned he could run 3.29 per km if all went just so was very well handled - at 3.29/km. 2019 brought some further PBs, most notably 69.03 at the Cardiff Half Marathon and 30.51 at the Leeds Abbey Dash 10 (23 metres short!). And in autumn 2021, nor relocated as an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin, Martin achieved his best ever raceing performance, a very strong 51.18 in the Philadelphia 10 Miles.His training volume is somewhat higher than when he ran 2.53 of course, but he has a balanced life and a demanding career to fit around the running. Martin ran the race of his life so far in the brutally windy Indianapolis Marathon in November 2022, with a PB of 2.25.57 that would have been a chunk quicker in more normal conditions. Fast forward to January 2024 and a big further advance was chalked up in the Houston Marathon, with 2.22.29 which placed Martin at the head of the UK Marathon Rankings for a month!
David Chalfen
David is a runner and coach with over 40 years experience, and 18 years in coaching with a focus on longer distances, up to the marathon. Qualified at Level 4 (Performance - 10k to Marathon) within UK Athletics coaching system, and at Level 3 in Strength and Conditioning, he has extensive and diverse practical experience to support the formal qualifications. From 2009-14 he was one of England Athletics Area Coach Mentors in Endurance. He has managed numerous elite runners, both African professionals and GB internationals, at big city marathons such as Berlin, Istanbul, Seville, and Lahore . He once hosted former World Marathon Record Holder, Patrick Macau (2.03.37!) at his house though claims no direct influence on this athlete beyond giving him two chilled lagers and a chauffeur service to Finsbury Park station. He has also acted as England Marathon National Team Manager.
His book 'Improve Your Marathon and Half Marathon Running' was published by Crowood in September 2012 and is on England Athletics' recommended reading list for endurance coaches and runners. Four times Olympic and World Championships marathoner Dan Robinson said of the work 'His dynamism and expertise come across brilliantly in this extremely well written, useful and entertaining book'. The world renowned 'bible' of athletics, Athletics Weekly, reviewed the book with ‘Its pages cover everything you need to know in your quest for that perfect half or full marathon. ’
He is now a member of Highgate Harriers and was previously atSerpentine Running Club and coach to many of that club's runners who formed the country's leading men's marathon squad. As a runner he achieved a 2.32 marathon and 10 sub-2.35s. He doesn't use any social media for the same reason that he doesn't have his teeth pulled out without anaesthetic - it would just make him uncomfortable.
In a professional capacity, he has picked up much best practice from working for several years on Sport England’s and UK Sports World Class Programmes that support elite British sport.
He says:-
By a mixture of luck and design my early running, from age 14 was with the mighty Shaftesbury Harriers and then 3 years at Oxford University Cross Country Club where my 'achievements' included being not good enough to reach Blues level and struggling with TS Eliot. But I had the running bug far more embedded than any actual athletic ability, and I stuck to the task and was pleased to earn some Middlesex vests in my late 20s.
I started coaching 20 years ago after over twenty years of training and racing through the age groups. As a self-coached runner I was always very keen to put in plenty of miles but underachieved through not training smartly enough and not having an objective external guide to shape the training and recovery as sensibly as it could have been.
The progress made by the numerous runners I continue to coach as a volunteer in the traditional club environment led me to extend the coaching commitments via this website. The technical knowledge and experience I have developed with many quicker runners is applied individually to runners at various levels.
I stress variety and progression across all programmes so that, whilst one can never avoid doing the underpinning volume and regularity to make progress, there are an infinite range of different ways of structuring the training sessions to achieve the required physical challenge. Or to quote the coach of the 2016 GB Olympic Champions Hockey squad "If variety is the spice of life then repetition is the porridge".
Photo - Maren Urner www.visual-expressions.net
Dr Sarah Rowell, Chair of UK Athletics and former UK Marathon record holder (2.28) and Technical Consultant to the English Institute of Sport
David has shown tremendous intuition and drive to establish himself within the world of endurance running, not just as a respected coach but also helping athletes with races and training trips abroad. In wanting to help athletes he has actively sought information and advice from the best, not just in the UK but world-wide. He is now in a position where he can use this knowledge to help his growing band of athletes achieve their potential
Bud Baldaro. Former UK Athletics Marathon coach and personal coach to Hannah England, World Championships Silver medallist in 2011 and to many British international runners
As a coach for many years at club, student and area/international level David knows his stuff. Having known David for many years, I never fail to be impressed by his thirst for knowledge of the sport.
A student of the sport for numerous years; he is a true aficionado of the road scene. Passionate and inspired by runners of all ability levels he brings to the table a life long love of the sport combined with a depth of knowledge and the ability to develop his points in a rational, accessible and comprehensible manner. He possesses a genuine insight into the both the needs of runners and their patient progression plus of course the very specific demands of the event
Jonathan Solly, Commonwealth Games 10,000 metres Gold Medallist 1986 and 2.12 marathon runner
In the time I have known David... I have been hugely impressed with his enthusiasm, contacts and depth of knowledge for the sport. He clearly knows his stuff, is great at translating this into meaningful coaching sessions and if I was still running more than 3 times a week, would be delighted for him to have some input into my training
Jason Henderson, editor of globally renowned magazine Athletics Weekly, of the book on Improving Marathon and Half Marathon Running
Thanks Gawd, a book on endurance running written by someone who has some real endurance running experience and credentials
Martin Rush, UK and England Athletics Head of Endurance and 1992 Olympic athlete, said of the book
it is a highly readable publication which squeezes a huge amount of information and ideas into a manageable sized book. Written with a tone and wit that is often lacking in guidance books, it definitely belongs in your road running library.
Dan Robinson, four times Olympic and World Championship marathoner and 2006 Commonwealth Games medallist
David has a huge passion and knowledge of distance running. Having known him for several years, there are few people in British endurance with his dynamism,expertise, commitment and positivity. His willingness to go the extra mile stands out.
Kevin Hickey MBE, former National Coaching Foundation Coach of the Year and former Head of Operations, British Olympic Association
David Chalfen is one of the most committed and passionate coaches I have met. Accepted coaching dogmas are challenged and his thirst for new approaches is ongoing. This couples with a sensitivity for the individual athlete's needs in terms of training/competition and lifestyle. In my opinion, he will undoubtedly be a coaching asset in the UK for the emerging generation of endurance athletes
Coaches from the Kent Athletics Network at a Flying Coach Seminar/Q+A
We felt very privileged to hear David talk. I think he was by far the best Coaching Development speaker we’ve seen. I loved his down-to-earth approach – he is confident and experienced enough not to feel the need to blind us with science or fancy sports terminology. He used real examples of pacing that I could really relate to over a wide range of abilities and I felt totally connected to what he was saying. We really appreciate the chance to hear someone with his level of experience talk. It’s inspiring stuff.
David Turner, Principal Lecturer in Sports Coaching, University of Hertfordshire
David Chalfen is a highly reflective sports coach who thinks deeply about his coaching practice, and skilfully employs continuing professional development, and extensive professional networking, in order to promote his ongoing coach development and learning. David artfully balances well informed coaching interventions with respecting and encouraging athlete self reliance, in helping to make performance improvements happen. David demonstrates heightened self awareness in terms of his own coaching strengths, responds positively to coaching challenges, and in particular uses writing as a productive means of reflecting upon coaching issues. His coaching expertise has resulted in a natural progression into coach education and mentoring, where he continues to make a positive difference in the life of others.
Matt Norminton, in Canada, in preparation for the Ottawa Marathon, in which he improved his PB from 2.25 to 2.20.52. Matt states "Having had David look over my own training several times I can attest that he always has good suggestions and practical ideas to improve things. Sometimes this can be as simple as asking me to reevaluate why I am doing something or if I could do things slightly differently. Thanks for all of your help David and I look forward to having you look things over for me as I get ready for my next marathon"
That’s ‘runcoach 1to1’ I mean, not my actual name (third generation Russian immigrant in case you wondered, my great grand-father never got round to Anglicising the surname) . I liked the name so much I bought a few domains with very similar names. It’s actually a very accurate description of what I do, and pretty much all I do in coaching. By that I mean, there are a load of things that running coaches can do that I choose not to do. So I don’t do corporates, I don’t do groups, I don’t do secondary sell, I don’t go running with anyone I coach, I don’t endorse products. Things where I would worry that the effect on my coaching competence would be, at best, neutral.
I don't do any specific promotion - just this website and word of mouth.
The key area of external partnership working I do is really about keeping runners healthy and helps my own CPD. So, the sports medic world is where I strive to seek the best people and to develop my own understanding. You can run very well without getting unduly involved with clothes, shoes, apps, or lab tests. You can’t run well if you are getting injured. Indeed, you might spend a while not being able to run at all. So that is the key field where as runcoach1to1 I am very keen to have something else in the mix when it is necessary.
I quite like writing although I seem to be about twenty years too late for the period when writing about running could be commercial. At least, writing about running the way I would want to. When I was 22 I wrote one little column for Runners World. I think it was because Mike Gratton, then London Marathon champion, was away for his usual slot, so there was a gap to fill. My article made a risqué reference to a G string. I was paid £60 which at the time could cover a down payment on a small cottage in Wales and a Ford Cortina though that’s not what I actually spent it on. The theory was that this would lead to me swanning around the elite athletics circuit penning insightful articles for a Fleet Street ((Fleet Street!) broadsheet. Clearly something changed and my career planning missed several journalistic boats as now I get periodically asked by the monthlies to write bland-sounding stuff for free. So I don’t.
The flip side of this is, and for which I am very appreciative, that the new world of digital technology, increased leisure time and affluence for many, and the recent growth of running as a sport, at varying degrees of intensity and commitment, has created a society in which professional running coaching is a valid and, for some, valued activity.
I have set out below the preface from my book as it shows more about what I am like. Perhaps deludedly, I still think I can promote myself with a bit of modesty.
I was sitting in an internet café in the hills in Andalucia when I received the email equivalent of a cold call from Crowood inviting me to write this book. My first reaction was one of suspicion akin to receiving an email from a West African ‘bank’ enquiring after my mother’s maiden name and asking to verify my internet banking password. But it was bona fide and many thanks to Crowood editor Hannah Shakespeare for her faith in adding my name to the endurance writing publications list.
At the risk of self-aggrandisement, or perhaps just showing that I’m an embarrassingly slow learner, the knowledge and experience that has gone into the book has been almost forty years in the making. The first seeds were sown in 1972 when as a very shy eight year old I watched the 1972 Olympics from Munich. Amidst the British highlights and the deadly intrusion of the terrorist attacks on the Israeli team, it was the long distance races that stuck in my mind. Finnish legend Lasse Viren achieving the 5000m and 10,000m double on the track, and the wiry USA runner Frank Shorter coming home for a dominant marathon win which had a key role in triggering the growth of long distance running in the Western world. I thought it looked very exciting and I wanted to be part of it. And so started my fascination with long distance running.
By a mixture of luck and design, this brought me into some hotbeds of endurance running. My very first tentative track sessions at Shaftesbury Harriers in North West London were done with one lane kept aside whilst the then world record holder for 10,000 metres, Dave Bedford, went through sessions trying to recapture his 1973 glory days. I progressed and was able to wear the Barnet Schools vest with some pride but little competence.
Through my later teens I persisted with a stable level of mediocrity. The typical scenario was that if I beat another Under 17 or Under 20 athlete they would see retirement from the sport – and in a couple of extreme cases emigrating to South America with an entirely new identity - as the only logical option to preserve some vestiges of self-respect. At University I could just about describe future World Cup Marathon Champion and 2.08 marathon performer Richard Nerurkar as a training partner on those days when his recovery run and my threshold effort happened to coincide.
To show how the marathon world has changed, I ran my first marathon just before turning 18. In an event which wasn’t even classified as an official competitive event, I placed 42nd in a time of 2 hours 42 minutes. Thirty years on, there is no race in Britain outside the mighty London Marathon where this sort of time would place so relatively far down the field.
Typical of many coaches, it was only after stopping my own competitive running (well, as competitive as my short stumpy legs and overzealous engagement with Mr Kipling’s exceedingly good cakes could manage) that I acquired the objectivity to drill down into the details of how to really optimise one’s endurance running ability, whatever level that ability is. It’s a cliché that is only partly true, but distance running is in many ways the easiest sport to do – just put on your kit, head out the door and run, sometimes hard and sometimes easy and if you do this very regularly you will improve considerably. However, it’s also just as easy to become a regularly injured runner or an underachieving runner. Indeed most experienced runners will at different stages encounter both situations and the goal – which I hope this book will contribute to – is to ensure that the large majority of one’s running years are spent achieving the best results that are achievable for each individual’s ability and training commitment.
My time so far in coaching has been supported by people who contribute to the immense enjoyment we gain from the fulfilling yet existentially futile attempts to help people run a long way a little bit quicker than the last time they tried it.
In particular, Bud Baldaro and Geoff Williams, great motivators and special people who have such a lasting and positive influence on so many. And they also help them to run faster. Outside the running world, Kevin Hickey MBE has been a tremendously wise and supportive mentor and adviser on the broader aspects of sports coaching.