Hard Months, Big Rewards: This Week in Team Orange
It’s your weekly round up folks. What have the team been up to this week? I’ll start by saying sometimes running is tough, the training is hard and you feel like you are being…
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Beckley 10k: The Happiest Hills in Sussex
I love the Beckley 10km. It’s one of those races where I’m not sure why it happens, as it’s a challenging route, but everyone seems so happy. I think yesterday’s staging surpassed…
Never Again? Famous Last Words
I'm glad I did the Beachy Head marathon 2 years ago. Did I enjoy it? Well have you seen the video ? There was a reason Sweary Simon came out to play that day. That race chewed me…
Fireworks, 100k and a Weekend of PBs
Such are the incredible achievements of the team, it’s hard to know where to start in my weekly roundups. So it’s only fair to begin with Anna. If anyone was awake earlier than…
The Magnificent Seven
Seven runners, seven PBs. The Magnificent Seven. That’s what the team pulled off this weekend, across four different half marathons spread over the South of England, the Great…
Chasing Stars, Not Just PBs
It feels like a while since I mentioned the 100% Club. Prior to the new platform launch I'd spend hours calculating your points and compiling the list. Almost guaranteed I would…
How fast should you run your interval sessions?
As a coach, creating a session for a big group is tricky. The ability range can be vast. You may have 16-minute 5k runners and 30-minute parkrun runners. If they are doing the…
Run for you...nobody else!
I honestly cannot remember the last time I did an easy Sunday run. Perhaps it was even the one which caused my injury back in October last year. But boy did I enjoy it yesterday…
Failure is part of Progress
My target at parkrun this morning was to run my quickest 5k this year. I failed. It feels a bit shit to be honest as I was confident I could beat my time of 20:33 from 2 months…
My Top 3 Threshold Sessions
In recent months I've become a bit obsessed with threshold training . My own running journey followed a familiar pattern adopted by many club runners. Focusing primarily on pace…
PB Runner - What's New?
Let's start with the Barry Richards 10K. What an evening. So proud of the team. It was tough. Our predictions were based on a modest forecast of 8mph wind. Who forecast that?…
My New Bestie
The headline of this blog post is a joke. Jax might not be grateful, but I found it funny. Which is normally how my jokes go down in our relationship. A new person has stepped…
Perfect Pacing
How do you pace a race perfectly? There are just so many factors to consider. Sunday was a prime example of that. The Romney Marsh 10k . Possibly the flattest 10k you will find…
Sorry how many Miles?
Apologies for my hiatus last week. I was feeling a little burnt out and sorry for myself. So decided to take a week off. As a coach, you don’t always keep the best track of your…
Overload is the Key
Progressive Overload. This sounds boring. I’ll do my best to spice it up, I promise. It’s a term that every runner should be familiar with. It’s the main concept around all of the…
Hilly High Fives
I feel like I’ve put a bit of pressure on myself. Committing to a weekly blog and trying to find an interesting way on reporting what the team have been up to. But then it dawned…
Lunch anyone?
In a week where my stress levels did spike, and fatigue kicked in due to lack of sleep, I was delighted it ended on such a high. I think sometimes with running, we are often…
Listen to Wally
I live quite a busy life. Out most evenings either coaching or running. We, Jax and I, normally get enough time to watch one episode of our latest Netflix series. The current…
Stack N Tilt
Imposter syndrome is taking over again. Should I be writing a weekly blog? Is my writing embarrassingly bad? Questions I ask having met Runner’s World columnist and this months…
Highs and Lows
Much like the undulating route at Rye 10 on Sunday, there will always be highs and lows to endure. That was how my week felt, from starting off well, to feeling a little under the…
Does Faster mean Better?
Saturday marked the 500th Hastings parkrun. I’ve ran 204 of those, toured 20 times and bagged 50 volunteer credits. My average parkrun time? 27:05. My best? 19:18. Saturday?…
Running Friends are the Best
2018. That was the year I was done with running. It was the year I ran Worthing 10K in 67 minutes and 9 seconds. And I was definitely trying my best. The only reason I didn’t quit…
Run Faster & Shout Louder
Wow. What just happened. Mind boggling to think a human can run at that pace for 26.2 miles. It’s insane. I’m talking about the first sub 2 marathon of course. Achieved by both…
Be Patient & Consistent to Achieve Your Goals
I often compare runners to football clubs. Bear with me. A football club needs to understand their potential and also their limitations. As a Norwich City fan I understand this…
How Many Marathon PBs did you say?
What a weekend! On Saturday I logged off early, even earlier than planned in truth as Joe was 20 minutes ahead of schedule through the first two check points of the SDW50. For…
The Quiet Before the Storm
Easter weekend has been a quiet one on the racing front for the Team. An opportunity to catch our breath after the excitement of Hastings Half Marathon and what lies ahead in…
Coach Simon’s Day Off
We all need a break from time to time. My last real week off was September 2024. I know, it’s not great. I tried to take some time off recently, 2 weeks in fact. It didn’t go…
Team Orange smash HHM
5,600!! I’m going to throw a lot of numbers at you in this blog. I love stats and data. I’ve even made up my own stats to coach the Team. That’s how much I love them. 5,600??…
My Favourite Week of the Year
It feel likes I’ve been running for a long time. 10 years to be precise. So by now you might expect the annual half marathon in town to feel like a routine date in the calendar…
PBs aplenty at Paddock Wood
10 years now since I first ran the Paddock Wood Half Marathon. Almost every time I’ve made the journey back down the A21 I’ve asked the same question “It can’t get better than…
From Brighton to Rome
I’ll try, but can’t promise to post a weekly blog post here on the platform. Just to keep you up to date what the members of the Team are doing!! It’s a time of year I love as a…
The Day of the 10Ks
I’m not really sure where to start this week. Going back through the PB Runner Strava group it reminded me why I’m so tired. Let’s just say it’s been busy. I’ll take you back 5…
International Weekend!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Jax so excited as when I told her to pack her bags, as we’re off to meet one my international runners. In hindsight I probably should have explained…
Coach Simon Blog: Progress is Never Linear
It’s a strange part of the season. The big Spring races are now behind us, the temperature has ramped up, and for many of us our big goals for 2025 seem some way off. For me…
Roller Coaster of Emotions as a Running Coach
I’ll start this post by sharing the achievements of the team over the weekend. At Brighton Marathon on Sunday there were PBs for Jack Matthews (3:34) and Sam Evans 3:26). At the…
My Lucky Half Marathon
Is there such thing as a lucky race? Well if you refer to the famous quote from South African Golfer Gary Player, then yes. He said, “The harder I practice, the luckier I get”…
Drummers, Smiles and High 5s
As the big races approach I am learning the anxieties that come with being a running coach. Especially in 2025 as this year I have a larger team of runners than ever before. The…
Self Compassion
We are all guilty of being our own worst critics. But when it comes to your running that needs to stop. If you’re getting out the front door and running, regardless of your pace…
Hills Reps
We all love hills right? I remember training for the 2018 Hastings Half Marathon when my fitness was particularly poor. I only ever ran on the seafront and the minute I reached…
Go Hard in Sessions
If you’re looking to make gains and improve your times across distances ranging from 5k up to half marathon, then the really important sessions are intervals. These can vary…
Train at Goal Pace
When I trained for my first marathon, Bournemouth 2018, I was a little disgruntled at the pace of my long runs. A wise head, or whom I assumed was knowledgeable in this field…
Run Tall
Probably the single most important running form tip you can focus on is to Run Tall!! I’m guilty of slouching myself and as someone that has spent the majority of the last 15…
Run Relaxed
Day 5 of my tip streak and I headed down to Hastings parkrun in my latest pair of running shoes. Slightly concerning this is the 4th pair I have purchased in as many months. I’ve…
10 Minutes Warm Up Run
10 minutes. That is not a long time. Considerably shorter than the time you are likely to be racing or running intervals in the forthcoming session. Ideally we’d always do a much…
A Pouring of PBs in the Drizzle
The Barry Richards 10K has always been a favourite of mine. My times down the years have ranged from 1:04:32 (yes it was a best effort) to 40:50, so it’s been a really nice…
Rest Days
I’ll keep this one brief today as whilst there isn’t a great deal of explaining to do, this running tip is very important. Rest Days. We all need them. And when I say rest, I mean…
Train in Groups
When I first started my own running journey I spent 12 months training on my own. It wasn’t until I completed my first half marathon and joined my local club Hastings Runners that…
Run The Trails
I have a lot of silly ideas. Some of them better than others. Some last minutes, some days, some even months. But I’ll always give them a try and you never know what the result…
Race to the Stones and Beyond!!
I’ve always been open about my lack of Ultra Running experience, as a participant and a coach, but I’ve been given the opportunity by several in the team to learn new skills and…
Wrong Turn Cost Sam his 50k PB
Let’s start with Sam Davies and the Serpent Trail 50k. That’s a long way. Twice the distance some of us tackled at Bewl on Sunday and still Sam was able to produce a consistent…
Ultra Success for Determined Anna
Often as a coach I’m confident of a runner’s success heading into an event based on the training they’ve done. This weekend could not have been further from that truth. Not…
PBs Galore in Spring 5K
I’m a little speechless. Not ideal at the start of a blog post. I understand now why I was so excited about this race, I couldn’t have dreamt a better outcome for the Team. Times…
Team Orange overcame adversity to smash London Marathon
Running a marathon is tough. But I think trying to help a team of runners prepare for a marathon is possibly even more challenging. You might agree come the end of this post…
Team Orange at Hastings Half Marathon
This blog should be one of pure positivity but the last few weeks have been a grind for me personally. My refusal to rest has led to a cold developing into a sinus infection and…
Paddock Wood I love you!
Paddock Wood, I absolute love you. I had to rewrite that sentence and remove the expletive, that’s how much I love this race. My first visit came in 2016. I’d just completed the…
Round and round we go!
Over the past 4 years, I’ve run 7,878.3 miles. This took me 1,140 hours and included 276,116 feet of elevation. That’s the equivalent of 300.69 marathons. But prior to Sunday I…
Hastings Runners Awards Night
I’d be surprised if there is a running club in the whole of the UK that hosts an awards night quite like that of Hastings Runners. Just to be part of the special evening is a real…
Canterbury Doesn’t Disappoint
6 of the team made the 47 mile trip across the county border to tackle the undulating country lanes in the Canterbury 10 miler on Sunday. My entry was heavily influenced by my…
Happy New Year
My facebook post summed it up nicely, but the blog offers me a little more of an opportunity to express my gratitude to those that have supported me over the past 12 months. Let…
Close to Capacity
Here we are again. Another Monday. Another Coach Simon Blog. They come around quickly don’t they? Mondays that is? I’m sure you can’t get enough of my musings. So what has…
Tis the season to be injured
Ah ball bags! I class myself as extremely lucky. For the past 5 years I’ve pretty much kept injuries at bay. A recurring hip/glute pain has prevented me from completing a few…
These are NOT PB Conditions
As the week progressed and I ticked off the miles and split squats the excitement grew. The weather forecast for parkrun was at last favourable and many of the team would get…
I said 60 minutes
Last week started with a lot of apprehension as my own training continues to build in volume. Looking at the week ahead I was a little daunted, and combined with a hectic work…
One at a Time
It’s Tuesday morning. I’m a little weary with a creaky back having lugged some furniture around at the weekend, without bending my knees properly (schoolboy error). I feel like I…
Big Mileage Weeks as the Numbers Grow
I feel great. I’m sitting in the office with the heating on, and a hot water bottle in my lap, drying out from the Tuesday morning track session that was rudely interrupted by…
Beckley and Beyond
It was a pretty uneventful week right? We had a few drops of rain to deal with and a couple of puddles to hurdle, but that’s all part of being a runner. I still feel like I’m…
Team Orange making your Coach Proud
To be honest, up until this weekend I’ve had doubts about whether or not this running coach venture of mine was just another pipe dream. And trust me I’ve had a few down the…
Burning desire to improve
It’s burning deep down inside me. More than ever before. I want to work so hard that the tears flow after a race. I want to roar in jubilation and sing aloud like the winning…
Another Week Another Marathon
From Berlin to Loch Ness, this weekend it was Sarah Marzaioli’s turn to complete a marathon. She’s long since passed the 100 tally, and she didn’t even start running until she…
Team Orange Update: Sue Conquers Berlin
There’s only one place to start with this weeks Team Orange update and that’s Berlin . Forget the World Record, we are more interested in Sue Wilkinson adding another of the World…
Rye to Hastings Coach Simon Blog
I can’t recall an occasion when I’ve crossed a finish line and wanted to find a dark corner, slump myself down and have a little cry. That would have been a tad dramatic though…
One Step Backwards
Progress is never linear. Something I’ve learned over the past 5 years and often it’s important to accept that taking a step backwards is actually a good thing. I worked my skinny…
Team Orange Weekly Update
I’ll be honest, I’m glad to see the back of August. Holidays, injuries and illness have proved a bit of a headache for many of the Team in recent weeks and it’s a reminder that…
BBB10k Race Report
I’ll do a weekly round up of Team Orange in a second post but just wanted to share my own experiences of the BBB10K on Sunday morning. A race I last completed in 2019 in a time of…
BBB 10K Race Strategy
Make sure you begin any race day with your regular breakfast routine. Arrive at the Race HQ in plenty of time to get your race number and do a good warm up. For a 10K like Battle…
Kings Head Canter 2023 Race Report
It’s 7 years now since my first half marathon and my race calendar tends to have a familiar feel about it these days. So when the opportunity sprung up to run a local race I’d yet…
Week Off!!
With training plan 13 safely and successfully negotiated it was time for the hardest thing for me to do, take some time off running. A week in fact. This is something I advise to…
Training Less Getting Faster
Before I reveal my secrets I’ll start by talking about the Barry Richards 10K. A Hastings Runners club only race held every August. In 2016, my first year as a member I ran a…
Barry Richards 10K Race Report
After my weekend facebook debate I think it’s important not to start this Team Orange update simply discussing times. Generally those seeking the advice of a running coach…
Barry Richards 10K Challenge
I’m tingling with excitement having just taken another look at the Bexhill weather forecast for Thursday evening. This is week 19 of my 13th training plan. Crazy to think I’ve…
Holidays Hobbles and Headlines
It’s been a while since I put pen to paper (I’m not even doing that now, but you know what I mean) and kept you updated with the latest news from PBRunner. Late July and early…
Team Orange Continues to Grow
It’s approaching 3 months since my 3 day stint in a real job and I’m now super exciting about the future of PB Runner and Team Orange. I’ve been dividing my time between the…
The Handicappers POV
Normally our experiences of running are somewhat predictable. We might turn up at our local parkrun, knowing every inch of the route, running an almost identical time to the…
Trust the Process
It’s been a busy, but enjoyable week so far. Full days of work on Monday & Tuesday were followed by coaching duties in the evening. On Wednesday we headed over to Eastbourne to…
Wet in Wonderful Woodchurch!
I’ll be honest, the Woodchurch 5 Miler wasn’t on the top of my 2023 race wish list (a list which doesn’t actually exist by the way), but with a little persuasion I was encouraged…
Breeze? That Ain’t No Breeze
With my confidence knocked after last weeks disappointing tempo session I decided to mix things up. I was due to run a 10k threshold on Friday but with the weather forecast…
Coach Simon Blog Intro
Hey! I’ve been inspired to write more. A lovely rest day at Bateman’s has encouraged me to try and spend more time sharing my thoughts with words and not just pictures. Rudyard…
Smiles at Bewl
I’ve lost track when the Sunday long run started. 5 hardy souls rocked up at 8am that first morning to run for 60 minutes in one direction and 60 minutes back. In the past 8 weeks…
Pacing at Hastings Half Marathon
Pacing is tough. It’s bad enough for 5k on the perfectly flat Hastings parkrun route. Try pacing around one of the most undulating half marathons in the country. But if anyone was…
HHM Never Disappoints
The Hastings Half Marathon provided a fitting conclusion to a dozen Team Orange training plans. I guess most coaches will be judged on the performances of their runners, but I…
PBs at Paddock Wood
Ever since I completed my first training plan I couldn’t work out why every runner wasn’t using this approach? I’m still a little bewildered why more don’t spend a small amount of…
Coaching Philosophies
In this day and age we are spoilt for choice when it comes to information. There is so much knowledge to be gained through social media channels. What’s important to grasp when…
Cambridge Success for Jo
Now I’m getting excited. The races are coming! LET’S GO!! Time to put the hard work and grind over the winter months to practice and get our much deserved rewards. Whether we run…
Pier to Pier Success
Another great week. I’m actually proud of what you’ve all achieved this week. The Pier to Pier was an obvious highlight. What I would say to those not involved, who may feel like…
Parkrun PB for Sarah
Another brilliant week and I’m buzzing right now with how well you guys are doing on your training plans. Exciting times lie ahead and this week marks the start of the race…
The Races are Coming!
Is it me or there is a buzz of excitement in the air around Hastings Runners right now? I get the impression so many people are motivated and feeding off the inspiring efforts of…