Commonwealth Games Insight: Race Tactics, Championship Mindset, And What To Watch | Dr. Matt Long

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Well, welcome back, Mr.
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Long.
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It's uh a little bit sooner than we predicted, you know.
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I I gave it on the I gave all the information to our audience on our last podcast that we're gonna vary our coaching guests, and every couple of weeks we'll see a new coaching face on here.
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And we put out our mile podcast, but it it just felt a little bit unusual not to do a recap after what happened and after we both left with very much egg on our face after Mr.
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Josh Kerr proved us both wrong and went and set the mile world record.
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So here we are, two weeks on from our last recording, recording another podcast which will come out to our audience in a couple of days' time, right in the middle of the Commonwealth Games mayad, where Josh Kerr will obviously run the mile again.
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But we thought it'd be good to get together, reflect on what was a brilliant weekend, history made, you were in the stadium, and also look forward to an exciting Commonwealth game.
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So to kick us off, Matt, firstly, how was it being there to witness the record-breaking mile?
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Well, I have to say, it was a carnival atmosphere.
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Crowd were on their feet from the very first lap onwards.
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He stuck like glue to the pacing like I said to my partner Tina, he's he's gonna drop off the third lap, the killer lap as as a brilliant miley yourself.
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You know what it's like.
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But he didn't, he never dropped off.
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Uh there was a sense of inevitability with you know 400, 300 to go that he was gonna do it.
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He just looked so so robust, so strong, so tall, hips were high, ride length was was the same on the last lap.
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It really was almost metronomic.
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And I have to say, I mean, I had the privilege of uh, I think I mentioned to you before, being in the the Berlin Olympic Stadium way back in 2009.
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What's that?
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That's uh 16, 17 years ago.
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Saw the great Usain Bolt running 9.58 to break the 100 meter world record, pretty sure that still stands.
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Never thought I'd experienced the kind of goosebumps, the hairs on the back of the neck that I did that day 17 years ago, but have to say, brilliant.
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It was my number one sporting experience as a spectator to see the world mile record being set by a Brit, and also you know, the fact that it was actually in London, unlike in Berlin or somewhere abroad on the circuit, it was extra special.
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And about five or ten minutes before the race started, the Jeff Whiteman announced uh it was on the scoreboard, or the whole history of the milers, all the way from Bannister through to John Landy, Peter Snell, Herb Elliott, Michelle Jazzy, Jim Ryan, of course, the Holy Trinity as we know them, Co.
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Ovet Cram, they were all on the screen, images of them, and you just got a sense of history, a sense of momentum, a sense of occasion.
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And uh, and when we were filing out the stadium, you know, because it was at the penultimate event the mire was, I think we saw Keeley win the 800 straight after.
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I remember Jeff Whiteman coming over the Tannoy saying to people as they were leaving the packed London Olympic Stadium, well, he made a joke about, you know, there's an old story about um 250,000 people, a quarter of a million people claim they saw Roger Bannister break the four-minute mile at Iffley Road, which is obviously impossible the stadium couldn't hold anywhere near that amount.
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And he just said, just remember, in 50 years' time, when most of us are dead and buried, there'll be a quarter of a million people claiming they were here today.
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But you were here today, he said.
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Fascinating.
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Amazing, yeah, slightly slightly jealous.
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I was in the Peak District, actually, and um we didn't have great signal, so we we kind of were keeping up to date with what was going on, but social media exploded as it always does.
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Yeah.
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But what was really impressive was it was mainstream news as well.
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You know, athletics was back in the mainstream news.
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You you would have remembered Matt when you mentioned the core, the event, the cram era where people were packed round TVs watching those world records.
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And well, I've been at some of uh you you've supported Crammy's training camps.
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I remember, I think you were interviewing Steve Cram at the time, and when he said his world record 41 years ago, it was live on the BBC and live on ITV at the at the same time.
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It was omnipresent, you couldn't escape it.
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It's crazy, isn't it?
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Yeah, and I think you're right.
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There is a I I guess, I mean, I guess Joss may look back on his career.
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I mean, so far he's got an Olymp, he's got obviously he's bagged a world title, which is a global title, but he's got an Olympic silver, he's got an Olympic bronze.
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I reckon he's he's kind of more transcendent in the sport, he's transcended the sport, as you're implying, more by that Maya world record than he would if he was the Paris Olympic 1500 champion.
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I think he'll get more kudos.
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I don't know.
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Yeah, I agree.
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I think a lot of people didn't think he was gonna do it, and I loved Crammy's commentary with speaking about where it was televised.
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I mean, it was great that I read an article actually, and I think it summed it up.
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And it somebody said there were an American writing the article, and he said, it was one of those moments where I altered everything I was doing in my day to make sure that I was watching this race, and that's the kind of the feeling it had.
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Like people were paying attention to our sport and they wanted to watch it, but I thought it was fitting that Crammy was on the commentary, you know, former world record holder himself.
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And he just said at the end of the race when he crossed the line, he said, We should have listened.
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He told us he was gonna do it, he told us where he was gonna do it, he told us when he was gonna do it, he told us which race.
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It was like he put it all out there and fair play backed himself.
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And I said on the podcast, I said, I don't think he'll do it.
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You said you you were half right.
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I'm gonna give you 50% credit here, Matt, because you said, I think Yarodin Goose will do it, is what you said.
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And Yarrodin Goose did do it, but he was just second across the line.
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Absolutely, yeah.
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Interesting stuff, isn't it?
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I mean, I guess you alluded the other day when we spoke about it.
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Was it Faith Kip Yeagon a year ago, where that attempt to run a manufactured or a paced women's world mile record?
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It felt more about um a commercial drive to do it, and and her sponsors got behind her.
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And I got the sense that that that was never quite attainable with with this and with what Josh has done with you know the Brooks team.
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It was, you know, I was kind of thinking, well, you know, is it is it just about the sponsorship?
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Is it just about a company?
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Is it just about profile?
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But no, he's he's gone and backed it up.
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He has, he backed it up, and that's what I liked about it.
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It was done in a competitive race, the MC Carmile, one of the most prestigious races we've got in this country, and and he backed it up in a race environment with the crowds there, and it was all real, it wasn't set up like a bit like Lord Coe was there.
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You mentioned Crammy commentating, but Coe was on hand presenting him with the famous it's like a vase, isn't it?
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Like a an opaque vase, isn't it?
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Yeah, it's fantastic.
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And signing the book, yeah.
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But a bit like London this year, you know.
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You mentioned it to me before, like I was present in London for the the world record going, the sub two going in the men's race this year.
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And again, it felt a bit manufactured before that when the sub-2 attempts were happening.
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It felt a little bit set up, but it's nice to see these things happen naturally in races.
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I think that's when the best comes out of people when we are racing.
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We always say it when you're racing, it's when and he was racing the clock, of course, but he knew he was up against it.
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That was a serious field at the weekend, and he was in danger, as we highlighted before.
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He was in danger of going off too hard and people being there to mop up the pieces, and they were right on his tail, weren't they?
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They were, yeah.
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And I think what the interesting thing is, because you mentioned Crammy's record of 41 years ago in Oslo, and and and that that stood as a a world record for a fair amount of time, a number of years, but it also stood as a a British record for decades.
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Now, and and when I thought about it, I mean my partner said, How much faster is he or was he the other Saturday, Josh Kerr, compared to your OBET your co's?
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I mean, Co.
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was what, 347, Obet 348, Cram's record was 346.
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I mean, you're talking, you know, what, 30, 30 odd metres quicker at you know, four four seconds quicker, he's gone way below what they were doing.
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Yeah, crazy.
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And obviously advances in the sport and the technology and things, but just a credit to how impressive that run was.
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And I am going to give a shout out to third place, Jake Haywood, by the way.
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What a run that was.
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What a run.
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Yeah, really gone under the radar.
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And I think, am I am I right in thinking that would have actually gone inside Crammy's time as well?
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I think so.
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Interestingly enough, my my uncle was on holiday in Portugal recently.
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It's probably probably where you guys go with some of the run-through camps.
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And and Jake was out there.
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And obviously, my my uncle mentioned what we do together at Loughborough and and got got talking to him.
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So he he was flying under the radar, but I got the feeling that he was coming gonna be able to come good at the right time.
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Fantastic article um about him.
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I think it was in the same issue that your Gemma was in about the um about his training and recovery from it from injury in Athletics Weekly recently, wasn't there?
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Absolutely, and some inspiration for all our listeners.
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You know, he's been through a torrid time with injuries and he's kept going, he's kept persevering, he's kept chasing his dreams, and just to see him come back at the weekend and finish third in that prestigious race and the time he put out there, yeah.
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Fantastic.
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And doesn't it kind of okay, we can talk about the wider potential for this to reinvigorate the mile because it's the first time the record's gone since El Garouge in 1999, but it certainly wets the appetite for Glasgow uh at the end of the week, doesn't it, Lewis?
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Absolutely.
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Absolutely, yeah.
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And it's not a metric mile, it's a mile that's gonna be contested.
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Well, we did our run through training night last night over in Manchester, massive turnout, by the way.
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If you joined us, absolutely fantastic.
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And yeah, uh, it was great to see so many people there.
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And yeah, it was just, you know, we were talking chatting about it, saying, you know, the mile is a distance that's not ran very often, but they were even saying, you know, that people were saying, Oh, yeah, but it's gonna be at the Commonwealth Games this week.
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And I was like, isn't that amazing?
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It's now people, it's topical again, and who knows?
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Like, could it be revenge time for certain people?
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Josh obviously will go for Scotland this week.
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Whereas Jake, am I right in thinking, is going to be in the Wales team?
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I'm pretty certain he'll be in that Welsh team.
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Like Haywood, I've got Jake Whiteman, of course, as well, haven't we?
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Yeah, yeah, Jake Whiteman, of course, and England have got a strong team, which we'll talk about in a second.
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But yeah, I mean, said we were travelling back from Manchester last night, and I said, I felt like that stadium was packed out really for I thought three people, Matt, and you were there, so you'll be able to, you know, confirm if you felt the same.
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I felt like Josh was a big attraction.
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I thought Keely was a massive attraction.
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Obviously, she was the last event of the day.
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And I thought Mondo Deplantis was probably another big attraction on the night the day.
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There's there's obviously a lot of other people in there who are, you know, they're bringing the sport to life.
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But from my perspective, those three big personalities, they are like superstars of the sport at the minute.
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And it felt like there was just this big anticipatory ore of expectation around what was going to happen in London on Saturday.
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And wasn't that a fantastic feeling?
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I think so.
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And I think it just reminded me.
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I mean, it was all over.
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The Diamond League events started at two, they finished at four.
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And it reminds me of this kind of move towards they call it 2020 quick cricket and stuff like that, where it's fast, it's rolling, it's exciting.
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You didn't, you know, I've been at athletics events donkeys years ago where you've you've got up, you've got an ice cream, you've been to the loo, you've come back, you've grabbed a beer, and you've not missed anything.
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You just didn't get out your seat.
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Nobody moved for two hours.
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You you were gonna miss something.
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And that's what you need it to be.
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It needs to be fast-paced, it needs to be exciting, it needs to be, you know, what I've always loved.
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I remember the Commonwealth Games last time in Birmingham, and I was absolutely fascinated by the javelin because I was just sat at that end of the stadium, I was watching the track, watching Alice McCulgan do well in the 10,000 metres.
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But I was watching the javelin and I was intrigued because it was a such a good competition.
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I think when it's fast paced, when there's a lot going on in the stadium, it's really good athletics as a spectator sport, but you've got to bring the spectators into it.
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You can't let them get bored, you've got to keep them entertained, haven't you?
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Yeah, it's sensory, isn't it?
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It's it's auditory, the sounds, the visuals, you don't know where to look.
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It really is sensory overload at its best, isn't it?
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Yeah, which is absolutely fantastic.
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I'm glad, so glad he did it.
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I think it's just whether the floodgates now open for the men's world record in particular, but the women's also.
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It was only last year we saw Faith Kipier gone having cracked at it, so it's gone back and forth, men's and women's side.
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It'll be interesting to see now whether that mile gets attacked, both on the men's and women's side, how long until we see a woman go sub four in the mile.
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I don't think it's as far off as we think.
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The the improvements we've seen already in this sport over the last couple of years, it's gotta be, you know, it's gotta be round the corner.
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But don't think we'll see it this year.
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We've been wrong already once this this year, Matt.
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We'll be wrong again, I'm sure.
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But yeah, I'm just glad to see the mile getting the kind of the recognition it deserves because it is a fantastic event.
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It is, yes.
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Yeah.
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So Commonwealth Games then.
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Have you been tuning in?
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Have you been watching it so far?
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Yeah, I've been watching it.
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I mean, uh, you know, I know there's been a little bit of uh negativity around some of the coverage, but I'm I'm just glad to see see it being televised.
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Whether it's the last games or not, I don't know.
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It might be, but you know, certainly the fact that it's a reduced game feels a little bit different to me, but doesn't really dilute the track and field element, which is still centre stage, isn't it?
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Yeah, it always does have that centre stage feel, doesn't it?
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It's a bit disappointing that it's on TNT because it's obviously behind a paywall.
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My my parents were chatting to me the other day, they were saying, you know, it should be on BBCI TV, but I was saying if the interest isn't there, then you know it's obviously to do with money.
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I mean, I've got um virgins, I skipped through to like the Welsh version and it was on there, so I got it on one of the Welsh channels and I was able to watch it, listening to it in in Welsh.
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But yeah, it's been it's from an athletic standpoint, it's been a good start.
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I've been following along, obviously, with the results rolling in.
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I think it's a good chance to have a bit of a deeper delve into what's going on with Team England, what's happened so far, what's to come, give our audience a little bit of uh excitement and what they give them some information on what they can look out for in the rest of the week.
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So yeah, where do we want to start?
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Do you want to recap a little bit first, Matt, on what's happened so far?
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Yeah, I mean, I I watched the the 25 lap event, was that uh a couple of nights ago?
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And then was it last night?
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I think the men's 10,000 meters, you know, and and an athlete that we both worked with through the McGeorge's and coached by Sonia McGeorge.
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Izzy Fry, I think, came 11th, just pipping Poppy Tank by a few hundredths of a set uh of a second, 11th and 12th in the final.
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Those results about right.
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I think they ran about 3250-ish, both of them.
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Yeah, I think um the general feedback from Izzy was that it was a bit of a yo-yo type race.
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It wasn't her type of race.
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It it felt a bit like a fart leck, you know, that classic championship cat and mouse type race, and that zapped the legs a little bit.
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And I know it's a lot of people.
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Yeah, what Brendan Foster used to call the African way of running, fast, slow, fast, slow.
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Yeah.
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That's it.
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Yeah, a lot of that back in the 70s and 80s, wasn't it?
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You know, Mick McLeod became a bit of a master at that of winning tactical races.
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And it's a difficult way to run, isn't it, Matt, when it's like that.
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Hence why you you know you prescribe, we've got a training night in Loughborough on Friday, but you constantly prescribe these sessions that are faster, slower, change of pace when we do our track workouts in Loughborough.
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And maybe just explain a little bit more about the importance of those sessions, particularly for those athletes in competition where they're finding it surgy and it's changing pace all the time.
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It's not just a constant pace, is it?
00:15:30.480 --> 00:15:55.039
Yeah, so so you're talking about some of the classic stuff that was written years ago by uh the late great Dave Sunderland in um high performance middle distance running, you know, which is around, you know, some people talk about split intervals, you know, where you might start off at a particular pace and then go a little bit quicker, then what we call pace progressors, where you'll have three or more paces within one block of work.
00:15:55.279 --> 00:16:03.039
Then you might have a tired surge where you you start off hard, you have a float element in the middle, and then you pick up again.
00:16:03.120 --> 00:16:12.000
And then you might have a pace injector, which is more what what Izzy was describing, or trying to describe uh going through in the race, where you you go slow, fast, slow, that kind of stuff.
00:16:12.159 --> 00:16:15.039
So they're interesting intervals to try.
00:16:15.200 --> 00:16:24.960
I'd probably say run them to feel because if you're going to go fast, slow, slow, fast, whatever, it's a bit like a car journey, it's not the most economic of car journeys.
00:16:25.039 --> 00:16:32.240
You know, you your overall cumulative time for the rep might be a little bit slower because it's harder because you're changing pace.
00:16:32.399 --> 00:16:35.360
So therefore, do it on feel and probably do it to time.
00:16:35.519 --> 00:16:46.639
Work over four minutes rather than a thousand metres or five minutes rather than twelve hundred metres, and that way you're taking the performative pressure off yourself and focusing on can I change gears?
00:16:46.879 --> 00:16:48.559
That's a good um analogy.
00:16:48.720 --> 00:16:56.080
I really like your car analogy because some people say you look at the overall time and they think it's slower, and then they think, well, why was it harder if it was slower?
00:16:56.159 --> 00:17:06.640
But you've given a really good analogy there, Matt, around like if you're accelerating all the time, then breaking, or you're stuck in traffic, you burn more fuel in your car than if you're just being economical sat at one pace.
00:17:06.720 --> 00:17:08.400
And that's what's happening in that race, isn't it?
00:17:08.480 --> 00:17:10.160
They're burning more fuel all the time.
00:17:10.319 --> 00:17:11.759
That's why it feels harder.
00:17:11.920 --> 00:17:12.160
Yeah.
00:17:12.480 --> 00:17:17.039
Let's talk about a pace progressor, because wasn't the men's final a bit of a pace progressor?
00:17:17.359 --> 00:17:18.480
Everybody was in it early.
00:17:18.640 --> 00:17:25.440
Andy Bouchard of Scotland encouraging the pace on, pushing it on, trying to say to people, come on, don't slow down.
00:17:25.519 --> 00:17:27.200
But Scott Beattie X held himself.
00:17:27.279 --> 00:17:28.400
He came fifth, didn't he?
00:17:28.559 --> 00:17:34.720
But he was in contention till about 250 metres to go with or was it Kai Robinson, the Aussie that won it?
00:17:34.880 --> 00:17:36.319
Yeah, Robinson got the win.
00:17:36.400 --> 00:17:44.160
I'm gonna give a massive shout out to David Malarkey, who uh got his island's first ever athletics medal on the track at the Commonwealth Games.
00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:45.920
So Dave has been over in America.
00:17:46.079 --> 00:17:47.519
Fantastic run to grab third.
00:17:47.599 --> 00:17:50.000
He finished like a train down the home straight.
00:17:50.079 --> 00:17:51.599
So well done to Dave Malarke.
00:17:51.839 --> 00:17:54.640
Uh, he used to train a lot at Leeds before he went out to America.
00:17:54.720 --> 00:17:57.279
So it was great to see him running so well.
00:17:57.519 --> 00:18:03.119
Scott was just hanging on there, wasn't he, at the back and continually just progressing that pace and digging in and digging in.
00:18:03.200 --> 00:18:06.319
And yeah, ran a crack in time, sub-28 minutes to get fifth.
00:18:06.400 --> 00:18:07.920
I think he'll be really happy with that.
00:18:08.079 --> 00:18:11.599
And uh yeah, it kind of shows that he's in a really good, good place.
00:18:11.759 --> 00:18:15.279
Scott's had a good season, and I think he'll be really happy to finish the top five.
00:18:15.359 --> 00:18:16.160
But it shows, doesn't it?
00:18:16.400 --> 00:18:22.720
Same distance, two different nights, two different ways of running, and sometimes it suits the individual, and sometimes it doesn't.
00:18:22.799 --> 00:18:24.319
And that's the beauty of championships.
00:18:24.400 --> 00:18:25.759
That's why I love championship racing.
00:18:25.839 --> 00:18:28.960
It's not just a paced race, it's about tactics that come into it.
00:18:29.119 --> 00:18:30.480
So it's so, so important.
00:18:31.279 --> 00:18:31.599
Yeah.
00:18:31.839 --> 00:18:32.880
Don't know about you, Lewis.
00:18:32.960 --> 00:18:34.240
I'm gonna be watching the chase tonight.
00:18:34.319 --> 00:18:38.160
I think it's the women's chase tonight where we've got Elise Thorner going in there.
00:18:38.319 --> 00:18:44.480
Not a household name by any stretch of the imagination, but she has meddled um at European level.
00:18:44.559 --> 00:18:50.160
She was a cross-country relay bronze medalist in those annual championships that take place just before Christmas.
00:18:50.240 --> 00:18:51.599
That was a couple of years ago.
00:18:51.680 --> 00:18:53.039
Uh so I'm gonna watch that tonight.
00:18:53.119 --> 00:18:53.920
And we've already had the men.
00:18:54.000 --> 00:18:59.839
We had Christian Imroth and Mark Pierce, who was based over, I think, with Luke Gunn at Birmingham, wasn't he, or still is?
00:19:00.079 --> 00:19:01.440
Seventh and eighth, respectively.
00:19:01.599 --> 00:19:06.640
Again, you know, not spectacular performances, but about what we'd expect about par, yeah.
00:19:06.880 --> 00:19:07.599
Yeah, I think so.
00:19:07.680 --> 00:19:11.599
I think for someone like Christian, I think he comes from the NCA system, doesn't he?
00:19:11.680 --> 00:19:17.039
He's meddled out there in the NCA steeple chase, which is no um no easy task, by the way.
00:19:17.200 --> 00:19:20.160
You know how competitive as um competitive it is over there.
00:19:20.400 --> 00:19:23.039
Good friend of mine, Steve Lisgow, actually meddled once over there.
00:19:23.119 --> 00:19:26.559
If you remember Steve Lisgow, his dad, Dave Lisgow over Mansfield Harriers.
00:19:26.720 --> 00:19:29.279
It's not easy to meddle in a steeple chase in the NCA.
00:19:29.359 --> 00:19:31.920
So Christian's come back and done himself justice.
00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:34.720
I think he probably wanted a little bit more based off his social media.
00:19:34.880 --> 00:19:39.359
Had a quick look yesterday just to see how he felt, and he was very thankful of the opportunity.
00:19:39.440 --> 00:19:40.880
But I think there's definitely more to come there.
00:19:40.960 --> 00:19:42.400
I'd be interested to see how he progresses.
00:19:42.480 --> 00:19:48.240
Mark's been around a long time, and yeah, it's great to see him still competing at the very top level as well.
00:19:48.559 --> 00:19:52.880
Interested to see how Eloh does tonight in the women's chase as well.
00:19:52.960 --> 00:19:54.640
I'll also have my eyes on Carrie.
00:19:54.799 --> 00:19:56.160
I think Carrie's running for Wales.
00:19:56.240 --> 00:19:58.799
Carrie Hughes, somebody I used to work with here in Loughborough.
00:19:59.039 --> 00:20:05.359
She's progressing her career nicely over the steeple chase, quite new for her, but still an emerging event, the women's chase.
00:20:05.440 --> 00:20:06.720
I always find it quite fascinating.
00:20:06.799 --> 00:20:08.960
So I still think they're making big jumps in that area.
00:20:09.039 --> 00:20:10.079
So excuse the pun.
00:20:10.319 --> 00:20:10.960
Sorry, Matt.
00:20:11.279 --> 00:20:16.480
Yeah, I remember the days where people like you, your old training partner herself, Helen Clitheroe, got into it.
00:20:16.559 --> 00:20:20.400
You know, it was still a very much an emerging event, a novel event, really, wasn't it?
00:20:20.559 --> 00:20:21.359
Ten years ago.
00:20:21.599 --> 00:20:27.440
Yeah, I remember when John first suggested her going to it because of her strength that she brought to the 1500 and thought that could be a good option.
00:20:27.519 --> 00:20:32.559
She's a great 3K runner, and first time, you know, watching her try barriers and how much she progressed over that.
00:20:32.720 --> 00:20:34.160
So it is still relatively new.
00:20:34.400 --> 00:20:35.839
The women's chase, still evolving.
00:20:35.920 --> 00:20:37.279
But yeah, that'll be a good view.
00:20:37.359 --> 00:20:40.880
And we've also had the 800 metre heats as well, haven't we, so far?
00:20:40.960 --> 00:20:43.519
The men have gone, uh, and uh the women.
00:20:43.599 --> 00:20:47.359
I think there's quite a few household names safely through, which is good to see.
00:20:47.599 --> 00:20:52.400
Yeah, Ben Patterson, who again we know from Loughborough and the Loughborough Elite Endurance Squad.
00:20:52.480 --> 00:20:54.960
I mean, he he meddled four years ago.
00:20:55.039 --> 00:20:57.279
He's he's got a global bronze as well.
00:20:57.440 --> 00:20:58.720
Uh, that was three years ago.
00:20:58.880 --> 00:21:03.599
Do you do I mean, do you think, you know, that that Ben's capable of meddling again?
00:21:03.680 --> 00:21:06.160
I mean, he's uh what is he 142 man, isn't he?
00:21:06.400 --> 00:21:08.880
Ben is Ben is having a good season, really good season.
00:21:08.960 --> 00:21:26.079
You know, he's knocked out some good 143s, very consistent, he's a good racer, he's got medal potential, and he's got what I'd classes like, you know, if you were looking at this as a horse racing, course and distance, he's he's very good at the course and distance, he knows how to get the job done in a championship, he gets medals around his neck.
00:21:26.160 --> 00:21:27.920
So Ben for me will be a big threat.
00:21:28.000 --> 00:21:30.480
I was really pleased to see Alex Botel get through.
00:21:30.559 --> 00:21:33.039
I think Botel is dangerous in a slow race.
00:21:33.119 --> 00:21:33.759
I really do.
00:21:33.839 --> 00:21:35.359
He's a fast finisher, Alex.
00:21:35.519 --> 00:21:36.480
Be be aware of him.
00:21:36.559 --> 00:21:40.480
And then Max Bergen, the kind of the wonder kid, you know, is is he gonna meddle?
00:21:40.559 --> 00:21:43.599
He's he's ran these super fast times, he's as fast as anyone in the middle of the year.
00:21:44.559 --> 00:21:46.319
Yeah, yeah, he's low 142.
00:21:46.720 --> 00:21:47.039
Quick.
00:21:47.200 --> 00:21:48.400
So, how how will he go?
00:21:48.480 --> 00:21:53.920
So, yeah, interested to see that men's eight hundred meters unfold and see who comes out with the medals there.
00:21:54.000 --> 00:21:54.880
And it is competitive.
00:21:54.960 --> 00:21:58.000
There's some good runners from other nations as well to be aware of.
00:21:58.240 --> 00:21:59.680
I think one of them's gonna get a meddler.
00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:01.119
Just got a feeling.
00:22:01.759 --> 00:22:02.079
Yeah.
00:22:02.319 --> 00:22:09.359
But it's good, it's good when you're stacking semis and finals, isn't it, with with all three participants and selectees, isn't it?
00:22:09.599 --> 00:22:11.599
I'll I'll go, I'll go one above.
00:22:11.680 --> 00:22:13.519
I'll say we'll get two medals in the men's eight.
00:22:13.759 --> 00:22:14.480
We're gonna go a two.
00:22:14.640 --> 00:22:15.519
We're gonna go a two.
00:22:15.839 --> 00:22:16.160
Yeah.
00:22:16.480 --> 00:22:16.799
Okay.
00:22:16.960 --> 00:22:18.400
Hope rather than expectation.
00:22:19.200 --> 00:22:22.160
Certainly the other way around, expectation rather than just hope.
00:22:22.559 --> 00:22:24.240
Friday night, Georgia Hunter Bell.
00:22:24.400 --> 00:22:26.799
Really's not gonna be there for whatever reasons.
00:22:26.880 --> 00:22:30.960
But Georgia, you know, world silver in Tokyo last year over two laps.
00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:36.480
We know she's got the the aerobic ability over the longer distance, the 1500.
00:22:36.720 --> 00:22:38.799
What do you expect from Georgia Hunter Bell?
00:22:39.039 --> 00:22:39.440
Medal.
00:22:39.599 --> 00:22:42.960
Yeah, well, I think she's the standout athlete in that race.
00:22:43.039 --> 00:22:45.119
She's such a good tactical racer.
00:22:45.200 --> 00:22:48.000
She's so smooth when she races, so level-headed.
00:22:48.079 --> 00:22:50.799
I really like Georgia as a championship racer.
00:22:50.880 --> 00:22:55.599
Yeah, if there's a banker for this championships, I'd be banking on her.
00:22:56.000 --> 00:22:58.160
Did I see Gemma Ricky was in her heat as well, though?
00:22:58.240 --> 00:23:00.000
Did Gemma Ricky get through for Scotland?
00:23:00.240 --> 00:23:01.200
Did I have that right, man?
00:23:01.920 --> 00:23:02.480
Yeah, yeah.
00:23:02.640 --> 00:23:04.400
So some more interest there as well.
00:23:04.640 --> 00:23:08.160
Izzy Boffy was uh was is he there for England as well?
00:23:08.319 --> 00:23:10.160
I'm just trying to recap on the heats.
00:23:10.240 --> 00:23:14.960
I didn't actually see the heats, I seen them as replays um because I was out, so I'm trying to recap my mind there.
00:23:15.039 --> 00:23:20.319
I've not got the results in front of me, but um, yeah, big interest with both men's and women's.
00:23:20.400 --> 00:23:23.839
I think that's one of our strongest events, to be honest, in the middle distance.
00:23:24.079 --> 00:23:27.680
Yeah, and we've all we've already wetted the appetite for the mile.
00:23:27.759 --> 00:23:35.200
And when we've talked about your Kers and your Whitemans, particularly, but you know, um Archie Davis didn't, the Phoenix athlete didn't make the final.
00:23:35.359 --> 00:23:44.880
But Thomas Keane, again, another athlete that I know of, coached by Mark Vyle, based at Birmingham University, he was, he got through to the final, went sub four, finished fourth in his heat.
00:23:45.119 --> 00:23:45.839
Nice, yeah.
00:23:45.920 --> 00:23:47.759
And I really like the Tom Keane story.
00:23:47.839 --> 00:23:55.279
He's just one of those people who he's had quite a natural progression in the sport, he's stuck with it, he's he's learnt as he's gone.
00:23:55.359 --> 00:24:05.599
I remember watching him once at the British University's indoors when he uh he ran in a pair of flats and everyone thought it was a bit of showboating, and he got beat in a tactical race when he was a big, big favourite.
00:24:05.759 --> 00:24:07.119
But he's learnt as he's gone, Matt.
00:24:07.200 --> 00:24:11.920
And I really like the way he's learning to race better, and that's a good step forward, isn't it?
00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:13.680
To be making championship finals.
00:24:13.759 --> 00:24:15.519
It's always a nice progression then.
00:24:15.680 --> 00:24:18.400
It shows you are making progress in your own career.
00:24:18.880 --> 00:24:22.799
Somebody on the women's side that's made the final in Birmingham four years ago.
00:24:22.960 --> 00:24:23.680
She came seventh.
00:24:23.759 --> 00:24:25.119
That was Katie Snowden.
00:24:25.200 --> 00:24:27.839
She's a a Commonwealth youth champion over two laps.
00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:33.680
She's joined by Revy Woolcott Nolan, being an indoor bronze medalist over 1,500 last year.
00:24:33.839 --> 00:24:37.680
Can you see any of those two kind of upsetting the odds getting on the podium?
00:24:37.920 --> 00:24:39.359
Yeah, it's a tricky one, isn't it?
00:24:39.440 --> 00:24:45.440
Because that that women's 15 is always like, well, mile, I should say, is always super, super competitive.
00:24:45.759 --> 00:24:49.680
Katie, uh, I know Katie from the Loughborough days, she was she was around here.
00:24:49.759 --> 00:24:52.240
She used to work a little bit under Alistair Donaldson, actually.
00:24:52.319 --> 00:24:54.160
I don't know if you remember Alistair used to work under the side.
00:24:54.240 --> 00:24:55.920
Yeah, went to the triathlon, didn't he?
00:24:56.079 --> 00:24:56.640
Yeah, that's right.
00:24:56.720 --> 00:24:58.480
Yeah, Alistair, good good friend.
00:24:58.640 --> 00:25:02.319
And I think it's just really hard in that event.
00:25:02.400 --> 00:25:04.960
Um, you know, it's a super competitive event.
00:25:05.039 --> 00:25:09.440
But Katie is very experienced now and she'll bring that experience to the table.
00:25:09.599 --> 00:25:14.240
So she I would expect her to use all that experience to give herself the best possible chance.
00:25:14.319 --> 00:25:20.640
And I think experience does tell a lot, especially if you get a cagey race or people panicking, it just calls for a level head.
00:25:20.720 --> 00:25:24.559
So hopefully she can use that experience to help her in that final.
00:25:25.200 --> 00:25:25.599
Yeah.
00:25:25.759 --> 00:25:30.480
Again, the the then the final event that I'm really looking forward to is the women's 5,000 metres.
00:25:30.720 --> 00:25:32.079
I think that's on Thursday evening.
00:25:32.240 --> 00:25:34.000
So consistent at national level.
00:25:34.079 --> 00:25:37.119
I think she's a three-time national champion, Hannah Nuttall.
00:25:37.359 --> 00:25:38.960
What do you what do you think of Hannah's chances?
00:25:39.039 --> 00:25:40.480
She's always there or thereabouts.
00:25:40.720 --> 00:25:46.960
Well, she'll be one of my favourites who I'm cheering for because uh, yeah, obviously I've got family connections to Hannah.
00:25:47.039 --> 00:25:51.440
I'm not saying she is family, she's not family, but I was coached by her dad, John Nuttall.
00:25:51.759 --> 00:25:52.079
Yeah.
00:25:52.319 --> 00:25:53.359
God rest his soul.
00:25:53.440 --> 00:25:59.759
But uh John was a brilliant coach, brilliant person, a really important part of my life and my athletics career.
00:25:59.920 --> 00:26:05.680
And and Hannah was part of that as well growing up, and I've watched her develop into a young woman and a brilliant athlete.
00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:08.400
Her brother Luke is a fantastic athlete as well.
00:26:08.480 --> 00:26:14.400
You know, he's been to Paralympic Games, and both of them have just developed into fantastic young people.
00:26:14.640 --> 00:26:21.359
And Hannah is just getting better and better under the tutelage of Helen Clitheroe, and I'm excited to see her go in these champs.
00:26:21.440 --> 00:26:27.839
She's become a very, very shrewd tactical racer, Matt, and I think you know, she could she could upset a few people.
00:26:28.079 --> 00:26:28.720
Absolutely.
00:26:28.799 --> 00:26:35.359
And joined, of course, by the the younginess Fitzgerald, yeah, who was bagged up when I was doing my little research for this, Louis.
00:26:35.519 --> 00:26:40.480
She's won no less than eight European age group gold medals, under 20 still.
00:26:40.640 --> 00:26:41.200
Can't believe it.
00:26:41.279 --> 00:26:42.720
She seems seems to have been around.
00:26:42.799 --> 00:26:55.839
I thought she's about 35, she's been around for that long, but now we're still, you know, she's bagged so many kind of European medals, including the 3,000 or 4,000 European junior titles in, I think it was in Tampere last year.
00:26:56.079 --> 00:27:04.000
What would you be wanting, you know, if you were a Gav Pavia coach, what would you be wanting from Innis in in that final on Thursday night?
00:27:04.319 --> 00:27:10.480
I think this is a really good championship for Innis to kind of show herself as a senior athlete to the world.
00:27:10.559 --> 00:27:12.559
You know, she's had that big junior success.
00:27:12.720 --> 00:27:14.880
She's transitioning into the senior ranks.
00:27:14.960 --> 00:27:16.799
Now it seems like she's been around for ages.
00:27:16.880 --> 00:27:17.920
That's what's mad, Matt.
00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:19.839
It's like Innis Fitzgerald's name.
00:27:19.920 --> 00:27:23.359
How you know, we've been talking about Innis for years and she's still so young.
00:27:23.680 --> 00:27:31.680
But what I would be wanting from her is to establish herself and establish a bit of authority in that field like she used to in the junior ranks.
00:27:32.400 --> 00:27:38.880
Really run to her strengths, which is usually from the front and putting down a good, consistent pace.
00:27:39.119 --> 00:27:41.839
But don't underestimate Innis' finishing either.
00:27:41.920 --> 00:27:50.240
You know, she's not the fastest, as in like a sprinter, you know, she's not the type of person who is just going to put in a huge pace injection and like drop the bomb.
00:27:50.319 --> 00:27:55.440
But actually, with a steady build-up, she can get moving and have seen her win a lot of races.
00:27:55.519 --> 00:27:59.839
And when you make a habit of winning, you become very good at knowing how to win.
00:28:00.160 --> 00:28:00.799
Absolutely.
00:28:00.960 --> 00:28:06.640
So if I was Gav and Joe, I'm sure they'll both be there watching or commentating or judges a lot of commentary.
00:28:06.799 --> 00:28:11.839
I think they'll want her to run her race and not let other people dictate that race for her.
00:28:12.160 --> 00:28:14.799
So maybe hard from the start you can see that race being?
00:28:15.039 --> 00:28:17.920
Or certainly hard from you know, well over halfway in.
00:28:18.000 --> 00:28:22.079
So making sure it's a hard run for home and not leaving it just to the last 400.
00:28:22.319 --> 00:28:24.960
But back to those split intervals, those differentials, aren't we?
00:28:25.279 --> 00:28:26.079
That's it, that's it.
00:28:26.160 --> 00:28:28.319
There's something to learn from everything, isn't there?
00:28:28.640 --> 00:28:29.279
Excellent.
00:28:29.440 --> 00:28:41.359
Well, it's it's been a nice review as we're at the midpoint of the games, Lewis, and we've previewed some of the mouthwatering events to come, Saturday night being possibly the culmination of that, you know.
00:28:41.440 --> 00:28:42.240
Um that's great.
00:28:42.319 --> 00:28:44.640
And also we do have Birmingham to look forward to.
00:28:44.720 --> 00:28:48.079
The, you know, we had the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, of course, four years ago.
00:28:48.160 --> 00:28:49.680
We've got the European Championships.
00:28:49.839 --> 00:28:52.720
I'd like to think we could do a preview of that and look ahead at.
00:28:53.039 --> 00:28:56.400
Of course, it won't be Team England, we'll be looking at it, it will be Team GB in a cut.
00:28:56.640 --> 00:28:58.960
So it'll be on us next week, won't it?
00:28:59.119 --> 00:29:00.720
It's crazy how fast it's coming round.
00:29:00.799 --> 00:29:02.000
They announced that team, haven't they?
00:29:02.079 --> 00:29:04.400
And you think, God, it's going to be a quick turnaround.
00:29:04.640 --> 00:29:04.960
Yeah.
00:29:05.119 --> 00:29:07.599
For athletics fans, it's great, it's coming thick and fast.
00:29:07.680 --> 00:29:11.279
It's always nice, isn't it, when you're just relentless with uh competitions.
00:29:11.440 --> 00:29:16.960
But yeah, really looking forward to the Europeans on on home turf here in well, right on our doorstep, really.
00:29:17.519 --> 00:29:24.960
First time I think Birmingham has hosted it indoors on several occasions, Europeans, worlds, but we've never had an outdoor European championships.
00:29:25.119 --> 00:29:27.200
Crazy considering the history of the event.
00:29:27.440 --> 00:29:30.160
Yeah, and and Birmingham is a great city for athletics.
00:29:30.240 --> 00:29:34.559
They've got that indoor stadium, they have the Grand Prix there, I've got competed there on a number of occasions.
00:29:34.799 --> 00:29:36.079
Atmosphere is always incredible.
00:29:36.160 --> 00:29:40.640
The incredible atmosphere at the Commonwealth Games a few years ago, back in Birmingham, Matt.
00:29:40.799 --> 00:29:42.880
It was like spine tingling in that stadium.
00:29:42.960 --> 00:29:44.400
It was unbelievable.
00:29:44.480 --> 00:29:50.079
So yeah, really looking forward to the Europeans as well, and and lots to look forward to on the calendar as well.
00:29:50.240 --> 00:29:56.559
I mean, we've we've been, I know we started off with a mile, we've been hosting our mad mile training nights across the country.
00:29:56.640 --> 00:30:02.000
We had yeah, tell me how the Josh Kerr mile went that you you supported in London a couple of weeks back, wasn't it?
00:30:02.240 --> 00:30:02.880
Yeah, it was.
00:30:03.119 --> 00:30:07.200
Wasn't down there myself, but the team were down there, so we hosted uh uh in partnership with Brooks.
00:30:07.599 --> 00:30:13.759
See Brooks one of the partners with Run Through, and we wanted to put a mile on, give people the opportunity to come and run a mile, why not?
00:30:13.839 --> 00:30:18.799
You know, in London and uh yeah, really good, feel good factor before the event.
00:30:18.880 --> 00:30:22.880
So it was a bit of a build-up event, really, before the the pinnacle, which was the Saturday night.
00:30:22.960 --> 00:30:33.119
And then what we thought with our coaching team, the really good idea that you'd had yourself and Sam was let's let our coaching environment, our community also have a go at a mile on the track.
00:30:33.200 --> 00:30:36.079
So we we've had one in Battersea, that was actually on the road.
00:30:36.160 --> 00:30:44.640
We've got at the Gateshead one, we've got the the Manchester one, we had 65 people at the Manchester one on uh we've got the Loughborough one on Friday, haven't we?
00:30:44.880 --> 00:30:45.839
Loughborough one on Friday.
00:30:46.000 --> 00:30:47.119
Lots signed up to Loughborough.
00:30:47.200 --> 00:30:51.200
We're expecting around 50 in Loughborough on Friday, which is absolutely fantastic.
00:30:51.440 --> 00:30:52.720
So yeah, people coming down.
00:30:52.799 --> 00:31:00.480
And you know what was amazing, Matt, was people saying at the end of the session, they were saying, I don't often run this fast in training.
00:31:00.720 --> 00:31:03.279
I don't often go out and do this speed work.
00:31:03.599 --> 00:31:07.920
You always say it, don't you, about getting your strides in there or just not being afraid to run a little bit faster.
00:31:08.000 --> 00:31:09.359
It does help, doesn't it?
00:31:09.680 --> 00:31:10.240
Absolutely.
00:31:10.319 --> 00:31:13.440
But I need to finish with a very serious question of you, Lewis.
00:31:13.599 --> 00:31:19.359
If you were working with a guy, he wasn't the best athlete, but he used to run a 443 for a mile.
00:31:19.680 --> 00:31:21.599
I'm just making this up off the top of my head.
00:31:21.839 --> 00:31:29.119
But he went out, I don't know, just off the top of my head, he went out last Wednesday and he ran he ran 710 for the mile.
00:31:29.839 --> 00:31:32.559
Would you would you allow this guy another bite of the cherry?
00:31:32.640 --> 00:31:37.279
Would you allow him to have a go at Luffburgh on Friday and get under that seven minutes?
00:31:37.599 --> 00:31:38.319
Absolutely.
00:31:38.559 --> 00:31:40.559
I think I think the carrot's been dangling.
00:31:41.279 --> 00:31:47.599
I'm not sure you're referring to Matt, but um I'll I'll happily time said person on Friday.
00:31:47.920 --> 00:31:49.839
Sundial rather than stopwatch.
00:31:50.079 --> 00:31:51.599
It's great to see you still doing it.
00:31:51.759 --> 00:31:52.319
Absolutely.
00:31:52.559 --> 00:31:56.079
We were encouraging anybody, any ability, come and run a mile.
00:31:56.160 --> 00:31:57.519
You know, it's something you can tell your friends.
00:31:57.680 --> 00:32:00.319
I ran a mile on the track, 1609 meters.
00:32:00.480 --> 00:32:03.759
People looking at their phones saying, I can't believe I've run a mile PB.
00:32:03.839 --> 00:32:09.039
You know, some people go under 10 minutes for the first time, some people go under nine minutes, some people go under six minutes.
00:32:09.119 --> 00:32:15.920
It was just fantastic to hear people, you know, big smiles on their faces and really sharing that success with each other.
00:32:16.000 --> 00:32:17.519
So, yeah, a fantastic night.
00:32:17.599 --> 00:32:18.799
I'm looking forward to Friday.
00:32:18.880 --> 00:32:21.759
I'll be joining yourself and Sam down there for a bit of fun.
00:32:21.920 --> 00:32:31.920
So, yeah, we'll see more people hopefully ticking off some mild PBs, which does Matt lead me on to, and we shouldn't forget, every time we come onto here, we've got to give our athletes a shout out.
00:32:32.160 --> 00:32:36.960
Something that's been going on in the world of our run through coaching.
00:32:37.119 --> 00:32:42.880
So we want to make sure that our coaches give a shout out to some of their athletes on the podcast.
00:32:42.960 --> 00:32:44.960
So I'm gonna ask for at least one athlete.
00:32:45.039 --> 00:32:46.880
You feel free to do two if you've got more than one.
00:32:47.039 --> 00:32:51.039
I think you shouted out Sergio last time we were on here, and I think I went with Ben Plummer.
00:32:51.200 --> 00:32:58.160
So, but somebody different who you feel like deserves a shout out on the podcast and a little bit of recognition for a recent performance.
00:32:58.319 --> 00:32:59.759
Who are you gonna go with?
00:33:00.079 --> 00:33:07.759
Gonna go with Matt Hart, an athlete of mine, for who I believe you've worked with Matt yourself, and you know I have for two reasons.
00:33:07.920 --> 00:33:19.440
Again, it's an ultra, and you might say I'm favouring, you know, bias towards ultras, but it's you know, the Lakeland 50 is a massive, massive commitment over a number of months to get in shape, to do that race.
00:33:19.519 --> 00:33:26.400
You'll know that yourself from the trail running you do, the work you do, the training you do with Gemma, of course, and the UTMB series.
00:33:26.640 --> 00:33:56.000
So Matt Matt completed that last weekend, but more because with working with him over a long period of time, he had got you know, I'm not going to go into the detail, but he was carrying an injury, and we what impressed me was his attitude and his willingness to adapt to get to the start line, you know, to focus on what he could do physically rather than what he couldn't do, and to reassess or realign his maybe his target pace, his goals to say, hey, eyes on the prize, it's about getting round there.
00:33:56.079 --> 00:33:57.039
I will get around there.
00:33:57.119 --> 00:34:07.440
So for those two reasons A, the volume, the distance of doing a very prestigious event, but B, because of the willingness to adapt his training over a longitudinal period.
00:34:07.599 --> 00:34:09.119
So shout out to Matt.
00:34:09.360 --> 00:34:10.320
Big shout out to Matt.
00:34:10.400 --> 00:34:12.480
Yeah, I used to work with Matt a while ago.
00:34:12.559 --> 00:34:17.599
He came back on to train for um to train for this ultra specifically.
00:34:17.760 --> 00:34:18.719
He's a brilliant person.
00:34:18.800 --> 00:34:20.639
I was I was tracking him, Matt on the tracker.
00:34:20.719 --> 00:34:25.760
I don't know if you had the tracker up, but I was I was tracking him and I didn't realize that I couldn't find him on the tracker.
00:34:25.840 --> 00:34:27.280
I was like, why can't I find him on the tracker?
00:34:27.360 --> 00:34:28.079
I was panicking.
00:34:28.320 --> 00:34:30.639
Messaged his partner, I said, I can't find Matt on the track.
00:34:30.719 --> 00:34:33.119
It turns out I was on the 100 miles tracker, I was on the wrong one.
00:34:33.280 --> 00:34:34.159
Oh, you're on the wrong one?
00:34:34.400 --> 00:34:36.000
I was on the wrong one to start with.
00:34:36.480 --> 00:34:41.599
Link he'd sent me actually linked to the 100 and I'd not changed the top tab to the 50.
00:34:41.679 --> 00:34:43.199
Uh, but I wanted to give a shout out.
00:34:43.360 --> 00:34:53.280
I also wanted to give a shout out to a couple of other people who also did ultras at the weekend because uh it seems like the summer, you know, the summer's the main time when people do ultras, which is quite challenging because of the heat.
00:34:53.360 --> 00:34:58.880
But I know Sam's been helping a lady called Carol, and Carol did a big uh hundred-mile ultra as well.
00:34:58.960 --> 00:35:00.800
Uh so well done to Carol.
00:35:00.960 --> 00:35:04.880
I know uh Kirsty had an athlete as well doing the Lakeland 50 as well.
00:35:04.960 --> 00:35:07.599
Eileen, she got the 50 done as well, so fantastic.
00:35:07.760 --> 00:35:08.000
Great.
00:35:08.159 --> 00:35:11.440
Dave Heron, who joined us for our runner retreat over in Mausine.
00:35:11.599 --> 00:35:14.239
Dave did the Lakeland 50 as well at the weekend.
00:35:14.400 --> 00:35:17.519
So again, brilliant, yeah, brilliant, brilliant performances.
00:35:17.679 --> 00:35:21.840
But my my shout out, Matt, is is a little bit different for for me this this week.
00:35:21.920 --> 00:35:28.719
I'm I'm actually going to go with a group of runners who I worked with over in the Peak District recently called the Alpine Run Project.
00:35:28.960 --> 00:35:29.519
Yes.
00:35:29.840 --> 00:35:35.119
Diverse group of runners coming from all around the UK, mainly down from London, Manchester area.
00:35:35.280 --> 00:35:42.000
These people are lost of the group, uh it's their first time coming to areas like the peaks and being exposed to the mountains and trail running.
00:35:42.159 --> 00:35:47.679
The initiative, the Alpine Run Project, what it's all about is taking people from the streets to the peaks.
00:35:47.840 --> 00:35:49.920
And it's an absolutely fantastic initiative.
00:35:50.079 --> 00:36:01.039
And just seeing people go to that area for the first time with breathtaking scenery, seeing this environment for the very first time and being willing to push themselves and challenge themselves.
00:36:01.119 --> 00:36:14.079
But more importantly, that the respect they show each other, the they are so well mannered, they are so polite, they just represent the best of their communities, and they all come from very, very diverse communities.
00:36:14.239 --> 00:36:16.559
And it was just an absolute pleasure to work with them.
00:36:16.639 --> 00:36:20.159
So that's that's my shout out, is um big group of athletes.
00:36:20.239 --> 00:36:20.559
Yeah.
00:36:20.719 --> 00:36:22.320
So big shout out to them.
00:36:22.480 --> 00:36:25.360
And then one other special uh mention as well.
00:36:25.519 --> 00:36:30.639
We I want sorry, I want to mention Helen Garth, who you know really well, Helen and uh and Jamie.
00:36:30.800 --> 00:36:34.480
Helen recently has been working with Gemma, my my lovely other half.
00:36:34.639 --> 00:36:37.360
And Helen is still trying to break 50 minutes for the 10k.
00:36:37.599 --> 00:36:42.000
It's great to see Helen back racing, and she had another 50-minute 10k recently.
00:36:42.159 --> 00:36:43.599
So one for Gemma there.
00:36:43.760 --> 00:36:46.800
Big shout out to Helen and Gemma who are doing really well.
00:36:46.960 --> 00:36:49.840
And I'm sure Helen will be back under 50 minutes very soon.
00:36:50.159 --> 00:36:50.960
Excellent.
00:36:51.199 --> 00:36:54.800
And that finally leads us on to questions that have come in, Matt.
00:36:54.960 --> 00:37:01.440
And Jake, who's our new marketing intern at uh well, he's got a placement year with us.
00:37:01.519 --> 00:37:08.159
So Jake will be making sure that you can get your questions logged before our next podcast, and you can put Matt and I on the spot.
00:37:08.320 --> 00:37:11.360
But we always get a couple that come in actually.
00:37:11.519 --> 00:37:19.280
Um, and one of the ones that that came in recently, Matt, on our social media channels was around who is one-to-one coaching for.
00:37:19.360 --> 00:37:23.360
The actual question was, Am I right for one-to-one coaching?
00:37:23.519 --> 00:37:25.440
Which I found a really interesting question.
00:37:25.599 --> 00:37:28.880
How would you describe who is right for one-to-one coaching?
00:37:30.320 --> 00:37:36.639
I think to be the the late great Peter Coe, we mentioned Lord Coe, Sebastian Coe, one of your own heroes, you know.
00:37:36.880 --> 00:37:39.280
See, you've got a picture up of him in your home, haven't you?
00:37:39.360 --> 00:37:41.599
I always remember that lovely picture of him winning LA.
00:37:41.920 --> 00:37:52.480
I remember the late great Peter Coe that coached his son Sebastian to two Olympic gold medals, saying you can only coach with an athlete's consent.
00:37:53.119 --> 00:37:57.760
And so it's how much I think it's a a reciprocal relationship.
00:37:58.000 --> 00:38:04.960
Yes, you can use AI for schedules, yes, you can use magazines for schedules and spreadsheets.
00:38:05.039 --> 00:38:21.679
That but I think one-to-one coaching is for people that value the relational and want to build a human relationship with somebody that can go beyond the schedule, that can tap into them, use their emotional intelligence to know where they're at, how they're feeling.
00:38:22.159 --> 00:38:27.679
I always think that coaching actually begins where the schedule or the spreadsheet stops.
00:38:27.840 --> 00:38:33.679
It's how a coach, an athlete, can improvise, thinking of Matt Hart again, who I just given a shout out to.
00:38:34.000 --> 00:38:37.199
This is what the schedule says, but I'm not able to quite do that.
00:38:37.360 --> 00:38:43.599
How can I retain the principle, the spirit, the ethos of that session without hurting myself?
00:38:43.840 --> 00:38:56.719
That to me is what uh one-to-one coaching is about, but it has to be with the commitment and the consent and the partnership of an athlete, and it isn't for everybody.
00:38:57.840 --> 00:39:00.719
I would absolutely echo what you've just said.
00:39:00.960 --> 00:39:06.960
I think that relationship building is so, so important and getting the buy and trust from either side.
00:39:07.440 --> 00:39:13.280
And some people think it's about ability, it's not about your ability level, it's about wanting to improve yourself.
00:39:13.360 --> 00:39:22.719
And if you can commit to wanting to improve yourself in any way that you want to, and you want to trust a coach, do that, and you have that relationship with a coach, I think that's when we see the best results.
00:39:22.800 --> 00:39:25.119
So I would 100% agree with you there, Matt.
00:39:25.360 --> 00:39:26.880
Yeah, fantastic answer.
00:39:27.119 --> 00:39:30.079
We are gonna give people more of a chance to get these questions in.
00:39:30.159 --> 00:39:35.840
As I said, Jake's gonna post a little bit of a form, a little bit of a poll on social media as well before our next podcast episode.
00:39:35.920 --> 00:39:36.719
So look out for that.
00:39:36.800 --> 00:39:39.840
So if you've got a question ahead of our next podcast, click it in there.
00:39:40.000 --> 00:39:44.320
Whichever coach is present on that podcast, we will challenge them to answer your questions.
00:39:44.480 --> 00:39:46.320
So the harder the better.
00:39:46.559 --> 00:39:47.760
Throw them in there.
00:39:48.000 --> 00:39:50.159
Well, Mart, that is everything for this week.
00:39:50.400 --> 00:39:52.159
Appreciate you coming on as always.
00:39:52.320 --> 00:39:54.400
Hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have.
00:39:54.880 --> 00:39:57.840
The best get me running if I might be racing Friday.
00:39:58.800 --> 00:40:00.880
Well, thanks as always, and everyone who's tuned in.
00:40:00.960 --> 00:40:01.840
I hope you enjoyed it.
00:40:02.000 --> 00:40:09.679
Hope you enjoyed the Commonwealth Games up in Glasgow, and we hope you enjoy the uh Birmingham Europeans, which are just around the corner as well.
00:40:09.760 --> 00:40:15.280
And hopefully, if we don't see you at one of our trading nights, we'll see you at a run through event very soon.
00:40:15.440 --> 00:40:16.559
But see you soon, Matt.
00:40:16.639 --> 00:40:17.679
I'll see you Friday.