Client Success Story: A Tale of Two Runners

Nick* and the Half Marathon:

Nick started training with me about 18 Months ago. He had no intention of becoming a runner or competing in a half marathon (he still doesn’t haha). We have always completed a variable program with the major priority being weight loss. However, over time and with consistent training and improvement he is now not only in a healthy weight range but in the best shape of his life. After competing in the City2Surf this year and running a time of 1 hr 23mins and 35secs, Nick decided to enter the Half Marathon. Needless to say, he was nervous and unsure of whether he was capable of running the distance, let alone running a good time. We made a plan that involved recovering as quickly as possible from the City2Surf in which Nick had picked up some mild injuries. We then immediately switched his plan to more specific training for a half marathon. This required a jump in volume that we had never done before but with the appropriate progression model we were able to get through not only the kilometres necessary to complete a half marathon but give Nick enough time to freshen up and peak for his performance on Sunday. This is impressive by itself but when you consider that the turnaround time from the City2Surf to the Half Marathon is only 6 weeks it is even more impressive! The result achieved was a time of 2hrs 5mins and 38secs. This means that Nick not only recorded a fantastic time but actually ran a 14km split faster than his City2Surf in the process. This is an amazing result in just 6 weeks. The truly impressive thing is that it shows that even without completing a running-specific program throughout much of our training time the general fitness that Nick has achieved opens up doors for Nick to be able to compete and live the way he wants to live: if he wants to do a half marathon on 6 weeks preparation, he can! Now for his next challenge – Tough Mudder!

Nate* and the Marathon:

Nate is my longest-standing regular client and was training with me before I started at Regenesis Fitness (over 5 years ago). Nate (like Nick) was not a runner but over the years has developed a tremendous passion for running of all distances. He is now a leader in Sydney Park Run, a regular at the City2Surf with a Personal Best (PB) of 60mins 52secs, and this year turned his focus to even longer events. He competed in the Canberra Marathon earlier in the year and recorded a time of 3hrs 38mins and 38secs. His goal for the Sydney Running Festival Marathon was to beat this time. My sessions with Nate work to keep his strength (particularly core strength) at an optimal level to complement the large amount of running he does with various clubs and on his own each week. We also work very hard on Nate’s training periodisation which is personal trainer talk for managing his volume and intensity to maximise performance at specific races. We also work hard on race strategy, pacing, race day nutrition and complementary strength work for technique improvements. On Sunday Nate set a new marathon PB of 3hrs 26mins and 30secs and split the race almost evenly (same pace for first 21km as the last 21km) which is a tremendous result to say the least! Nate has also raised a large amount of money through his marathon runs for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.

Congratulations Nick and Nate on 2 great performances!

*Names changed for privacy