The Opportunity Cost We’re all familiar with the opportunity cost of doing one thing, which prohibits us from doing another. It’s one of those economic  arguments that mean to have one thing, we necessarily can’t have another. So as runners it’s interesting that we start with the very aim of achievening exactly this. We create Read more about How can you fit it all in?[…]

This is an article I wrote in 2015 after I ran the Bangor 10K as my first proper 10K race. It was a fabulous experience, and one I hope to repeat.   Race day arrived on a Saturday in October, I drove down to Bangor. Leaving the car and moving through the competitors I stood Read more about The Bangor 10K, hunting that personal best[…]

Writing a book very often requires research. The form that research takes however, can be diverse, very diverse indeed. Let’s look at a book I’m currently writing, on nutrition for runners, within that envelope I’ve come across all manner of different pieces of utterly fascinating research, whether that’s the benefit of beetroot, to how the Read more about How your brain changes when you run[…]

Injured?  It’s time to look inward.   Lots of you know me from my social media work and from racing, and you’ll already know I’m working on performance improvement for all runners.    One of the principal areas that runners can make strategic changes resulting in immediate improvements, is to focus in on injury prevention. Read more about Are you still accepting injury?[…]

When do you want to start? For lots of runners knowing where to start (and how) can be a tricky problem.  I get it, for many of us starting out as a runner isn’t easy – there isn’t a ‘beginners training plan’ not everyone has a group of friends who are already running to go Read more about When do you want to start running?[…]

Here’s something that might not inspire you…..the expression it’s time to take stock.  I’m currently on the train travelling up from London and the opportunity has popped up for me to write this post, it wasn’t planned it just presented itself.  You might be wondering where I’m going with this, well it comes down to Read more about It’s the small things that impact![…]

Hi!  If you read my blog at Focusedperformance then you’ll know I love to help people run, regardless of where they are right now.    I’m Geoff and I’m a British Athletics Running Coach and I’ve written a top 10 amazon ebook called The Runners Guide to Injury Free Running.  The thing is there are Read more about 5K to 10K Transition Plan[…]

Are you using a training log? No? Then I’m here to tell you it’s time to start, and it’s not just historical record keeping that logs are useful for. A bit like starting a gym membership in January, then letting it lapse in March, keeping a log seems like a great idea when you first Read more about You’ve got to write it down[…]

Motivation Zig Ziglar the great American motivational speaker once said that motivation doesn’t last.  His response to his own quote was a simple line: Motivation doesn’t last, but neither does bathing and that’s why we recommend it daily.  I’m one of those people who can’t resist a good audio download to listen to in the Read more about It’s time to Forget Motivation – it doesn’t last[…]

Originally this article was all set to be an account of my race at Trail Betws, I’m so pleased with the race and how fun it was, and I want to get that written up and posted for you.    But as I wrote this, the article changed in to my thoughts on achievement, and Read more about This isn’t about a race[…]

Thanks to Cheryl for this guest blog, it’s fantastic to see what other runners have achieved in the year and also get a feel for other races.  Over to Cheryl:   This year, the year 2016, I hadn’t entered as many running events as I had the previous year. I did go a bit mad Read more about An Eventful 2016[…]

Are you a runner? Then read this article if you’d like to have a resource which will help you in your running training – for free.   Welcome to Focused performance, I’m Geoff and I’m a runner, on road and in the Mountains. I’m incredibly passionate about running and I want to help you achieve Read more about Runners Start Here![…]

Today’s blog is a really personal article written by a fellow twitterer and runner – Jill, who’s fresh honesty really shines through in this.  It’s often hard for so many of us to keep motivated, and when life throws significant challenges towards us then keeping up with running can be even harder.  Jill shows that Read more about Fight or flight…running away[…]

It’s always great to welcome guest bloggers to focusedperformance, and this week I’m really pleased to welcome Alicia from www.runmammy.wordpress.com Alicia is back into blogging recently, and this is her first post (ps it’s a good one) and it really speaks to me and I think you’ll enjoy it, here’s Alicia –  You may not know Read more about Plans, friends, perseverance and the first 50 miles[…]

The one question asked most often by new runners is which shoes are best for me? In return they receive the collective experiences of their fellow runners, and there’s nothing wrong with this, I see it as a bit like visiting lots of review websites. However, there are some really simple to use tips that Read more about How to choose the best running shoes – quick guide[…]

I’ve been chatting to lots of you on social media who are considering starting out on your personal running journey. These first steps, and the way you tackle your first runs will make all the difference as to whether you run again or you hide your brand new trainers in a far flung corner of Read more about The complete guide for new runners[…]

For lots of people, their first foray into running may well be with a couch to 5K (C25K). This is a fantastic way of introducing yourself into running but it can be a little bit of a stretch for those folks who’ve never exercised previously, or have fallen out of the exercise habit. The question Read more about Do this BEFORE you run a couch to 5K[…]

The Long Run is a weekend staple for many runners, even those running shorter distances tend to have a longish run waiting for them at the weekend. So what are the advantages of running long and how should you do it?  So many of you have asked this question on facebook and twitter I decided Read more about Why Long Runs will boost your Marathon Success[…]

Fastest Known What? Holidays give us time to reflect on the kinds of things that otherwise we wouldn’t get the chance to do. I’ve just spent a week in Snowdonia and had some great weather to go along with it which gave me the opportunity to do a little hiking and some mountain running. During Read more about My Fastest known time challenge through the mountains[…]

It happens more often than runners realise, you’re making progress, things feel good and the results are the proof that your particular brand of training plan is working.   Hey it’s not only working, but you’re faster than you’ve ever been!  Maybe there are a few PR’s in the bag now?  This is good news Read more about How to Smash through a running Plateau: 4 effective tips[…]

I think you’re going to enjoy this guest blog from Ali.  It’s a personal expose of all of Ali’s reasons to run a marathon.  Marathons as you’ll no doubt know if you’ve run one are challenging, both in the physical sense – where do we source our carbohydrate requirements from – and of course mentally, Read more about 26.2 : For the love of jelly babies[…]

The 5K is often seen as the introductory race for many people, it’s also the distance of the super popular park run series of local races. It stands to reason then, then the 5K is the type of race that so many first take part in. text here [tweet this] It’s the shortest race out Read more about How to run a Fast 5K on 3 workouts a week[…]

So you’ve decided to run a 10K, pretty popular choice and there’s lots of advice out there on how to run one and cross the finish line.  But what if you want to do more with your 10K?  What if a PB is your target? Well, I’ve collected my top 3 pieces of advice – Read more about My 3 steps to an awesome 10K[…]

Skye.   An Island that evokes as wide a range of thoughts in those that have set foot upon its soil as there are weather conditions to be experienced there. My first visit was in May some years ago, a bank holiday weekend that consisted entirely of driving rain, soaking through to the skin, flooding Read more about The Cuillin Ridge, the hardest, most committing mountaineering route in the UK[…]

“Reading is something I love almost as much as running.” Thanks to Noel Paine for this blog post https://noelpaine.wordpress.com/ There are some books I like reading, some are amusing, others are some work to get through. I thoroughly enjoyed the one I am about to present to you. The book was unique, was on a Read more about A 96 year record? 623 miles? Read on….[…]

Want to love your treadmill?  Then make the most of your sessions by transforming the treadmill into a HIIT machine! Check out the tips here to help burn more calories while you’re on the treadmill! And don’t forget to keep your runs fun, here are my suggestions to help you avoid repetitiveness and boredom. Before you kick Read more about Burn calories with these 7 supercharged treadmill techniques[…]

It had taken months, probably over a year to answer the question.  Much longer if you think that prior to that I didn’t even know there was a question to answer. I knew that I had a passion for training people, helping them get to their best, increasing focus and performance, I knew I loved Read more about Taking the first step in coaching[…]

It was early on a Saturday morning, I’d gone to bed last night later than planned and alcohol wasn’t even involved. I should probably explain. The Cuillin Ridge is essentially to blame.  A decision has been made between some friends and I that during May 2016 we will make an attempt on the infamous ridge Read more about Climbing indoors, running outdoors and the Cuillin ridge[…]

Thanks to Alexa for this guest blog! When we talk about runner safety people often jump straight to thinking about staying safe from other people on the streets or in the parks, avoiding an attack for example. In my experience, and from talking to others, there are many other dangers that are more likely to Read more about Epic tips for staying safe on your runs[…]

Thanks to @TinkerbellJayne for this blog! Check out her blog http://www.allabouttink.co.uk/   Back in late November I decided to take on a brand new running challenge. Having completed my first ever Half Marathon in the October I wanted to take on something different, an experiment, so I decided to do the #100Runs100days challenge, the idea Read more about The Reality of Running Every. Single. F*****. Day[…]

Driving over to Liverpool early on a Sunday morning meant the traffic was almost none existent so it didn’t take me long to get to the Athletics track at Wavertree. I was early as it happened and sat down with a cup of tea chatting briefly to the trainers, although they were busying themselves getting Read more about How to lead runners, and how I took that first step[…]

Thanks to Alexa for this blog! Running in the winter Winter seems to have really arrived this week and after a couple of conversations and articles on social media about winter training I got thinking about the impact winter and it’s cold, rain and darkness has on running, mine at least. I had a chat Read more about Running in the winter[…]

Thanks to Larne for this guest blog! From seasoned runners to ‘People making their first tentative steps towards running, we all at some point have experienced a lack of motivation, that nagging sensation of the couch being too comfortable and trapping our bodies to it.   When Running becomes a chore it can quickly go Read more about supercharge your motivation for running with these great hacks![…]

Thanks to Larne Tracey for this guest blog Imagine a cold frosty morning, yet you are eagerly anticipating stepping out into the cold for your run. For me, this was not always the case, but then I discovered podcasts. They have changed my Life and completely changed my outlook on running. With music you roughly Read more about A runner’s guide to podcasts[…]

So you want to run?  The good news?  It’s pretty much as easy as moving one foot in front of the other.  There isn’t any bad news, which I guess is more good news.  There are some simple pointers though, that will get you moving in the right direction, that will help you reduce your Read more about 5 quick and easy ways to keep your runs fun![…]

Firstly, I’m not a nutritionist, so I’m not here to give you advice like that.  But what I can do is share some really useful techniques I’ve worked out over the last few years of training, hopefully you’ll find them beneficial like I did. Running  shorter distances doesn’t usually mean you’ll need to take food Read more about Eat to power your long runs the right way[…]

We were all set to leave Liverpool on the fairly short flight to Geneva, however it transpired that travel time would be much longer than expected, an extra 7 hour delay after the Captain uttered the now infamous words, we’ve become aware of a hydraulic problem. … Nonetheless Easyjet looked after us very well and Read more about Alpine Adventures Mont Buet by its North Ridge[…]

Thanks to abitlikealexa  for this guest blog, check out Alexa’s blog at www.alexaruns.blogspot.co.uk    Winter is traditionally the time for piling on the training miles for a Spring Marathon, and many runners I know are now starting down the training path to the increase the miles. Long Sunday Runs are a common topic of conversation, and Read more about Marathon Training Tips[…]

Race morning arrived and our journey to Conwy from the mountains of Snowdonia was accompanied by rain. This did not bode well, especially given I’d gone with the forecast when planning what to wear.   It turned out, as I successfully parked in the middle of a puddle, that this was a mistake. So I Read more about Running the Conwy Half Marathon[…]

The half marathon – a distance I’ve never run before, but I’ve run mountain marathons and a 10K very recently – so why was I feeling doubt, and hesitation?   Ultimately I hadn’t trained for this run, I had a couple of weeks off after the Bangor 10K training and whilst I was completing my Read more about Hesitating to sign up for my first half marathon[…]