Thank you to UK based Stu Collier for keeping us updated about his amazing progress since taking the LII Coaching Course and changing his approach to training.
"I have to say a big thanks to the Lydiard team, Colin and Lorraine, for helping me relearn how to enjoy my running. From 2014-2022 I have trained so hard and I was continually getting injured and that ain't fun. The progression I have made since November 2022 when I first spoke to Colin has been beyond my dreams and today I ran my fastest 5k in over 10 years, not bad for 48 years old. All this with a far smarter approach to my training and it is fun again. I recently ran my fastest 10k in nearly 20 years and represented my club at The National 12 Stage Road Relays in Sutton Coldfield. My A race is next week - Gateshead Half Marathon and still have another week of tapering, all this during my first "Pyramid".
Congratulations to James Roberts who has run another marathon PB in Manchester on Sunday 16th April. (UK). James has been working with Lydiard coach Colin Lancaster since the Autumn of 2017 and has now completed four Lydiard pyramids. His improvement shows just what can be achieved with Lydiard training.
Take a look at his progression:
Pre Lydiard training PB 3:38:20 April 2016 After 1st Lydiard Pyramid 3:19:51 April 2018 After 3rd Lydiard Pyramid 3:12:44 Oct 2022 After 4th Lydiard Pyramid 3:04:52 April 2023
Great running. James has now set his sights on a sub 3 hour time next year. You can contact Colin Lancaster at coachcolin@hotmail.co.uk
2-time Baystate Marathon champion and former course record holder.
2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier.
"My coach Sam Davis and I have been working together for about 7 years, from my first marathon to the Olympic Trials; from mile PR's to a fifty-miler; and everything else along the way. Sam makes sure that each phase of a running cycle is very clear and intentional, but also balances my personal needs. I always enjoy 'free running' and big mileage over wild terrain. This is the phase of running that I often ask Sam for more of, just from the sheer joy of running slow! It is always a natural shift to switch to effort-based workouts, as my body eventually craves some speed. I really like everything effort-based, and I have never owned a GPS watch or HR monitor. I think that this has helped me in a forever-learning process to be able to 'go by feel' on race day, which I believe allows me to truly race every time I am at a start line. Those fartlek-style workouts, coupled with the base training, are what makes it possible for me to later complete the monster track workouts that Sam prescribes. With this type of periodization, I am able to do workouts I would otherwise never even fathom possible! I always look forward to the long awaited note from Sam, "Congratulations, it's taper time!". When it's time to turn the corner to sharpen for a race, my body is always ready for the decreased volume. Then it feels like I am gathering and stockpiling all of the extra energy, ready to release on race day! Finding success with Sam using the Lydiard-style coaching, I can put my full trust in the training and the process. This is a key mental component to race day. And then, of course, the mind and body anticipates a break and the itch for the favored long-slow-miles once again: back to the woods."
Lydiard LIII Certified Coach Sam Davis is based in Vermont. Contact Sam at: samdavisvt@gmail.com
