Membership: 1 to 1 Online Coaching
Name: Lucy Murray
From: Newcastle, England
Age: 24
Goals: Complete a Marathon
Coach: Tommy
I started running in August 2019, about a mile or two per run, which I slowly built up over time as I fell in love with the sport. I’d never been a runner, so naturally I picked up niggles and injuries quite quickly as I had no guidance or knowledge on what I was doing.
When lockdown hit, I, like many, turned to running and upped the mileage a lot. I began running half marathons and entered the Virtual Great North Run, once I’d completed it, I started considering running a marathon.
I entered the ballot for London on a whim and found out I’d won a place in February 2021. I had a perineal overload injury at the time, and my weekly mileage was down to 0. After 8 long weeks of rehab I eventually ran my first pain free mile, and knew the marathon would be a possibility again.
I felt whilst I’d been able to build up to running half marathons, I’d ended up injuring myself by not really having a clear structure to my training, and I didn’t want to risk injuring myself long-term when training for the London Marathon.
A few friends recommended getting in touch with Tommy, and after our first call I knew I wanted to work with him. Whilst I love running, it’s not my life and I’m not an athlete, and he got that from the get go. I didn’t want to feel pressured by anyone, I simply needed guidance to get across the finish line.
I thought to have a running coach, you needed to be a super fast runner, but Tommy worked with me, my times and my paces to create a schedule that was achievable and also sustainable. He even worked around several holidays I had booked in over the summer.
Over the 4 months of training he motivated me, made me accountable for my runs and pushed me. But, I never felt scared or guilty if I missed a run because I had plans, didn’t feel in the right frame of mind or even had a hangover.
I’d never ran intervals before being coached by Tommy, but I thoroughly enjoyed mixing up my training and doing these. And, it’s definitely something I’ll continue to implement now I know how.
His communication is excellent. Towards the end of my training, during longer runs when I felt like I wanted to give up, he was even there to provide live encouragement. And I’m not sure I would have made it through without that!
Despite falling and injuring my knee a few weeks before London, Tommy altered my training, guided me through and changed my taper to ensure I could complete the marathon successfully.
I could not be more happy with the outcome of my training, so a huge thanks to Tommy for believing in me throughout. I’ll definitely be back in touch when I decide on my next challenge!
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