Meet Natalie
Natalie the Endurance Runner
I'm an endurance runner, running on the road or the trails from half marathon to 50 miles. I like to switch it up because I think it's good for the body but also different environments provide different things. For me, the road is for speed and the trails is for surrounding myself in nature, embracing the elements and seeing how far these legs will take me.
I believe the mind plays a huge role in performance and I think this reflects how I coach and why I get to know my runners. The mind drives you and its about controlling the mind when it counts. Both mind and body have to work together to achieve great things!
My day job is a PhD researcher looking at the health and wellbeing of youth athletes on England Athletics Youth Talent Programme. This is something I am passionate about and I think reflects in my holistic approach to coaching.
I am an ASICS FrontRunner and love getting out and about with the Team and I'm also supported by Precision Fuel and Hydration - honestly the best gels I have ever had!
PBs
Half Marathon - 1:23
Marathon - 2:57
50 miles - 9:05:00
What's next in 2025:
Barcelona Half Marathon - Feb
London Marathon - April (Championship)
North Downs Way (50 miles) - May
Berlin Marathon - Sept (Faster Runner Qualification)
How I Coach
I have been a coach for 8 years and truly believe that communication is the key to being a great coach. Coaching is so much more than a plan, it's about getting to know you, your strengths and weaknesses, when to back off hard training or when to push you. This can't come from stats alone, how you are feeling speaks volumes which is why I get to know you as person and not just the stats coming from your watch!
I will be there to support you the entire time we are working together. I will plan your training anywhere on a weekly to monthly basis but I will adapt as we go along based on our chats. This is important and sometimes I make decisions that my runners aren't keen on (usually telling them to back off or take rest day) BUT as your coach this is important, ultimately I want you to achieve your potential and there's a fine a balance between training and recovery. Its takes an elements of trust on both sides and its important to enjoy training along the way and not just aim for race day otherwise its going to feel a slog at times.
I pride myself on my retention rate, I have worked with the majority of clients over 2 (some over 5) years and will never take on too many clients so I don't have the time to get to know you.
Let's work TOGETHER to understand you as runner so you enjoy training and reach your goals (and trust me with the right planning, flexibility and communication you will!)al.
