Tom joined me in April 2022 as a long distance ultra-runner wanting to turn his attentions to a fast road marathon after securing his place in the Berlin marathon 2022. We worked together to combine Tom’s love of the off road trails with other training sessions to increase his pace, fitness and confidence on the roads. Tom had a previous marathon time of 3.50 and smashed his target in Berlin and achieving that amazing sub 3 hour marathon finishing in 2.58.
Tom’s testimonial
I’d not worked with an online running coach before meeting Vicki through Running Jo.
I was running a fair bit already but mostly off road. I had a place in the 2022 Berlin marathon and wanted support to train for a good time. In May 2022 Vicki and I discussed what I was aiming for, which was sub 3 hours 15 mins.
I was concerned about how we would communicate without seeing each other in person. However, I very quickly got used to using Training Peaks and sharing feedback through the app. It was reassuring that Vicki could see all the data from my Garmin and then use that to tailor my programme in two weeks blocks.
Vicki was super responsive and always insightful and encouraging in her comments on each run.
Along the way I picked up a number of small injuries. What was invaluable was Vicki’s reassurance and the adjustments she made to my programme to accommodate these niggles. On occasions that meant switching to bike sessions to give my legs a chance to recover. I always felt confident that she knew how to get me back on track as soon as possible.
I trained with Vicki for a little over 4 months leading up to the Berlin marathon. She coached me through the lead up to the race including managing my nerves in the final week. On the day, it all came together and I ran 2.58 smashing my original target. It wasn’t easy and the last few kms I had to dig deep (as you can see in the photo!). What’s for sure is that I could never have done it without Vicki’s coaching. The results speak for themselves. If you’re serious about maximising your running potential, I can’t recommend Vicki highly enough!