🏃‍♀️💥 Monthly Newsletter: September 2025 ✨

Running is BACK 

- and I clocked my fastest strides ever!

September has been the month I can genuinely say running is well and truly back! Five days out of seven running during my Tuscany holiday really confirmed it - and even throwing in some zappy strides that clocked my fastest ever times (I'm still buzzing about that!).

From exploring the stunning trails of the St Cuthberts Way to discovering new paths through Tuscan hills, my legs have remembered what they love most. Next up: testing out a proper long run to get a decent few hours out and see how everything feels. I have a feeling I'll be like a duck to water!

With Golspie BYU less than 6 weeks away, the excitement is building. This comeback journey has taught me so much about mental resilience - lessons I'm already sharing with my athletes and putting into practice myself.

What's inside this month...

A useful strength workout for holidays or work trips away, free mindset resources, a must-read book recommendation and more. Plus my Tuscany running adventures, holiday training reality check and athlete breakthrough stories

September Adventures

What an incredible week exploring Italian trails! If anyone gets the chance to explore Tuscany, I highly recommend Volterra, San Gimignano, and Castiglione del Lago. The rolling hills provided the perfect terrain for rebuilding my running legs, even if the pace was naturally slower on those climbs.

Food-wise, I did feel slightly out of my depth in a region famous for meat, cheese, and wine - challenging for a sober, plant-based runner! But I discovered some exceptional dishes, and the way they prepare potatoes out there... WOW. Sometimes the best travel experiences come from adapting and finding joy in the unexpected.

From the Blog

Mental Training During Injury: How to Come Back Stronger Than Before

This piece draws directly from my own comeback journey - the mental strategies that not only got me through the challenging months but actually prepared me to return stronger and more confident than before.

Key strategies covered:

• Reframing injury as training for mental resilience

• Using visualisation during recovery periods

• Building identity beyond just "running"

• The confidence that comes from proving you can overcome adversity

These aren't just theories - they're the exact mindset tools I used to get from stress fracture to clocking my fastest strides ever. With Golspie BYU approaching in less than 6 weeks, I'm going in with a completely different mental approach than ever before.

Read Here

Coaches Corner

"I'm going on holiday soon and I'm stressing about maintaining my training plan. How do I stay on track without ruining my break?"

Don't stress about following a rigid plan - it's a holiday!

Things will feel harder due to travel fatigue, hot weather, different terrain, and family time (plus maybe some holiday indulgence!). That's completely normal.

Let what you have guide you. Different terrain? Embrace it. Hotel stairs? Perfect for strength work. Beautiful trails? Explore them without worrying about pace.

Returning home having moved your body joyfully rather than stressing about missed sessions.

SUBMIT YOUR QUESTION 

for next month

ASK HERE

Training Session of the Month: Holiday Strength Without the Gym

Inspired by my Tuscany adventures, here's how to maintain strength training whilst travelling:

Hotel Stair Workout (10-15 minutes):

• Step-ups: 20 each leg (use bottom step)

• Side step-ups: 20 each leg (targets glutes differently)

• Calf raises: 20 on the step edge

• Single-leg step downs: 8 each leg (slow and controlled)

Bodyweight Circuit (anywhere):

• Squats: 20 reps

• Single-leg glute bridges: 10 each side

• Wall sits: 30-45 seconds

• Side planks: 20 seconds each side

No equipment needed, takes minimal space, and actually complements hill running perfectly. I threw in hill sprints after my Tuscan runs - 6x20 seconds - and felt incredibly strong.

Make it playful, not prescribed. Holiday training should add joy, not stress.

Fuelling Focus: Travel Nutrition Reality

Maintaining your nutrition approach whilst exploring new places and cuisines can be challenging! 

Sometimes you're in a region that doesn't naturally align with your dietary choices (hello, land of meat, cheese and wine!). That's okay.

Practical Strategy:

• Research basics before you go, but stay flexible

• Focus on what you CAN eat rather than restrictions

• Try local preparations of familiar foods (those Tuscan potatoes!)

• Go to the supermarket and stock up on some good snacks (cashews and bananas were my go to!)

• Make sure you hunt out somewhere that suits you at least once - for me, that meant plodding through Siena to find the perfect Poke bowl takeaway! HEAVEN!

View it as part of the adventure, not a problem to solve. Some of my best travel memories come from discovering unexpected food gems whilst staying true to my values.

Book of the Month: "Endure" by Alex Hutchinson

This brilliant exploration of the science of human endurance should be essential reading for every ultra runner.

Why it's a must-read:

• Debunks the "it's all mental" myth - shows the complex interplay between mind and body

• Evidence-based insights into what actually limits endurance performance

• Practical applications you can use in training and racing

• Fascinating case studies from elite athletes and extreme challenges

Key takeaways:

• Your brain acts as a protective governor, but you can negotiate with it

• Belief and expectation directly influence physical performance

• The power of external motivation and social support in pushing limits

• Why some discomfort is productive while other types signal real danger

Reading this during my comeback has given me new appreciation for the mental-physical partnership in endurance sport.

Buy Here

FREE RESOURCES: Confidence Building Tools

Don't forget your free confidence-building toolkit that launched this month!!

Build proof of your capabilities

Confidence/Evidence File

30 evidence-based mantras

Ultra Runner Identity Affirmations

These tools have been downloaded loads of times and are genuinely changing how runners approach race day confidence. If you haven't grabbed yours yet, what are you waiting for?

ATHLETE SHOUTOUTS!

First (official) Marathon Bagged!!

Huge congratulations to Gez on completing her first official marathon at Loch Ness! This was one of the first goals we discussed when we started working together - specifically the mental barrier around the marathon distance. Watching Gez master that mindset and show up so confidently has been incredible. Plus, she's become a true lover of hills (if you work with me, that's bound to happen... "We love hills!").

8 times a charm! 

Special mention to Gill, who made the hardest call an athlete can make - putting family first and pulling out of her A-race, Snowdon Ultra. Gutting, but her response? Remarkable.

She refocused on what was within her control. Even when motivation for structured training wavered, she still logged 10+ hours of time on feet each week - because movement matters, whether it's a tempo session or walking the dog.

The result? A whopping 17-minute PB at Loch Ness Marathon, clocking 4:55 and finally bagging that sub-5. Her 8th time racing Loch Ness, and the fastest yet.

Watch out for detailed athlete spotlights coming later this month - diving deep into their journeys, breakthroughs, and how we work together differently.

Keep running, smiling, and inspiring!

Kayleigh

P.S. Less than 6 weeks to Golspie! The mental approach I'm taking this time is completely different thanks to everything I've learned during comeback. Sometimes our biggest challenges become our greatest strengths.