Clowne Road Runners’ SJ Hodson has made huge leaps forwards with her running, and racing confidence, since her first Blizard lactate threshold test, but it is through Dave Tune’s coaching programme that she has made the biggest improvements, and here she tells us why.

SJ has transformed herself from a self-confessed ‘pootler’, happy to accept ‘mediocre’ race results from 2007 to 2014, to obliterating all of her PBs following an inspiring talk given by her club mate, then coach, and one of Dave’s greatest ever athletes, Andy Ward.

In the talk, SJ and her club mate Graham Sheen, listened enraptured by Andy’s revelations about how he’d managed to get to such an elite level - with lactate threshold training and Dave’s coaching.

SJ takes up the story: “Andy explained how Dave took him from being a great runner to an amazing one. I was enthralled and inspired, and soon after booked in for a test in October 2014, as did Graham!

“I had had a few years off running after having my son in 2011, and, although my race results improved on my return, they were still mediocre, so I needed help and guidance to move forwards.”

SJ had been a regular winner of Clowne’s Grand Prix racing series, but thought she was capable of even better, and, once she had had her lactate test, that thought became a certainty.

“I left Blizard Towers buzzing, thinking about how much I might be capable of if I made a few changes. The very next day I got a PB at the Tissington Trail half as well as the bronze club standard, (in a fantastic 1:40.26). I attributed this partly to my increased training, but also my chat with Dave had put me into such a positive mindset that I pushed harder than I would have done before.”

Shockingly, SJ was in a car crash on the way home from Tissington, just 15 days before the Abingdon marathon, but, following a trip abroad for work, she still managed to run a huge 40 minute PB of 4:29:39, raising £12,000 for charity to boot!

Showing signs of a true competitor, she was still not happy with her performance, and, following a winter of illness and a heavy work load, SJ knew she had to do more to knock even bigger chunks off her PBs.

In February last year, SJ joined one of Dave’s tiered coaching programmes, and has never looked back, improving her PBs further from 52:41 to 48:04 for 10k, 24:51 to 23:11 for 5k, and a phenomenal 4:29.39 to 3:45.23 just a few months ago in the Abingdon marathon!



“Having a structured plan of heart rate training to follow tailored to me, with weekly contact drives accountability, and has made such a difference. Dave plans my training sessions to build up to the races that I want to do. It’s great not having to think about what session I should be doing – I just need to do it!”, she enthused.

“I’ve been to the clinic for regular re-tests to keep an eye on my progress. We also discuss the plan for each race and then always do the post-race analysis, so I can learn from what’s happened.”
 
SJ’s performances have also benefitted from Blizard’s range of advice and expert services, including physiotherapy, nutrition, On Running shoes and training sessions.

Adapting her diet to include more fat and less carbohydrate has improved her iron and haematocrit levels, helping her run faster as well as “get a little bit leaner”, she has received advice from physiotherapist Caroline Hennigan about a foot injury, is constantly inspired by her training group, and loves her On shoes, bought from the Blizard shop.

SJ added: “The lovely group I train with on a Tuesday night, including Dave and Jenny, have been so supportive and encouraging, regardless of my pace, and I’ve proudly worn my On’s to earn all of my recent PBs!

“My comeback year in 2014 had been reasonably good, but I could never have imagined achieving what I did in 2015, when I smashed my PBs at every distance, as well as some club standards. I have Dave’s coaching to thank for this!”

The popular Clowne runner is also quick to pay tribute to her ‘patient’ husband Gary, who she says does a “great job looking after Jacob when I’m running - Jacob is my biggest fan though, and was there shouting ‘sprint!’ in the marathon, and ‘well done mummy!’ as I was collecting my award”.

The last 12 months have not only seen SJ’s PBs tumble dramatically, but she also continues to add to her collection of club standards, with a silver in the Tissington half, narrowly missing another silver - and a good for age place at London - with her superb marathon time in October, and a well earned ‘Most Improved Female Performance of the Year’ accolade - all since she joined Dave’s coaching programme.

We are sure that SJ’s continuing dedication to her training, her family’s support, and her unwavering belief in the power of lactate threshold training, will see the running mum clock up not just more PBs and club awards, but also some race trophies as her times reach ever closer to those on the podium.