Green Peaks Coaching

What a year! When I started this venture in August last year, I thought I'd maybe get a few athletes on board. Well, fast forward to now and I'm in the position of having to close sign ups for new athletes. This is in order to maintain a level of personal service, and offer tailored, individual training plans for each athlete.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me over the past 12 months. Whether this is by becoming a Green Peaks Athlete, or providing advice and sounding boards. It has all been very much appreciated.

Saturday 22 August will be Green Peaks Coaching's first birthday. Some of us will be heading down to Monsal parkrun, and grabbing a coffee or brunch after. Feel free to pop down and say hi.

For those interested in training plans, I'll be opening up a waiting list, please see the website for more info.

In the meantime, enjoy this little photo gallery of some of the Green Peaks Athletes.

This was the big one. After four ultras in four months, Jenny Slocombe took on the EDDUM 50 on Saturday. The longest of the six ultras she has planned for the year, as part of the Pegasus Ultra Running Slam.

After a 5:30am pick up, a 2 hour drive to the start, and a delayed start, it already felt like a full day by the time she started at 8:30am. But, 50 miles, 7000ft of climbing, and a little under 17 hours later, Jenny did it, she crossed the finish line, finishing 87th out of the 123 starters.

Other than being covered in scratches from the overgrown paths (pretty standard for an ultra), Jenny's verdict the next day was that she was "a bit achey...but actually not too bad." After 50 miles, she was just a bit achey!!! Wow.

Well done Jenny, only one more to go to complete the Slam!! You've got this.

The summer can often make it difficult to maintain training consistency. Between the kids being off school, holidays away, and the good weather, sticking to your usual training routine can be tough. It's often helpful to have a big race to train for to keep you on track, or to do some "fun" shorter races to keep the speed going.

Today saw Bethan Varney | Running Diaries and head to No Walk In The Park 5km. Bethan went sub-20 once again, clocking 19:56, while David raced home in an impressive 23:35 after a month of injury niggles. Lettie Sniag went rogue and also headed to Chesterfield to join the fun, improving by 20 seconds on her 5km time from last weekend with a 21:53, just a few seconds short of her club's record. While seeing her race pop up on strava was a surprise to her coach, the time wasn't so mucb of one, a much better representation of her training.

Meanwhile, Ibby clocked his first sub-20 5km at Rother Valley parkrun, something he stated as his target when joining Green Peaks. 19:48. Well done, Ibby!

And to show it's not all about racing, the Hannahs were getting the miles in today. Hannah and Hannah Murton clocked over 50km between them, while got some tempo miles in during a longer run, fitting speed work in where she could.

Michael Cambell is now just eight weeks out from the Berlin Marathon (check out his profile for a fundraising link) and completed his first 20-miler of the training block.

And of course, Saturday also meant parkruns galore. This week Green Peaks athletes were running parkruns throughout the country. From Northumberland, through Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and down to Devon, and even one in Wales.

With races, long runs, and plenty of parkruns, finding and maintaining your motivation and routine over the summer can still be done.

But it's also important to recognise that you don't have to. You can take time off, you can lighten your training load, and running will still be there, patiently waiting for you when you're ready to come back to it.

Not every race has to be a PB attempt.

Racing can be one of the best parts of being a runner. It can give us goals, motivation, confidence, and the chance to share great days out with friends and the wider running community.

But to keep progressing, there needs to be a balance between racing and training. Not every race needs to be run flat-out chasing a PB. Sometimes the biggest win is treating a race as part of the training process, running with friends, practising race-day routines, building confidence after injury, or simply enjoying being on the start line.

The best runners aren't always the ones who race the hardest every weekend. They're often the ones who understand when to push, when to train, and when to have fun.

This weekend Lettie Sniag, Bethan Varney | Running Diaries, Emily Green and coach Malcolm Baggaley all took to the trails and hills of Round Sheffield Run. With support from Helen Smith, all of them ran it with friends, enjoying the atmosphere rather than the race times. Lots of smiles, lots of laughs, and lots of fun.

We also saw at the Barnsley 10km. This was Emma's first race of the year as she nurses a rugby injury. Sunday was all about was seeing what she could do, and enjoying running round the streets of her hometown. A sub 50 minute 10km was a good benchmark for her all things considered.

Well done everyone.

Our latest Athlete Spotlight is on Hannah Murton. Hannah has been a Green Peaks Athlete since Decemeber 2025 and in that time has PB'd at 5km, Half Marathon, and 20 miles.

Powered by drum & bass on tempo sessions, and by podcasts on her long runs, Hannah isn't shy of long distances. Having completed the South Downs Way 100 miler in 2025, her bucket list includes some of the most epic long distance races around.

Her advice for anyone starting out: "You don’t need to spend a fortune on the latest, most fashionable running gear. It’ll only get sweaty anyway! A cheap moisture-wicking top and pair of shorts will be more than enough. The only thing that’s worth spending a little more on is the thing between you and the ground, your socks and your shoes."

Check out Hannah's profile using link in our bio, or here https://greenpeakscoaching.co.uk/hannah-murton

Looking back to last weekend's racing from the squad. Another great ultra marathon from Jenny Slocombe, this time at the VOGUM 40 miler. The third ultra in 3 months as she continues her journey through the Pegasus Ultra Marathon trail series.

Also on SaturdayHannah Murton took on the No Walk In The Park 5km in Chesterfield. After recently breaking 23 minutes (twice), she was hoping for a time in the 22s, but this time slipped just outside finishing in 23:03.

And then Sunday Bethan Varney, and her sub40 10km attempt at Grimsby. Bethan gave herself a chance in the first mile, sticking close to the 40 minute pacer. But she knew this wasn't going to be her day and drifted back to a little over 41 minutes.

For both Hannah and Bethan, there was initially disappointment in their races. But, not every race can be a PB, and not every race goes right. It doesn't mean you weren't in good shape. I've said before you can't get lucky in running, but you can definitely get unlucky. So many uncontrollables, sometimes things that you don't even know will impact your race.

What I do know is that both Hannah and Bethan are running faster than ever (both their times would have been PBs 6 months ago), and they are stronger and fitter for having done their training block. Their races will come together, they will both get their targets, but patience is another overlooked virtue in running.

As for Jenny, I'm running out of words for how amazing she's being with these races. I wouldn't normally recommend this many ultras in a short period, it gets in the way of training 😂. But, you've got to do what brings you joy, and challenges you. And for that, I take my hat off to Jenny. 3 down, 3 to go, including a 50 miler in August.

When should you start training for your Autumn/winter races?

Whether you're aiming for a 10k, half marathon, or marathon, or you're just starting your running journey, now is the perfect time to build a plan that fits your life.

Swipe through for latest suggested start dates for popular local and international races. Starting early means:
✔️ Gradual Progress
✔️ Lower injury risk
✔️ Confidence on race day

At Green Peaks Coaching we create personalised plans that are built around your goals, your pace, your life. So you can train consistently without stress, and run your way.

Let's work together to hit those goals!!

🔗 Follow the link in bio or DM to get started.

Coaching Drop-In Clinic
🗓 Monday 25 May 10:00-16:00
📌 MyRaceKitNorth, Sharrow Vale Road, Sheffield,
S11 8ZL

This Monday (25 May) from 10–4 we'll be hosting a free running coaching drop-in 👟

If you’ve ever had questions about:

✅️ Starting running
✅️ Improving your training
✅️ Preparing for a race
✅️ Or if you're just feeling a bit stuck…

Come and have a chat with no pressure, no booking, just good running conversation.

Would be great to see some familiar faces and meet new ones 👍

The Rother Valley Relays is always a fun, but competitive start to the summer, and yesterday didn't disappoint. The Green Peaks squad were out in force yesterday laying down markers, making comeback runs, and generally smashing it.

Team events always bring a different level of effort. You can see on their faces how much they want to perform for their club and their team.

Notable perfomances from new recruit as part of the winning women's team 🥳. anchoring her team to 3rd place 🎉. and forming 2/3rds of the 7th place team, both making their racing comeback after some time off. And running a lonely leg, only 11 seconds off her PB, and anchoring her team to third in the mixed category 👏👏

Also shout outs to going sub 23mins for the 3rd time in a row. on running a tough first leg for her mixed team, racing mainly against men on that leg. And Ed Shattock on running an 18:23 after 3 weeks away.

I can't recommend club running enough, if you're not a member of one, what you waiting for? Running can be such a solo pursuit, but it can also be full of wonderful team events, with just the best atmosphere.

📸 courtesy of