In this Episode of Conversations About Running we are joined by regular guest, Coach Hugo van den Broek. Coach Hugo is the Head Coach at Kenya Experience camps and has guided some of the best runners in the world along their path to success during his time as a professional coach, including Gladys Chesir who in 2015 set the fastest 10k time in the world under Hugo's direction. Today we catch up with Hugo about a range of topics, including his views on the recent Olympic Games where his...

In this Episode of Conversations About Running we are joined by professional ultra marathon runner, Tom Evans. Tom is a former captain in the British Army and kicked off his career as an ultra-runner in 2017 when he finished 3rd in the Marathon des Sables, despite only entering as a bet! He quickly established himself as one of the best ultra runners in the world when he went on to win the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc and finish 3rd in the iconic Weston States. Your hosts, Callum and Gavin, chat...

In this episode of Conversations About Running your hosts Gavin and Callum are joined once again by regular guest Coach Hugo van den Broek. Together we share our thoughts on the recent disappointing news from Bowerman Track Club of Shelby Houlihan's failed drug test, before moving onto more positive topics such as the training and racing of one of Coach Hugo's former international team mates - Sifan Hassan, who has shown some seriously impressive form lately! We also talk about Callum's...

In this Episode of Conversations About Running we chat with elite running coach James Thie. James is a lecturer and the Director of Athletics at Cardiff Met University, where he coaches a team of runners including 2018 Commonwealth Games athletes Tom Marshall and Ieuan Thomas and the 3rd fastest British half marathon runner of all time, Jake Smith. In this episode we chat about some of the challenges (and some unexpected positives) that James has experienced as a coach during the pandemic,...

In this Episode your hosts, Gavin and Callum are joined by Matt Bergin, elite runner and physiotherapist. Matt has represented his country on numerous occasions and has a personal best over 5km of 13.47. He also trained as a physiotherapist at the highly regarded Witty Pask & Buckingham Physiotherapy Clinic, where he continues to work and treat runners of all levels, from international athletes to club runners. We get an insight into Matt's training and how he integrates high level...

In this Episode of Conversations About Running we are rejoined by Head Coach of Kenya Experience camps, Hugo van den Broek. After a quick catch up and a chat about an American football player attempting the US Olympic trials 100m qualification time, we turn our attention to what is quickly becoming a very relevant topic in the domestic running world - how to mentally readjust to racing. Many runners have gone months or even years without the chance to race or put their training into practice,...

This part two of our Conversations About Running with Myles Edwards, elite middle distance runner from Scotland who spent many months training in the Home of Champions and later set up a successful charity, the Gathimba Edwards Foundation, who's aim is to help provide children and families in Kenya with better lives and opportunities. In this episode, we talk about the journey that led to Myles setting up the Gathimba Edwards Foundation and delve into what his life, training and work was like...

In this Episode of Conversations About Running we introduce our very first special guest - Scottish senior 1500m champion and founder of the Gathimba Edwards Foundation, Myles Edwards. In part 1 of this 2 part podcast your usual hosts, Gavin Smith and Callum Jones chat to Myles about his training during lock down and how he has approached a year of running without races. Like many other runners across the world, Myles' mentality towards running has changed dramatically, but surprisingly,...

In this episode of Conversations About Running we follow up on our ramblings about 'How the Kenyans Really Train'. In our last episode we spoke with coach Hugo van den Broek (who lives and coaches in Iten, Kenya) about the typical Kenyan training program. This time we take a closer look at how most Kenyan athletes execute that plan and their philosophy and attitude when it comes to training. If you want to truly understand how the Kenyans train, your best bet is to join us for a Kenya...

One of our most popular episodes of Conversations About Running so far is Episode 3: Myths of Kenyan Training, where we discussed some common misconceptions about Kenyan training methods. Of course, that begged the question, " so how do the Kenyans really train?". In this episode your usual host Gavin Smith, along with Kenya Experience coaches Hugo van den Broek and Callum Jones, discuss the typical training routines of Kenyan athletes and what runners of all levels can learn from their...

In the last episode of Conversations About Running we discussed some of the things we believe are over hyped in the running community, but forgot to mention one the biggest contenders in this category: running form. Online and on social media you can find dedicated running form coaches and even entire companies dedicated solely to helping runners 'improve' their technique. But we believe this has gone too far. In this episode we talk with our coaches about why running technique should not be...

Running is a sport that you can get the most out of by really nailing the basics. Yet many runners turn their attention to the 1%'s, the small details which, while they can help you to become a better runner if done correctly, pale in comparison to consistently executing the fundamentals. In this episode of Conversations About Running, the team behind the Kenya Experience running camps discuss the reasons why some of the finer details of the sport, such as running drills, and abstract...

Join coaches Callum Jones and Hugo van den Broek alongside founder of the Kenya Experience running camps, Gavin Smith, for more Conversations About Running. In this episode we chat about the record breaking performances in Valencia which, of course, led to the hottest topic in running right now - shoes! We said we wouldn't dwell on it, but with new players in the game, the topic is just too irresistible. Hugo gives us an insiders view on the world of professional running; contracts,...

In this Episode of Conversations About Running the team behind the Kenya Experience running camps follow on from episode 8 and discuss how their own training fits with various theories and models. Gavin gives some insight into his most important weekly training runs and talks about why his key workout is designed to be comfortable and controlled 🤔 Hugo sheds some light on different types of threshold training and tells us why it's so important for runners of all levels to include some in...

Could the 80/20 method be holding you back? In this episode of 'Conversations About Running', distance coaches Hugo van den Broek and Callum Jones, along with founder of the Kenya Experience running camps, Gavin Smith, dissect the highly popularised 80/20 training method. Many amateur runners have heard about and even practice the 80/20 method and the theory of polarised training but very few have read the research behind it. Luckily, Hugo has, which is why in this episode, like a child's...

Join us, the team behind the Kenya Experience running camps, for episode 7 of Conversations About Running. In this episode we look back on some exciting races that have taken place in recent weeks, including Joshua Cheptegei's incredible 5000m world record. How much help was the new LED peacemaking system when going for a world record attempt? And how on earth do you find pacers who can keep up that pace!? In the second half of the episode we turn our attention to the rise of Norwegian...

Join the team behind the Kenya Experience running camps for episode 6 of Conversations About Running. In this episode Hugo, Gavin & Callum chat about their experiences of racing in the distance running capital of the world 🇰🇪 before this podcast we each chose a photo that we would use to help describe our most memorable race, you can find our photos on our Instagram page (@the_kenya_experience) and Facebook page (The Kenya Experience). Callum recalls one of the most painful races he's...

How is new shoe technology changing our sport? Are athletes training harder and longer as a result of better shoes? Is this a new era of racing? Can we compare today's race performances to those before the dawn of Vaporfly Technology? In this episode of 'Conversations About Running', Callum, Gavin & Hugo get stuck into conversation about the pros and cons of carbon fibre plates in shoes and discuss the changes this technology is having on our sport. Hugo talks about the difference between...

Join us for episode 4 of the 'Conversations About Running' podcast where Gavin, Callum & Hugo put each other on the spot with some thought provoking (mainly running related) questions. Hear about Gavin's experiences of running a business while training as an athlete, Hugo's thoughts on modern tech in the running world, and why Callum feels somehow disheartened and inspired when training with elite Kenyan runners!

In episode 3 of The Kenya Experience Podcast Gavin, Callum and Hugo debunk some common misconceptions that many westerners have about the way Kenyan athletes train. In particular we take a look at the well known workout 'Kenyan Hills' and why they have probably been given the wrong title. We discuss a type of recovery run which has become known as a 'Kenyan Shuffle' and why this should not be the one thing we take away from Kenyan training. And finally we talk about running form and drills;...

Join Gavin and Callum for a chat about the latest in athletics, including the 'Ingebrigtsen 5km road race' and what differences the latest running shoes make to performance. In their own training Callum attempted a solo 10k time trial later to find out he had just edged inside Gavin's pb of 31.06. It looks like a race might be on the cards 🤔 Gavin discusses his return from injury and the fluctuations in motivation he has experienced during 'lock down' as a result of not being able to run. The...

Show Notes:  The world is in the midst of a world-wide pandemic, and in this, the first episode of The Kenya Experience podcast we discuss what it's like to be a runner during this time of uncertainty. Gavin and Callum discuss their experiences as athletes in the UK during 'Lockdown' and Hugo joins us live from Iten, where he updates us on the situation in Kenya and how coronavirus is effecting life for him and the professional runners who are based in Iten.  For Callum it's been fairly...