The Running Collective

29/12/2025

1: Team The Running Collective @ Kāpiti half 🩵
2-3: 4th consecutive victory in my hometown after an absolute nail biter
4: helping friends and clients achieve their running goals doesn't feel like a job ._.clown .syj
5: bagged my 100th parkrun this year. Why does this not exist in Belgium? 🤔
6-7: Parkrun fun and pacing
8: Running assessments using .ai
9: Friday Morning group runs 🤗 because running is not always an individual sport
10: Kapakapanui - nope, trail running is not my cup of tea. But the views man, the views!

25/12/2025

1: You can't beat Wellington on a good day (new half marathon PB) 2: When you only have one gear (5k and 10k PB in a half marathon 🙃) 3: I became a retailer in 2025
4: Running shoe besties (9 pairs added to the collection this year 😅) 5: New location for the practice! 6-10: Melbourne marathon, starting in the group with the first woman, incredible cramps in the last 7k, but still managing a PB. Crazy experience!

23/12/2025

22/12/2025

2025 Recap part 1:
1&2: NKT Yoga and Movement course in Melbourne
3: A world champion, an olympian and a local tourist running together
4: Karel "Forrest Gump" Sabbe and his followers
5: Selfie with the Fastest Known Time on Te Araroa
6: New half marathon PB under the eye of dad
7: in good company
8: The legend who has to endure all my yapping on a weekly base
9: Redemption after 2 consecutive years of 2h39'48
10: PB crew

10/12/2025

I'm here for you throughout the holiday season 🎄✨⁣
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The clinic will be closed on:⁣
Dec 22⁣
Dec 25-26⁣
Dec 29⁣Jan 1-2⁣
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Bookings remain open anytime via my website: https://bookingsnz.gensolve.com/therunningcollective
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I wish you a joyful, restful Christmas and a brilliant start to 2026! 🎁

03/12/2025

CONGRATULATIONS to TRC athlete, Brad! 🥳⁣
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After his marathon debut last year, Brad was eager to run another one. ⁣
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We managed to work/run around his work + young family and had a great training block without any niggles - something I am always very careful about with my background as a physiotherapist. ⁣
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Even though the Whanganui marathon started at 6 am, it got rather warm near the last quarter of his race, and he got a little dehydrated. ⁣
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Still, he managed to finish in 4h15, an incredible performance! ⁣ 💪🏼
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A few years ago, Brad came to me for physiotherapy as he was unable to run more than a few 100 meters without having pain in his shins. ⁣
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After just a few physio sessions, we were able to sort the problem (hint: the cause of shin splints is not always in the shins 👀). Being able to run consistently without having to stop every few weeks because of injuries did wonders!⁣
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From my patient to my athlete to my mate, very happy to see the progress you've made, Brad! 🤩

24/11/2025

Caught the running bug? 💪🏼⁣
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I'd love to help you achieve your next running goal with a personalised plan!⁣
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Not only does a training schedule help you to be more consistent & feel more motivated but with my expert eyes on your results, we'll make sure to keep you injury-free.⁣
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Send me a message to discuss your next goal! 😁

21/11/2025

Congrats TRC athlete Stewart on finishing your first full marathon! 💪🏼⁣
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Last week, Stewart ran his first-ever full marathon on a tough course in Queenstown.⁣
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Stewart saw me earlier this year for a running analysis and then asked for my help to train for his first marathon. We covered nutrition, a few months of preparing for the race, and a plan for on race day.⁣
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He nailed his fueling and finished in 3h25 - a little over our planned pace - but with the Queenstown course profile, it is tricky to keep a constant pace! There's hardly a more scenic course in NZ, but there are definitely faster ones! ⁣
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Good job Stewart, you absolutely smashed it! 🏃🏻‍♂️

20/11/2025

You’ve just finished your spring (half) marathon? Huge congratulations! 🎉⁣
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Before you do anything else: celebrate it. Seriously. You’re now part of a tiny percentage of humans who can say they’ve completed something this big.⁣
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So… how long should you rest?⁣
Short answer: it depends (you knew I'd say this, right?😅)⁣
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After my first marathon, I took 2 full weeks off - and felt horrible on that first run back. Now, years later, my body bounces back much faster and I can run again after a few days. ⁣
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But the real question is: do you even need to run in that first week?⁣
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For context: this year I was aiming to win the Kāpiti Half Marathon, which was only 4 weeks after Melbourne… so yep, I had to keep training. Normally though, I’d take at least 2 weeks of proper rest or easy cross-training (gym, cycling, etc.) before easing back into running.⁣
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📣 A little PSA: Taking a break is great. ⁣
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But if you don’t have your next goal lined up, 2 weeks off can very easily become 4… then 6. And the longer you step away, the harder the comeback gets - and the higher the injury risk if you try to return at your peak-training paces.⁣
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If you want to keep improving your running long-term, the real secret is consistency. Let your training compound year after year so you don't have to restart from scratch every time.

18/11/2025

🏅 Congratulations to TRC athlete Vanessa for completing the Auckland Marathon in 3h56'08"!⁣
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When Vanessa first came to me back in March - on crutches after an ankle fracture - her main goal was simply to get back on the football pitch as soon as possible. We started her rehab right away, and by the end of April she was running again (and even managed to play a few football games, rediscovering her goal-scoring touch ⚽).⁣
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From there, we set our sights on her next challenge: the Auckland Marathon. Her initial goal was to finish between 4h and 4h30, but I had a feeling she was capable of more.⁣
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Balancing family, work, and training, we built a plan that suited her schedule and strengths, and it paid off beautifully. Crossing the line under 4 hours was an incredible achievement for her, and a proud coaching moment for me too.⁣
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👏 Awesome work, Vanessa - what a comeback!⁣
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In the coming weeks, I have a few more athletes completing their running goals for this spring, so more exciting moments are ahead!

16/11/2025

Kāpiti Half recap 🤩⁣
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The 5th edition of the Kāpiti Half Marathon and the event keeps growing every year. For the first time, teams could rent a tent on raceday. About an hour for the race, The Running Collective tent was buzzing with people collecting their bibs and time tags, getting some gels, and chatting up with friendly faces. ⁣
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It gave me a bit more nerves to get everything sorted, and the Half Marathon in itself was the most nerve-wracking I have run in the past 4 years. Quite quickly in the race, the top two were already decided, but Joshua and I seemed to be very evenly matched. ⁣
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I did most of the leading, feeling comfortable to set my pace, but a little worried as I could not shake him off. Just when I thought we were going to have to sprint for it, I heard him breathing a bit louder, and he had to leave a bit of distance between us. With about 3.5 k to go, I started increasing the pace a little more, and the countless cheers from other runners and supporters helped me extend my lead.⁣
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In the end, I won the nervous race with a very narrow margin of only 10 seconds, but was obviously delighted! ⁣
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I do feel my body needed a bit of a break though 😅⁣
I didn't really stop running after the Melbourne Marathon, and my sleep hasn't been the greatest lately. It was good to get some well-deserved recovery this week! ⁣
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In 2025, I ran 6 official races (2 marathons and 4 half marathons) where I ran 4 PBs in total. I managed to improve my full marathon PB from 2h 39'48 to 2h 33'52 and my half marathon from 1h13'27 to 1h11'41, so happy days!⁣
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A big thanks to all the people who joined and raced for The Running Collective, the many many familiar faces on and around the course. ⁣
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It was a delightful day 💙