Andy Prior Personal Training & Sports Massage

Andy Prior Personal Training & Sports Massage Stronger, Fitter, Faster helps runners break plateaus, avoid injury, and hit PBs with personalised coaching and weekly plan updates and feedback.

No PDFs, no guesswork—just smart, adaptable training that builds confidence and real race-day results. A Personal Training Service which helps individuals, small groups of people and sports teams to improve their fitness levels & diets which leads to a healthier and happier person.

23/02/2026

Chasing a Sub 4 marathon?

Here are my top 5 mistakes I see runners make every year and what I can do about it.

Some massive client successes today.First Mr Papa  start of 2025 was just under the 1.30 mark for a half, roll forward 1...
22/02/2026

Some massive client successes today.

First Mr Papa start of 2025 was just under the 1.30 mark for a half, roll forward 18 months and he now paces 1.30 half marathons regularly as part of his training.

Second step forward Sammie who today in her first proper test on the road to completed the Baldock Beast half marathon with a MASSIVE 13 minute PB and also won her age category 😁

Both absolutely amazing achievements and testament to the hard work they are putting into their training.

A lovely social run with  Sunday B group, just over 10 miles after an early 6 with  .vickers4 always good company 😁Then ...
22/02/2026

A lovely social run with Sunday B group, just over 10 miles after an early 6 with .vickers4 always good company 😁

Then coffee afterwards at Neffal

Today has been a good day 😁Many thanks to the team at  for your help this morning.A new pair of  Adrenaline 25’s to hope...
21/02/2026

Today has been a good day 😁

Many thanks to the team at for your help this morning.

A new pair of Adrenaline 25’s to hopefully see me through to

How has your Saturday been?

I love this statement !!It sits well with my coaching ethos, I always believe in my clients goals when they hit their co...
20/02/2026

I love this statement !!

It sits well with my coaching ethos, I always believe in my clients goals when they hit their consistency markers.

It brings me back to the old saying “if you think you can you probably will”

Here’s the thing I hear all the time — maybe you’ve said it yourself:“I just don’t know how to improve anymore.”Not I’m ...
17/02/2026

Here’s the thing I hear all the time — maybe you’ve said it yourself:

“I just don’t know how to improve anymore.”

Not I’m lazy.
Not I don’t care.
Just… stuck. Foggy. Unsure which lever actually moves the needle.

I have conversations like that all the time. They aren’t dramatic just ordinary, honest, human.

This takes me back to a guy I started working with 18 months ago — loud, full of life, absolutely in love with running — in 2025 he had what most people would call a huge year. PBs everywhere. Ten minutes off his marathon. Minutes off the half. Faster again over 10k and already a sub 40 runner. Flying, by any sensible definition.

And yet…
We weren’t talking about talent.
Or motivation.
Or “wanting it more”.

We were talking about clarity of goals.

Because when the gains get smaller, the noise gets louder.
And that’s usually when people freeze. Or chase random fixes.

What changed things for him wasn’t some secret workout or heroic effort.

It was this moment where the goal stopped being “get better” and became:
“Just tick the sessions off. One by one. Calmly. Consistently.”

That was it.

The work got more detailed because the margins were smaller but because he was ready.
The focus narrowed.
The pressure dropped.
The plan did the heavy lifting.

And then, almost as a side effect, he goes and has this stupidly joyful, bucket-list moment — first finisher, token number one, just pure love for the sport showing up on a Saturday morning at Park Run.

Not because he forced it.

Because he finally knew what to do next.

If you’re reading this thinking,
“I’m trying. I’m just not sure where to aim anymore…”

That’s not a flaw.
That’s the exact point where good progress starts — if you stop guessing and start getting specific.

You don’t need more motivation.
You need a clearer plan and the patience to follow it.

If that lands, sit with it.
And when you’re ready, you know where I am.

🏃‍♂️ WHY YOUR RUNNING FEELS STUCK (AND HOW TO FIX IT)If your training feels flat, here’s the truth 👇You’re probably not ...
16/02/2026

🏃‍♂️ WHY YOUR RUNNING FEELS STUCK (AND HOW TO FIX IT)

If your training feels flat, here’s the truth 👇
You’re probably not undertrained.
You’re repeating what used to work.

Stagnation is sneaky.
Here’s how to spot it — and fix it.



🚩 SIGNS YOUR RUNNING HAS STAGNATED

• Same mileage for months
• Same paces on most runs
• “Moderately hard” every day
• No recent PBs or confidence gains
• Always tired, rarely fresh

Sound familiar?



🔧 HOW TO UNSTICK YOUR TRAINING

1️⃣ Give every run a job
Easy = easy. Hard = specific. Long = purposeful.
Random effort = random results.

2️⃣ Stop chasing fatigue
Being exhausted isn’t the goal.
Adaptation happens after the run.

3️⃣ Change ONE variable
Mileage or intensity.
Structure or terrain.
Small changes beat big resets.

4️⃣ Build in checkpoints
Time trials. Benchmarks.
If nothing’s improving, something needs adjusting.

5️⃣ Respect recovery
Down weeks aren’t weakness — they’re strategy.



🧠 THE MINDSET SHIFT

Consistency maintains fitness.
Progress requires change.

Your body has already solved the problem you keep giving it.

Give it a new one.



💬 Save this if your running feels “off”
📩 Share with a runner who’s stuck

16 soggy miles completed in the road to   it was properly horrid out there today.Anyone else   and getting the miles in?...
15/02/2026

16 soggy miles completed in the road to it was properly horrid out there today.

Anyone else and getting the miles in?

How was it for you?

Nice easy run including  for  50th milestone.Park Run was buzzing this morning, great to see 😊
14/02/2026

Nice easy run including for 50th milestone.

Park Run was buzzing this morning, great to see 😊

If you want to improve your base speed and build on your 5k race times these are key sessions to add into your routine f...
13/02/2026

If you want to improve your base speed and build on your 5k race times these are key sessions to add into your routine for the next 8 weeks;

10 x 200m hard / 200m easy

4 x 400m off 1 min / 3 min rest / 4 x 400m off 1 min

4 x (200m / 300m / 400m) all off 1 min and 3 min between sets

5 x 1km at race pace with 2 min rec

Include a decent warm up and cool down on all sessions.

To run faster than you ever have before there had to be discomfort but that’s also where the magic happens.

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Stevenage

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