Instagram story viewer> @simonwardruns> Posts

Simon Ward • Improving Marathon Runner & Community Pacer

@simonwardruns

700

followers

1208

following

Probably smiling in race pics
🐇 @tracksmithrunning London pacer
🔥 3:09:45 • 1:29:59 • 39:47 • 19:17
💌 [email protected]

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Download All

Tracksmith London 2.0 🚀

Making our new home at @xclubuk for the past few weeks has been seamless. I think a few people have probably been surprised just how seamless it has all been. But I didn’t really expect anything different. I’ve seen this group of legends put on massive events, run every kind of run, distance and pace and inclusively serve a community that continues to grow week in, week out. It’s a great testament to @amritpalghatora, the pacers and the volunteers who know how to put on this show and make it look easy. Anyone who has ever tried to replicate this format knows it’s anything but.

I’ve been lucky enough to be at all the X Club runs so far, and Tracksmith London has picked the best partners for our Sunday long runs. They just get it and they get us. What more could you want?

📸 @daniel36.photo

@tracksmithrunning 🤝 @xclubuk

#sundaylongrun #longrun #marathon #running #londonrunning taken in London, United Kingdom by @simonwardruns

49

5

7 days ago

Vitality London 10K. Chip time: 40:11

Would have been nice to dip under 40 again (both in terms of time and my age hahaha) but my pacing was a little erratic and it’s a good reflection on where I am.

Probably didn’t need to manually lap for this one as well, but all good lessons. I also chaos chose to adjust my pace from minutes per mile to minutes per kilometre this morning. He does like to fuck about and find out 🤣

I’m realistic and it isn’t too deep: I had just run a marathon, taken two weeks off running to drink everything in Australia and embarked on a one week training plan 🤣. This performance at this stage does make me think with honest work, that my 10km PB is there to be shattered, and maybe even this year.

Little more chaotic than last year as an event (and wave 1 was so so busy unlike last year), but the @vitalitylondon10k remains an elite race.

#vitality10k #10k #10km #raceday #londonrunning taken in Vitality London 10,000 by @simonwardruns

87

7

14 days ago

Runna vibes in the Sydney area 🫶

Having run four marathons with @runna (plus halfs, 10ks and 5ks) and using it since 2023, I don’t think there are too many people better qualified to talk about it. Nope, not a sponsored post. Just a guy who has used it a lot for multiple races.

I get it. Big thing. Throw stones at it. But I’ve never got the hate. Of course, it’s not for everyone - that would be weird, we’re all individuals. Some runners should just download a Runner’s World plan (like I did for my first marathon) and many would really soar with 121 coaching (I know some great ones). But for a lot of people, Runna is affordable coaching that has built so much into its UX that it can work for a lot of runners SO LONG AS YOU LISTEN TO YOUR BODY AND DON’T LIE IN THE SAME WAY YOU WOULD WITH ANY COACH lol. It has come on so much since I started, when its main USP was not having to input workouts into Garmin Connect and having ambitious targets.

Have I hit every predicted race time the app has given me? No. Have I surpassed some race times? Yes. Would I get a coach one day? Probably. Do I know people who have got injured training with the app? Yes. Do I know runners who have got injured with great coaches. Yes. Has Runna pushed me to hit targets that me three years ago would have thought stupid and turned me into a better runner? Ab-sol-utely.

Find your favourite creator or event, grab their two week free trial code and give it a go. Or not. It’s not that deep ☺️

#sydneymarathon #runna #marathon #marathontraining #running taken in Sydney by @simonwardruns

56

2

a month ago

Sydney Marathon. Chip time: 03:14:42

Hardest marathon of my life. Sydney isn’t a flat city (!!!) and apart from the Sonic downhill boost in the first 4km (and there’s even a hill in that bit too lol), it doesn’t ever let up or let you rest. It’s a punishing course that threw out my best laid plans fairly early and I quickly needed to adapt to run on feel.

Last year, I’d have really beaten myself up about the PB miss. But I’m as proud of that 3:14 as I am about the 3:09 in Seville in February. It might be five minutes slower but - weirdly - battling through that elevation has given me confidence that a sub-3 could be achievable one day if I stay the course. Hopefully with both nipples 🤣😬

I knew a PB wasn’t on the cards at about halfway and I had the choice to dial it back or continue to attack. 2026 has knocked me down so many times - heartbreak, job stuff, selling the family home and all the stuff that life has piled on in the interim. But I’ve learnt that when I’m punched and when I’m knocked off my feet, I never stay down. I get up. So I attacked. I’m so glad I did.

So many positives and wins to take from this experience, but in a year that has taken a lot, booking a solo trip to Sydney to run a marathon on the other side of the world has given me so much. Now, it’s time to properly holiday ❤️

📸 @daniel36.photo

#sydneymarathon #sydney #abbottwmm #marathon #running taken in Sydney, Australia by @simonwardruns

208

97

a month ago

Sydney Marathon flatlay with a side of nerves 😬

I think we always forget about this part as marathon runners. Yeah, we know the taper script about phantom aches, but the nerves I always forget. That anticipation to wanting to show what 12 or so weeks of hard work looks like can stumble into something different: fear.

I am pretty terrified of the course tomorrow having strolled around this very hilly city and have been on the ginger tea today lol. But I promise I will fight to the end, hope my shin and groin behave themselves and, whatever time is on the chip at the Opera House, be proud of me by the end.

Marathons are as much a mental and physical game. I just need my body to tell my brain that the hay’s in the barn and believe it. Bib number 3183, marathon number seven, World Major number three. LFG!!!!!

@sydney_marathon

#sydneymarathon #sydney #sydneyrunners #abbottwmm #marathon taken in Sydney, Australia by @simonwardruns

114

20

a month ago

Goodbye, London Trackhouse ❤️

You’ll have seen the news that Tracksmith’s London Trackhouse has now closed. I’m a pretty rational person about change - I think 2026 has spun that wheel enough times for me to last several lifetimes - and the run club will continue to be the best damn run club in London, but I was shocked about the strength of feeling I had walking down Chiltern Street yesterday for my final run there.

The main reason is knowing the impact the news has had on the people who worked there. I’ve been in that boat a few times in my career, and it sucks. It really sucks. Even if the eventual path it sets you on is glorious and brilliant, that’s a process I wouldn’t wish on anyone. The retail team have been so wonderful and stoic in the face of all that, especially this weekend. Brands, there’s a shit hot team of running experts with bags of experience, kindness and charisma going spare. Hire them (if you’re quick enough)!

For me, the Trackhouse became a proper third space - something I haven’t really had since university. It was a place I came to when things were good and when things were hard and, sometimes, when things were really hard. We ran from it, sure. But we had talks about mental health. We shared some deeply personal things about ourselves. We’ve laughed and cried there. Births, marriages, love, friendships, breakups, loss, all of life’s moments. Bricks and mortar, sure. But it became a truly safe space to just be, without judgement. The older you get, you realise that shit is rare.

The club will move to a new location nearby. We’ll build more memories. We’ll continue to grow, especially as London becomes the capital of running with the double London Marathon next year. It’s a new era. But it’s one built on the shoulders of what came before. It has never been about the building nor the street for me. It has always been about the people.

But for a moment, that building and that street was a pretty special place to be.

📸 @jerry_sun
📍 Tracksmith London Trackhouse, Chiltern Street

#tracksmith #tracksmithlondon #trackhouse #londonrunning #runningcommunity by @simonwardruns

134

18

2 months ago

Recapping my peak week for Sydney Marathon 🇦🇺

Every peak week looks different - the terrain, the fitness, the goal, the athlete. So wanted to share mine for @sydney_marathon as it looks different, even compared to Seville back in February. Trusting the @runna plan 🫡

Also wanted to be honest on here. Some runs I loved, some I hated. The important thing is getting it done, which has not been easy in heatwave number 709. Three weeks to go 😬

Might be the longest video I’ve posted. Sorry haha

#sydneymarathon #marathontraining #marathon #peakweek #runner taken in London, United Kingdom by @simonwardruns

75

11

2 months ago

I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m fine 😬

Three runs and one strength session down. I’ve still got two runs (including a hilly 20 miler because Sydney) and a gym session to go 😬

Did I mention I’m fine?

@sydney_marathon week 9/12

#sydneymarathon #marathontraining #run #running #londonrunning taken in London, United Kingdom by @simonwardruns

119

12

2 months ago

POV: you’re hanging up your washing after a week of running, but you’ve been obsessed over The Odyssey movie 🎥

(Tell me you’ve got a day off work without telling me you’ve got a day off work 🤣)

#running #theodyssey #odyssey #reels #movie taken in London, United Kingdom by @simonwardruns

31

4

2 months ago

23 mile race practice long run without trending sound

Was going to do this with a funny or self deprecating voiceover, but sometimes the story is about what you don’t say. So I’m letting the audio and the images do the talking (beware some jump scares 🤣).

In the comparison world that is social media, I’m always conscious that my reality should always be on show here. I’ve seen enough people with large followers dying in sessions in Battersea Park and then posting “that was so easy” on here afterwards. So let’s not do that.

Today’s run was haaaaard. 5 miles warm up, 2 miles at 7:05/mi with 13 miles at 7:00/mi with a 3 mile cool down. The first 22km were fine, but after my first water stop, I really struggled and had to stop quite a few more times, even in the cool down. First time in a long time the gels made me feel a bit sick too.

My personal growth is that I’m mentally strong enough (now) to accept that it’s running on tired legs with less-than-optimal hydration and pre-run nutrition (and a late night seeing The Odyssey that I wouldn’t trade for anything) and that it all comes together in these final weeks. My mantra remains: Training is training, it’s not that deep.

Longest run of the block with @runna ✅ Five weeks to @sydney_marathon 😵‍💫😬

#marathon #marathontraining #sydneymarathon #running #runner taken in Victoria Park by @simonwardruns

28

5

2 months ago

Hotpod Yoga for runners 🧘‍♂️

As I enter the final weeks of my @sydney_marathon block, I am really prioritising recovery, especially with some very hard runs incoming.

I’m pretty good when it comes to strength work and runs, but the mobility stuff is the one thing I always overlook. The kind people at @hotpodyoga_brixton invited me down to try some of their classes. Today’s Flow class with Sarah K was great at loosening my hips and they’ve got some Nurturing Flow classes that are even better for recovery, which I’ll definitely try soon.

If you’d like try it out, use the code SIMONRUNS at Hotpod Yoga Brixton for a free class 🫶

#gifted #hotpod #yogaforrunners #runningrecovery #yoga taken in Hotpod Yoga Brixton by @simonwardruns

34

2

3 months ago

Chasing snacks and PBs (aka Peanut Butter) 🐿️

Great collab with @pipandnut and @tracksmithrunning at the weekend with the team bringing bars and peanut butter lattes. Squirrel ears optional.

Pip & Nut are such a strong example when it comes to how brands build genuine equity in the running space. They haven’t just shown up and elbowed their way in. Actually, they’ve done the opposite. They’ve put the graft in over many, many years. Time + effort might be the longer path (and the harder one), but it’s the right call. As more and more brands try to work out how they can fit into running, especially next year with the double London Marathon, take a leaf out of their book.

It’s also a great product, which helps 🤤

Was a big mileage day for me on Sunday. 14km at MP (probably not my Sydney MP when I hit those hills) followed by 20km pacing. Have been using my run to the Trackhouse to try speed from the start, rather than using it as a warm up. “More MP” was one of my Sevilla takeaways, so interested to see if it helps come August.

Failing that, more iced lattes 😆

📸 @jerry_sun

#marathon #sydneymarathon #marathontraining #training #longrun taken in London, United Kingdom by @simonwardruns

46

6

3 months ago