Masters Athlete Coaching

Running Coaching
for Masters Athletes

Expert running coaching for masters athletes who still want to enjoy their running and are ready to run their best years yet.

Running in your 40s, 50s or beyond doesn't have to be about lowering your expectations. It is about balancing the stress of training with sufficient recovery and learning to understand what your body needs at this stage of your running life.

At JM Coaching, we work with masters athletes across various age groups, many of whom go on to represent their countries and continue to enjoy their running. With a genuine, personalised coaching approach that respects where you are, where you want to go, and the life you are fitting your running around, we're confident we can help you achieve your goals.

Start Your Coaching Journey

The Coaching Team

Coached by People Who
Continue to Live It

JM Coaching was founded by Jonny Mellor, 2:08 marathoner and former British Marathon Champion. What makes this time so special is that Jonny ran it just two weeks shy of his 39th birthday, and the same year as he ran a 10km personal best of 28:15, equalling the v35 record set by Sir Mo Farah. Together with his team of specialist coaches, JM Coaching brings elite coaching to runners of all abilities and ages, including a growing community of masters athletes who are serious about their running and the longevity of their sport.

Jonny has represented Great Britain on numerous occasions at World and European Championships, as well as representing England at two Commonwealth Games over 10,000m and the marathon, finishing 6th in Birmingham 2022. This is a career that spans over two decades. During that time Jonny has adapted his training and understands what it takes to continue well into his later years.

Through his own longevity Jonny has passed this passion and love for the sport onto numerous masters athletes since founding JM Coaching in 2013, going on to build a coaching business built on personal relationships, real expertise, and a genuine belief that age is very much just a number.

Sound Familiar?

You Might Be a JM Coaching
Masters Athlete If:

The Science Behind Masters Running

What Changes as a
Runner After 40?

This is one of the most common questions we hear, and the honest answer is: quite a lot, but none of it means you cannot keep improving or enjoying your running.

Recovery

Recovery Takes Longer

As you age, your muscles repair more slowly after hard sessions. That does not mean you train less hard. It means the structure of your training week matters more than ever.

Physiology

Hormonal Shifts Affect Adaptation

Declining testosterone and oestrogen affect how quickly you build strength and how your body handles training load. A good coach accounts for this in your programme rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach.

Injury Risk

Connective Tissue Needs Attention

Tendons and connective tissue become less elastic over time. Smart strength and conditioning work alongside your running is really important as a masters athlete, and one of the areas where good coaching makes a significant difference.

Life Load

Life Load Is Real

Most masters athletes are not full-time runners. They are navigating demanding careers, families, travel, poor sleep and stress. A coaching plan that ignores this is a plan that will fail. Accounting for your full life is central to everything we do.

Performance

VO2 Max Changes, But Not as Fast as You Think

Research consistently shows that with well-structured training, masters athletes can continue to improve performance well into their 50s and 60s. The ceiling is higher than most people believe, and we have seen it first-hand with the athletes we coach.

Our Approach

Coaching Built Around Your Life,
Not Just Your Running

We do not apply a one-size-fits-all approach to any athlete, but for masters runners in particular, the detail really matters.

01

Personalised Training Load Management

We monitor how your body is responding week to week and adjust your plan accordingly. Recovery days are not wasted days and become increasingly important to adapting to the stimulus of hard training over time.

02

Structured Strength and Conditioning

We integrate strength work into your programme to protect your tendons, maintain muscle mass, and keep you running consistently. This is one of the biggest differences between masters athletes who keep progressing and those who plateau, and is essential to helping reduce injury risk.

03

Smart Session Design

You will still do hard sessions. This isn't just a 'train smarter' pitch. High quality work is important at any age, even more so as you get older, as you have to stay 'fast'. But we are precise about when, how hard, and how much, so that you get the stimulus without the breakdown.

04

Life Planning

A big week at work, a family holiday, a run of poor sleep can all affect your training. We help you fit running in around your daily life. We're focused on progress over perfection and understand there is no such thing as a perfect training plan. We see problems as speed bumps that we adjust for.

05

Long-Term Thinking

We are not just thinking about your next race. We are thinking about keeping you healthy, motivated and improving for the future. Coaching that prioritises your longevity is coaching that actually works, and something Jonny and the team pride themselves on with their own running.

What You Get

What's Included in Your
Masters Coaching

All JM Coaching packages include:

  • A fully personalised training plan, updated weekly based on your feedback and how your body is responding
  • Ongoing coach communication via TrainingPeaks and WhatsApp, so you are never training in isolation
  • Regular check-ins to review progress, adjust load, and talk through how things are going
  • Access to a coach who understands masters physiology and the realities of a busy life
  • Race planning and pacing strategy built around your specific goals
  • Guidance on strength work, recovery protocols and injury prevention

Three Coaching Tiers

Each package gives you genuine, personalised support. The difference is in the level of contact and the depth of analysis.

Bronze £60/mo
Silver £75/mo
Gold £120/mo
View Coaching Packages

Masters Athletes We Have Worked With

Real Results,
Real Runners

Boyd running
★★★★★
"Thanks Jonny, I was made up to run a Half Marathon PB yesterday! That shouldn't happen when you're 61 years old! Also delighted to win a trophy for coming 3rd V60 in an England Masters v Wales and NI final. For the past few months I've done every session you've set me at the prescribed paces. The plan you've given me has worked perfectly, so thank you for that. Outside the pure running, my diet, sleep, and cross training have all gone well which I think has really helped. So thanks again for everything you've done. I'm made up with the results."

Boyd

Age 61, Formby — Masters athlete, JM Coaching

Got Questions?

Common Questions from
Masters Runners

The definition of a masters athlete describes an athlete who has reached the age of 35 or more, though traditionally age 40 within running. Many governing bodies and race organisers recognise masters categories from 40 onwards, with further categories at 45, 50, 55, 60 and beyond.

Yes, absolutely. While certain physiological markers change with age, the research is clear that well-trained masters athletes continue to improve with the right programme. Many of our athletes have set personal bests in their 40s and 50s, including Boyd who ran a half marathon PB at 61.

The fundamentals of good coaching are the same at any age. What changes is the detail: recovery windows, the ratio of hard to easy work, the role of strength training, the importance of consistency over intensity, and the need to account for life load. A good masters coach builds all of this into your plan from the start, rather than adapting a programme designed for younger athletes.

Yes. We work with athletes who have histories of injury all the time. We will not replace your physio, but we will build a programme that takes your history seriously and gives you the best chance of staying healthy. Mollie, one of our coaches, is also a fully qualified physiotherapist and works with many of our runners looking for support in this area.

That depends on your goals and your schedule, and there is no simple answer. We work with masters athletes running four to seven days a week. Your coach will build a plan that fits your life, not one that assumes you have unlimited time. If we gave everyone the same answer here, we wouldn't be doing our job properly.

More than you probably think, and more than you needed five or ten years ago. Recovery is not a sign of weakness, it is where fitness is built. Most masters athletes do best with 72 hours between quality sessions, with easy running and strength work in between. Your coach will monitor how you are responding week to week and adjust accordingly. Getting this balance right is one of the most important areas we can help you with.

Everything from 5km through to ultramarathons. Many of our masters athletes are marathon runners, but we coach across all distances and work with athletes at every level, from those chasing age-group records to those who simply want to run well and stay healthy for as long as possible.

Yes, and that matters. Alan Ladd, one of our coaches, has represented Northern Ireland at masters level on numerous occasions and brings that lived experience directly into the athletes he coaches. Jonny Mellor himself continues to compete at a high level and, whilst only a v35 at the time of writing, will soon be a v40. Experience of navigating the challenges of training alongside real life is invaluable in this sport.

If you are serious about your running and want expert support, yes. You do not need to be an elite athlete. You just need to be committed. We welcome masters runners at all levels, from those chasing club records to those who simply want to run well and stay healthy for as long as possible.

Ready to Run
Your Best Years?

Whether you are chasing a PB, training for your first marathon, or simply want to run well and stay healthy for the long term, we're here to help.

Apply for Coaching Today Or get in touch with a question first