Our running backstory

Jamie has just completed his first level athletics coaching qualification with England Athletics which felt like a good time to share his running story and our plans to bring running retreats and coaching to Old Rectory House.

I've always been a passionate runner which started at school as a sprinter then continued in adulthood, firstly as part of my triathlon journey (I was an average swimmer and cyclist at best so I always relied on my run to stay competitive!) During my triathlon days I often entered running events as part of my training including a few big city marathons which I loved and managed to get a PB under 3 hours. Triathlon requires so much time, logistics and equipment so I eventually gave it up just to focus on my running.

Moving to Somerset lit a new fire for my running passion as our location on the coast and at the foot of the Quantock Hills means we have some of the best trail running routes in the country on our doorstep.

It's not always been plain sailing as a mixture of illness and injury has kept me away from running for long periods at a time. Over the last few years I've been on a real educational journey in the search of the answers to staying fit and healthy. Pilates, stretching, Thermalism (ice baths and sauna - I've trained in Sweden under Dr Susanna Soeberg and am now a qualified instructor), nutrition and managing my running load by running more by feel have all played a big part in keeping me injury free.

Ultramarathons have been on my radar for a while and I've had to cancel a few of these events I'd entered over the last couple of years due to injury. I have my first 50km race planned in a few weeks over the hills of Exmoor which I'm hoping will be the start of my ultramarathon journey!

Having such a love of running makes me want to share any knowledge I've picked up over the years with other runners. I've recently started coaching the juniors at Taunton Athletics Club and have just gained my first level of athletics coaching qualifications with England Athletics which will open the door to taking a more specialised CIRF (Coach In Running Fitness) qualification. I'm super excited to continue on this coaching pathway both with Taunton AC and private clients.

A big part of our business here at Old Rectory House is facilitating wellbeing retreats which gives us the perfect venue to host running retreats. We have teamed up with our amazing Pilates teacher Sharn (who is also a physiotherapist, sports masseur and very talented endurance athlete) to run these events with a big emphasis on injury prevention. We invite runners of all abilities to join us for 4 day retreats which includes daily runs on stunning routes, Pilates, sports massages, stretching workshops, luxury accommodation, nutritious/delicious food, all our spa facilities (heated pool, hot tubs and sauna) and loads of advice/chats/Q&A on all things running.

If you are interested in our running retreats or you'd like to chat about potential run coaching or you'd just like a bit of free advice on the most suitable pair or trainers for your running (yes I'm a running shoe geek!) please get in touch!