Joshua Schofield

Head Coach and Lead Nutritionist

Qualifications

MSc in Sport and Exercise Nutrition from Loughborough University.
BSc in Sport and Exercise Science from Leeds Beckett University.
UKA Accredited Coach in Running Fitness with Event Group Endurance Qualification (Former Level 3 Endurance coach).
Safeguarding in Athletics Qualification and Enhanced DBS Check

Key roles and athletic achievements

Represented England as a Team Coach for Endurance at both Junior and Senior Level.
Coach at the Loughborough Talent Hub on the England Athletics Youth Talent Programme
Coached Athletes to run for England and at The Commonwealth Games
Previous Head Running Coach at SKINS Compression
Former Camp Director of the Young Athlete Camp
Former Junior International Cross Country Runner

About me

In 2019 I set up PGC1-Coaching as a part-time job to help get me through my Master's Degree. I've always had a passion for helping other athletes and wanted to help other runners achieve their goals. Since its inception, PGC1-Coaching has helped over 250 athletes from three different continents! As the Head Coach at PGC1-Coaching, I believe in marrying the science behind endurance training with the art of coaching to give my athletes the best overall training experience.

Before I took up coaching, I was an athlete myself. I competed on the Road, Track and Cross Country. I competed for England as a Junior Male and for the North of England as a Senior Male. In 2020 during the pandemic I made the switch from national level competition to focus full time on being a coach.

I now have 7+ years of coaching experience, and in this time, I have coached athletes to personal bests performances from the 800m to the Marathon/Ultras and beyond. As well as runners I have worked within several different sports. One of the main areas outside of running has been within the fitness event Hyrox taking athletes to the World Championships and winning Pro Events within the discipline. I have also worked with team sports players such as Professional Football Players, Professional Football Referees, Academy Level Rugby Players and Academy Level Football Players.

An interesting fact about me is that I once managed to break both elbows during a steeplechase race (yes, it's on youtube)! As a now 'retired' athlete, I love watching cricket and am very passionate about coffee.

Coaching philosophy

The most essential element of the training plans I offer is centring it around the athlete's needs. This is to ensure they can enjoy their running and improve simultaneously. Within the training plans, I like to draw on concepts I have used myself as an athlete and learned through my coach education. I am a big believer in using blended interval training to help my athletes to keep the training varied, and by working with PGC1 and training within a group of like-minded people helps improve my athletes.

I am a big believer in the fact consistent good training alongside a healthy balanced lifestyle gives athletes the best results in their running. I like to keep strong and open communication channels open with my athletes and build a personal rapport with them. My plans are individualised to each athlete, their training needs, and everyday life demands.

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