Joshua Schofield
Head Coach and Lead Nutritionist
Email: joshua@pgc1coaching.com
Qualifications
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MSc in Sport and Exercise Nutrition from Loughborough University.
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BSc in Sport and Exercise Science from Leeds Beckett University.
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UKA Accredited Coach in Running Fitness with Event Group Endurance Qualification (Former Level 3 Endurance coach).
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Safeguarding in Athletics Qualification and Enhanced DBS Check
Key roles and athletic achievements
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Head Running Coach at SKINS Compression
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England Team Coach for Endurance
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Coach at the Loughborough Centre on the England Athletics Youth Talent Programme
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Camp Director of the Young Athlete Camp
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Former Junior International Cross Country Runner
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Coached Athlete to England International Representation on the Track
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.
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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.
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. 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.
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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 playing 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 interval training to help my athletes to keep the training varied, and I think training within a group of like-minded people helps improve my runners.
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 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.