The Amateur Athlete Diaries

Amateur Athlete Diaries
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Conversations for those navigating performance in their sport whilst balancing work & life You may hear from a fellow athlete, a coach, an expert, a researcher or someone else - but I have conversations with individuals you can learn from or relate to through shared experience. Thanks for listening, Harrison

  1. What Elite Athletes Understand About Recovery That Most People Miss | Dr. Peter Tierney

    May 18

    What Elite Athletes Understand About Recovery That Most People Miss | Dr. Peter Tierney

    As an Amateur Athletes you might recovery is something you do after training.Ice baths. Stretching. Massage guns. Sleep trackers. But according to Dr. Peter Tierney — a PhD in Applied Sports Science who has spent 14+ years working across elite sport with Chelsea FC, the English FA, Leinster Rugby and lululemon — people often miss the point entirely. In this episode, we break down the science behind performance, recovery, training load, wearables, consistency and what the elite athletes actually do... it might just surprise you. Why do some athletes continue improving while others plateau? Why are so many people relying on recovery tools… but still feeling exhausted? And what happens when your body says one thing, but your data says another? This conversation dives into hacks and optimisation trends, but more importantly, Peter goes beyond that to explore;- the hidden cost of inconsistency- the psychology behind performance- and why “recovery” may have far less to do with what happens after training than you think. This episode may just completely change how you think about performance and recovery. Because as Peter explains: “Recovery in reality is everything outside of training.” Find out more about Peter Peter's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drpetertierney/ S.H.I.T Framework: https://www.instagram.com/p/DWUKV_1DDQs/ Resisted Sled Sprints Research: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334708151_Momentum_for_resisted_sled_sprints_Momentum_a_practical_solution_to_calculate_the_optimal_load_for_resisted_sled_sprint_training Wearable Health Metrics: https://www.instagram.com/p/DU-66nYDHq7/

    1h 37m
  2. No Funding. No Guarantees | The Relentless Pursuit of Elite Performance as a Heptathlete & Architect

    May 4

    No Funding. No Guarantees | The Relentless Pursuit of Elite Performance as a Heptathlete & Architect

    What does it really take to chase elite performance while living the busy life of a Architect? In this episode of The Amateur Athlete Diaries, I sit down with heptathlete and full-time architect Lucy Woodward. An athlete balancing one of the most demanding disciplines in sport with a seven-year professional career pathway to becoming a qualified architect. What stood out from our conversation was Lucy's dedication to structure and prioritisation. Sacrifice in a sport that offers little guarantees. The reality is that in athletics, you’re not doing it for money, Lucy and many athletes alike do it for pure passion and the drive to improve. Lucy opens up about: - Training six days a week around a full-time job - The resilience required when progress stalls for multiple years - Overcoming a crippling high jump mental block that nearly ended her career - Rebuilding her love for the sport - What it means to be one performance away from the Commonwealth Games This episode explores a fundamental question: What keeps you going when the outcome is uncertain? Because being an Amateur Athlete is far from about being perfect. That can be the target... But it’s more about showing up, again and again, day after day, with that goal of progress, not perfection, always front of mind.

    1h 18m
  3. Ultra-Endurance, Concussions, Brain Health & Business: The Agency Behind the Founder of CONKA

    Apr 20

    Ultra-Endurance, Concussions, Brain Health & Business: The Agency Behind the Founder of CONKA

    What if your brain, and not your body, is the real limiter of performance? To open up Season 3 of the Amateur Athlete Diaries, we’re joined by Humphrey Bodington; founder, ultra-endurance athlete, and someone who turned ongoing concussions symptoms into a deep exploration of brain performance, human potential, and now a business. After experiencing the long-term effects of head injuries through rugby, Humphrey went beyond traditional recovery - working with neuroscientists, experimenting with nootropics, and ultimately building a company focused on cognitive optimisation. This episode breaks down: - Why brain health is the foundation of athletic performance - The real link between concussions, cognition, and injury risk- How endurance challenges build resilience, identity, and confidence - The transition from athlete to founder, and why both require the same mindset - Practical ways to think about optimising your brain for training, work, and life We also dive into ultra-endurance challenges, including self-built Ironman distances, Edinburgh to London rides, and 14 marathons in 7 days - not always focusing on the result, but for what the process unlocked. The key takeaway? It’s not the finish line that changes you - it’s who you become in the process. If you’re someone balancing training with work, business, or life - this episode may just shift how you think about performance, recovery, and long-term potential.

    1h 22m
  4. European Champion at 38: Training Like a Pro as an Amateur Athlete | S2 Ep10 | Damaine Benjamin

    Mar 1

    European Champion at 38: Training Like a Pro as an Amateur Athlete | S2 Ep10 | Damaine Benjamin

    This is The Amateur Athlete Diaries. Listen in to learn, connect, and hear stories from those performing in their sport whilst balancing work and life. In this episode, I sit down with Damaine Benjamin. A European Masters Champion in the 400m hurdles, sports massage therapist, coach, father of two, and full-time working athlete. He trains five to six days a week. He funds his own competitions. He even coaches himself. And at 38 years old, he became European Champion. But this conversation shows the far from plain sailing path to a gold medal. We discuss: - Growing up competing in Jamaica’s ultra-competitive athletics system - Sleeping on campus and training at night when access was restricted - Quitting athletics entirely and playing Sunday league football - Returning overweight and out of shape in 2015 - Injuries, setbacks, being told he was “getting old” - Learning to reduce volume and train smarter, not harder - Winning European gold while thinking about how it would grow his business - Why Masters athletics is more competitive than ever - And what it truly means to be an Amateur Athlete Damaine opens up about discipline, identity, community, self-coaching, social media, and why he believes speed is everything, even in life outside the track. He also shares insights from his experience as a coach: - Why most 400m runners train endurance when they should train speed - How periodisation changed his career in his late 30s - The realities of self-funding international competition Listen in and hear about what it took to reach European Gold at 38.

    1 hr
  5. When Life Falls Apart, Discipline Shows Up | Keaton Loader | Boxer | S2 Ep9

    Feb 9

    When Life Falls Apart, Discipline Shows Up | Keaton Loader | Boxer | S2 Ep9

    What happens when everything in your life starts to fall apart but you still have a date circled in the calendar? The latest episode of The Amateur Athlete Diaries is from my conversation with Keaton Loader back in November. We discuss how discipline is forged in difficult moments, the power of having a goal, and why boxing goes beyond sport to influence other areas of life. We talk about: Training through sadness, depression, and uncertainty Why discipline only reveals itself when life gets hard The balance between pushing yourself and listening to your body Boxing as both a lonely & deeply communal sport Learning to celebrate wins and not just chase the next goal How purpose, routine, and environment can pull you forward This is a conversation about sport, yes but an underlying message throughout centres on identity, resilience, and finding structure when things life gets out of control. Boxer or not, Keaton's story has elements many of us will be able to relate to. Listen in now and let us know your thoughts! MyFitPod supported this episode.MyFitPod is your own private gym. No waiting. No crowds. No gym-timidation. Just you — training on your terms.Check it out here: https://myfitpod.co.uk

    1h 8m
  6. You Are Not Your Sport: Injuries, Identity & Chasing Big Goals | Tom Chandler | S2 Ep8

    Feb 2

    You Are Not Your Sport: Injuries, Identity & Chasing Big Goals | Tom Chandler | S2 Ep8

    What happens when the thing you love most is taken away from you? In this episode, I sit down with Scottish decathlete, Tom Chandler, who is fresh off winning the South of England Combined Events. We talk about injuries, identity, pressure, and what it means to persist when sport stops becomes less one dimensional. After three knee operations, Tom opens up about how injury forced him to confront who he was beyond being an athlete; and why that process ultimately made him stronger, more grounded, and more patient in chasing big goals. We talk about: - Losing your identity when sport is taken away - Why injuries can be the most powerful (and brutal) teachers of lessons - Competing across two days in the decathlon and managing emotions under pressure - Being process-driven as an amateur athlete with real-world responsibilities - Why “you are not your sport” doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter This is conversation dives into perspectives, resilience, and what it takes to stay in the game, even when that path isn’t linear.

    1h 35m
  7. BONUS EPISODE | Kyle Matthews Q&A Post-Perimeter Run of Britain

    Jan 27 ·  Bonus

    BONUS EPISODE | Kyle Matthews Q&A Post-Perimeter Run of Britain

    Something a little different here... We quizzed Kyle on some questions you may be wondering after hearing about his 3,000+ mile run around the perimeter of Britain. Question 1: How Much Did You Spend? Question 2: How Much Did A Search For Meaning & Purpose Influence Your Decision To Take On This Challenge? Question 3: What Has Your Recovery Been Like Since Finishing? Question 4: What Was The Reaction From Friends & Family To Doing This Challenge? Let us know what you think and if you'd like to see more of this sort of content!

    12 min
  8. Running 4 Miles Every 4 Hours for 48 Hours | Katie Williams’ 4x4x48 | S2 Ep7

    Jan 19

    Running 4 Miles Every 4 Hours for 48 Hours | Katie Williams’ 4x4x48 | S2 Ep7

    Running 4 miles every 4 hours for 48 hours sounds simple on paper but sleep deprivation, fueling mistakes, and mental fatigue make it considerably harder in practise. In this episode of The Amateur Athlete Diaries, I’m joined by Katie Williams to unpack her experience taking on the 4x4x48 challenge, a brutal endurance test that became less about running fitness and more about mindset, recovery, and self-belief. Katie shares: - Why she decided to take on the 4x4x48 just weeks after a 50km ultra - What the challenge felt like between midnight treadmill runs and minimal sleep - The mistakes she made with fueling and recovery, and what she’d do differently - How sleep deprivation affected her body and nervous system- Why endurance challenges are as much about identity as they are performance We also zoom out to explore how the challenge fits into her wider training life; balancing ultrarunning with powerlifting, learning when to pull back, and discovering how far you can go when the goal becomes simply showing up again. This episode is a unfiltered look at endurance culture, pushing limits, and what Amateur Athletes can learn from doing something deliberately uncomfortable, without necessarily chasing perfection. MyFitPod supported this episode. MyFitPod is your own private gym. No waiting. No crowds. No gym-timidation. Just you — training on your terms. Check it out here: https://myfitpod.co.uk/pages/my-fit-pod-basingstoke

    1h 4m
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About

Conversations for those navigating performance in their sport whilst balancing work & life You may hear from a fellow athlete, a coach, an expert, a researcher or someone else - but I have conversations with individuals you can learn from or relate to through shared experience. Thanks for listening, Harrison

Information

  • Creator
    Amateur Athlete Diaries
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    20
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Amateur Athlete Diaries
  • Show Website
    The Amateur Athlete Diaries