Two days of coached running, practical education and shared learning designed to help you build a stronger foundation for the months ahead.
Train, learn and spend time with other runners while exploring the endurance qualities that support consistent, sustainable progress — from aerobic development and strength to pacing, recovery and how the different pieces fit together.
Winter Engine Weekend
TPPC TRAINING WEEKEND · 28–29 NOVEMBER 2026
Saturday 28–Sunday 29 November 2026
Avon Heath Country Park, Dorset
£225 per person
Two days of coached running, practical education and shared learning designed to help you build a stronger foundation for the months ahead.
Explore aerobic development, strength, durability, pacing, fuelling and recovery through coached practical sessions and discussion.
Saturday 28 November 2026 · 09:00–16:30
Sunday 29 November 2026 · 08:30–13:30
Avon Heath Country Park, Dorset
Food, drinks and accommodation are not included.
Places are deliberately limited to keep the weekend personal and interactive.
Food and accommodation are not included.
BUILDING YOUR ENGINE
Build the foundations that make everything else work better.
Winter can be a useful time to step away from chasing immediate race fitness and invest in the qualities that support consistent endurance performance over the longer term.
The weekend is built around developing a stronger overall foundation — not simply accumulating more miles.
We’ll look at aerobic development, strength, durability and recovery, and explore how those pieces can work together to help you train consistently and be better prepared for the more specific work that comes later.
01 — Aerobic development
Explore how predominantly easier endurance work supports your ability to train consistently, accumulate useful volume and develop the aerobic qualities that underpin longer-distance performance.
Build the aerobic base
02 — Strength
Look at why strength and neuromuscular qualities matter for endurance runners and put some practical strength and movement work into practice.
The aim is not bodybuilding — it’s developing useful physical capacity that supports your running.
Become a stronger runner
03 — Durability
Explore what happens as fatigue accumulates and why endurance performance depends not only on what you can do when fresh, but how well you can maintain useful movement, effort and decision-making later in a run.
Hold together for longer
04 — Recovery
Training only works when you can recover from it.
We’ll look at how training load, sleep, nutrition, life stress and recovery interact, and why doing more is not always the same as improving more.
Make adaptation possible
Build more capacity now, so you have more to work with later.
More time to train. More time to understand what happens afterwards.
WHY TWO DAYS?
A Training Day can introduce an idea and give you the chance to put it into practice.
A weekend gives us something extra: time.
Time to train without rushing, discuss what happened, recover, come back the following day and see how your body responds when you’re no longer completely fresh.
It also gives us more space to look beyond individual sessions and explore how aerobic work, strength, recovery and longer-term planning fit together.
01 — Train
Take part in coached running and practical strength and movement work, with sessions designed around the purpose of the weekend rather than simply accumulating as much training as possible.
Do the work
02 — Reflect
There is time after the practical work to talk about what happened, what you noticed and what the session tells us beyond pace or distance alone.
Understand the response
03 — Return
The second day gives you the opportunity to experience training with some fatigue already present and explore how effort, movement and decision-making can change.
Come back the next day
04 — Connect
Rather than treating each session in isolation, we’ll connect the weekend back to your own training: what is useful, where it might fit and what you can take forward afterwards.
See the bigger picture
The value of the weekend isn’t simply doing more training — it’s having more time to learn from it.
Two days with a clear progression.
THE WEEKEND
Saturday is about building the foundations: understanding the ideas, putting them into practice and creating enough training stimulus to give us something meaningful to learn from.
Sunday starts with that first day already in the legs. We can then explore how fatigue changes the experience of running, what good decision-making looks like when you’re no longer completely fresh and how the weekend connects back to your longer-term training.
SATURDAY — BUILD
We’ll combine coached running with practical education and strength or movement work, building the day around the foundations of endurance development.
There will be time between sessions to discuss what you’re doing, why you’re doing it and what you’re noticing rather than simply moving straight from one workout to the next.
The emphasis is on useful training — enough to create a stimulus, but not on exhausting yourself simply because it’s a training weekend.
Train, learn and create the stimulus.
SUNDAY — RETURN
Come back, run again and learn from the response.
Sunday gives us the opportunity to train with some fatigue already present and notice what changes.
We’ll use coached endurance running, discussion and review to explore pacing, durability, fuelling, recovery and the decisions that help you keep moving effectively as a run develops.
We’ll then bring the weekend together and look at what you can take back into your own training.
Saturday creates the experience. Sunday helps us learn from it.
Train on Saturday. Come back on Sunday with something to learn from.
THE PROGRAMME
The weekend combines coached running, education, strength work and discussion rather than filling every available hour with training.
Each part has a purpose. Saturday builds the training stimulus and explores the foundations. Sunday gives us the opportunity to run again with some fatigue present, then understand what that tells us about pacing, durability, fuelling and recovery.
The exact practical sessions can be adjusted to the group and conditions, but this is how the weekend will be structured.
SATURDAY — BUILD
09:00–16:30
09:00 — Welcome & weekend overview
Meet the group, talk through the weekend and establish what you personally want to take from it.
09:30 — Building the endurance engine
Explore aerobic development, training consistency and why a strong foundation involves more than simply increasing mileage.
10:15 — Coached aerobic run
A controlled endurance session focused on appropriate effort, awareness and building useful aerobic work without turning the morning into a race.
11:30 — Review & refuel
Look back at the session, discuss what you noticed and give yourself time to recover before the afternoon.
Time to eat, recover and spend time with the group. Food is not included; you can bring your own or purchase food and drink at the venue café.
12:15 — Lunch
13:15 — Strength for endurance runners
A practical strength session looking at useful movement patterns and how strength work can support running. The focus is on learning exercises and principles you can continue to use afterwards.
14:30 — Recovery, adaptation & the bigger picture
Explore how sleep, nutrition, training load and wider life stress influence your ability to absorb training rather than simply complete it.
15:30 — Building your own winter
Bring the day together and look at how aerobic work, strength and recovery might fit within your own training over the months ahead.
16:15–16:30 — Saturday review
Questions, takeaways and a short look ahead to Sunday.
SUNDAY — RETURN
08:30–13:30
How do you feel after Saturday? We’ll use your feedback to frame the morning rather than assuming everybody has responded in the same way.
08:30 — Check-in
09:00 — Coached longer endurance run
A longer, predominantly easy endurance run with some accumulated fatigue already in the legs.
The focus is not distance or pace. We’ll use the run to explore pacing, fuelling, effort management and what changes as time and fatigue accumulate.
11:00 — Refuel & review
Recover, eat and drink, then look back at how the run developed and what you noticed compared with Saturday.
11:45 — Durability, pacing & fuelling
Explore why maintaining useful performance later in a run involves more than fitness alone, and how pacing, nutrition, preparation and decision-making interact.
12:30 — Take it back to your own training
Use what we have explored across both days to think about the next stage of your own training: what is relevant, what might need developing and how the different pieces can work together.
13:15–13:30 — Weekend Q&A & finish
Final questions, key takeaways and bring the weekend to a close.
Two days of training — but the real aim is to leave understanding more about what your training is doing.
You don’t need to be an elite runner. You do need to enjoy training.
IS THIS FOR YOU?
The Winter Engine Weekend is designed for runners who already have some running experience and want to understand more about how to build themselves over the longer term.
You might be preparing for a marathon or ultra, targeting shorter races, or simply trying to become fitter, stronger and more durable.
You don’t need to arrive at a particular pace or fitness level. What matters more is that you’re comfortable with regular running, able to complete a longer easy run and interested in learning rather than simply collecting miles.
01 — You have something to build towards
You have a running goal or simply want to become a stronger endurance runner, and you’re interested in building the qualities that support progress rather than chasing quick fixes.
You want to develop
02 — You’re willing to participate
You’re happy to run, try strength work, ask questions, discuss your experiences and take an active part in the weekend.
You don’t need to know much about training science beforehand.
You want more than lectures
03 — You’re interested in the process
You want to learn more about aerobic development, strength, fatigue, recovery and how those pieces fit around your own life and training.
You want to understand why
Come ready to train, learn, ask questions and spend two days around people who enjoy running too.
You should currently be running regularly and be comfortable completing an easy run of around 60–90 minutes.
The weekend isn’t designed around everybody running at one pace. Practical sessions can be adapted, and the Sunday endurance run will be organised so that the focus remains on the purpose of the session rather than keeping up with the fastest runner.
What level of running fitness do I need?
PREVIOUS TRAINING CAMP FEEDBACK
The running matters. So does the experience around it.
Some of the most useful parts of a training weekend happen between the sessions — talking, recovering, asking questions and spending time with other runners.
Feedback from previous running camps has consistently highlighted both the training itself and the experience of learning and spending time together.
“The whole retreat was fantastic! Such an amazing group of people sharing a great time together.”
Previous training camp attendee
“I was really pleased with the amount of information and knowledge shared, the training runs and the opportunity to ask questions afterwards.”
Previous training camp attendee
“Excellent value — I’ll be back!”
Previous training camp attendee
Good training is better when you have people around you to share it with.
A full weekend of coaching, running and learning.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Your £225 place covers the complete Saturday and Sunday programme — more than twelve hours together across the weekend.
That includes coached running, practical strength work, education, discussion and individual guidance, with enough time to explore how the different parts of endurance training connect rather than treating each session in isolation.
01 — Coached running
Saturday includes a coached aerobic session, followed on Sunday by a longer endurance run with some accumulated fatigue already present.
The sessions are designed around their purpose and can be adapted to the runners attending.
Two days of purposeful running
02 — Strength & movement
Work through useful strength and movement patterns for endurance runners, understand why they are included and leave with exercises and principles you can continue to use yourself.
Practical strength coaching
03 — Education & review
Explore aerobic development, durability, pacing, fuelling, recovery and training adaptation, with time after the practical work to discuss what actually happened.
Understand what you’re doing
04 — Individual application
Ask questions throughout the weekend and consider how the ideas apply to your own goals, current training and the months ahead.
Bring it back to your training
£225 per person
Saturday 28–Sunday 29 November 2026 · Avon Heath Country Park, Dorset
Saturday 09:00–16:30 · Sunday 08:30–13:30
Two days of coached running, practical education and shared learning designed to help you build a stronger foundation for the months ahead.
Explore aerobic development, strength, durability, pacing, fuelling and recovery through coached practical sessions and discussion.
Saturday 28 November 2026 · 09:00–16:30
Sunday 29 November 2026 · 08:30–13:30
Avon Heath Country Park, Dorset
Food, drinks and accommodation are not included.
Places are deliberately limited to keep the weekend personal and interactive.
Food, drinks and accommodation are not included.
Everything you need to plan your weekend.
ON THE WEEKEND
The Winter Engine Weekend is based at Avon Heath Country Park in Dorset, with the indoor learning and practical sessions organised from the same general event base.
You’ll receive the exact meeting point and final practical information before the weekend, but here are the main things to know before booking.
01 — Venue
The weekend is based at Avon Heath Country Park, with the running taking place in the surrounding area.
Paid parking is available at the venue.
Exact arrival and meeting instructions will be sent beforehand.
Avon Heath Country Park
02 — Food & drink
Food and drinks are not included in the weekend price.
You can bring your own food and training nutrition, and food and drinks can also be purchased from the café at the venue.
You should bring whatever hydration and nutrition you normally use while running.
Bring your own or use the café
03 — Accommodation
Accommodation is not included, giving you the flexibility to choose something that suits your budget and preferences.
You’ll need to arrange your own accommodation for Saturday night if you’re not travelling from home.
Choose where you want to stay
04 — What to bring
Bring suitable running shoes and clothing for the expected conditions, plus comfortable clothing for the indoor sessions and strength work.
Because this is late November, come prepared for changeable weather and bring dry/warm layers to use between practical sessions.
Any additional session-specific kit information will be sent before the weekend.
Come prepared to train twice
You don’t need specialist equipment — just the kit you’d normally use for running, recovery and a weekend of training.
The programme can be adapted if weather or conditions make changes necessary.
Anything else you need to know?
WEEKEND FAQ
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You should already be running regularly and be comfortable completing an easy run of around 60–90 minutes.
You don’t need to run at a particular pace or race at a particular level. The practical sessions can be adapted, and the emphasis is on the purpose of the training rather than everybody trying to keep up with the fastest runner.
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No.
The weekend is relevant to runners working towards a wide range of goals — from becoming fitter and stronger through to shorter races, marathons and ultramarathons.
What matters more is that you’re interested in developing your endurance and learning more about how the different parts of training fit together.
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The Sunday session will be a longer, predominantly easy endurance run.
I’m deliberately not setting one fixed distance because the session can be adapted to the runners attending. The focus is on pacing, fuelling, effort management and experiencing endurance running with some fatigue already in the legs — not hitting a particular mileage target.
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That’s absolutely fine.
The weekend isn’t designed around everyone running together at one pace. Sessions will be organised so that runners can work at an appropriate effort while still being part of the same coached experience.
You won’t be expected to chase somebody else’s pace.
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No.
The Saturday strength session is designed to teach useful movements and principles rather than test how strong you are.
Exercises can be adapted to your current experience, and the aim is that you leave understanding more about how strength work can support your running.
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No. Food and drinks are not included in the weekend price.
You can bring your own food, drinks and training nutrition, and food and drinks can also be purchased from the café at Avon Heath Country Park.
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No. Accommodation is not included.
This gives you the flexibility to choose somewhere that suits your budget and preferences. If you aren’t travelling from home, you’ll need to arrange your own accommodation for Saturday night.
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Yes. Paid parking is available at Avon Heath Country Park.
The exact meeting point and any additional arrival instructions will be sent before the weekend.
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The weekend will normally continue in a range of typical running conditions.
If weather or ground conditions mean a practical session needs to change for safety or to preserve the purpose of the training, the programme will be adapted accordingly.
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You’ll receive confirmation of your place.
Before the weekend, I’ll send the practical information you need, including meeting instructions, what to bring and anything else you need to know before arriving.
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If you can no longer attend, please let me know as soon as possible.
I don't normally offer cash refunds when an attendee cancels, but the amount you've paid can be transferred as credit towards a future TPPC Training Day or event, subject to availability.
If TPPC cancels the event, you'll receive a full refund.
This does not affect your statutory rights.
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The Winter Engine Weekend is designed as a two-day experience, with Sunday building on what we do on Saturday, so places are sold for the complete weekend rather than individual days.
Here are some of the questions you might have before booking. If there’s something else you’d like to know, you can always get in touch.
Give yourself a weekend to build what comes next.
READY TO JOIN?
Spend two days training, learning and understanding more about the foundations that support endurance performance.
You’ll run on both days, work on strength, explore recovery, pacing, fuelling and durability, and leave with clearer ideas about how those pieces can fit into your own training.
The weekend isn’t about doing as much as possible. It’s about doing useful work, learning from it and taking something meaningful forward.
Saturday 28–Sunday 29 November 2026
Saturday 09:00–16:30
Sunday 08:30–13:30
Avon Heath Country Park, Dorset
£225 per person
Two days of coached running, practical education and shared learning designed to help you build a stronger foundation for the months ahead.
Explore aerobic development, strength, durability, pacing, fuelling and recovery through coached practical sessions and discussion.
Saturday 28 November 2026 · 09:00–16:30
Sunday 29 November 2026 · 08:30–13:30
Avon Heath Country Park, Dorset
Food, drinks and accommodation are not included.
Places are deliberately limited to keep the weekend personal and interactive.
Food, drinks and accommodation are not included.