These answers explain how BEAM Personal Run Coaching works, who it suits and what you can expect each week. If your question is not covered, please contact BEAM or submit a coaching enquiry.
BEAM is designed primarily for committed recreational runners who already train regularly and want personalised guidance for 5km, 10km, half marathon or marathon goals.
It suits runners balancing training with work, family, travel or variable recovery, and those who value consistency, honest communication and sensible decision-making.
BEAM may not be the right fit if you want a one-off generic plan, daily coach contact, medical diagnosis or a guaranteed race result. If you are unsure, you are welcome to submit a coaching enquiry and discuss your situation.
The plan is only the starting point. An app or generic schedule can tell you what was originally planned, but it may not understand your training history, comments, recovery, work demands or what else has changed.
BEAM reviews what actually happened and uses human judgement to decide whether the next step should be to progress, hold, modify or stop. Important adjustments are explained so you understand both what has changed and why.
BEAM Personal Run Coaching is currently A$75 per month for new athletes.
Coaching includes:
- Detailed onboarding and an initial coaching conversation
- A personalised rolling training plan in Final Surge
- A concise weekly coaching review
- Green, Amber or Red training-status monitoring
- Ongoing plan adjustments
- Messaging for meaningful training questions and concerns
- Race preparation, pacing guidance and post-race review where relevant
The service is actively managed throughout the month rather than delivered as a static plan.
Start by completing the short coaching enquiry form. If BEAM appears to suit what you need and capacity is available, Ben will arrange an initial conversation to discuss your training, goals, expectations and any current concerns.
If you both decide to proceed, you will complete the detailed athlete profile and receive an invitation to Final Surge. Your initial training direction is then developed from the information gathered during onboarding.
BEAM is application-led and capacity-controlled. The right outcome may sometimes be to join a waitlist or seek a different service.
Your coach reviews what you completed, how the important sessions went, your comments, recovery and any relevant life pressures. Upcoming training is then confirmed or adjusted.
You receive a concise athlete-facing review covering what went well, anything being monitored, changes to the plan and the main focus for the coming week. The aim is to make the coaching decisions visible without overwhelming you with unnecessary detail.
Green means training is being absorbed as expected and normal progression may be appropriate.
Amber means something needs to be monitored or adjusted. This could include fatigue, illness, soreness, missed training, poor recovery or significant work and family stress.
Red means there is a meaningful concern requiring training to be reduced or stopped, or input from an appropriate health professional.
The status describes your current training situation. It is not a grade for effort, commitment or the amount of coaching support you require.
Let your coach know through Final Surge or the agreed communication channel. Do not automatically make up a missed session or force the rest of the week to fit the original schedule.
Your coach will consider the reason for the disruption, what training has already been completed and what is coming next. A session may be moved, modified, replaced or removed. Sometimes the best coaching decision is to leave the missed work behind and continue safely.
Final Surge comments are the main place for workout feedback. Email or another agreed channel can be used when a matter needs a direct conversation.
BEAM encourages athletes to raise meaningful questions, soreness, illness, unusual fatigue or changes in availability. Communication is proactive and structured, but coaching does not include continuous monitoring, instant replies or daily calls. Time-sensitive training concerns are prioritised.
The right preparation period depends on your starting fitness, training history, event distance and recent consistency.
As a broad guide, runners often benefit from 8 to 12 weeks of specific preparation for a 5km, 10km or half marathon, and approximately 16 to 20 weeks for a marathon. A newer runner or someone rebuilding consistency may need longer before beginning the event-specific phase.
BEAM does not force every athlete into the same fixed-length plan. Your preparation is shaped around what is appropriate from your current starting point.
Final Surge is the training platform BEAM uses to deliver your schedule, explain workouts, receive completed activity data and collect athlete feedback. It can be accessed through its mobile app or a web browser.
A GPS watch is helpful but not essential. A phone with a running app can also record training. Compatible watches can automatically send completed activities to Final Surge and may receive structured workouts that guide you through each step.
You will also need suitable running shoes, comfortable clothing and internet access to view your plan and communicate with your coach.
Coaching is billed monthly and there is currently no fixed minimum term. You can finish coaching when it is no longer right for you, although reasonable notice is appreciated.
BEAM does not currently sell one-off personalised plans or fixed-length packages. The value of coaching comes from reviewing, adjusting and supporting the plan over time, not simply creating the initial schedule.
Your lead coach will be clearly confirmed when coaching begins.
Head Coach Ben Mudie leads most athlete relationships, while Coach Claire Hodgart contributes to athlete coaching and selected case reviews where her experience can add value.
Regardless of who is involved, you will receive one clear training plan, lead coach and primary point of contact.
BEAM Running may involve another member of its coaching team when reviewing an athlete’s training, recovery, injury concerns or related coaching needs.
Access to athlete information will be limited to what is reasonably necessary to provide coaching support. Members of the BEAM Running coaching team are required to maintain the confidentiality of athlete information.
The athlete’s lead coach retains responsibility for the overall training plan and coaching communication.
No. BEAM Running provides running coaching, not physiotherapy services. Claire’s professional background informs her coaching perspective, but coaching does not include physiotherapy assessment, diagnosis, rehabilitation or treatment.
BEAM can respond to the training implications of soreness, illness or a clinically managed injury by reducing or pausing training and working within any professional guidance you provide. Where symptoms are concerning, worsening or outside the coaching scope, you may be advised to stop running and seek appropriate independent care.
Ben’s wife came up with BEAM as an acronym based on family initials.
The word also reflects the feeling the brand aims to create: a beaming smile, a beam of light and the enjoyment that can come from running well. BEAM is ambitious about improvement, but the joy and long-term place of running still matter.
