A clear training plan
Running sessions, supporting strength work, recovery and rest give your week direction. I plan around your goals and available time, and adapt the work as you progress.
Pillar Performance · Running coaching
Running coaching
built around you.
UKA Level 2 Endurance coach Scottish international athlete
I’m Stephen Mackay. My coaching starts with getting to know you: your goals, your experience and the support that helps you train well.
Already with Pillar? Open your portal
The approach
Coach the athlete
in front of you.
How you respond to training matters, as does the way you like to be coached. I take time to understand what motivates you, what helps and what gets in the way.
My experience in coaching, competing and sports therapy helps me look at how training, recovery, movement and confidence affect one another. Together, we use that understanding to decide what to build on and what to adjust.
Your running, your life
Who I work with
I coach runners from busy mums to university students, balancing ambitions with work, family and study. You might want more consistency, a personal best or support preparing for a race.
My coaching experience spans 200 metres through to marathon preparation. We start from where you are now.
Working together
What coaching looks like
Feedback and review
Your session feedback and weekly check-ins help us review how training feels, recognise progress and make adjustments.
03 / COMMUNICATIONCommunication
Communication
at the centre.
Good communication is central to how I coach. We’ve built the Pillar coaching space around that belief: a shared place for your plan, session feedback, weekly check-ins, messages and conversation notes.
It keeps our conversations connected to your training. When a call would help, we can arrange one and keep the agreed actions to look back on.
- UKA Level 2 Endurance coach
- Qualified sports therapist
- Scottish international athlete
Your coach
Meet Stephen Mackay
I’ve been involved in coaching since 2010, when I volunteered at a local children’s athletics class with Colin Baillie. I later assisted my mentor, Charlie Forbes, whose encouragement led me to gain my UKA Level 2 Endurance coaching qualification in 2017.
I’m also a qualified sports therapist, which adds to my understanding of movement, training demands and recovery.
I still compete regularly. Over the past 15 years, I’ve represented Scotland across multiple distances and won multiple national titles while balancing training with everyday life. I understand the ambition to improve and the practical challenge of finding time for it.
Training and working as a pacemaker on camps with Laura Muir, Jemma Reekie, Andrew Butchart and Jake Wightman has also shaped my development. Learning from those athletes and their coaches has helped me understand how to get the best out of people.
I’ve learned a great deal from generous mentors throughout my time in the sport. I bring that experience to every coaching relationship, while continuing to learn from the athlete in front of me.
Getting started
Start with a conversation
Tell me about your running and what you’re looking for. We’ll discuss how coaching could work for you, including the practical arrangements and cost, before you decide whether to begin.
Enquire about coaching- 01
Make an enquiry
Tell me a little about yourself and what you’re looking for.
- 02
Arrange a follow-up
Discuss your goals and ask any questions.
- 03
Onboard by invitation
Receive your personal invitation, complete the questionnaire and book your onboarding call.
- 04
Begin coaching
Once we agree to begin, I’ll activate your full training space.