Clean Break Chats

Victory in Valencia.
But not in the way most people think.

In this deeply reflective episode of Clean Break Chats, Andy and Rich unpack everything that happened before, during, and after the Valencia Marathon - from the electric race-weekend atmosphere to the mental battles after 30km, the heat, the crowds, the doubts… and the breakthroughs.

This isn’t a “what time did you run?” episode.
It’s a conversation about process over pace, connection over consumption, and why the real win happens long before the finish line.

We talk about:

Why marathon success is earned in the months before race day

Managing expectations, nerves, logistics, and controllables

Running alcohol-free and why clarity beats chaos every time

Trusting the process (even when doubt creeps in)

The power of mindset, belief, and staying present in the pain

Why PBs are a by-product - not the point

Community, coaching, and doing hard things together

Whether you’re training for a marathon, returning to running, questioning your relationship with alcohol, or simply navigating a demanding season of life - this episode is a reminder that you’re not behind, you’re building.

🎽 You’re running your own Olympics.
And you’re allowed to be proud of the effort - not just the result.

🎧 Listen now and take what you need from the journey.

In this special in-person episode, Andy and Rich sit down in Spain just days before the Valencia Marathon to reflect on the year, the training blocks, and everything that’s led to this moment.

They talk honestly about pre-race nerves, heat anxiety, gels, hydration, heart rate, and the mental battles that define the marathon experience. But this episode goes much deeper than pacing plans and race strategy. It’s about perspective. About learning to let go of arbitrary time goals. About gratitude, recovery, ageing, reduced training volume, and staying consistent through life’s curveballs.

They reflect on the growth of Clean Break Coaching, the power of alcohol-free connection, and what it truly means to inspire rather than influence. There’s talk of future races, ultras, trail running, community, and why showing up matters more than stopwatch success.

If you’re heading into a marathon, considering your first big race, or simply navigating a demanding season of life - this episode is for you.

🎯 Topics covered:

• Pre-marathon mindset & race-day nerves
• Training in the heat & adjusting expectations
• The power of consistency over volume
• Fueling, hydration & heart rate awareness
• Letting go of time obsession
• Gratitude, ageing & resilience
• Clean Break community & future race plans

🎧 A grounded, funny, vulnerable and motivating listen - recorded right on the edge of race weekend.

In this week’s episode of Clean Break Chats, Andy and Rich sit down with the brilliant Denise Hamilton Mace - podcast host, writer, speaker, and one of the most insightful voices in the alcohol-free and mindful-drinking movement.

Denise opens up about:

• Her journey from daily drinking in hospitality to becoming a leading advocate for mindful drinking
• Why the “messy middle” of alcohol use is where most people actually live
• The rise of alcohol-free options and how choice is changing everything
• How rituals, habit loops, and identity shape our drinking behaviours
• Why pubs are missing out on £800 million a year (and what needs to change)
• The future of AF wine, functional drinks, and how the entire category is evolving
• And most importantly: how to make empowered choices without guilt, shame, or labels

This is a rich, nuanced conversation about moderation, identity, culture change, and giving people permission to choose what works for them.

If you’ve ever questioned your own drinking, felt in the “in-between” space, or just want to understand the modern mindful-drinking landscape - this episode will give you clarity, compassion, and plenty of aha moments.

In this powerful episode of the Clean Break Chats Podcast, Andy and Rich sit down with running coach, speaker, and all-round mindset powerhouse John Hill - a man who has lived many lives and isn’t afraid to talk about all of them.

John opens up about his early years of low self-esteem, weight struggles, and using alcohol and persona as a mask - and the moment he finally transformed everything by challenging the beliefs he held about himself.

 From losing 70 lbs, becoming a marathon runner, and finally breaking the 3-hour barrier in his mid-40s, to choosing to go alcohol-free for reasons far deeper than health, this episode explores:

🔥 How identity shapes every decision you make
 🔥 Why belief change is more important than behaviour change
 🔥 The mental battles all runners face (and how to win them)
 🔥 Alcohol, ego, escapism and the masks men wear
 🔥 How to pursue big goals in your 40s, 50s and beyond
 🔥 The power of forgiveness, pausing, and choosing differently
 🔥 Why the “fat kid” story never really leaves - and how to run anyway

It’s raw, human, funny, deep - and absolutely overflowing with insights for anyone on a journey of change, sobriety, fitness or self-discovery.

If you’re looking for an episode that will shift your perspective and get under your skin in the best possible way… this is it.

This week it’s just the two of us - Andy and Rich - diving into all things running, mindset, training maturity, ego, taper madness, winter motivation, and what really drives long-term progress.

With Valencia Marathon just 3 weeks away, we get honest about:

• How small, intentional actions compound into big results
• The power of consistency over intensity
• Why most runners massively overestimate effort and underestimate recovery
• The difference between running smarter vs running harder
• Taper fears, niggles, and the psychology of race-week
• Training in winter and “owning the dark months”
• How ego can derail race prep (hello, Benidorm Half 👀)
• Why coaching is WAY more than a plan - it’s mindset, structure, accountability, and community

We also talk about the importance of safety in winter running, adapting your routine, and why joining a social group or run buddy system might be the best move you make this season.

Plus - we announce our FREE 5-Day Running Kickstart Challenge starting Monday 17th. Perfect for anyone wanting accountability, structure, and a fresh start as winter hits. (See link below)

This episode is raw, honest, funny, and packed with takeaways you can use immediately in your training - whether you’re targeting a marathon or just lacing up again.

Small actions. Smart training. Big outcomes.
Tune in and let’s get stuck in.

The FREE 5 Day Running Kick-start For alcohol-free & sober-curious people Who Want to ditch the booze and hit their stride! CLICK ON THE LINK AND GET SIGNED UP - ALL KICKS OFF ON MONDAY 17th November

 https://portal.take-a-cleanbreak.com/challenge

In this powerful episode of Clean Break Chats, Andy and Rich sit down with performance psychologist Stu Holliday  a man who’s worked with Olympic swimmers, England Netball, Liverpool FC, and now helps endurance athletes master their mental game through his Unbreakable Athlete program.

Stu shares practical, game-changing tools for managing your inner critic, building mental toughness, and finding joy in running again - without the pressure of constant performance.

We talk about:

• How to manage your inner chimp (and why you can’t just silence it)
• What to do when the voice in your head says “you’re not good enough”
• Why “open goal” runs without music or watches reconnect you to joy
• The power of composure, smile cues, and realistic optimism
• How to mentally navigate injury, self-doubt, and comparison
• Why the strongest athletes train their minds as much as their bodies

Whether you’re training for your first 10K or chasing a marathon PB, this episode is a masterclass in mindset, recovery, and resilience — not just for running, but for life.

👉 Follow Stu at @endurancemindcoaching
👉 Learn more about the Unbreakable Athlete program
👉 Follow Andy & Rich at @cleanbreakcoaching

Half-term fatigue, long drives, and two back-to-back half marathons… yet we’re feeling strangely good. In EP28 we unpack why: running our easy runs truly easy (heart-rate led), putting intention into the long run, and dropping the ego around paces. Rich talks skipping a 5K time trial to protect the key weekend session, how RunDot’s adaptive plans are earning our trust, and why comparison can be useful - until it isn’t. We dig into process-over-destination goals, “open goals” for mojo, and enjoying the block without pinning self-worth to a PB.

 Updates: Rich is now an England Athletics–qualified coach and starting breathwork facilitator training; we’re onboarding runners now for spring races with a big push on base building. Teaser: next week’s guest is sports psychologist Stuart Holliday on mindset, pain moments, and your “own Olympics.” Valencia Marathon is five weeks out -le t’s go.

If your looking to join us in the Clean Break Coaching community and want to take your Spring Goals to the next level https://portal.take-a-cleanbreak.com/memberships

Raw-Dogging Life: Damo on Anxiety, Running & AF Living

Damian “Damo” Sharp joins Andy & Rich for a candid deep-dive into living life unfiltered — no booze, full presence. We unpack anxiety, blips, and the gritty bits of rebuilding confidence with sleep, nutrition, and those “boring” Zone 2 runs that change everything.

We cover:

• From slips to Phase 2 sobriety: using blips as data, not drama
• Anxiety, panic, and why caffeine had to go
• Running for headspace: base-building, injury comebacks, and pacing the ego
• Parenting, identity, and choosing presence over pints
• Planning a sober wedding (6 Dec!) without the late-night chaos

If you’re AF-curious, in the messy middle, or coming back from a setback, this one’s for you.

👉 Share with a mate who needs it, and DM us your takeaway.

 Follow @clean.break.coaching for coaching, community & spring race prep.

This week we pick up Andy’s origin story where we left off — landing in Spain, fusing two drinking cultures, and trying to outrun anxiety with Sunday start lines. We talk about why consistency beats perfection, how to lower resistance to new habits, and what happens when you train hard and drink hard… right up to Andy’s 3:40 at the 2017 London Marathon and the family fallout that followed.

We also reflect on World Mental Health Day: the link between alcohol and anxiety, why connection trumps white-knuckling, and the moment a simple Google search (“Do I have a problem with alcohol?”) opened the door to community and change. We end on a cliff-hanger: the first steps of Andy’s clean break — and what came next.

In this episode

• Consistency > perfection (and how to remove friction)
• Solo-parenting realities & gratitude for our partners
• Community shout-outs & autumn race vibes
• Spain vs UK: how culture shapes drinking habits
• When running starts justifying drinking
• The London Marathon “wake-up” moment
• Finding help, finding community, starting the break

In this episode of Clean Break Chats, Rich and Andy sit down with Scott Woolley, founder of Arklet, to unpack the real conversation around alcohol: not a binary “alcoholic or not,” but a spectrum shaped by culture, mental health, and choice.

Scott shares his own shift from weekend binges to a decade alcohol-free, how picking up a camera opened the door to creativity and nature, and why he’s pro-choice, not anti-alcohol.

We explore the idea of a “hangover problem” vs an “alcohol problem,” the limits of “drink responsibly” messaging, what Gen Z is teaching us about wellness culture, and why swapping nights out for sunrise runs, coffee, and coastline sunsets can be life-changing.

If you’re sober-curious, on a break, or simply rethinking habits, this one’s a grounded, stigma-free listen packed with practical insight - and a reminder that connection beats consumption every time.