Training that fits your goals and your life
My philosophy
Your training needs to reflect where you are now, where you want to go and what is realistically possible alongside the rest of your life.
I believe in:
Consistency over perfection.
A training plan only works if you can actually follow it. Life happens. Training needs to adapt rather than fall apart when it does.
Individualised training.
Your plan is built around your goals, strengths, weaknesses, experience, terrain and available time. Not what some elite athlete happens to be doing.
Training with purpose.
Every session has a reason. You should understand what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.
Enough, not always more.
More training isn’t automatically better training. Recovery, fuelling, strength and the ability to absorb training are all part of the process.
Athlete ownership.
I’m here to guide, question, analyse and adjust, not to bark orders. The better you understand your training, the better you can make decisions for yourself.
And because we’re talking about trail running, your training should actually prepare you for the mountains: climbing, descending, technical terrain, long days on your feet and the particular demands of your goal race.
How it works
Once you’ve signed up, you’ll complete some onboarding questionnaires covering your running history, goals, training availability, lifestyle and anything else that may influence your training.
We’ll then have an onboarding consultation to talk through everything and make sure we’re starting in the right place.
Your training is delivered through TrainingPeaks, where you’ll have your weekly sessions laid out with the information you need to complete them.
Each workout includes coaching notes where appropriate. Anything from RPE to terrain guidance, session objectives and specific things to focus on.
But the plan isn’t something you simply receive and disappear with.
You train. You give me feedback. I review it. We adjust.
Post workout feedback is an important part of the process. It helps me understand how sessions actually felt rather than relying purely on numbers from your watch. That information feeds directly into future training decisions.
Communication is a two way street, and it is a big part of good coaching.
What you can expect
Your coaching can include:
– Individualised weekly training plans
-TrainingPeaks based training and feedback
-Regular review and adjustment of your training
-Guidance around pacing, RPE, terrain and race-specific demands
-Pre-race planning and strategy
-Post-race review and lessons learned
-Strength and conditioning guidance where appropriate
-Practical nutrition and fuelling guidance
-Ongoing communication and support
The exact balance depends on you and the coaching package you choose.
What the athletes say
“An amazing Coach. From my own experience, she works with each athlete at a personal level, where she caters for each Athletes personal goals and provides the best coaching suitable to each athletes needs. She is easy to work with, knowledgable and a lot more. I achieved my goal of improving my 60km MUT race by 4 hours, and she is continuing to help me prepare for my first 100 Miler one day. And then possibly compete at that level too.” – Alexander Spratt
“I have been training with Southern Summits, Colleen Browne for just over a year now. Working with Colleen has been one of the most rewarding parts of my running journey. Beyond helping me become a stronger and more efficient runner, she has taught me how to truly listen to my body, train intelligently, and build confidence in my own abilities.
She does not only focus on performance but encourages adventure, balance, and has taught me to have a healthy relationship with running. Colleen has helped me push beyond what I thought was possible while always respecting the importance of recovery, consistency, and enjoying the process.” –
Tamarin Moult
About your coach
I’m Colleen, a UESCA certified Ultra Running Coach and Endurance Sports Nutrition Coach, a trail runner, ultra runner and registered mountain guide based in George, South Africa.
Alongside the formal coaching and nutrition education, I’ve spent years running, racing and training in the environments I coach athletes for. From local Garden Route trails to 200 mile ultras in the Alps.
Select race experience
I’ve raced across a range of distances, terrain and race formats, including:
Europe
UTMB – TOR des Géants – TDS – Mozart 100 by UTMB
South Africa
MUT by UTMB Miler – MUT 60km – UTD Miler – UTCT 100km – Addo Miler – Cederberg Traverse 60km – Maxi Race 65km
Not everything has gone to plan. I’ve had two DNFs; at TDS following a fall injury, and at Addo Miler after learning a few of the less glamorous lessons of 100-mile racing.
As frustrating as they were at the time, those experiences have also given me plenty of first hand experience of the reality of ultra running: dealing with setbacks, changing plans and knowing when to stop.
Chamonix & the Alps
For the past four years I’ve also spent significant time training in and around Chamonix in the French Alps, Courmayeur and Aosta in the Italian Alps, the Dolomites and North Tyrol in Austria while preparing for European ultras.
That means I’m not just familiar with the races on paper. I know the terrain, trails, climbs and descents around some of Europe’s best known trail running destinations.
For athletes travelling from overseas to race in Chamonix, that experience can also be useful beyond the training itself. I can help with practical race preparation and logistics, from understanding the terrain and course demands to getting familiar with the valley before race week.
I’ve also spent years learning that good training isn’t about constantly pushing harder.
It’s about knowing when to push, when to back off, and when the plan needs to change because real life has happened.
That’s the kind of coaching I want to provide.
Practical. Individualised. Evidence informed. And designed for actual humans.
I’m also an ambassador for Sta-Cool, a South African brand creating lightweight UV sun protective gear for runners, hikers and outdoor adventurers. After spending a lot of time in the mountains, I’m a big fan of practical ways to protect myself from the sun without adding unnecessary layers.
[Find out more about Sta-Cool →]
Ready to train with purpose?
Whether you’re preparing for your first trail race, chasing a PB, tackling your first ultra or working towards a big mountain goal, coaching starts with a conversation about where you are now and where you want to go.
Ladies Trail Running Group
George based ladies, are you looking for a supportive trail running community ?
Southern Summits Ladies Trail Running Group is a welcoming, ladies only community for women who want to explore the trails with confidence and connection. We move together, regroup regularly, walk the climbs and enjoy the flats and descents as a team.
Runs are shared through our WhatsApp group, along with routes and GPX files.
If you’ve been wanting to hit the trails but prefer not to go alone, come join us.
