Episode 1612 Breaking the Plateau: How a Little Creativity Sparked PBs in Alice Springs

Episode 1612 with host Murray Stewart, broadcasting from Alice Springs, Central Australia. Murray—an experienced athletics coach and long-practicing myotherapist—explains how his dual background helps him prevent chronic injuries and support athletes both physically and mentally. The episode focuses on the hardest injuries to treat: the emotional and mental “injuries above the shoulders” that cause motivation lapses and performance plateaus. Murray shares a recent real-world case of a young runner under his care who had stalled in training and race times, and the coach’s first step of self-examination to identify what more he could do. Murray describes the creative interventions he introduced: thinking outside the square, adding new training challenges, and even enlisting a young female running partner to reintroduce excitement and competitive drive. He discusses how small, thoughtful changes to environment and training can reawaken focus and determination. The result was clear—this athlete broke his personal bests in both the 800m and the 2km after the shake-up. Murray uses this success to illustrate practical coaching advice: don’t be afraid to change tactics, vary training stimuli, and address psychological barriers as deliberately as physical ones. This episode is a concise, encouraging guide for coaches and athletes alike who are dealing with motivation slumps: practical tips, a case study of rapid turnaround, and the reminder that a happy, engaged athlete is a performing athlete. A Blind Magic Communications production.