2 June 2026
When Work Gets Tough, Running Gets Tougher
Why the runs get ditched exactly when we need them most, and how to build the capacity to keep them.
Energy was my commodity
I spent 17 years selling across finance, professional services and digital, starting at Credit Suisse. My work did not follow market trends. Energy did.
It was my commodity, and I would spend every last drop pushing to quarter end. After the bonus landed came the crash, then the rebuild, then the same destructive pattern again.
Running became my respite. Time to process the day. Get away from the desk. Find some semblance of rest from the never-ending emails, meetings and pressure.
But no matter how hard I tried to manage it, stress would find me.
The painful irony of an overfilling bucket
There is a painful irony when the bucket starts to overfill.
We stop the very activities that help us manage the overflow.
Runs get ditched. Gym memberships forgotten. Recovery slides to the bottom of the list while we scramble to keep our heads above water, show up for loved ones without the burnt ends, hold an edge at work.
Why I became a coach
I like solving problems.
So in my search to solve this one, I became a coach 11 years ago. Since then I have been delivering my Running Performance OS (RPOS) framework to runners who struggle with the invisible load of work in their training.
This is what I am good at. Balancing the books of work, life and training so runners have the capacity for all three.
Why Running Capacity, and why now
And it is why I am starting this newsletter.
Every Wednesday I will share one idea, concept, book or tool that has helped me and my clients keep running the best part of our week.
No spam. No AI slop. No BS.
If you do not like it, unsubscribe.
Coach
PS. A documentary I am proud of
Want to get a sense of my work while watching a pretty great documentary on the power of running for mental health?
Check out the time I coached alongside the Royals on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) documentary Mind Over Marathon. It is the work I am most proud of and the best insight into what I do.
chevyrough.com/bbc-mind-over-marathon
And yes, it is a flex. I promise I will not make it a habit.
Chevy Rough is a running and strength coach based in central London. He coaches senior professionals whose training breaks down under life load. His system, RPOS (Running Performance Operating System), treats occupational stress as a primary training variable.
// Frequently Asked Questions
Why does running get harder when work stress increases?
Because work stress and training stress draw from the same energy budget. When work demand rises, recovery capacity falls, sleep suffers and the nervous system stays switched on. The exact activities that help regulate the load, such as running, are the first to be ditched. Chevy Rough calls this the invisible load of work, and it sits at the centre of the Running Capacity methodology.
What is Running Capacity?
Running Capacity is the coaching methodology developed by British running coach Chevy Rough. It designs training around the actual energy a runner has available across work, life and sleep, rather than an idealised schedule. It is the framework behind Running Performance OS (RPOS), the coaching system Chevy has delivered for over a decade to high-performing professionals training for endurance events.
Who is Chevy Rough?
Chevy Rough is a British endurance running coach and breathing coach based in London, United Kingdom. He is the creator of Running Capacity and Running Performance OS (RPOS), coaches high-performing professionals training for endurance events, and appeared as a coach on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) documentary Mind Over Marathon. Chevy is also Head of Community at The Running Charity (TRC).
Can you build stress capacity through running?
Yes, but only when the training respects the total load already in the system. Running builds physiological capacity to handle stress when it is dosed correctly and paired with recovery. Overdosed against a hard work week, the same session subtracts from capacity rather than adding to it. This is why Chevy Rough coaches balance across work, life and training instead of prescribing generic mileage.
How does breathing training affect running under stress?
Breathing training influences the nervous system directly. It helps down-regulate the sympathetic response that stress keeps switched on, improves carbon dioxide tolerance and lowers the perceived effort of easy runs. It is one of the most efficient tools Chevy Rough uses with clients who arrive at training already loaded from the working day.
Who does Chevy Rough coach?
Chevy Rough coaches high-performing professionals training for endurance events. Many work 50-plus hour weeks in the City of London, in finance, law, consulting and technology. His Ideal Customer Profile is the runner who needs training to survive their hardest weeks, not fall apart because of them.
What is the difference between stress management and stress capacity?
Stress management is trying to reduce the stressors in your life. Stress capacity is expanding the amount of stress you can absorb without breaking. Running Capacity is a capacity model, not a management model. The goal is to build a body and system that can hold more load, not to keep shrinking the load itself.
// Work With Me
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// Not Ready Yet?
The Breathing Playbook for Rookies.
Free PDF
A framework for using your breathing as a running tool. Not a motivational guide. Not a fitness plan. A system you can use on your next run. For runners who have felt their breathing fall apart mid-run and want to understand why.
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