Chris Hinshaw Teams Up with Adidas for Free 10km Running Program

World-renowned endurance coach Chris Hinshaw was selected by Adidas to head PROJECT PB, a 10-km run training program that provides the regular running enthusiast access to elite-level, individualized coaching for free, all the while giving them “the feeling of what it’s like to be an Olympic athlete,” Hinshaw said.

Remind me: Hinshaw, a 10-time Ironman competitor, is the founder of the brand Aerobic Capacity. Through the years, he has worked with dozens of CrossFit Games athletes—Mat Fraser, Rich Froning, Justin Medeiros, Tia-Clair Toomey and Katrin Davidsdottir to name a few—always focusing on highly individualized training plans to improve their aerobic capacity and endurance. 

The details: PROJECT PB, which was released in December 2022, runs until April 29.

• In recent months, Hinshaw has been working with 400 captain coaches in 70-plus countries around the world, providing them with “guidance and support,” he explained, in the art and science of designing effective individualized running programs to prepare participants for a 10km run. 

• Those who sign up for PROJECT PB will receive a 12-week running program developed by Hinshaw, which is broken into three phases.
• The first two-week phase is designed to get the runner familiar with both how Hinshaw writes programs and with interval training, while the second two-week phase introduces the concept of rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and prepares the runner for a one mile test. 
• Once the one mile test is complete, the runner then receives an eight-week, individualized program designed by their designated Adidas coach, as well as weekly tips and progress check-ins.
• You can sign up for PROJECT PB through Adidas, where you will be given an Adidas coach, or at aerobiccapacity.com, where Hinshaw will become your coach; however, he will be releasing just 2,000 spots, which are first come, first served. 

Why individualization matters: Currently, the average runner might follow a training program that focuses on general preparation for an upcoming event. While better than nothing, Hinshaw is adamant that for best results, there needs to be a certain amount of individualization. 

• “An individualized training plan considers the event distance, but (also) focuses on the athlete’s strengths and weaknesses. Athlete-centered training plans, versus event-centered ones, are vastly more effective at creating performance improvements with significantly less risk of injury,” he said.

The big picture: Beyond helping athletes improve their 10km run times, the overarching goal of PROJECT PB is to provide everyday fitness enthusiasts with access and opportunity. In other words, to provide people with the opportunity to win. 

• Before Hinshaw was selected to head the project, he was asked about what winning meant to him. He explained that, from his experience, winning breeds more winning, because when you win, new opportunities come your way. You might be offered money, or equipment, or clothing that will help you perform better, or elite coaching, which only makes winning again easier.
• “Champions get access to the best products and best coaching,” Hinshaw said. In this sense, winning is essentially about gaining “accessibility and opportunity,” he added.

These concepts became the heart of PROJECT PB.

In light of this, Hinshaw’s ultimate hope is for all participants to, not just become better runners, but more importantly for PROJECT PB to “create awareness as well as equal opportunity for all athletes.”