2. A measure of aerobic metabolism.
Hello, I'm Thomas Solomon.
The founder and sole owner of Veohtu.
I’m a former Associate Professor turned scientific/medical writer and endurance performance/sports nutrition consultant, and would describe myself as a trail-running, gravel-riding, cross-country skiing, rock-climbing, photograph-taking, craft beer enthusiast with a big orange beard.
My mission is to help you improve your running performance while you learn how to master your training journey, forever.
My knowledge has been honed following 20+ years of running, cycling, hiking, cross-country skiing, lifting, and climbing, 15+ years of academic research at world-leading universities and hospitals, and 10+ years advising and coaching in athletic performance and lifestyle change.
I have a BSc in Biochemistry, a PhD in Exercise Science, and over 90 peer-reviewed journal publications.
I'm also an ACSM-certified Exercise Physiologist (ACSM-EP), an ACSM-certified Personal Trainer (ACSM-CPT), a VDOT-certified Distance Running Coach, and a UKVRN Registered Nutritionist (RNutr).
Since 2002, I’ve conducted biomedical research in exercise and nutrition and have taught and led university courses in exercise physiology, nutrition, biochemistry, and molecular medicine.
And, with my personal experience of competing on the track (800m to 10,000m), the road (5 k to marathon), on the trails, and in the mountains, by foot, bicycle, cross-country ski, and during obstacle course races (OCR), I deeply understand what it's like to train and compete — I've been there, done it, and gotten sweat, mud, and tears on my t-shirt.
I provide information you can trust!
Integrity is at the core of my values.
I don't sell recovery products, supplements, or ad space.
I'm not affiliated with / sponsored by / an ambassador for / receiving advertisement royalties from any brands.
I meticulously research and write my content using state-of-the-art, consensus, peer reviewed, and published scientific evidence combined with my empirical evidence observed in practice and feedback from athletes.
My advice is, and always will be, based on my own views and opinions shaped by the scientific evidence available, never by affiliations / sponsorships.
I take my conflicts of interest seriously: I've conducted biomedical research for which I have received research money from publicly-funded national research councils and medical charities, and also from private companies, including Novo Nordisk Foundation, AstraZeneca, Amylin, the A.P. Møller Foundation, and the Augustinus Foundation. I’ve also consulted for Boost Treadmills and Gu Energy on R&D grant applications, and I provide research and scientific writing services for Examine.com. Some of my articles contain links to information provided by Examine.com but I do not receive any royalties or bonuses from those links. Importantly, none of the companies described above have had any control over the research design, data analysis, or publication outcomes of my work.
For details about my qualifications, background, and experience, click the drop-down boxes below:
BSc (Hons) Biochemistry.
PhD Exercise Science.
ACSM-Certified Personal Trainer (ACSM-CPT).
ACSM-Certified Exercise Physiologist (ACSM-EP).
VdotO2-Certified Distance running coach.
Association for Nutrition Registered Nutritionist (RNutr).
European Athletics "I Run Clean" certification.
IBM Professional Certificate in Data Science.
Important I have a BSc in Biochemistry and a PhD in Exercise Science, but do not provide medical treatment or medical counselling. I'm also a Registered Nutritionist (RNutr), but do not practice medical nutrition therapy, and I'm an ACSM-certified Exercise Physiologist (ACSM-EP) and ACSM-certified Personal Trainer (ACSM-CPT) with a VDOT Distance Running Coaching Certification, but do not provide physical therapy. I always operate within my remit and will advise people to find the correct practitioner outside of my remit. The information I provide is not medical advice. Before making any changes to your habits of daily living based on any information I provide, always ensure it is safe for you to do so and consult your doctor if you are unsure.
I’m an accomplished health science researcher with specialised expertise in metabolism, biochemistry, nutrition, and exercise science. I spent 16 years in academia (2002–2018) and, as a former Associate Professor and research group leader, I gained extensive experience in team management, clinical trials, evidence synthesis, biostatistics, scientific writing, and peer review. My success as a researcher is demonstrable through several large grant awards, many media interviews and invited talks, and 90 journal publications that have been cited over 7000 times.
I left academia in 2018 to establish Blazon Scientific, where I provide freelance consulting in scientific/medical writing and data analysis to universities, biotech companies, and independent scientists globally. At the same time, I founded Veohtu, a free educational platform dedicated to exercise and nutrition science. With Veohtu, I aim to filter the signal from the noise and enhance science communication with high-quality, thoroughly researched, bullshit-free information about human health and performance.
Since 2002, I have worked with hundreds of people to integrate a physically-active lifestyle and better nutrition choices into their daily habits. Over the past 15 years, I have also advised, coached, and designed training programmes for athletes of all levels, from the armchair through to elite international racers. I am driven to help people learn and understand the underlying principles of health science. In doing so, it is my passion to relay accurate, evidence-based scientific knowledge to the real world, and to use my expertise to help people optimise their health through physical activity or to maximise their performance with up-to-date endurance and strength training methods. I have studied the philosophies of some of "the greats" from the running world, including Arthur Lydiard, Jack Daniels, Mihaly Igloi, Harry Wilson, Renato Canova, Steve Magness, and Peter Coe, consulted strength coaches on power development, and consulted bouldering coaches on grip training strategies. I have developed my expertise from a wide range of experiences as a scientific researcher, lecturer, coach, adviser, and athlete. I personally test everything I prescribe so I can understand people's feelings, effort levels, and recovery expectations from their sessions. With my passion for learning, I have widely studied the principles of training approaches and nutrition-exercise interactions and have always sought to understand the why in such methods. This has helped me achieve several fitness qualifications: I'm an ACSM-certified Exercise Physiologist, an ACSM-certified Personal Trainer, a Jack Daniels certified VDOT O2 Distance Running Coach, and a Registered Nutritionist (RNutr) with the Association for Nutrition. I have also pledged to the Clean Sport Collective and am "I run clean" certified by European Athletics.
With my PhD, I'm trained in the critical evaluation of scientific findings and evidence synthesis, am connected with experts, and regularly review emerging research. To maintain and enhance my skill set, I actively pursue continuing education through conferences and scientific meetings, weekly journal clubs, consuming podcasts, journal articles, and books, and taking courses. Every day is a school day.
My coached athletes have had many successes including:
Multiple sub 3-hour male marathons and sub 3:30 female marathons;
Multiple PBs at distances from 800m through to marathon;
Several top 5 UK-ranking in Masters 800m and 1500m racing;
Several wins and podiums at trail races;
Multiple wins and podiums at UK OCR League races, Spartan Race National Series races, and Hyrox Races;
Several athletes finishing in the top-5 of the Spartan Race UK & Ireland series rankings;
Multiple athletes gaining national team selection for international championship events in middle-distance track racing and OCR;
An age-group Bronze medal at the Adventurey OCR World Champs;
A Bronze medal at the British Masters Indoor Track Championships.
In 2018, I was named “Coach of the year” by the OCR Audio podcast. In 2019, four of my athletes were selected to be a part of the first-ever Spartan UK Pro Team. In 2020, one of my athletes was selected to represent the UK as an elite athlete at the inaugural FISO World OCR Championships.
Over the past 25 years, I have maintained a high level of athletic performance beginning as a rogue youngster with soccer, basketball, middle-distance track racing, and cross country running, coached in Kingston-upon-Thames by Stan Belton and Dave Lucas until 1998. As a youngster, I represented county and regional teams and by age 17 had run 52.12 for 400m and 1:56.98 for 800m. I became a little bored with running and ventured into road and track cycling, coached by Luke Moseley and advised by Jack Hill and Alan Milway until 2003, riding as a domestique for Jack en route to his British University Road Race champs win. That was when my interest in coaching was sparked, and thereafter I started observing, reading, and knowledge sponging so I could self-coach and begin to advise others. To combine cycling with running, I moved into duathlon racing, finding success with a 10th place finish at the 2003 World Championships. But I fully returned to running when I moved to the USA in 2007, running sub-16 for 5 km and sub-33 for 10 km aged 27, later achieving a marathon racing best in 2015 of 2:37:14 at the London Marathon aged 35, all self-coached.
However, something was missing. It turned out that my love for the ruggedness of the outdoors was being neglected and this led me to seek out trails and off-piste scenery. Hence the development of my passion (read: borderline obsession) for trail running, mountain climbing, bouldering, gravel biking, cross-country skiing, and obstacle course racing (OCR). From 2016 to 2018, I dedicated my athletic pursuits to OCR and finished 9th in the UK OCR League in 2016 and had several top 5 and podium finishes in elite wave races. I finished the 2018 Spartan Race season ranked 42nd elite male in the world, 5th elite male in the UK National Series, and was very proud to race under the UK flag at the Spartan Race European Championships in Morzine and the Spartan Race World Championships in Tahoe. In 2019, aged 39, I retired from dedicated racing but continue to train for fun and continue to enter events to recce new developments in the trail / mountain / OCR world to provide current information for helping educate athletes. In doing so, I've maintained decent fitness as a Masters athlete, entering several mountain running events each year.
I have always supported my own training as well as my coaching/advising with a focus on mobility and strength. I am an advocate for the mastery of body movement and spatial awareness and engage in activities like bouldering and callisthenics since the skills one develops from such activities (mobility, balance, and proprioception) are transferable to mountain/trail and obstacle success. They also engage my most important mantra for leaving the house to train:
If it isn't fun, make a change.
What did I do over the last 12 months to maintain my professional development?
I completed all types of workouts to remember and understand what they feel like.
I ran 4 races to remember what athletes feel on race day and the logistics they need to overcome.
I completed 2 long-days-out of running, hiking, & climbing to remember what it feels like and what logistics are needed.
I tested several different shoe models from Inov8, Adidas, and New Balance.
I attended 2 seminars hosted by the American College of Sports Medicine.
I wrote 11 issues of the running science nerd alerts.
I had 45 × 1-hour science discussion video meetings with Dr Matt Laye.
I wrote 1 deep-dive articles to sharpen my knowledge on training, nutrition, recovery, etc...
I updated my sports supplements tool, my recovery tool, and train smart framework.
I wrote and edited several articles and study summaries for Examine.com to sharpen my knowledge on general health and nutrition topics.
I published 4 journal articles on PubMed.
I read 100s of journal articles.
I read the following books:
∘ The Anxious Generation. By Jonathan Haidt.
∘ Surviving To Drive. By Guenther Steiner.
∘ Tony Hawk. The Autobiography. By Tony Hawk.
∘ Time Hacks. The Psychology Of Time And How You Spend It. By Ian Taylor.
∘ Road Captain. By Luke Rowe.
∘ Surrounded by Idiots. By Thomas Erikson.
∘ A Different Kind Of Power. By Jacinda Ardern.
∘ Food Intelligence By Kevin Hall and Julia Belluz.
∘ Finnish Lessons. By Pasi Sahlberg.
∘ Supercommunicators. By Charles Duhigg.
∘ Bayesian statistics the fun way. By Will Kurt.
And, I regularly listened to the following podcasts:
∘ Mind Set Win. From RedBull.
∘ Fueling Endurnce. From Steph Gaskell and Alan McCubbin.
∘ BJSM. From the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
∘ Inside exercise. From Glenn McConnell.
∘ The Drive. From Peter Attia.
∘ Finding Mastery. From Michael Gervais.
∘ The Psychology podcast. From Scott Barry Kaufman.
∘ Matt Stephens Unplugged. From Sigma Sports
∘ Just Ride. From Rob Warner and Eliot Jackson.
∘ Iron Culture. From Eric Helms, Eric Trexler, & Omar Isuf.
∘ The Real Science of Sport podcast. From Ross Tucker & Mike Finch.
∘ The Stronger by Science podcast. From Greg Nuckols.
∘ TED talks Daily. From TED.
∘ Watts Occurring. From Geraint Thomas and Luke Rowe.
∘ DataFramed. From DataCamp.
Move. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.
Follow me on
My goal is to have fun with running, hiking, riding, skiing, climbing, and lifting.
Check out my training antics below.
Important Please don't read anything into the way I train; I no longer train to be the best I can be. Nowadays, my goal is to have fun outdoors with as much variety as possible. I hunt for phenomenal mountain views to capture through the lens, boulder problems to solve, and new craft beers that send my gustatory system into a hullabaloo. My racing days are long behind me.
Access to education is a right, not a privilege
Equality in education, health, and sustainability matters deeply to me. I was fortunate to be born into a social welfare system where higher education was free. Sadly, that's no longer true. That's why I created Veohtu: to make high-quality exercise science and sports nutrition education freely available to folks from all walks of life. All content is free, and always will be.
Every day is a school day.
Empower yourself to train smart.
Be informed. Stay educated. Think critically.
