Meraki Performance

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Australia
Liverpool, NSW
Meraki Performance

Daniel Lucchini - Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science - Masters of Exercise Science Student - Australian Strength and Conditioning Accredited Coach

Meraki is a term used to describe what happens when you put so much effort and care into what you do that you leave apart of yourself in it. I have developed a passion for athletic development that constitutes the idea of Meraki and I want to be able to spread what I have learnt through my study and through my experience in sports science to help develop athletes performance and take them to the n

ext level. I specialise in strength and power development across a wide range of sports, both field based and gym based, as it is a combination of the both that will yield the best results. Services: - Online Coaching for 10,16 or 20 week packages. This includes week by week programming and form analysis via video
- One on one sports specific and general strength and conditioning coaching.
- Whole team strength and conditioning for pre-season, intra-session and off-season contracts

Instagram - meraki_performance

12/09/2026

Doing my dance again.

For a while I couldn't
Now I get to choose it again.

And I have never been hungrier. Hungrier to work. Hungrier to suffer. Hungrier to walk myself straight into that self-prescribed gateway to hell that is hard endurance running, and I'm going to dance in there like never before

People think the hell is the punishment. It's not. The hell is the privilege. It's where the noise disappears. Where you can't lie. Where you find out what you're actually made of, one honest step at a time.

I am so grateful for this opportunity. Grateful for a body that will let me try again. Grateful for the pain, because pain means I get to participate again.

My mojo is back, my fire is back.

Ready to rock n roll. Louder than ever.

Let's get to work

11/09/2026

I used to think being a good coach was about knowing more.

So I studied and studied
More science, more methods, more exercises. I have a fairly extensive back catalogue in a uniquly diverse range of strength and conditioning topics.

But, then I started presenting and I realised quickly, nobody cares how much you know until if they can't understand how to use it.

I still remember one of my first ever workshops. I had more than 75 slides, I tried to cover everything about strength and conditioning for runners, and I spoke way too fast. A guy came up to me after and said "That was a lot of great info, but I have no idea where to start"

That stuck with me.
Since then I've presented to gyms, to teams, to groups of PTs, to physiotherapists, to corporates, and to coaches. And the goal has completely changed.

It's not about showing what I know. It's about leaving the room more confident than they walked in.

The best part of these days is watching that moment click. When a coach goes from "I sort of get it" to "Ah, I can actually coach that." When an athlete goes from "strength training confuses me" to "I know exactly what 2 things to focus on this month."

Every time I present, I have to get better. Clearer language. Better examples. Less fluff, more do-this-next. It makes me a better coach than any program ever has.

Because strong people aren't built with complicated programs. They're built when coaching is clear and confidence is high.

That's what I try to bring to every workshop now. Practical, simple, positive. No ego. Just stuff you can use.

If you own a gym, lead a team of coaches, or have a community that would benefit from a hands-on S&C workshop that leaves people feeling empowered, not overwhelmed, I offer tailored online and in-person workshops. Send me a DM and let's put something together for your crew.

10/09/2026

The 4 Eating Windows That Count

Most runners falling apart on long runs or race day don't have a fitness problem. They have a fueling problem.

You do the work. You hit the kms. Then you fade at 75 minutes, you feel wrecked for 2 days, or you tell yourself "I just have a slow metabolism."

You don't. You just missed the window.

I focus on 4 windows. Get these right and the rest of your diet doesn't have to be perfect.

Window 1: Pre-run (60-90 mins before)
Purpose: Top up liver + muscle glycogen.
Aim for 1-2g carbs per kg, low fibre, easy to digest.
Think: banana + toast, rice + honey + pinch of salt. No fat, no fibre, no new foods, especially for key workouts or on race day.

Window 2: Intra-run
If the run is under 60 mins & easy: Water is enough.
If they run is high intensity or between 1 - 2.5 hours: 30-60g carbs per hour. That's 1 gel every 30-45 mins.
If the run is over 2.5 hours: You can train your gut to take 90g+ per hour using mixed carbs. Glucose + fructose.

Window 3: Post-run (Immediately After)
This is where most people get it wrong. They wait too long.
Within 15 mins: Simple carbs, ∼1g per kg bodyweight. It drops cortisol and kickstarts recovery and glycogen restocking.

Window 4: Post-run (Real Meal)
Within ∼60 mins: 20-40g protein + more carbs (varies depending on goals/training)
Simple rule to remember:
Carbs = Refuel
Protein = Rebuild

Carbs do the refuelling. Protein does the rebuilding.

You don't need to be perfect all day. If you nail these 4 windows, your next week's workouts will thank you.

Which window are you missing right now? 1, 2, 3, or 4?

Save this so you have it for your next long run

09/09/2026

Little By Little. Then All At Once

For over 4 years I ran over 45,000km without missing a single day.

Running wasn't what I did. It was who I was.

Then for 5 months, I couldn't.

At first you fight. Then you rehab. Then you bargain. Then one day you realise you're not fighting anymore. You're just existing. Filling the void with new routines. Not giving up, but no longer believing you will come back. A quiet, powerless limbo. That was the hardest part. Not the pain. The resignation.

Injuries don't break you in the moment they happen. They break you in month three, when the thing that was supposed to be at 80% is still at 80%. When hope starts to feel naive.

Then I went to Busan. And I started walking up a mountain every day. Not to rehab. Not to fix myself. Just to have somewhere to go.

And the mountain did what no protocol, no positive thinking could do. It didn't ask me to get better. It just asked me to keep showing up.

Halfway up, you can't fake anything. Your breath, your legs, and your mind are all there. No watch, no pace, no identity to perform. Just up.

And little by little, something un-stuck. Not because I forced it. Because I finally stopped forcing it.

Coming down, my body wanted to run. Just a little. Downhill felt safe. So I let it.

Then one day, for the first time in half a year, there was no pain. For a whole day.

I didn't celebrate. I didn't trust it. But I listened.

The next morning I said: I'm going to run tomorrow.

And I did. 10 x 100m.

That was two weeks ago. Last week I ran 5km completely pain free. This Monday I started my first real training block in 177 days.

25 weeks of not running. And now, I'm back.

Healing is not linear. It's not earned. It's allowed. You don't fix your way back. You surrender your way back. One mountain at a time.

I feel alive again. My mojo is back. Not because I can run. But because I remember why I run.

I signed up for a race in 14 days. Not to prove I'm back.

Because I am fu***ng back.

07/09/2026

Life Load > Training Load

You didn't bonk at km 30 because your long run wasn't good enough

You bonked because of your life.

Your body has ONE stress bucket.

It doesn't know the difference between:
Intervals, a fight with your partner, 5 hours sleep, or a 60-hour work week (like it kinda does, but for simplicities sake, it doesn't)

It's all just stress. Same bucket.

This is why I never ask new runners "what's your PB?"

I ask:
1. How is your stress outside of running 1-10?
2. What does your REAL week look like?

Because I can give you the perfect training plan, but if your life is at 9/10, that perfect plan will break you.

The fix is not more grit.

When life load is HIGH, we cut running volume
You don't get slower. You get fitter, because you finally can actually recover and adapt from the work.

Which one is filling your bucket the most right now? Work / Sleep / Life / Training?

06/09/2026

First Marathon Conquered ✅️

Congratulations to .faraj82 on completing to the Sydney Marathon to conquer his first Marathon!

After working together to get him to his first half-marathon at the Hoka Half back in May, Ali was determined to push himself to the Marathon. He originally planned to do a solo Marathon on the same day when he couldnt get a marathon entry, but luckily enough, the opportunity arose and he took it with both hands.

It wasn't an easy journey from the half-marathon to here.
It wasn't an easy journey from the start line to km 42.2

But he perservered; he put his head down; and he got the result.

Pumped to continue the journey with Ali as we set our eyes on continued improvement and future challenges!

If you are looking to take on your next running challenge, get on contact today and lets get you there!

05/09/2026

Small Acts
Strong Community

Because mental health doesn't get better just from self-care.
It gets better when we feel seen, known, and safe where we live.

None of these take more than 5 minutes. None of them cost money:

1. The 5-Minute Porch - Be a familiar face. Sit outside with no phone.
2. Learn One Name - The barista, the cleaner, the neighbor. Being known is a mental health intervention.
3. Leave It 1% Better - Pick up the trash that isn't yours. Care is contagious.
4. The Extra Chair - Pull out a second chair. Open the circle. Say "we have room."
5. Borrow + Lend - Ask for a cup of sugar. Interdependence is the goal.
6. Celebrate Quietly - Don't just double-tap. Text them directly and specifically.
7. Check The Strong One - The caretakers need care too.
8. Invite The Edges In - A community is measured at the edges, not the center.
9. Share What You Know - If it helped you, pass it on. No gatekeeping.
10. The Weekly Anchor - Consistency turns contacts into connections. Same time, same place.

You don't need a big annual event to build community.
You just need small, boring, consistent repetition.

04/09/2026

From 0km and injured to 42.2km in 11 weeks.

On June 8th, Elaine emailed me 8 weeks post-injury, she hadn't run properly since, and walked her way through a race in May.

The UTK 50 in November was the main goal, but she also had an entry for Sydney Marathon this weekend gone by.

I was honest: UTK 50 was super doable, but Sydney was a push. So, we made a deal;
- if we can get to a pain-free 5km by 8 weeks out, we commit to the marathon prep.

Juune 15th: We started. Strength, cross-training, and a return to run plan working closely with her physio .

July 7th (Week 4): First pain-free 5km. That was the green light.
From there it was an 8-week prep with realistic goals, detailed nutrition, and zero pressure on time. Just complete it and enjoy the experience

August 31st: Sydney Marathon. First ever marathon. 4:30:00.
It may have included some tears at the finish line. I suspect part of that was remembering that 11 weeks ago she didn't even know if she'd make the start line.

Elaine's words:
"It felt extremely daunting to go from 0km and mandated time off running to a full marathon in 11 weeks, but you broke it down in a way that didn't feel impossible or all-consuming. Having tried faffing around running without a coach for 11 months before working with you and injuring myself pretty painfully twice, I really feel that prep could not have gone any better, given the circumstances.
Tldr coaching is awesome, bring on kosci 50 💪"

So proud. Next up: Kosci 50.

If you're coming back from injury and want a plan that works WITH your body, not against it, DM me and let's chat about your comeback🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️

03/09/2026

Nutrition Timing

This is the part of performance nutrition for running that actually makes or breaks your race.

It's not just WHAT you eat. Everyone obsesses over gels vs. chews vs. chicken and rice.

The real game is WHEN.

Get the WHEN right and your long runs feel strong, you recover in 24hrs not 72hrs, and you don't hit that wall at 25km.

Here are the 4 Fueling Windows I use for every athlete from Half to Ultra:

Window 1: Pre-run - 60-90mins before
Goal: Top up liver glycogen.
Rule: 1-2g carbs / kg. A 70kg runner = 70-140g carbs. Think: Toast + honey + banana. Simple, fast, low fat/fibre.

Window 2: Intra-run
Goal: Maintain muscle glycogen so you don't bonk.
2.5hr: Up to 90g carbs / hr (you have to train your gut for this)
Rule of thumb: 1 gel (25-30g) every 30 mins.
Don't wait until you're tired.

Window 3: Immediately Post-Run - 0-15 mins after
Goal: Shut down cortisol and refill glycogen
Rule: 1-1.2g carbs / kg. That's 70-85g for a 70kg runner.
Flavoured milk / banana + sports drink. Before you shower, before you stretch.

Window 4: REBUILD - 0-60 mins after
Goal: Rebuild + Refuel.
Rule: 20-40g protein + carbs.
3 eggs + rice + fruit / Chicken + potatoes / 25g whey + oats.

Nail the WHEN and the WHAT becomes easy.

Address

Liverpool, NSW

Telephone

+61401906944

Website

http://merakiperformance.com/#intro

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