So my main goals with any runner joining the team is to keep you injury free and enjoying your running. Combine those two elements with a well structured training plan and I believe success with follow. Obviously success comes in different disguises but in your case, running strong and trying to match last years times would be great.

Looking at the information you sent me it’s likely your current strength work was probably the cause of the Achilles flare up so we want to address that whilst having a much more rounded routine that will improve other areas, key for those longer distance races like Bewl and Rye Ancient Trails.

So what do we need to achieve during this plan? Endurance will be key, that will be covered with the long run which will slowly build in time. I believe running comfortably at 5:00 per km for an extended time is another key weapon in achieving your goals in those 2 big races, so there will be sessions in the plan focusing on that pace. It’s something which worked really well for me in my last marathon training block.

We need to do some hill work, but I’m hoping if you’re able to run with Paul on Sundays and your Wednesday run, that will cover the hills. Consistency is key. We don’t actually need to train too hard, but week in week out, tick off the sessions and slowly build your overall fitness.