So I’ve created a 12 week plan to build some base fitness. I’ve tried as best as I can to work around your current schedule, so the Thursday social run stays in there, Tuesdays will be an intervals session and I know from your Strava, you and your partner, love parkrun, who doesn’t right?

We just need to be careful to build slowly as it’s always a fine line being progression and the risk of injury. If at any point of the plan you feel you can do more miles, just say and I can tweak the plan. There is complete flexibility and we can change it from one week to the next.

I will add, that once you’re a member of my team, Team Orange as I like to call it, you are one of the most important people in my life, albeit alongside 40 others (and my family of course). But I really am passionate about this having been on a similar journey myself and knowing what a difference it can make to mental and physical health.

Given we are distant and don’t know each other, please reach out, be as honest as you want, trust me I’ve heard it before and the times I can really help you are when it feels tough. I know a lot of runners who go quiet in that spell because they feel like they are failing or letting me down. You’re not. Trust me, I’ve been there, both as a runner and a coach, so just say how you feel and that’s when I can really make a difference.

The more feedback you can offer the better. Some of the team who leave long essays, say things like “You must find me such hard work”, on the contrary, they are the easy runners to work with because I know what they are doing at all times and have that connection, rather than having to scroll through Strava trying to find the latest runs for those that never in engage.

I’ll be honest here as well. The goal to be marathon ready by October is a tough one, but you don’t have to run your best race in 2025 right? It’s all about small steps. I started my first training plan in 2017 having run 2:35 at Hastings Half Marathon that year. Just last month I completed my 18th training plan and ran a half marathon PB of 1:33:03. I still feel like I have plenty of room for improvement.

The point being, don’t rush anything, take small steps. If this is the start of your journey, and I’m not saying it will end in a 1:33:03 half marathon, but I know, if it’s anything like mine you’ll have some amazing experiences along the way, whatever times you achieve.

So hopefully between us we can get your fitness to a level where you can complete the Palma marathon without crossing the line, thinking that was awful, like you had recently at Carlisle. That to me would be a success and from there you can continue to build on your fitness.

Any questions, no matter how silly they might seem, please ask.