Welcome to the Team Andy. Firstly, well done with everything you have achieved so far. Looking back at recent results I was very impressed.

Blyth 10K in particular really leaps off the page and suggests to me what great potential you have to improve. It does also raise the question, is sub 5 a little conservative in terms of a marathon goal?

Possibly. But equally for a first marathon, on what could be a warm day in Spain, it might be sensible to adopt a conservative goal. Better to complete your first one feeling strong and then kick on, than aim too high and crash and burn.

It’s clear to see from some of your recent training your level of enthusiasm for running right now which is brilliant to see. I’m just wary of you not overdoing things, especially seeing you did have that recent back issue.

So for me it’s really a case of quality over quantity. Sometimes if you feel you need extra headspace and want to get out, a walk is fine. But to stay injury free and make the best gains, we do need a good balance of rest & recovery. Ultimately it’s when we rest that our body makes the adaptations and we get stronger. If we deny our body that, we work hard, but don’t get the rewards.

I’m excited though. I like the routine you and Sarah have. Class Mondays/Wednesdays, intervals Tuesday, run club Thursdays, parkrun Saturdays, long run Sundays. Even that sounds a lot, and why it’s important we are consistent with the training.

I’ve kept as many parkruns in there as possible, left the odd one out, perhaps a chance to volunteer? At first we don’t have many quick parkruns but that gives us an 10 week block to really work on your speed, then the quick parkruns follow, and hopefully by then you’ll be smashing out some quick times.

If you do want to add any additional races nearer the time, that’s fine, the plan is always flexible and easy to adapt.

I think if you get your training right though and find that consistency week in week out, I really believe you can make some massive gains. Given your current assessment of your running attributes is 55%, that highlights that room for improvement.

In terms of your question regarding stride length, we don’t want to force that. I’m always a believer that getting a good cadence first is the best way to improve our speed. If our cadence is at a good level we are spending less time on the ground, with a lighter contact and we generate some momentum.

I hope this is the start of a beautiful running journey for you. It’s the reason I got into coaching, to try and help others go on that same ride I’ve encountered. It’s bumpy at times but boy is it worth it.

Any questions just ask. Very excited to get started. Thank you for choosing me to help you with your running. Once you’re part of my Team I really care about your progress, so please never be afraid to reach out about anything, no matter how silly the question may seem.