If you’ve set yourself a new running goal that is beyond your current fitness levels then it’s important to accept that at some stage you are going to have to work hard to achieve that goal.

I love the term progressive overload which means working harder that I did previously to bring about improvement. This can be in the form of running more miles or pushing harder in your speed sessions.

It’s also very likely that come race day, there will be tough moments you will need to overcome. If you’ve worked hard in your training then you will be better prepared to overcome those obstacles and cross the line in the time you desire.

Always ensure you have the correct ratio of hard running and easy running. 80% easy and 20% hard is the what most experts advise.