I’ve been collecting a lot of data recently and so now I have comparisons to be made. So 140pts average, which this plan is targeting, is a step up, but I have other runners close to or under 3:30 for a marathon, and that’s the level they have or were working to. So I’m confident where on the money here.

And whilst it looks daunting, the reality is, across this plan, you’ll only average 3.7 runs per week, which for a marathon is conservative. If that worries you, just know Paul averaged 3.43 runs per week to go 2:57, 20 minute PB, so the amount of runs is plenty.

We have got what I would call 5 big marathon sessions in this block, where you dial in that 5:00 per km pace. Come race day, all being well that will be your default running pace, after so long practicing it. We keep one speed session in the plan, that’s important and I think making sure you do the easy runs at the right level is crucial too.

I’ve just started HR training and I think that could help you for the easy runs. Push too hard on those and you’ll be tired for the key sessions. 6:00 + min per km on those easy runs isn’t too slow.

I’ve put 2 gym sessions in there. I think in this block we should focus on legs and core. Given the goal is so big, your just wasting your time right now doing upper body stuff. I’ve put some runs in on gym days, thought it might be a good idea to do say 30 mins to the gym and 10 mins home. Consistency is the key with the S&C. Paul (him again) has made huge gains off just 2 sessions per week.

I’ll be tweaking the sessions slightly as we go. And I do love the stair climber, just keep that HR below threshold. For me Level 8 and no holding on appears to be the sweet spot.

Any questions just ask, the plan will naturally evolve as the weeks go on and things may change. But I really like what we’ve got in place. There might be scope midway through just to take a week off to recoup but we can worry about that later on.

If this goes well I think you’ll have every chance in September of hitting your target.