Welcome to the Team. I have really tried to create a team element, that said, if you prefer running solo, then that’s fine too. I work with a number of runners who never run with the group. But they are great and there are some fantastic people to meet.

The plan? I know the main goal is sub 20 5k, but I’ve also factored in the Hastings Half Marathon in March. Believe it or not, it’s only 13 weeks away, which is no time at all.

So we’ll be working on both your half marathon pace (endurance) and the 5k speed. Both will help bring that parkrun time down and also have you really well prepared come March for the big one.

So what does the plan look like? Well I’ve listened to your feedback from the intro questions and tried to keep your routine similar to before. The main difference being the introduction of some speed work during the week.

If possible I would recommend joining the Monday or Tuesday group. I coach both, so I’ll be there to ease you in. Monday we offer 2 free sessions as a club (Hastings Runners) and also offer a free session for the Tuesday group (both normally £2).

There will be 3 other runs, two shorter easier runs and then a long run at the weekend. Again the club do a long run on a Sunday if you ever wanted company.

The long run will get progressively longer and then we will introduce some half marathon sessions too. I’m a big fan of these and they add more variety to the training, rather than just heading out for a run, we go out with a purpose and a specific pace to hit.

You may have noticed some numbers on the plan. These represent the difficulty of a session. I call them training points. So we are trying to accumulate a set number of points each week. The higher the points the harder the training.

Those that hit their targets have made really good progress. Those that have fallen short tend to remain at their current fitness, and those who do extra often end up with niggles, or even injuries.

The points have been carefully selected based on your recent training and the goals you are working towards. As the weeks go by, the training points target increases, and with it, your fitness improves, as does your pace over 5k.

I’ve not put any strength work in their yet. I think adding to many new challenges at once can cause problems. So I think if we stick to the running for now, and if all goes well, adding in some strength work at a later date is a good way to boost the training.

If you find the running is causing some aches and pains then I may introduce that earlier. Any questions though just ask.