Obviously disappointed Bogota Half didn’t happen but that 1st block has set you up for bigger and better things. Bromley parkrun showcased the improvement in your running and suggests to me a target time of 3:15 is fairly conservative.

But I appreciate the altitude plays a part, so anywhere between 3:15-3:20 in training, in terms of pacing would be a good target. Around 4:40 per km for the marathon sessions which hopefully is a pace you’re both comfortable at, but it feels like you are moving well.

The benefit of marathon training is you don’t have many weeks where you have to smash out two speed sessions, as a lot of the work will be done at marathon pace. That said those marathon sessions are still very tough.

There’s 5 of them in the first 9 weeks, by which time you should almost be in the shape you want, which will allow you to run a really good half marathon on the 19th October.

Then we finish with one last big marathon session 4 weeks before race day. Speed work will always be part of the plan, and I’ve kept that as varied as possible.

I’ve also added in some basic S&C which you can simply do at home. It’s a good starting point and some basic bodyweight work will help. Then in time we can add to that.

If we include your football session, then your training is at a similar level to mine and you’re a stronger, younger (😡) runner than me, so I’m confident it’s achievable.

If this plan goes smoothly I’m excited to see what marathon time you can produce and then I think it will set you up really nicely for any future goals.

Thanks again for your support and for putting your trust in me. There are some great Sunday runs to look forward to on those closed roads.