Let’s talk training points. I’ll keep it simple. The more training points you earn, the fitter you will be. To improve we need to earn more training points by working that little better harder than before. The term is “progressive overload”.

In your last training plan you averaged 99 training points per week. The target for this plan is 110. So 10% more. If we hit those numbers, you should almost certainly be a fitter, faster and stronger runner come the Brighton and Hastings Half Marathon.

It’s a model I have great faith in having benefitted from it myself and seen so many of my runners continue to improve and achieve more goals as they earn more training points.

What is interesting is that in this new plan there are actually less runs. 3.71 per week, compared to 3.80. Still 4 most weeks. But we don’t have to suddenly add an extra run each week to get better, we just need to do tougher sessions, and that’s where I come in 😁

Each week will be made up of 1 speed session, the Wednesday TWR easy run, a tempo session (either 10k or half marathon) and then a 2nd easy run or long run.

As the plan progresses we work that little bit harder and weeks 9-16 (8 week block) will probably be the hardest you’ve trained up until this point. Which perhaps is a little scary but also exciting in what might result from that extra work.

After week 16 we enter the race spell of the plan where the training eases back so we are fresh to smash out those races and perform at our best.

The S&C stays the same, twice a week, one legs, one core, both only 15 minutes so really no excuses. You could smash them out back to back if need be, perhaps on a Saturday if you have more time then?

There are not many parkruns in the plan at the moment. I’m guessing if your partner will be marathon training as well, taking it in turns over the weekend to run on separate days might be your approach so hopefully the fact you rarely need to run twice over the weekend (we can scrap that if need be) will help with that.

Any questions just ask. I think try not to put too much pressure on yourself hitting targets. You get up incredibly early and that’s inspiring for so many, so on the days when it doesn’t quite happen, just keep trying and you will make those gains.

Let’s get the beanie, gloves and rain jacket ready and smash this plan out of the park. You got this!!