I look at this plan and my first impression is “here we have a runner who’s going to be around for a long time”. And ultimately that’s always at the forefront of my thinking as a coach, longevity over short term success.

Whilst there are only 3 runs per week, at pretty much any stage of this plan we have the freedom to add a 4th, simply by replacing a cross training workout with another run.

It might be you want to do more parkruns, as that’s the one thing missing really, but all I’ve done is switch my long run from Sunday to Saturday to allow me to keep doing parkrun and only run twice a week (3 going forward).

It’s a smart routine. Tuesday speed work, Wednesday easy (should be easy too), and Sunday the long run, race or a marathon session. The gym sessions are brilliant. You’re not only reducing your injury risk but investing in your future well being, so keep doing these. I’ve added some spin classes and even the odd stair master (I love this machine) into the plan so we hit the targets.

Speaking of which when last on plan you were averaging 122pts per week. The target here is 130, but also I’ve dropped the pts for the S&C (arms & core exercises are not worth the same as leg exercises). So in fact you’ll be working quite a bit harder during this plan, as we’d expect for a marathon block.

But if you can get close to 130pts come the end you should see a decent improvement across all distances. You should be stronger due to the gym work, your endurance should go up with the longer runs and also cross training. The Tuesday sessions will at the very least maintain your speed.

You know I really rate you as a runner and Paddock Wood was an example of that. I think you can continue to get quicker, so lots to look forward to. Believe in yourself. You’re a top bloke and a strong runner, so keep telling yourself that.

Let’s smash this plan and put in a strong run in Amsterdam.