I’ve planned ahead right up until the Serpent Trail 100k. Reason being I wanted to make sure I could divide the training into 2 clear segments. And I think it’s worked well.

So we have a 12 week block until Sevilla. A bit short for a marathon, but you’re experienced and running well enough that I don’t see that being a problem.

I’ve managed to squeeze in 3 marathon sessions which is probably 1 or 2 fewer than we’d ideally like but that’s mainly a result of the XC which creates quite a busy schedule. But I do think variety is a good thing.

We ease into the training over the next few weeks and peak at 150pts, which is what quite a few of the team are averaging across their whole plan. That’s not to say I think you should be working at that level, because I think you’ve had some excellent results off a slightly lighter training load, but equally the goals are still formidable and there’s no replacement for hard work.

The addition of “Training Readiness” to the feedback works particularly well for you I believe as the weeks you feel strong and well rested we can push that little harder. This in turns means those tired weeks, we can ease back. The notion we can be consistent from week to week, is an ambitious one and I think this new approach allows for more flexibility.

I know you’ve fallen out of the habit of doing speed work, but I believe its crucial, more so in this marathon block. And to be honest if you look further down the sheet when we head into the Spring I have pretty much ditched efforts for the off road. I think that will work well given you’ll be more focused on bigger mileage for the Serpent Trail.

But for now, whether it be Tuesday evening, track on a Monday, or a solo session, we’ve gotta to be doing that speed work.

The average training points for the Sevilla 12 week block is 132. There’s a handful on the team working at 150, and another handful around the 140, but this level feels right for you and I think you can continue to improve working at this number. Any less, well, that reduces the likelihood you’ll make gains.

3.58 runs per week on average. If I told most running coaches that is what I was asking my marathon runners to do they’d probably all laugh at me. But Paul, myself and several others have proved with our results that it can be done.

S&C? 1.5 sessions per week. So not too bad. Very important to be strong for the longer runs. The routine is consistent with Tuesday and Wednesday runs keeping their place. For the most part the Friday runs I’ve tried to ensure they are short enough to smash out on your lunch breaks. Then there is the Sunday key run. A couple of easy ones thrown in. With limited time we don’t have many easy long runs but I’m happy the big sessions will set you up nicely for Sevilla and if you feel strong we can always tweak something like 4 x 5km to 5 x 5km just to build extra confidence.

I like it though. 2025 is going to be tough year to follow but I think you can better it still. Will it be easy? Hell no, but that’s why we do it right?