I really like this week’s schedule. It;s a lighter week with next weeks race in mind. Sunday’s sessions feels like perfect prep for that a chance to practice target pace if you want to dip under HM speed. Then the Wednesday track session is a beaut. Lots of the team did at track last week and my Tuesday bunch will be doing it this week so you’re in good hands. Should be one of the quickest smashing it out to be honest, although we don’t need to comparing ourselves with others. Any problems let me know. Keep up the great work Dan.

140 Points Target
145 Points Achieved

I think it was another solid week in the bank.

Monday was 30 easy.

Tuesday was S&C at home.

Wednesday was a solid track session and really felt some strength and speed was coming back.

Thursday rest day.

Friday was S&C in the gym and 55 easy with a friend.

Saturday was an easy park run with a little before.

Sunday long run was a good solo effort. As my feedback said, I was a little nervous but once I changed my mindset I actually did okay.

Currently I feel like the short stuff (midweek sessions) is starting to come back and I am getting stronger. The longer runs and the stamina to hold the pace when needed is maybe taking a little longer but I am moving in the right direction.

Another really solid week. I feel like we’ve built some really solid foundations ahead of the real marathon block where those big sessions will roll around. And the beauty of those is that they will be done at marathon pace. I had similar concerns myself for some of my big sessions, a fear of fail almost and I had to remind myself that I had to enjoy them and that marathon pace isn’t as demanding as a shorter distance race. In the end all of the sessions went better than I hoped. So it’s just a case of taken them as they come and not talking ourselves out of it before we have even started.

MONDAY

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9 Points
TR 65%
30 very easy minutes completed after watching Poppy singing Xmas songs in the school playground
Ah bless. Such a nice age. Not that I have kids, but my girlfriends 17 year son who lives with us a real dickhead 🤦‍♂️😂 Well done Dan.

TUESDAY

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15pts | Dan S&C

15 POINTS
Glute Bridge 2 x 20
Hamstring Walkouts 10
Split Squat Iso Hold 10*
Leg Swings 10*
Goblet Squat 2×10 (12kg)
Kettlebell Romanian Deadlift 2 x 10 (15.5)
Single Leg Deadlift 2×8 (13 kg)
KettleBell Swings 2×10 (13 kg)
Split Squat 2×8 (13kg)
Kettlebell Bent Over Row 2×8 (13 kg)
Calf Raises 2×10 (13 kg)
Single Leg Calf Raises 2 × 15 *(10.9 kg)
Suitcase Carry 2×30s* (18 kg)
Kettlebell Side Bends 2×10* (18 kg)
Dead Bugs 2 × 10* (5kg)
Russian Twist 2x30s (12kg)
Plank 2x45s
Press Up 2×15

Give this a go and let me know how you get on. Can always tweak it going forward.

15 Points
TR 86%
S&C completed whilst having Rocky 5 on in the background
A good film or program can make such a difference. I’m into darts so pretty much every spare minute I get right now is catching up on the highlights from the Worlds. Great work Dan.

WEDNESDAY

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26pts | 8 Mins & 60s

26 POINTS

Recoveries: Take 2-3 mins after the 8 min rep and 60s in between the 60 second reps.

A tough 5k session and the challenge is to see if you can hold your 5k pace in the 2nd 8 min rep when the legs are tired and you’re feeling fatigued.

26 Points
TR 90%
Fast and tough little session. Felt pretty strong throughout. 10 min warm up before track 5 mins warm up on track 8′ at 6:10 pace 60s started at 5:55 pace and finished around 5:40 pace 8′ at 6:00 pace First 8′ felt controlled The 60s felt controlled but put more effort in as they went on Last 8′ I was definitely working and HR showed that. Through a mile it felt controlled but I pushed the last part. All in all, another good session. Strength and speed feels like it’s coming back 🤞
I’m not just saying this to suck up, but probably at least 20 of the team have done this session in the last 2 weeks and your splits were probably the best. You kept an element of control in the 1 min reps which meant you could actually speed up on that last 8 mins, whilst the rest starting to flag and drop off pace. And that’s what this session does, it really teaches you to focus on good pacing so you can maintain it in those final 8 minutes, so excellent work Dan. Really pleased.

thursday

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Rest Day

0 POINTS

“Rest days are key. Our body adapts and gets stronger when we rest & recovery. Have a good one!”

TR 78%
Horrible day for weather in Peterborough so the switched rest day was lovely. Normal day at work then some good takeout pizza for the mother in law’s birthday.
I think it wasn’t just Peterborough that endured the worst of the weather so a very good idea to switch things up. Smart thinking

FRIDAY

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15pts | Dan S&C

15 POINTS
Glute Bridge 2 x 20
Hamstring Walkouts 10
Split Squat Iso Hold 10*
Leg Swings 10*
Goblet Squat 2×10 (12kg)
Kettlebell Romanian Deadlift 2 x 10 (15.5)
Single Leg Deadlift 2×8 (13 kg)
KettleBell Swings 2×10 (13 kg)
Split Squat 2×8 (13kg)
Kettlebell Bent Over Row 2×8 (13 kg)
Calf Raises 2×10 (13 kg)
Single Leg Calf Raises 2 × 15 *(10.9 kg)
Suitcase Carry 2×30s* (18 kg)
Kettlebell Side Bends 2×10* (18 kg)
Dead Bugs 2 × 10* (5kg)
Russian Twist 2x30s (12kg)
Plank 2x45s
Press Up 2×15

Give this a go and let me know how you get on. Can always tweak it going forward.

14pts | 45 Mins Run

14 POINTS

The only real mistake you can make here is going too fast. Try and pick a flat route as well. Hills will push that RPE too high.

32 Points
TR 78%
Day off work and once I dropped Pops at school and the wife at work I went to the gym for a change. 10 mins warm up on bike. 30 mins S&C. Had some lunch and then took the dog for a walk. Washed 2 cars. Just done 55 minutes easy with a friend in the sun. Now off to collect Pops from school. Busy little day.
Nice little routine there. I always wonder how working parents get anything done between the school drop off and pick up. Sounds like a decent workout day though with some additional bonus points for fun.

SATURDAY

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9pts | Easy parkrun

9 POINTS

“Easy means Easy! Not 5k pace, not 10k pace, not even marathon pace. Easy pace!! 😉”

Save those legs for the bigger sessions and enjoy running comfortably among the pack.

Thank you.

10 Points
TR 78%
Easy park run complete (plus a tiny bit extra)
Well done Dan. I did have to check Strava just to see what your definition of “tiny” was, but I agree it was a good choice of words on this occasion. I know some of the team would bluff me and used that word when doing an extra hour of something 😂

SUNDAY

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53pts | 3 x 3 Miles (HM)

53 POINTS

1 Mile WU @ Easy Pace (RPE: 3)

3 Miles @ Half Marathon Pace (RPE: 6)
1 Mile @ Easy Pace (RPE: 3)

3 Miles @ Half Marathon Pace (RPE: 7)
1 Mile @ Easy Pace (RPE: 3)

3 Miles @ Half Marathon Pace (RPE: 8)

1 Mile CD @ Easy Pace (RPE: 3)

A big half marathon session. Important to find that goal pace in training and this session replicates the race well with the RPE increasing with each interval.

53 Points
TR 81%
Solid long run and good effort. Was a little nervous about this one as I keep getting worried about hitting the paces. However I ditched the nervousness and ran too effort with a small eye on pace. As long as the effort was there the pace will be what it will be. Ran from my house to the lake, did 5 laps then ran home. The pace ended up around 7:15-7:35 ish. After the long run from last weekend where I missed the last 2 miles my aim was to complete and to finish it. I actually ended up enjoying it.
A really solid session. I think sometimes that approach is better and the pace will take care of itself over time as you continue to see gains in your fitness. Were you training for a specific half marathon time in 4-5 weeks then the pace would have been more important, but that’s not the case here. A good practice for next weeks race as well. Great work Dan. Strong finish to the week.