If you’ve got time off work then I would be looking at the forecast and picking the best day weather wise for the long run. Then we can schedule everything else around that. Any problems let me know. But everything this week has real purpose and 170pts is a really good target. A brilliant year Joe, but I get the impression you can top that in 2026!!

172 Points Achieved

I feel like Iā€™m hitting a real sweet spot with my training. The weekly mileage feels just right. Strength training is spot on. Everything feels good. Another week in which Iā€™ve completed every sessionā€¦loving my consistency at the moment. Letā€™s go with another weekā€¦no excuses and letā€™s get it done šŸ‘ŠšŸ». Also really liking the communication we have with each other. Sometimes we message each other in the week, which helps. Feel like weā€™ve got a great coach/runner relationship, which is working well.

Agree with everything you’ve said there. When you first came to me I was worried as you were doing so well and such big mileage. But I feel like I’ve been able to add some variety in there, keep you in check and hopefully make the training even more enjoyable. Getting that balance right is important from a longevity point of view but we also want to be working hard. Feels great right now and always happy to listen to your requests about mixing things up. Really enjoying being part of your journey. Keep it up Joe.

MONDAY

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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!”

TUESDAY

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22pts | 75 Mins Run

22 POINTS

75 Mins @ Easy Pace (RPE: 3)

Nice and easy!! Why 75 mins and not 60? To hit that training load target and ensure your plan is as consistent, week in week out as possible, to reduce that risk of injury.

22 Points
Iā€™ll switch up and do the progression session tomorrow. I did 75 mins at a very comfortable recovery pace of 9:30 mins/mile. HR 125, which really is all that was needed after Sundayā€™s effort. Good to get it done early, as itā€™s a convenient time of day for me, but also itā€™s good psychological training. I really have to get outside of my comfort zone to be running before 5:00am, when itā€™s just 2 degrees outside, so I can think back to moments like that, when things get tough in the ultras
Yeah it’s good to get out of your comfort zone as an ultra runner. Matt Edmonds is great with his training when preparing for races by doing some of his crazy challengers. No worries about switching the runs around either. Well done for getting up so early. Feels like you put me to shame although to be fair I needed to catch up on my own sleep today. But must get up earlier. Great work Joe.

WEDNESDAY

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24pts | 60 Mins Easy to MP

24 POINTS

Rather than just head out and do 60 mins easy, this goes through the gears a little and will hopefully help you improve running economy as the speed picks up a little. It’s still a light session but makes the easy runs more interesting. Best done on the flat to hit consistent paces.

24 Points
That session was tougher than expected. I think I was caught out by how cold it was, and quite unusually for me, I didnā€™t have enough layers on! Felt better once I warmed up. Another one ticked off
Yeah that does actually require some effort, I think it’s because you have to move through the paces. But we don’t want your training to be “too easy”. Train hard, race easy. Well done Joe. Another one in the bank.

thursday

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34pts | 5 x 1 Mile @ 10k Pace

34 POINTS

1.25 Mile WU @ Easy Pace (RPE: 3)

1 Mile Reps @ 10k Pace (RPE: 7)
3 Mins Recovery
x 5

1.25 Mile CD @ Easy Pace (RPE: 3)

Breaking down your 10k goal pace into mile reps should make it more manageable and give you practicing running at that speed and RPE.

34 Points
Quite enjoyed that one, although I almost paid the price for not having breakfast. I just about had enough energy from last nightā€™s chocolatešŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚. Quite windy again, so focussed on effort rather than pace, when running into the wind, then picked up the pace nicely, when the wind was behind me. Perfect start to the year!
That is a big session. Remember doing that in the park back in the summer and struggling towards the end of each rep. A fantastic start to the year. Well done Joe. Decent haul of 34pts there šŸ’Æ

FRIDAY

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12pts | 20 Mins Stair Climber

12 POINTS

A great form of cross trainer for us runners. Take a few minutes to warm up at find your stride but then push hard. You can real bang for your buck with just 20 mins on the stair climber. I hit around level 10 when doing these but find the right speed for you that you can maintain, but you find this tough.

12pts | Joe’s S&C

12 POINTS

Crammed a bit more into 1 session here but now you’ve got a lot of good stuff in there. Hopefully it’s ok?

24 Points
Did the leg exercises and stair stepper on Friday night, then finished the upper body exercises on Saturday morning. Stair-stepper was an absolute killer, with 102 floors climbed. I know how much benefit it brings on those hills though, so I love it!
Nice. Great work Joe. I think keep monitoring how the stair climber effects the legs. It’s something new and I know Steve is seeing the benefit of it whilst he’s resting his niggle. I think it’s certainly more beneficial than saying chucking on another 60 mins easy flat run.

SATURDAY

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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!”

SUNDAY

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63pts | 210 Mins Run

63 POINTS

210 Mins @ Easy Pace (RPE: 3-7)

This is a long time to be out running, so ensuring you have enough water and fuel is vital. Plot your route carefully.

63 Points
Decided to keep it nice and simple, by running up and down Bexhill and Hastings seafronts. Iā€™m doing South Downs next week, after doing it last week too, so no harm in doing a flat one this week. Tough work to begin with, while I was warming up, which took a while, as it was minus 7 with the wind chill! Picked up the pace a bit, between miles 15 and 23, which felt good. Very happy with that one. Got it done early, as I was watching my godson play football this morning, and as much as the 4:45 alarm was tough, itā€™s nice to know I can now spend the afternoon on the sofa!
Superb. Sunrise looked incredible. Love the commitment to the early rise. Feel like we’ve got a nice blend of these long runs and sessions over the past month or so. Hopefully this will contribute to you peaking over the next few months. Awesome work Joe.