Clayton Young – 16 Week Marathon Training Block Leading Up To The Paris 2024 Olympics
A huge thank you to Clayton Young for publicly sharing this training information on his Strava account, its fascinating to see how the elite marathon runners training. Below is his 16 week marathon training block in the build up to the Paris Olympics 2024 (NOTE: AS OF 28TH JULY 2024 IT IS MISSING THE 2 WEEK TAPER).
London Marathon 2024 20 Week Training Schedule
WEEK COMMENCING 4TH DECEMBER 2023
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Moderate 60 HR – 150 Distance – 9.24 Miles Time – 1:01:01 Pace: 6:36 | AM – Easy 40 HR – 128 Distance – 5.24 Miles Time – 40:17 Pace: 7:41 PM – 20 x 80 Seconds (60) HR – 159 Distance – 7.34 Miles Time – 45:40 Pace: 6:13 Ave 5:07 per mile (3:11 per k) for the 80 second reps 15 minute warm up & 15 minute cool down either side. | Moderate 50 HR – 144 Distance – 7.68 Miles Time – 50:30 Pace: 6:34 | Rest | 8 mins (90) > 4 x 3.5 mins (90) > 4 x 75 Secs (60) – UNDULATING TRAILS HR – 162 Distance – 6.16 Miles Time – 37:31 Pace: 6:05 15 minute warm up & 15 minute cool down either side. | Moderate 90 w/ 4 x 20 Second Strides HR – 146 Distance – 13.38 Time – 1:31:44 Pace: 6:51 | Rest |
WEEK COMMENCING 11TH DECEMBER 2023
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Moderate 60 HR – 140 Distance – 8.83 Miles Time – 1:00:12 Pace: 6:49 | AM – 4 SETS OF: 4 Mins (90) 90 Secs (75) 30 Secs (60) HR – 160 Distance – 6.01 Miles Time – 38:01 Pace: 6:01 Rep Paces: 5:21, 5:00, 4:52 5:16, 5:05, 4:43 5:12, 5:00, 4:51 5:09, 5:00, 4:25 15 minute warm up & 15 minute cool down either side. PM – Easy 45 HR – 133 Distance – 5.85 Miles Time – 45:21 Pace: 7:45 | Moderate 50 HR – 145 Distance – 7.28 Miles Time – 50:11 Pace: 6:53 | Rest | 10 mins (3) 5 x 3 mins Hill Reps (Easy Jog Back Down) UNDULATING TRAILS HR – 148 Distance – 6.50 Miles Time – 42:07 Pace: 6:29 15 minute warm up & 15 minute cool down either side. | Moderate 90 w/ 4 x 20 Second Strides | Rest |
WEEK COMMENCING 18TH DECEMBER 2023
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Moderate 60 HR – 142 Distance – 9.09 Miles Time – 1:01:12 Pace: 6:44 | 15 x 30 Secs (45) (3) 7 Mins (90) 3 Mins (90) 5 x 30 (90) HR – 156 Distance – 6.31 Miles Time – 42:27 Pace: 6:31 Rep Paces: 4:54, 5:11, 4:39, 4:49, 4:40, 4:53, 4:42, 4:54, 4:41, 4:33, 4:42, 4:31, 4:50, 4:53, 4:44 5:09 5:09 4:22. 4:24, 4:29, 4:27, 4:29 15 minute warm up & 15 minute cool down either side. | AM –Moderate 60 HR – 145 Distance – 9.04 Miles Time – 1:00:11 Pace: 6:39 PM – Easy 45 HR – 125 Distance – 5.60 Miles Time – 45:10 Pace: 8:03 | Rest | 15 mins (3) > 3 x 1 min hill rep > 5 x 45 second hill rep > 4 x 30 second hill rep HR – 155 Distance – 6.33 Miles Time – 41:35 Pace: 6:34 15 minute warm up & 15 minute cool down either side. Rep Paces: 5:47 5:47, 5:41, 6:01 5:20, 5:23, 5:23, 5:19, 5:22 5:10, 5:12, 4:52,4, 5:05 | Moderate 90 w/ 4 x 20 Second Strides | Rest |
WEEK COMMENCING 25TH DECEMBER 2023
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Rest | Rest | 20 Mins Easy > 6 x 30 second surges (60) > 20 Mins Moderate HR – 140 Distance – 6.78 Miles Time – 49:20 Pace: 7:16 | HEREFORD CHRISTMAS 10K 34:38 – 5TH PLACE Notes: Hilly course and bad weather, very happy with the run. Ave GAP pace 5:21 per mile. HR – 165 Distance – 6.27 Miles Time – 34:38 Pace: 5:31 | Easy 40 HR – 125 Distance – 5.13 Miles Time – 40:10 Pace: 7:49 | 30 Progressive > 8 Mins (1) 6 Mins (1) 8 Mins (1) > 10 Easy > 30 Moderate HR – 156 Distance – 14.08 Miles Time – 1:34:15 Pace: 6:41 | Rest |
WEEK COMMENCING 1ST JANUARY 2024
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Moderate 60 HR – 149 Distance – 9.16 Miles Time – 1:00:11 Pace: 6:34 | AM – 10 x 2.5 mins (90) HR – 159 Distance – 6.23 Miles Time – 38:34 Pace: 6:11 Rep Paces: 5:19, 5:15, 5:14, 5:13, 5:16, 5:08, 5:21, 5:11, 5:24, 5:22 15 minute warm up & 15 minute cool down either side. PM – Easy 45 HR – 126 Distance – 5.01 Miles Time – 40:13 Pace: 8:01 | Moderate 60 HR – 147 Distance – 8.95 Miles Time – 1:00:10 Pace: 6:43 | Rest | 10 mins (1) 4 x 1 min (90) 10 mins (3) 8 x 30 sec hills Rep Paces: 5:47 5:04, 5:06, 5:05, 4:56 5:45 5:14, 5:10, 5:17, 5:15, 5:12, 5:06, 5:14, 5:11 HR – 156 Distance – 6.95 Miles Time – 44:31 Pace: 6:24 15 minute warm up & 15 minute cool down either side. | Moderate 90 w/ 4 x 20 Second Strides HR – 150 Distance – 14.40 Miles Time – 1:33:48 Pace: 6:31 | Rest |
WEEK COMMENCING 8TH JANUARY 2024
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| REST | AM – Easy 30 HR – 124 Distance – 3.84 Miles Time – 30:14 Pace: 7:52 PM – Easy 45 HR – 128 Distance – 5.60 Miles Time – 43:11 Pace: 7:42 | Moderate 45 HR – 142 Distance – 6.78 Miles Time – 45:13 Pace: 6:40 | Easy 50 Back feels fine how, sesh tomorrow HR – 129 Distance – 6.48 Miles Time – 50:12 Pace: 7:44 | 4 sets of 400m (400m) 300m (300m) 200m (200m) 100m (100m) Hardest workout of the block, not built for that top end speed, kind of enjoyed it though HR – 162 Distance – 4.92 Miles Time – 29:27 Pace: 5:59 15 minute warm up & 15 minute cool down either side. | Long run with Matt HR – 150 Distance – 15.01 Miles Time – 1:41:30 Pace: 6:46 | Rest |
Summer 2023 10k Training – 32 Minute Attempt
Week One
Monday – 50 Mins Moderate + 6 x 20s strides
Tuesday AM – 15 Min Warm Up > 6 x 2 Mins (60) 4 x 30 Seconds (90) > 15 Min Cool Down
Tuesday PM – 55 Min Easy Run
Wednesday – Rest Day
Thursday – 15 Min Warm Up > 6 Min Tempo (90) 2x[2.5 Mins (90) 90 Seconds (90) 1 Min (1)] (90) 6 Min Tempo > 15 Min Cool Down
Friday – 50 Mins Easy
Saturday – 75 Mins Moderate
Sunday – Rest Day
Weekly Total – 49.41 Miles
Week Two
Monday – 50 Mins Moderate + 6 x 20s strides
Tuesday AM – 15 Min Warm Up > 8 Mins Tempo (2) 6 x 90 Seconds (90) > 15 Min Cool Down
Tuesday PM – 53.5 Min Easy Run
Wednesday – Rest Day
Thursday – 3 Min Warm Up > 10 Mins Tempo (2) 5x[2 Mins (90) 2 x 45 Seconds (60)] 5×30 Seconds (60) > 3 Min Cool Down (warm up & cool down cut short due to oversleeping)
Friday – 30 Mins Easy (meant to be 50 mins but overslept again)
Saturday – 75 Mins Moderate
Sunday – Rest Day
Weekly Total – 49.39 Miles
Week Three
Monday – 50 Mins Moderate + 6 x 20s strides
Tuesday AM – 15 Min Warm Up > 6 Mins (2) 5x[2 Mins (75)] 5x[45 Seconds (30)] > 15 Min Cool Down
Tuesday PM – 1 Hour Easy Run
Wednesday – Rest Day
Thursday – 15 Min Warm Up > 6 Mins (90) 2x[3 Mins (90) 4×90 Seconds (75)] 6×30 Seconds (60) > 15 Min Cool Down
Friday – 50 Mins Easy
Saturday – 80 Mins Moderate (77 Mins As I Had To Cut It Short – Only 3 Minutes Though)
Sunday – Rest Day
Weekly Total – 55.94 Miles
Week Four
Monday – 30 Mins Easy + 5 x 30s strides
Tuesday AM – 15 Min Warm Up > Rose Inn 4 Mile Race (21:54) > 15 Min Cool Down
Wednesday – Rest Day
Thursday – 15 Min Warm Up > 10 Mins (2) 10×75 Seconds (60) 4×30 Seconds (60) > 15 Min Cool Down
Friday – 50 Mins Easy
Saturday – 80 Mins Moderate + 4 x 20 Second Strides
Sunday – Rest Day
Weekly Total – 42.19 Miles
Week Five
Monday – 50 Mins Moderate + 6 x 20s strides
Tuesday AM – 15 Min Warm Up > 7 Mins (6) 2x[2.5 Mins (3) 3×75 Seconds (60)] (3 Mins Between Sets) > 10 Min Cool Down
Tuesday PM – 1 Hour Easy Run
Wednesday – Rest Day
Thursday – 15 Min Warm Up > 5×3 Mins (90) 6×90 Seconds (60) 6×30 Seconds (60) > 10 Min Cool Down
Friday – Rest Day (Missed A Run)
Saturday – 20 Mins Steady (2) > 6×20 Second Strides (60) > 8 Min Tempo (90) > 5×75 Seconds (60) > 5 Min Tempo > 30mins steady
Sunday – Rest Day
Weekly Total – 49.20 Miles
Week Six
Monday – 75 Mins Easy + 4 x 20s strides
Tuesday AM – 15 Min Warm Up > 6 Mins (2) 3x[3 Mins (90) 2 Mins (90) 1 Min (1)] 4x[45 Seconds (30) 30 Seconds (30)] > 15 Min Cool Down
Tuesday PM – 1 Hour Easy Run
Wednesday – Rest Day
Thursday – 15 Min Warm Up > 4 x [3.5 Mins (45) 30 Seconds (2)] > 15 Min Cool Down
Friday – 50 Mins Easy
Saturday – Rest Day
Sunday – 30 Mins Easy + 6 x 20 Second Strides
Weekly Total – 47.94
Week Seven
Monday – 10 Min Warm Up > Frampton 10k > 10 Min Cool Down
Tuesday – 50 Mins Easy
Wednesday – 60 Mins Moderate
Thursday – Rest Day
Friday – Moderate 50 Mins
Saturday – 15 Mins Warm Up > 6 Mins (3) 6x[90 Seconds (90) 45 Seconds (60)]
Sunday – Rest Day
Weekly Total – 41.97
Week Eight
Monday – 40 Mins Moderate
Tuesday AM – 15 Min Warm Up > 2 x 5 Mins (90) 2 x 4 Mins (90) 2 x 3 Mins (90) 2 x 2 Mins (90) > 15 Min Cool Down
Tuesday PM – 50 Mins Easy Run
Wednesday – Rest Day
Thursday – 20 Mins Moderate (2) > 6 x 20s strides (60) > 10 Min Tempo (90) > 2 x 5 Mins (90) > 2 x 3 Mins (90) > 30 Mins Moderate (90 Mins total)
Friday – 50 Mins Easy
Saturday – 15 Min Warm Up > 6 Mins (3) 800m (3) [600m (60) 200m] (3) [500m (60) 300m] (3) [400m (60) 400m] (3) 4x200m (90) > 15 Min Cool Down
Sunday – Rest Day
Weekly Total – 53.43
Week Nine
Monday – 40 Mins Easy
Tuesday – 20 Mins Easy > 6 x 20 Sec Strides > 10 Mins Moderate
Wednesday – 15 Min Warm Up > Bristol Track Club 5k > 2 x 2 mins (90) 2 x 1 mins (75) 2 x 30 seconds (60) > 15 Min Cool Down
Thursday – Rest Day
Friday – 15 Min Warm Up > 10 Mins (2) > 3 x 3 mins (90) > 10 Min Cool Down (cut workout short due to back back)
Saturday – 90 Mins Moderate
Sunday – Rest Day
Weekly Total – 40.47
Week Ten
Monday – 50 Mins Moderate + 6 x 20 Second Strides
Tuesday – 15 Min Warm Up > 4 x 3 Mins (75) 4 x 90 Seconds (90) > 15 Min Cool Down
Wednesday – 40 Min Progression (7:49 > 6:21)
Thursday – Rest Day
Friday – 30 Mins Easy + 6 x 20 Sec Strides
Saturday – MAGOR 10k
Sunday – Rest Day
Weekly Total –
Newport Marathon Training 2023
Week 1
Monday – 45 Mins Easy
Tuesday AM – MLR 75 Mins Steady
Tuesday PM – 45 Mins Easy
Wednesday – 15 Mins Warm Up > 2x[5 mins(3) 2x3mins (90) 3x1min (60)], (3 mins rest) 4×30 seconds (60) > 15 Mins Cool Down
Thursday – Rest Day
Friday – 50 Mins Easy
Saturday – 2 Hour Steady Long Run
Sunday – Rest
Week 2
Monday – 45 Mins Easy
Tuesday AM – MLR 80 Mins Steady
Tuesday PM – 45 Mins Easy
Wednesday – 15 Mins Warm Up > 10x 3 mins OFF / 3 mins ON (over and under tempo) > 15 Mins Cool Down
Thursday – Rest Day
Friday – 50 Mins Easy
Saturday – 60 Mins Steady > 5 x 3 mins @ tempo effort w/ 3 mins float > 30 mins steady (2 hours total)
Sunday – Rest
Week 3
Monday – 45 Mins Easy
Tuesday AM – MLR 90 Mins Steady
Tuesday PM – 45 Mins Easy
Wednesday – 15 Mins Warm Up > 2x[5 mins (90) 4×90 seconds (60)] + 5 mins (90), 4×30 seconds (90) > 15 Mins Cool Down
Thursday – Rest Day
Friday – 60 Mins Steady (light steady effort)
Saturday – 2 Hours Steady > 30 Mins @ MP ( 2 hours 30 mins total)
Sunday – Rest
Week 4 – DOWN WEEK
Monday – 45 Mins Easy
Tuesday AM – MLR 75 Mins Steady
Week 5
Monday – 45 Mins Easy
Tuesday AM – MLR 90 Mins Steady
Week 6
Monday – 45 Mins Easy
Tuesday AM – MLR 90 Mins Steady
Week 7
Monday – 45 Mins Easy
Tuesday AM – MLR 90 Mins Steady (I only did 80 mins)
Week 8 – DOWN WEEK
Monday – 45 Mins Easy
Tuesday AM – MLR 80 Mins Steady
Week 9
Monday – Intention was 45 Mins Easy but had a rest day instead
Tuesday AM – MLR 90 Mins Steady
Week 10
Monday – 45 Mins Easy
Tuesday AM – MLR 90 Mins Steady
Week 11
Monday – 45 Mins Easy
Tuesday AM – MLR 90 Mins Steady
Week 12
Monday – 45 Mins Easy
Tuesday AM – MLR 80 Mins Steady
NOTE – This week was meant to have a 70 minute steady run friday then long run saturday but I picked up a glute/groin niggle this weekend so skipped the Friday steady, moved the long run to Friday and rested for the weekend.
Week 13
Monday – 45 Mins Easy
Tuesday AM – MLR 60 Mins Steady
Winter 10k Training With Will Bryan
Week 1
Monday – 15 minute warm up > drills & strides > 3 x 1k w/ 2 mins rest > 4 mins rest > 6 x 300m w/60 seconds rest > 15 Minute Cool Down
Tuesday – 45 minutes easy
Wednesday AM – 15 minute warm up > drills & strides > 8 mins (90 seconds) > 2 x 6 mins (90 seconds) > 4 x 30 seconds (90 seconds) > 15 minute cool down
Wednesday PM – 45 minutes easy
Thursday – Rest Day
Friday – 40 minutes moderate with 4 x 20 second strides
Saturday – 1.5 mile warm up > XC Race (10k) > 1.5 mile cool down
Sunday – Rest Day
Weekly Mileage Total – 43.48 miles
Week 2
Monday – 15 minute warm up > drills & strides > 1 mile, 3 mins rest
4 x (300,200,200 all with 90 seconds rest), 2 mins rest (should of been 3 but ran out of time), 1k > 15 minute cool down
Tuesday – 40 minutes easy
Wednesday – 45 minutes easy with 4 x 20 second strides
Thursday AM – 15 minute warm up > drills & strides > 8 x 3 minutes (90 seconds recovery) > 4 x 30 seconds (90 seconds recovery) > 15 minute cool down
Thursday PM – 40 minutes easy
Friday – rest day
Saturday – 20 mins moderate > 3 x 5 mins tempo (60 seconds jog) > 20 mins moderate > 4 x 20 second strides
Weekly Mileage Total – 43.73 miles
Week 3
Monday – 15 minute warm up > drills & strides > 2k tempo 10 x 200m w/60 seconds jog 1k 5 x 200m w/ 90 seconds jog > 15 minute cool down
Tuesday – 45 minutes easy
Wednesday AM – 15 minute warm up > drills & strides > 2 x (5 mins (90) > 3 mins (90) > 2 mins (60) > 1 min (60)) > 4 x 30 seconds (60) > 15 minute cool down
Wednesday PM – 45 minutes easy
Thursday – Rest day
Friday – 30 minutes moderate
Saturday – 20 minutes easy with 4 x 20 second strides
Sunday – Newent 9 Race – 33:25 – 3rd Place
Weekly Mileage Total – 46.32 miles
Week 4
Monday – 50 minutes easy
** Tuesday – 25mins steady -> 10 minutes (60), 6 minutes (60), 10 minutes (60) -> 30mins steady (2 mins) 4×20″ strides
DUE TO ILLNESS I DID NOT COMPLETE DID SO MISSED TUESDAYS RUN AND RESTED
Wednesday – 60 minute easy
** Thursday – 15 minute warm up > 1200m (3), 4x[600m (90) 2x300m (75)], 2x[200m (75)] >15 minute cool down
DITCHED THIS SESSION AND DID THE LONG RUN INSTEAD THAT WAS SCHEDULED FOR TUESDAY
Friday – Easy 40 minutes
Saturday – 15 minute warm up > 8mins @ 10k effort (90) 4mins @ 5k effort (90s) 7x[75s (60) 45s (60)] + 4x30s (45) >15 minute cool down
Sunday – Rest
Weekly Mileage Total – 45.08 miles
Week 5
Monday – 15 minutes warm up > 2K (3 mins) > 2x[800m (90) 3x400m (75)], (90) > 6x200m (60″) > 15 minutes cool down
Tuesday – Easy 50 minutes
Wednesday – 5 minutes warm up (should of been 15) > 4 x 6 minutes @ just above goal race pace (90) > 4 x 30 seconds (60) > 5 minutes cool down ( should of been 15 )
Thursday – Rest Day
Friday – Moderate 60 minutes + 4 ATP hills ( 8 seconds all out (90))
Saturday – 30mins moderate > 3 x 10 minutes tempo (60) > 30 mins moderate (2 minute jog) 4 x 20s strides (40)
Sunday – Rest Day
Weekly Mileage Total – 53.80 miles
Week 6
Monday – 15 minutes warm up > 16 x 400m (60) > 15 minutes cool down
Tuesday – Easy 50 minutes
Wednesday AM – Easy 45 minutes
Wednesday PM – 10 minutes Warm Up > 5mins, 2x4mins, 2x3mins, 4x2mins, 5x1min All Off 90s > 10 minutes cool down
Thursday – Rest Day
Friday – Moderate 45 minutes + 4 x ATP hills
Saturday – 30mins steady > 15min Tempo (90) 4x60s (60) 10min Tempo (90) > 30 mins steady rest (2) 4x20s strides
Sunday – Rest Day
Weekly Mileage Total – 53.38 miles
Week 7
Monday – 12 minutes warm up > 2x[2K (90) 4x400m (60s)] (90 between sets), 4x200m (45) > 12 minutes cool down
Tuesday – Easy 50 minutes
Wednesday – 12 minutes warm up > 5 mins (90), 4×60 seconds (75), 4×2 minutes (90), 4×60 seconds (75), (3) 5 mins > 12 minutes cool down
Thursday – Rest Day
Friday – SICK
Saturday – Rest Day
Sunday – ???
Weekly Mileage Total – 26.44 miles
Week 8
Monday – 10 minutes warm up > 2K (90), 2x[800m(90) 4x600m 75) 300m(60)] > 10 minutes cool down
Tuesday – 50 minutes easy
Wednesday – 15 minutes warm up > 5 x 6 minutes (90) > 4 x 30 (60) > 15 minutes cool down ( I did 5 minutes as I ran out of time!!)
Thursday – Rest Day
Friday – 30mins steady > 15min Tempo (60) 10min Tempo (60) > 30 mins steady rest (2 mins) 4x20s strides (40)
Saturday – Rest Day
Sunday – Rest Day
Weekly Mileage Total – 39.21 miles
Week 9
Monday – Rest
Tuesday – Easy 50 Minutes
Wednesday – Hereford 10k
** DITCHED THIS AS GLUTE HAS A NIGGLE – DID 50 MINUTES EASY ON THE TREADMILL INSTEAD **
Thursday – Rest Day
Friday – 60 minutes moderate + 4 ATP hills
** DITCHED THIS DUE TO GLUTE STILL BAD – DID 50 MINUTES ON THE TRAILS EASY INSTEAD **
Saturday – 50 Minutes Easy
** MEANT TO BE A SESSION BUT AGAIN, JUST LETTING THE GLUTE SETTLE DOWN **
Weekly Mileage Total – 26.63 miles
Week 10
Monday – 45 Minutes Easy
Tuesday – 50 Minutes Easy
Wednesday AM – 60 Minutes Easy
Wednesday PM – 40 Minutes Moderate
Thursday – Rest Day
Friday – 60 Minutes Easy
Saturday – 15 minutes warm up > 4 x 6 minutes (60) > 4 x 30 seconds (60) > 15 minutes cool down
Sunday – Rest Day
Weekly Mileage – 44.30 miles
Week 11
Monday – 50 minutes easy
Tuesday – Moderate 60 minutes (should of been 70 but ran out of time)
Wednesday – 15 minutes warm up > 3 x 5 mins (90) > 2 x 90 (60) > 2 x 60 (60) > 15 minutes cool down
Thursday – Rest Day
Friday – Rest Day (should of been 50 minutes easy)
Saturday – 30 minutes easy w/ 4 x strides after 20 minutes
Sunday – Lliswerry 8 Race
The Need For Speed…..
First of all, i’d like to start off by saying I don’t blog enough….there is so much to update you on since the last blog! So to fill in the blanks, let me give you a bullet point list of what has happened:
1) I finished marathon training and ran a 3:14….not the target time I was shooting for
2) I had a week off, got quite ill, got better again then got ill again
3) Things are only just starting to get back to normal.
For more info, everything has been documented over on my YouTube channel – https://www.youtube.com/c/TheFODRunner
Now we are up to date, let me fill you in on where things are at right now and what my thoughts are leading into summer training.
Even before I take my first step starting a marathon training block, in my head I know straight after the goal race I will drop back down the distance ladder. It’s just the way I do things, i’ve been in a position where after my first marathon I tried to get back into long distance work and I totally lost my spark, mojo, energy, whatever you want to label it. It took a while but I found that changing focus really helped me gain some momentum again and since that day I have always taken this tactic after marathon training.
This thought process hasn’t changed and what i’ve found over time is that buzz for speed gets stronger…so ultimately, the second my marathon journey ended, the need for speed was at the forefront in my mind.
So as a lead into summer training, i’ve started off the weeks on lower mileage due to some illnesses that have struck me down but the speed workouts are back and I couldn’t be happier. There’s something about blasting round a track at a pace that’s…well…in your own mind…blistering, along with trying to keep things under control enough to finish the session.
It’s a far cry from 4 x 15 minute reps during marathon training where you’d just click into and uncomfortable cruise control pace and chug along…. the pace change and shock to the body when you hit the track for a 10 x 2 minute session is frightening but also exhilarating and an adrenaline rush.
I am delighted to be racing again next week….twice! On Tuesday evening I have the Rose Inn race, which is 4 miles flat roads, a nice speed session and warm up for this weekends Summer Speedway 10k in Chepstow. I am fully aware that I am not in PB shape right now but just to get racing these shorter distances again excites me and I can’t wait to continue the journey throughout the summer before we start marathon training again in the Autumn.
The high’s and low’s of marathon training…mid plan update
I thought it was about time I put pen to paper…or keyboard in this instance about how marathon training is going. I’m absolutely loving the video making process at the moment and the marathon training series that i’m producing has to be the most exciting one yet….for me anyway! However there are always things you can’t quite convey via video that are easier to jot down in a written format, therefore I want to give you a quick overview as to how i’m feeling heading into week 8/17 of marathon training.
The first thing I must say is a big thank you to my coach Doug from TMR coaching, he has been working hard, adapting the plan to suit along the way, providing insights into progress, snippets of information on what can be improved and overall encouragement when i’ve needed it the most.
After a great start in weeks 1 & 2 clocking 45 & 46 miles respectively, I headed into week 3 with an optimism I hadn’t felt since this time last year when we were training for the Newport Half Marathon. For 16 weeks I trained like a beast alongside James without injury, illness or pretty much any issue….insane to think that’s possible in the height of winter when you have kids carrying lurgy everywhere they go!
This year was to be different…I started my week off with an easy run on Monday and after that felt very “sinusy”, something I wasn’t used too as I don’t suffer with sinus issues that much. Thankfully I had the Speedway 10k at the end of that week so I allowed myself time to calm the mileage down and rest. I took every opportunity to steam breath, use the salt nasal spray and drink as much homemade vegetable soup as possible in a bid to fight off illness.
Sunday came, I felt 90% better and ready to race, we clocked a new 10k PB of 36.17 and I felt like I was ready to jump back on it in week 4.
Yeah…that didn’t happen either!
Again, I attempted my easy Monday run, felt great, Tuesday rolled around and I went back down hill again…this time with more “virus” type symptoms such as major fatigue, headaches, sickness etc. I tackled Tuesday night’s fartlek session and that was me down and out for the next week. I did not run until the following Tuesday. In my 4 and a bit years as a runner, I haven’t been ill enough to take me out of running for that long…coupled with that fact that I was just getting started with marathon training, it just crippled me mentally.
The following Tuesday saw the commencement of week 5 and I did my best to get up and go, starting back with a slower than normal fartlek session. I took an extra day off (Monday) for precautionary reasons, not wanting to rush things as all I kept thinking whilst I couldn’t run was “I don’t want to be off for this long again”. The remainder of the week was sluggish but at least we were moving forwards. I knew it felt like we were starting from scratch but it was good to be training and I wasn’t going to take it for granted. That week ended on 40 miles…a solid amount to return too.
Week 6 is where we finally had lift off…no more excuses, just training and getting back to where we needed to be mileage wise. Monday was slow and a struggle but that was the last time I can say that about a run until this present day. Tuesday’s session was a belter, I felt alive, I felt like things were working again and my mojo was definitely back! We finished the week strong and finally hit over 50 miles.
Week 7 followed a similar pattern except for that fact that the Monday run wasn’t as sluggish as week 6’s. Both midweek sessions were completed well and then the turning point came on Saturday morning….
I have been doing long run workouts every weekend in a bid to increase my speed endurance and mental strength over the distance…the first 6 weeks have been based around putting “efforts” in on the hills but this week was the week we got more specific, we hit the tarmac.
45 minutes warm up followed by 3 x 20 minutes at half marathon pace (6.05 min per mile) followed by 45 mins cool down. Now in the previous weeks with similar workouts we’ve been hitting late 6’s / early 7’s due to the hills so I anticipated this week…with fatigue, i’d hit around 6.20.
The thing is…I didn’t. My splits ended up being 6.21, 6.15, 6.12! Now to put this into perspective, the first 8 minutes of each rep were a gentle incline on a rather wet and (in places) muddy trail. We then peeled out onto the road for the final 12 minutes. I could see my watch was hovering on 5.55/6.00/6.05 on those sections and it felt amazing! To hit that speed deep into the plan within the highest mileage weeks i’ve ever run was an incredible feeling…it all just clicked!
I finished the workout clocking 21 miles and finished the week on 55 as a total.
Overall, it hasn’t been the easiest start to a plan i’ve ever had but ultimately we are now making progress and that for me is key. I am super keen to push on now into this next part of the plan and really start to dial into marathon pace.
Onwards and upwards….
2018 Running Recap
2018 has been a big, big year….not only have my my personal bests come right down, my love for the sport has grown even more….however this year hasn’t been without its setbacks.
January kicked off in an awesome way with some of the most consistent training I have ever put in, last winter through to March this year was pretty much all 40+ mile weeks which is where I tend to find my sweet spot is. That consistent training which started back in the last week of November 2017 led me to have a fantastic run at the Lliswerry 8, smashing the sub 6 minute mile pacing barrier by clocking a 47:20 over 8 miles…that’s 5:55 pace!
From there I thought “this was going to be my year”….until March came around and the “Newport Half Marathon”, the race I had been training for over the past 16 weeks was cancelled due to bad weather. This was rearranged for 2 weeks later and subsequently cancelled again due to bad weather. In a vein attempt to not let my fitness go to waste I attempted my own half marathon on our local industrial estate but to no avail, injury struck at mile 7 with an excruciating pain in my right glute.
This injury forced me to take a step back, possibly a sign from my body that enough was enough. The previous 16 weeks were the most intense training I had done and this injury inadvertently allowed me to fully absorb all the training so when I came back onto the racing scene in May, I smashed my Half Marathon PB of 1.27.34 and came in at 1:24 at Hereford Half Marathon. This was also the month of the OMM Marathon Lite event in my home area, the forest of dean!
The OMM event didn’t go to plan, even though we came in 7th place, I was racing in 2nd place until mile 15 but a recent surge of hot weather after a bitterly cold winter took it out of me and on the day. Other races this month were the spring mile, a one mile track race where I recorded a 5:20 mile and the fountain five, a five mile trail race in our local area….I can’t remember where I came and my time but I know I twisted my ankle and that put me out of action for a week or so!
From there we headed into the summer months and took our 10k PB down to 36:41 at the summer speedway 10k, followed by the gloucester 10k a month later. The gloucester event didn’t go quite as well as the summer speedway but never the less we still came in a respectable 37:51.
Fast forward to August and we came up against the severn bridge half marathon, arguably my best race of the year. All of that winter and summer (very hot) training had well and truly bedded in as we came across the line in 1:20:48…this was way above and beyond anything I expected as the course isn’t particularly flat but on the day my body just responded well and I rolled with it!
However, it was at this stage where the downturn of the season came, stitch after stitch plagued race results…the swindon half marathon in september started this all off in style! We were flying at sub 80 minute pace and the worst stitch I had ever had ground me to a halt…I had never walked in a road half marathon but theres always a first time for everything! From there we managed to get ourselves through the forest of dean autumn half in 1:23:51 and the severn bridge night race & newent 9 events to round off the year, however it was not the finish I was hoping for!
I am pleased to say that we have got ourselves through the stitch issues (major muscle knots) and are now back to training 40+ mile weeks and I am feeling fresher than ever. I cannot wait to tackle 2019 and give it my best shot!
Working With A Coach
Something I never thought I would say….I have a running coach!!
It feels odd, rather surreal but also very exciting. As someone striving to continually learn, grow and develop in the sport of running, the internet has been a key source of information. However, like anything, there are lots of different opinions, contradicting pros and cons and way too many “training methods” to comprehend.
Up steps Doug from TMR Coaching…and before anyone says anything, no this isn’t part of any arrangement for me to write this, no i’m not being paid to write this and yes these are 100% my thoughts and feelings. There….transparency as always!
Anyway, my development has always come from thriving on training plans, I love the routine, structure and progress that I made everytime I would undertake one. However there was always this lack of fundamental understanding as to what I was actually doing. Yes, I was clear that each session throughout the plan had structure, had a purpose and had its benefits, however I always felt slightly out of my depth when I was questioned about what I was doing. My stock answer was always “my plan told me to do it”.
So when Doug came on the scene and we started working together things changed rapidly. I think the most major improvement I have found in this short period of working with him has been my improvement in the “why” I do what I do. As a competitive runner, I strive to be better, improve my times and become more resilient to what training throws at me but as I mentioned above, the lack of knowledge has always been my downfall.
Since working together we have targeted a very weak area I have… my cadence. Being so tall and having such a long stride I could only dream of being able to “turn my legs over” closer to the “standard” 180 steps a minute. However, this is slowly becoming more of a reality far quicker than I could of imagined. Recent workouts have had massive improvements, comparing a 400m rep session from a few months back to my 15 x 2 minute rep session I did just yesterday, my cadence has increased from 166 up to 172/174.
A great coach can home in on your weaknesses and highlight them too you…often we don’t need to run further or faster to become quicker, but tune up our efficiency. In some way shape or form we all have aspects of our running form that, if corrected, can shave seconds of our minutes per mile pace and result in far greater performances before any of the “harder training” even commences.
I cannot wait to build a closer relationship with TMR Coaching in the future, the first month has been a rapidly positive change and I cannot wait to continue on the journey!
Starting A New Training Cycle
It’s been fantastic to look back and reflect on the running year so far…the goals achieved, hurdles overcome and the challenges that haven’t quite been conquered, its all part of the journey. Reflecting for me is an important way to digest what has been going on over the past training cycle as when i’m in it, i’m fully focused and committed to the job in hand and its very difficult to take a helicopter view of the situation unless you are physically forced to stop.
That’s what i’ve been doing for the past week whilst running easy. Coming off the back of two half marathons (one of which being a PR) is a very rewarding but tiring and it’s always important to get re-energised as the next challenge is right around the corner. Easy weeks are a great time to allow your body to just absorb mileage without the major stresses interval and threshold training throw at it and allow you to embrace the improvements you’ve made over the recent training cycle.
However I am now more than ready to get started with the next challenge, I am determined to finish this year on a high and want to push my body more than its been pushed so far in order to better myself. Running for me is a way I can go out and push hard, its something I can fully commit to and give my best in every sense whilst learning the art of patience, practicing structure and working on being more self disciplined.
This week (17/09/2018) see’s me starting my new 10k plan and I am delighted to be working with Doug Stewart from TMR Coaching. If you have followed my journey on Youtube you will know I am much better at racing shorter distances but much prefer to train for longer distances. This is partially because I prefer the workouts of a half marathon / marathon plan but also due to where I live, I can’t help but want to go out and run as far as possible every weekend just to appreciate my surroundings. So this brings me to why I am extremely excited about starting this next block of training….
I have never really training properly for a 10k race before but I feel that due to racing so well at the shorter distance events, its worth diving in head first to a proper plan. To clarify….. I am targeting The Newent 9 on November 17 2018, which is a 9.5k race (so just shy of 10k) but not only this, 9 days before (Wednesday 7th November 2018) is the Severn Bridge 5 Mile night race. These two races are some of my favourites on the racing calendar, I have done them both for the last 2 years and always had great success there, however I have never gone to either of them with any specific training under my belt, so that’s where this year could be much more interesting.
I am a firm believer that long distance training is of huge benefit to the shorter distance events, and the shorter distance training sets you up well when jumping into longer distance training. This has been a recipe of success for me most of the time but I have never committed to more than 6 weeks of shorter distance training at a time, which is why I am super excited to see what I can do at these upcoming races and also see how it will benefit me come January when marathon training starts.
I will be working with Doug up until these races and hopefully beyond if all goes well. I would like to continue the shorter distance work right up until Christmas, schedule in a nice break over the festive period then jump straight into marathon training come January.
I am excited, very very excited. Call me weird, odd, strange, whatever else you can think but I really cannot wait to dive into this plan head first, finish the year strong and come out the other side of these races in the best shape i’ve ever been. Time will tell…..