SP Endurance Coaching

https://www.spendurancecoaching.co.uk/articles-results-stories/week-9-sub-3-on-3-runs-return-on-investment

Week 9 - Sub-3 on 3 Runs: Return on Investment — SP Endurance coaching Week 9 started a lot better than Week 8. After the long run the previous weekend I expected the legs to feel a bit battered, but Tuesday’s run turned out to be surprisingly decent. Ten miles at a very easy pace, out in some proper spring sunshine, and the legs actually felt… okay. Not fresh, not...

Half way point to London !

Week 8 — The Weeks You Don’t Post About: Sub-3 on 3 Runs: — SP Endurance coaching Week 8 was a battle. One of those weeks where, if I’m honest, I felt pretty crap from start to finish. It began on Tuesday. The plan was simple: get the run done. Instead, the day unravelled. Life admin, interruptions, pressure, poor headspace, one of those days where nothing quite lands and you.....

Another one bites the dust. 2 months to go -

Week 7 — Steering the Ship, Not Following the Map — SP Endurance coaching Week 7 started as the complete opposite of Week 6. Last week the body rebelled. This week the mind was ready, but sleep wasn’t. The plan was a 75-minute easy run to start the week. After 45 minutes the legs felt unusually heavy, the kind of dead weight that doesn’t come from training load but fr...

Time is flying by -

Week 6 — When the Body said no but the Mojo said go. — SP Endurance coaching Week 6 started brilliantly. And then it went completely sideways. Tuesday was one of those quietly reassuring runs. Nine miles, easy, nothing forced, but probably the fittest I’ve felt so far in this block. For the first time in a while I finished thinking, I could’ve done more there. Normally

75 days to go till London 🦿🦿

Week 5 — Quiet Progress, Finding the Rhythm & Homemade gels — SP Endurance coaching Week 5 was pretty dull and boring… and that’s exactly why it felt like a good week. For the first time in a while, the training genuinely resembled a full week of work. Seven days, seven touchpoints with the process. Not seven big sessions, not seven “hero” workouts, just regular contact wit...

A month has already flown by in the build towards London - here is week 4’s thoughts

Week 4 — Volume Returns, Confidence Wobbles, Questions Get Louder: Sub-3 on 3 Runs: — SP Endurance coaching Week 4 felt like a bit of a turning point — not because anything suddenly clicked, but because, for the first time in a long while, it resembled a proper training week. Not sharp. Not flashy. But real. In terms of overall load, this was probably my biggest week for some time. A bit m

Race Report – Mark Longford @ Arc 50 Miler
“One good ankle, 50 miles of Cornish coast.”

Mark quietly went and had himself a day out at the Arc 50 miler, clocking 11:42 over a hilly brute of a course and bagging 8th in his age category in the process. Not bad for a man basically running with one ankle half on strike.

The final big training block did not go to plan. A stubborn ni**le meant we were walking a tightrope: do enough to respect the race, but not so much that he doesn’t even make the start line. We shifted any intensity onto the bike, kept the intensity smart, and accepted that this build was never going to be the full apple cart of mileage we might have been able to get in.

Could we have done more running? Sure.
Would he have even stood on the start line if we had? Maybe not.

That’s the fine margin with these ultras. Sometimes, when injuries crop up close to your key event, there simply isn’t a magic fix 🔧 you manage what you can, protect what you must, and roll the dice on the day.

To add to the fun, Mark went over on the same ankle early in the race. Probably ended up being a good, it forced him to keep things on the steady and sensible side, But this is where his race day head has got so much better he stayed calm, stayed on top of his fuelling and hydration, managed the discomfort with a few painkillers, and never let the race get away from him.

He said conditions were tougher than last year,slower going in places. Smart pacing, no throwing the toys out when things hurt (and they probably did more than he sais 😬). Just solid, grown-up ultra running.

He finished sore, battered, but absolutely earned that result. Another big performance in the bank, more resilience layered on top of an already impressive engine, and a reminder that: Training will never be perfect.
Niggles happen at the worst times.
The job is to control what you can, respect the risk, and then turn up and race smart.

Here’s why …..

Because they’re selling you a race plan…
When what you actually need is a get-from-A-to-B plan.

Most off-the-shelf 16-week plans assume:
🤖 You already have durability
🏃 You’ve got years of running consistency
🦵🏿 Your tissues, joints, and nervous system are ready
💪🏼 You can absorb week-on-week load without breaking

Spoiler: most beginners don’t.

So what happens?
You survive weeks 1–6.
Weeks 7–10 feel “hard but doable”.
Weeks 11–14 your knees, hips, calves, or motivation start filing formal complaints.
Week 16? You’re either injured, exhausted, or crawling to the start line.

That’s not a failure of you.
That’s a failure of the plan.

A beginner marathon plan should not be about racing.
It should be about:
• Building fatigue resistance
• Developing basic durability
• Learning how your body responds to load
• Getting you to the start line healthy

Finish first. Race later.

If you haven’t earned the right to “race” a marathon yet, that’s fine.
The real win is arriving at mile 26 still moving forward, not exploding at mile 18 because Instagram told you to do marathon pace every Sunday.

Marathons reward patience, not hero sessions.

Another week flys by as it always does when a marathon is looming. Here's my take: When Life pushes back.

Sub-3 on 3 Runs: Week 2 — When Life Pushes Back — SP Endurance coaching If Week 1 was about resetting the system, Week 2 was a reminder of something far more uncomfortable: this is harder when you do it honestly and in public . The first run of the week landed with a bit of a thud. One of those sessions where, partway through, you’re very aware of the scale of what yo

Four athletes. All different stories. Same outcome: momentum into 2026.

delivered a 10K PB of 38:15 after only being back running about a year post-baby. “still building back” and hitting some racing off consistent work.

ran 51:08 and it’s a strong sign she’s finding form again as she builds towards London Marathon. Sensible, controlled, and exactly what we are looking for at this stage.

kept the PB streak rolling with 51:16 — more experience banked, more confidence earned, and another step forward.

after about of illness was on steadier effort and not in full race mode, pacing his sister to a fab time. Banking a decent “return to training session”.

Main goal for these guys over Christmas was simple: come out the other side ready to crack on. Job done.

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https://www.spendurancecoaching.co.uk/articles-results-stories/sub-3-on-3-runs-week-1-context-constraints-and-a-proper-reset

Sub-3 on 3 Runs: Week 1 — Context, Constraints, and a Proper Reset — SP Endurance coaching Before anything else, it’s important to be clear about what this project is — and what it isn’t. The Sub-3 on 3 Runs challenge is not a universal blueprint, not a shortcut, and not a rejection of mileage. It only makes sense when viewed through the context of my own training history and where ...