From three seasons to a thousand races...

Hi Reader,

Before I get into this week's email, we want to say a huge congratulations to everyone who ran a spring marathon or half-marathon.

Whether you took on Brighton, Paris, London, or Manchester - and the countless half marathons in between - you should be incredibly proud. These are big achievements, and you've earned this summer recovery period. Now let's make the most of it.

When I started out, the running year planned itself.

Cross-country from October to March. Track April to September. A handful of road races in between. The whole thing was structured around championships, and if you were in a club - which was really the only way to race - you just followed the seasons.

Nobody agonised over their race calendar. The sport did it for you.

That world is completely gone.

Now there are spring marathons, autumn marathons, trail ultras at every distance from 10km to 100 miles, relays, muddy runs, parkruns, city 5ks, and evening 10km series - the list never ends. Which is brilliant. But it means the planning that used to happen automatically is now something you have to do yourself.

So what's my advice?

If you have a goal - a time, a distance, a specific race - build backwards from it.

Fix the main event, then find the tune-up races that serve it. A 10km in June, a half in July. Let those sharpen you, not distract you.

But if you're in that gap between marathons right now, this is the perfect moment to try something different before the next training block locks you in. I'll be at the Yateley 10km next Wednesday - it's part of a series on the first Wednesday of June, July and August, and it's exactly the kind of race that keeps running fun through the summer.

There are evening 5km series around Cambridge, Ely and Haverhill. A Babcock 10km series around Glasgow. Long relays like the Welsh Castles, the South Downs Way, and the Greenbelt around London. Trail ultras if you fancy a real adventure. And closer to home, I'm involved with some great events through 2:09 Events - the Basingstoke Half, 10k and 5k, the Farnborough Half, the Longleat 10km, and the Surrey Bacchus Wine Half Marathon.

Well worth a look if any of those are on your doorstep.

Go find something a bit different this summer. The marathon block will come round again soon enough.

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This week's workout: Summer Fartlek

Fartlek - "speed play" in Swedish - is perfect for summer because you work to effort, not pace. Hot days slow everyone down, so forget the watch and just run by feel...

Beginner (6 rounds):

• 🏃 10 minutes easy warm-up jog
• ⚡ 2 minutes comfortably hard effort
• 😮‍💨 2 minutes easy recovery
• Repeat 6 times
• 🧘 10 minutes easy cool-down

Experienced (10 rounds):

• 🏃 10 minutes easy warm-up jog
• ⚡ 2 minutes comfortably hard effort
• 😮‍💨 2 minutes easy recovery
• Repeat 10 times
• 🧘 10 minutes easy cool-down

No track needed, no GPS obsessing.
Just you, a route you enjoy, and a bit of speed play.

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Mike Gratton (Head Coach, Coach the Run) & the team.

p.s. Read my latest Ask the Coach blog:

​Is it smarter to chase one key marathon a year in midlife rather than multiple races?​

p.p.s. Already thinking about your autumn marathon? Reply and let me know which race you're targeting - I'd love to help you build the plan.
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