The Weekly Wrap – 10/2/25
Your Weekly Dose of Running Highlights, Tips, and Motivation
Hey everyone,
Welcome to another edition of the Weekly Wrap!
It was a hot and humid weekend here in Sydney, which likely made your runs feel tougher and left you more fatigued than usual. Many of my athletes tackled baseline testing, while others focused on long runs in preparation for upcoming races. My trail runners are currently honing their terrain-specific skills, working on elevation gain and loss to match race-day demands. To track progress, we use key performance indicators (KPIs), such as total running kilometres and elevation targets, ensuring structured and efficient training as race day nears.
Personally, I just wrapped up a four-week training phase. My A-race, TDS in August, is still a while away, so my focus is on consistency, strength, and fundamentals. Over the past 4-weeks, I’ve been maintaining 50km per week, incorporating varied terrain on my weekend runs, and testing different nutrition strategies. Given the heat and humidity, I’ve also increased my long-run water intake by 1L to adapt to the conditions.
With major races like Ultra-Trail Tarawera, Shotover Mountain Marathon and Old Ghost Ultra around the corner, it’s exciting to see runners pushing through the toughest part of the season. Balancing training with Christmas holidays and the summer heat isn’t easy.
Let’s get into this week’s highlights!
Highlights
No racing over the weekend, but we had Alex complete a 100km training run, a critical prep session as he builds towards his mid-year event. His focus was on:
✅ Testing nutrition & hydration: Breaking intake into structured intervals, every 10km for smaller carb sources and hydration, and every 20km for higher carbohydrate intake.
✅ Adapting to highway running: Navigating the mental and physical challenges of running alongside traffic moving at 100kph.
This process is all about testing and learning, so by the event, every detail should be dialed in. Problem-solving is a key skill for any ultrarunner; things will go wrong, but the ability to troubleshoot efficiently can make all the difference in long-term success.
February Focus
This month, we continue to focus on race preparation. As events start to approach, refining the small details can make all the difference. Key areas to dial in:
Race-specific training: Ensuring that long runs simulate race-day conditions. Consider incorporating elevation, technical terrain, or race-paced efforts.
Fuelling strategy: By now, you should be testing a variety of nutrition. If you haven’t, there’s still time to experiment with what works best for you.
Mental preparation: Visualising race day, rehearsing strategies, and building confidence in your ability to execute under pressure.
Take some time this week to assess how well you're covering these aspects in your training.
Prompt of the week
What is one thing you can do this week to better prepare for your upcoming race? Whether it’s adjusting your nutrition, refining your pacing, improving your sleep, calming your nervous system or improving mental focus, identify one key action and put it into practice.
Tip of the Week
Training in the heat? Don’t expect to maintain your usual paces, focus on effort and heart rate instead. Heat places extra stress on the body, so training smart is key:
Hydrate more than usual.
Accept that running will feel harder and slower.
Prioritise effort over pace to avoid overexertion.
Adapt, don’t force it, long-term progress comes from working with your body, not against it.
The weekly wrap supporter
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Client Spotlight: Lauren Ord
1. What is your go-to nutrition for long runs?
I’ve been experimenting with different brands since moving to Australia, but currently enjoying Koda gels
2. What is your favourite training session?
Long runs at the weekend rewarded by an obligatory croissant
3. Which race are you currently training for, and what motivates you to run it?
Gold coast marathon! Super excited to run on a pretty flat course for a change and hoping to get closer to a sub 3 :)
Final Note
Thanks for tuning in to this week’s Wrap! It’s been inspiring to see the dedication and progress across the academy. If you have any questions or topics you’d like covered, feel free to reach out via email or Instagram.
Until next week, keep showing up, keep building, and most importantly, enjoy the process.
Cheers,
Coach Matty Abel