The Weekly Wrap – 14/7/25
Your Weekly Dose of Running Highlights, Coaching Insights & Smarter TrainingBrought to you by Coach Matty Abel
G’day and welcome
Hope your week’s off to a strong start. Thanks again for tuning in to another edition of the Weekly Wrap, your regular check-in to stay sharp, consistent, and moving forward with purpose.
This week, I’m answering a question that was sent in and that I’ve been getting a lot lately, how to return to training after COVID or the flu. It’s common, and my advice remains consistent:
Start with 7–10 days of purely aerobic work. Easy running gives your immune and nervous systems the chance to fully reset before reintroducing any higher intensity. From there, we build gradually back into structured training. Getting sick is sometimes unavoidable, the key is to pivot, adapt, and avoid rushing back too soon.
Here’s what else we cover this week:
A recap of the Snowdon 24-Hour Ultra Trail
My latest training block with 6 weeks to go until TDS
Week 3 of our July Focus: How to own your intervals
A detailed race day fuelling strategy
Our weekly supporter: Pace Athletic
Let’s get into it.
Team Highlights
This week we had Academy athletes pushing themselves both locally and overseas.
Alex and Josh lined up for the Snowdon 24-Hour Ultra Trail, a brutal challenge involving repeated ascents and descents of Wales’ highest mountain. Unfortunately, the race was cancelled just two hours in due to extreme heat.
Josh ended up staying in the region and completing a self-sufficient ultra. A strong mental and physical effort as he prepares for TOR330 later this year.
Back home, we’ve welcomed a wave of new clients gearing up for Melbourne Marathon and Ultra Trail Kosciuszko, now just 19 weeks away.
Across the Academy, consistency remains high and that’s exactly what this phase is about. We’re now shifting gears into the preparation phase for the spring and summer race calendar.
Personal Highlights
Last week’s focus shifted from volume to elevation gain and loss, prepping the legs and mind for what’s ahead at TDS (148km / 9300m gain/loss).
Training snapshot:
70km of running, with 3,481m of elevation gain
Key session: Double out-and-back from Perry’s Lookdown to Lockley’s Pylon
20.7km, 2,258m of vert
Terrain matched TDS closely: average 664m vert per 10km, this session nearly doubled that
Focus areas included:
Efficiency with poles on climbs
Practising technical downhill running under fatigue
Testing an alternative fuelling strategy during a 4.5-hour session
I’ve also reintroduced sauna work (2x/week), which has been shown to improve time to exhaustion and support heat adaptation, especially important as I train in winter for a European summer race.
“Don’t wait until race week to prepare for race conditions. Train for the demands now.”
With 6 weeks to go, the goal is clear: stay healthy, stay sharp, and execute with precision.
July Focus: Training with Intent – From Execution to Elevation
This month is about dialling in, not doing more, but doing it better. Intent sharpens performance and improves how your body absorbs training.
Week 3: Owning Your Intervals – Quality Over Quantity
Intervals are often misunderstood. The goal isn’t to finish wrecked, it’s to finish in control, having hit your targets with purpose.
How to run intervals with intent:
Pace the first reps conservatively, don’t blow up early
Focus on form, breathing, and posture
Use recoveries to reset and refocus, not check out
“Train with control, not chaos. Speed without precision leads to inconsistency.” – Dr. Stephen Seiler
Action Step
In your next interval session:
Run the first rep at 90%, not 100%
Prioritise posture and rhythm
After the final rep, reflect: Did I finish strong, or just survive it?
Smart speed work = improved performance without excess fatigue.
Tip of the Week: Nail Your Race Day Fuelling Strategy
Poor fuelling is one of the top causes of underperformance on race day and it’s also one of the most preventable.
Here’s what matters:
1–2 days before the race:
Main carb-dense meal = lunch, not dinner
Dinner should be lighter but still carb-focused, with familiar foods
Race morning:
Eat a familiar breakfast 2–3 hours before the start
Avoid anything new or too fibre-rich
During the race:
Start fuelling within the first 30 minutes
Aim for 40–60g carbs/hour (up to 90g/hour for ultras)
Use a combination of gels, chews, and fluids that you’ve tested in training
“Fuel early, fuel often. Waiting until you feel hungry is too late.” – Asker Jeukendrup
Rehearse in training, don’t wing it on race day.
Quote of the Week
“You don’t rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” – James Clear
This applies to everything: fuelling, pacing, strength work, and race execution. Build systems that hold up under pressure.
The weekly wrap supporter - Pace Athletic
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Client Spotlight: Brittany Ryan
1. What has been your proudest running moment so far?
My proudest moment is probably recovering from my injury last year before joining Matty where I had a pubic bone stress fracture. Recovering from this has been a huge mental battle but I am slowly learning to trust my body more.
2. What’s the number one place or trail you’ve run and why does it stand out?
My best place to run is probably our Bach in whangamata or down in the city along the water!
3. What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone just starting out?
Probably listen to your body and your coach! It’s not easy and it’s something I still struggle with but definitely continuously learning
Final Note
Whether you’re six weeks from a key race or six months into a long-term goal, the principles remain the same:
Train with intent
Back your system
Respect the process
Every session counts but it’s how you execute that makes it meaningful
See you next week,
Coach Matty Abel