The Weekly Wrap – 17/2/25
Your Weekly Dose of Running Highlights, Tips, and Motivation
Hey everyone,
Welcome to another edition of the Weekly Wrap!
It’s great to see so many of my online running clients staying consistent with their training. One of my biggest phrases in running is consistency trumps intensity, especially when you have a long build-up to an event. Prioritising consistency not only enhances performance but also mitigates the risk of injury and ensures sustainability in this sport. It was a nice relief to have some cooler weather here in Sydney over the weekend, making running much more enjoyable compared to the past few weeks. But don’t get used to it just yet, this coming weekend is looking hot again. Learning how heat impacts your running and performance is crucial, as well as adjusting effort, heart rate, and pace accordingly.
On a personal note, I just came off the back of a deload week, incorporating some easier running and a 5km baseline test at Curl Curl Parkrun. Moving into my next training phase, my focus remains the same as I continue building towards my A-race, TDS in August; consistency, strength, and structured progression.
Let’s get into this week’s highlights!
Highlights
A big weekend of racing across the Academy! Additionally, Caleb is nearing the end of his Te Araroa Fast Pack mission, covering the entire length of New Zealand. Mid last week, he passed through Queenstown and is now on the final push towards the finish. What an incredible journey it has been for Caleb to complete this massive undertaking!
In the racing world, we had three clients competing, along with many others testing their 5km baselines:
Nikki and Mark took on the Shotover Mountain Marathon (30km option) just outside of Queenstown, tackling a tough and hot day out on the course.
Christopher raced the Tarawera Ultra Marathon (50km option) on the North Island of New Zealand, testing his nutrition strategy leading towards UTA100
A number of clients completed their 5km baseline tests, many of them at Parkrun, with fantastic improvements across the board. Well done to everyone who showed up and pushed themselves!
February Focus
This month, we continue our focus on race preparation, ensuring that training is aligning with upcoming events. Key areas to refine:
Race-specific training: Adapting workouts to match race conditions, including terrain, elevation, and pacing strategies.
Heat adaptation: With hotter days, practicing running in warmer conditions and refining hydration and electrolyte intake.
Baseline assessments: Checking in on fitness progression to adjust pacing strategies and set realistic race-day goals.
Prompt of the week
What can you do this week to ensure your weekend runs are a success? This might mean getting to bed a little earlier, prioritising mobility work, scheduling some downtime, or even booking a massage. Additionally, make sure you are fuelling well during and after your runs to optimise recovery and performance.
Tip of the Week
This week’s tip is all about cadence. I recommend downloading the app RunTempo, which allows you to run to a metronome (beat) set to a specific steps-per-minute (SPM) rate. Cadence varies based on several factors, including height; a taller runner may naturally have a lower cadence than a shorter runner, as well as running speed.
A good baseline metric is:
Easy runs: 168-172 SPM
Faster efforts (intervals, 10K, 5K, etc.): 178-182 SPM
A useful habit is checking your cadence after different runs to see if adjustments are needed. Why does cadence matter? If your cadence is too low, you spend more time on the ground, leading to over striding and placing excess force on the body. This not only increases injury risk but also reduces efficiency, requiring more energy output.
A simple way to improve both performance and injury prevention is ensuring your cadence remains within an optimal range.
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Client Spotlight: Jo Wood
1. What is your go-to nutrition for long runs?
I enjoy a real mixed platter...and lots of it! Half of my hourly carb- and electrolyte intake comes from a liquid source (such as Sustained Energy or Tailwind) and the other half from 'real foods' (e.g. honey sandwich, peanut butter wrap, potato, pretzels, nutrigrain, honey popcorn) in the first hour; 'sports foods' (e.g. Cliff bloks, Cliff Bars or Hammer Bars, gels of various flavours) in the second hour...then alternating between the 'real food' and 'sports food' until the run is done! My Super-Power Food is a bonus Snickers Bar (saved for the half way mark...and an emergency one for near the end if necessary!) AND of course, Gu Caffeine Gels (but I've learned these are to be used sparingly!).
2. What is your favourite training session?
A Loooooooong mountain run of between 6-10 hours' duration with the kind of run buddy you can chat, chat, chat with (and still not feel done), but feel as if you've put the whole world to rights together by the end of the run. I also enjoy running with Geoff - who doesn't actually talk much on the run, but is a steady and calming presence! Anywhere will do - Blue Mountains, Victorian Alps, and The Larapinta Trail are amongst my favourites of trails I've been fortunate to run on!
3. Which race are you currently training for, and what motivates you to run it?
Buffalo Stampede 42K on 30th March. Having enjoyed this event before, I already know what to expect of the course and have my previous finish time in mind as a solid target to beat. I love nothing more than attempting to better a previous version of myself (which is why I often return to races I've run before)! In fact, this is what motivates me to keep running in general, as it makes me a better person (just ask my family!).
Final Note
Great work to everyone who raced, tested their fitness, and stayed consistent with their training. Keep learning, keep adapting, and most importantly, keep enjoying the process.
As always, if you have any questions or need guidance, feel free to reach out. See you next week!
Cheers,
Coach Matty Abel