The Weekly Wrap – 17/3/25
Your Weekly Dose of Running Highlights, Tips, and Motivation
G’day everyone, and welcome back to another edition of The Weekly Wrap.
First off, a huge thank you to everyone who reached out after last week’s newsletter. I had some great feedback from those who found it insightful, engaging, and packed with value. I always appreciate hearing how this helps you train smarter and stay motivated. The goal is simple: help you improve, stay consistent, and perform at your best.
Sydney turned up the heat over the weekend, and if you were out there grinding through a long run, you likely felt it. Running in heat and humidity isn’t just about toughing it out, it’s about understanding what happens inside your body and adjusting your pacing, hydration, and recovery strategies accordingly.
One of the biggest factors in hot-weather running is heart rate drift, your heart rate will typically be 10 beats per minute higher at the same pace compared to cooler conditions. Think of it like stepping into a sauna, your body works harder to cool itself, meaning you hit a higher heart rate threshold faster, produce more lactate, and fatigue much sooner.
What Happens When You Sweat?
Sweating is essential for cooling your body, but without proper rehydration, it can have serious performance consequences at a cellular level:
Fluid Loss & Blood Volume Drop – Since sweat comes from your blood plasma, excessive sweating reduces blood volume, making your heart work harder to pump oxygen to your muscles.
Electrolyte Imbalance – Losing sodium, potassium, and magnesium affects muscle function, nerve signaling, and hydration balance. Without replacement, cramping, fatigue, and slower recovery become real risks.
Reduced Oxygen Delivery – Less blood volume means slower oxygen transport to working muscles, making sustained efforts feel significantly harder.
Cognitive & Neuromuscular Fatigue – Dehydration affects brain function, slowing reaction times and increasing perceived effort. It also reduces neuromuscular efficiency, making it harder to maintain form when fatigued.
How to Train Smarter in the Heat?
To perform at your best in hot conditions, you need a proactive hydration and pacing strategy:
Increase fluid intake before, during, and after runs – Aim for 500–750ml per hour during long runs in the heat.
Replace electrolytes, not just water – Sodium loss varies from runner to runner, so experiment with electrolyte supplements to maintain balance.
Run by effort, not pace – Expect to slow down slightly; forcing your usual pace in the heat can backfire.
Monitor sweat rate – Weigh yourself before and after a run. If you’ve lost more than 2% of your body weight, you need to adjust hydration strategies.
Training Update:
If you read last week’s newsletter, you’ll know I rolled my ankle badly on a trail run. Last week was all about focused recovery, and I managed to complete my first return-to-run session on Thursday.
However, I’m still dealing with superficial peroneal nerve irritation, which has made my return slower than I’d hoped. One moment, I’m pain-free and moving well, and the next, a sharp nerve pain kicks in from lingering inflammation.
So, for now, it’s about patience and smart decision-making. If running doesn’t feel right this week, I’ll shift to aerobic conditioning on the bike, because setbacks don’t mean stopping, they just require adjusting.
With TDS still months away, rehab is my priority to ensure I’m back pain-free and ready to go ASAP.
Highlights of the Week
While there were no races last weekend, plenty of hard work was put in behind the scenes as runners prepare for upcoming events like:
Sydney Backyard Ultra
Buffalo Stampede
Noosa Half & Marathon
Runaway Sydney Half
Ultra-Trail Australia
Gold Coast Marathon & Half
Long runs and baseline testing were made even tougher by Sydney’s heat and humidity. Baseline 5K tests are always a humbling experience, but they provide invaluable insights into pacing, fitness levels, and execution under fatigue. These tests aren’t just about numbers, they teach you how to push when it matters and refine race-day strategies.
Standout Performances from the Week:
Jo Bailey tackled some amazing trails in Wanaka, continuing to build strength for her upcoming race.
Alex Bate put in big elevation gains in the lower Blue Mountains, banking key training miles.
Rowan nailed his weekly run mileage and elevation targets, proving that consistency wins.
Cameron Merrick crushed the Furies Run social race at Centennial Park, winning the 3.7km loop in 11:38 (3:09 pace) ,a huge effort and a sign of great things to come.
With the race season approaching, the work being done right now, through the heat, fatigue, and tough sessions, is what makes the difference on race day.
March Focus: Race Planning & Execution
Over the past two weeks, we’ve been honing in on race planning and execution. In Week 1, we mapped out race strategy, breaking down course profiles, aid stations, and pacing plans to create a structured approach to race day. In Week 2, we took that a step further, focusing on pacing strategy to ensure you’re running smart from the start and finishing strong.
Now, we shift to one of the most critical elements of race-day success: fuelling. You can have the perfect training and pacing plan, but if your nutrition and hydration aren’t dialled in, performance can QUICKLY unravel.
Week 3: Race Fuelling - Testing and Fine-Tuning
You can have the best plan in the world, but if your fuelling isn’t locked in, performance will suffer.
Carb intake: Aim for 40-90g of carbs per hour depending on race duration & intensity.
Hydration: Trial sodium (electrolyte) ratios, especially in warmer races.
Gut training: If you’re prone to GI issues, now is the time to stress-test your nutrition in long runs.
Recommended Nutrition & Fuel Planner HERE
Prompt of the Week: Does Your Stride Cost You Speed?
Your running form is like a fingerprint, unique to you. But is it efficient?
Take a moment to assess:
Are you over striding? (Landing too far in front can slow you down and increase injury risk.)
Is your cadence in the optimal range? Example 168–172 steps per minute for easy runs, 172 - 176 steps per minute for tempo runs, 176 - 180+ steps per minute for intervals.
Are your arms relaxed, helping, or wasting energy?
Making small adjustments in form can unlock free speed and reduce injury risk. Are you paying attention to yours?
Tip of the Week:
Running Slow to Race Fast - Most runners know they should run easy, but many still go too fast. The key reason to keep your easy runs truly easy isn’t just to avoid fatigue, it’s to maximise your aerobic development, which underpins endurance performance.
When you run at a low intensity, several critical adaptations occur:
Mitochondrial Development: Slow running increases mitochondrial density and efficiency. These tiny powerhouses in your cells are responsible for producing ATP (your body’s energy currency). More mitochondria = greater endurance capacity.
Fat Utilisation: At lower intensities, your body prefers to burn fat as its primary fuel source rather than carbohydrates. This improves your ability to spare glycogen, which is crucial for racing strong in long events.
Muscular & Capillary Adaptations: Running slow increases capillary density, enhancing oxygen delivery to muscles. It also strengthens slow-twitch muscle fibers, which are more fatigue-resistant.
Practical Tip: To keep your easy runs truly easy, try running with a friend who’s slightly slower than you. This naturally helps hold your pace back.
The bottom line: Running slow isn’t “junk miles.” It’s the foundation of endurance. Get this right, and when it’s time to push hard, you’ll have the aerobic strength to go the distance.
Upcoming Races & When to Start Training
If you’re eyeing a race later this year, now’s the time to get strategic. Training isn’t just about logging miles, it’s about building the right foundation at the right time so you’re primed for peak performance. Whether you’re tackling your first half marathon or chasing a PB in the marathon, here’s when to kick off structured training for key upcoming races.
Here’s a look at some upcoming races and where you should be in your training:
Gold Coast Marathon – 15 weeks until race week 🔄 You should be well into training by now, building endurance, strength, and efficiency before sharpening race-specific fitness.
Sydney Marathon – 23 weeks until race week ✅ Perfect time to start a structured training program! This gives you enough time to gradually build a strong foundation and avoid last-minute panic training.
Ultra-Trail Kosciuszko – Plenty of time! 🧐 With a longer lead-up, consider running a smaller race in May or June to gain valuable race-day experience and test your pacing, fuelling, and gear strategy.
Where to Start: If you’re not sure how to structure your training, or need a plan that fits your lifestyle, now’s the perfect time to lock in a personalised program. A well-planned build-up can be the difference between feeling strong on race day or fading in the final stretch.
Need help structuring your race prep? Let’s get you set up with a plan that works. Reply to this email or check out my coaching options [HERE] to make sure you’re getting the most out of your training.
Client Spotlight: Andrew Lake
1. What is your go-to nutrition for long runs?
Anything Precision Fuel & Hydration. The 90g pouches are excellent companions in the tights, as are the 30g + caffeine gels for a session or cross training that isn't as motivating as a long run.
After years of stress fracture setbacks (pre Matty coaching) I no longer muck around with the old school cycling approach of fasted training.
2. What is your favourite training session?
I love interval day but prefer the longer tempo type sessions, such as a 30min broken tempo/threshold over rolling terrain.
The best type of sessions involve mates, pushing each other and banter
3. Which race are you currently training for, and what motivates you to run it?
'A' goals in 2025 are the Goldie and Melb marathons with the Hoka half as a tune up in May.
Following a long background in road cycling I'm drawn to the longer races (on a road racing scale only: appreciate a marathon is probably just the prologue event for most of Matty's clients) and love the multiple hrs of suffer at a high tempo pace. Hoping to finally pop my marathon cherry in 2025.
Final Note
The small decisions you make in training now, from hydration strategies to pacing adjustments to easy-run discipline, will shape your results in the weeks ahead.
Train smarter in the heat – Understand your body’s response and adjust hydration, fuelling, and pacing accordingly.
Dial in your race fuelling – Carbs, hydration, and gut training matter more than you think, now’s the time to test them.
Refine your mechanics – Small tweaks to stride, cadence, and arm movement can unlock free speed and reduce injury risk.
Embrace the process – Running slow isn’t “junk miles.” It’s the foundation of endurance that allows you to push hard when it counts.
With races on the horizon, it’s the work you put in now that sets you up for success. Keep showing up, trust the process, and I’ll see you in next week’s Weekly Wrap.
Cheers,
Coach Matty Abel