The Weekly Wrap – 24/3/25
Your Weekly Dose of Running Highlights, Tips, and Motivation
Your body is ready - but is your mind dialled in too?
As race season kicks off and the long runs stack up, this week we’re diving into some critical performance levers: mastering your pre-bed routine, fine-tuning your mental prep for race day, and a prompt to sharpen your approach to long runs.
G’day team, and welcome to another edition of The Weekly Wrap.
Big thanks to everyone who continues to tune in each week, your messages, emails, and DMs mean a lot, and I love hearing how much value you’re getting from these updates. If you’ve got suggestions, questions, or topics you’d like me to go deeper on, reply and I’ll do my best to include them in the next issue.
Personally, I’ve been easing back into running. The ankle’s still under watch, so volume is low but the bike’s been filling the gap as I prep for the Buffalo Stampede Grand Slam this weekend. It won’t be a race effort, just a time-on-feet mission in the mountains to keep building toward TDS later this year.
I’ve missed being out on the trails, so I’m keen to just get amongst it and see how the body holds up. If the ankle plays nice, I’ll go for all three stages. If not, I’ll pivot to the 10 and 20km to keep things moving without setting back recovery.
Across the Academy, we’ve had a string of standout performances with athletes building smart, racing strong, and putting together some impressive weeks of work. Scroll on to check out the highlights and don’t miss this week’s key training tips.
Here’s to another week of strong, consistent work. Let’s get into it.
Highlights of the Week
Big week across the Academy with some standout efforts and momentum building across the board:
Emily Hull took on Herdy’s Front Yard Ultra, PB’d and used it as a strong training run, building the base for her PCT hike later this year
Dave Smerdon ran a sharp 1:22 at Project 13.1 in the US - a key benchmark as we fine-tune ahead of his A-race at the Brooklyn Half Marathon.
Alex Coleman raced the Sydney Trail Series 20km, using it as a prep effort for the Sydney Backyard Ultra, another stepping stone toward Snowdon 24hr later this year.
Cam Merrick kept the momentum rolling - running an unofficial race from Kirribilli across the Harbour Bridge, around the Opera House, and back. That followed his win at Furies Centennial Race the week prior. Great back-to-back form as we shape up for mid-year marathons.
Client Highlights:
Chloe Bailey hit a milestone week - upping her run volume and dialling in her elevation gain target as we continue to build smartly toward UTA50.
Mitchell Thurtell has shifted gears from road marathon to UTA Miler training, and it’s showing. Big uptick in elevation, and fitness trending up fast on the data.
Alex Bate continues to live up to the title of Mr Consistent - training load is rising, data shows fitness improving, and he’s handling the climbs like a pro.
Plenty of eyes now turn to this weekend’s Buffalo Stampede, with athletes lining up for the Grand Slam, 20K Sky Run, and the Sky Marathon.
Cam Merrick taking out the Unofficial race on Saturday night
March Focus: Race Planning & Execution
Throughout March, we’ve focused on Race Planning & Execution, laying the groundwork for strong performances. In Week 1, we mapped out your race strategy by breaking down the course and logistics. Week 2 honed in on pacing, learning how to manage your effort across varying terrain or distance. Last week, we dialled in fuelling, testing carb intake, hydration, and gut training to avoid race-day blowups.
Now it’s time to bring it all together with one of the most underrated but powerful aspects of racing: mental preparation. Building race day confidence isn’t just about belief, it’s about preparation, visualisation, and readiness for whatever the day throws at you.
Week 4: Mental Preparation - Building Race-Day Confidence
You’ve put in the work physically, but race execution also comes down to mindset.
Visualisation: Mentally rehearse key moments in your race.
Pre-race routine: Establish a consistent warm-up and mental reset process.
Adapting to the unexpected: Prepare for race-day surprises (weather, aid station mix-ups, etc.)
Action Step:
Take 10 minutes today to write down 3 things:
Your pre-race routine (what you’ll do the night before, the morning of, and the hour before the start).
3 moments you expect to be mentally tough during your race, and what your response will be.
A race-day mantra or cue that you’ll come back to when things get hard.
Save it somewhere visible. Read it once a week leading into race day. Confidence is built in the days before the start line.
Prompt of the Week: Long Runs: Are You Getting the Most Out of Them
Long runs are the backbone of endurance training, but how you execute them matters.
Are you running them too fast, turning them into a medium-intensity effort?
Do you fuel appropriately (carbs before, during, and after)?
Are you structuring them to prepare for race demands (progression, race-pace finishes, hills)?
Before your next long run, ask: what’s the point? Is it endurance? Fuelling? Mental reps? Set the goal, then run it with purpose.
Tip of the Week: Master Your Pre-Bed Routine
Sleep is one of the most underrated performance tools we have, but it starts well before your head hits the pillow.
Creating a consistent pre-bed routine signals to your body that it’s time to wind down. This might look like:
A hot shower to lower core temperature
App blocker 30 minutes before bed
Setting out your clothes or running gear for tomorrow
Reading a book or journaling
Going to bed and waking up at the same time each day (even weekends)
These small steps stack up. You’ll fall asleep faster, sleep deeper, and wake up with more clarity and energy to train, work, and show up well.
Dial it in this week and see how much better you feel.
The Manta eye mask is a key favourite of my sleep routine
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Client Spotlight: Erwin Schuttinga
1. What is your go-to nutrition for long runs?
Definitely a mix of Tailwind and gels (Maurten and Endura). For the longer runs I also try and get some solid food, like a hot cross bun or sandwich.
2. What is your favourite training session?
I will be lying if I say the 5km time trial. I really like the longer runs in the mountains with mates.
3. Which race are you currently training for, and what motivates you to run it?
I am looking forward to this Saturday’s Old Ghost Road in New Zealand. Having done the race in 2020 it’s my favourite so far, so coming back for more.
Final Note
As we get deeper into race season, I’ve been reminded, it’s not about perfect weeks or flawless sessions. It’s about showing up with intent. Every block, every phase, even the wobbly weeks, they all count if you stay in it.
Whether you’re in the thick of training or just trying to find your rhythm again, stack the small wins. The mental reps matter just as much as the physical ones.
I’m still finding my own flow too, but the consistency, that’s what keeps the needle moving.
Got a race coming up? Hit a breakthrough long run? I’d love to hear about it. Hit reply or tag me @mattyabel and let’s keep building.
Train smart, recover well, and back yourself.
Cheers,
Coach Matty Abel