Mark Walpole – 3:34:33 to 3:27:09 Paris marathon

Mark and I have worked together on and off for the last 18 months. Firstly through a training plan which was a big departure from what Mark had been used to, then adding a weekly 1-2-1 strength training session on top.

After his first training plan, we went to just the weekly strength training so Mark could run his own way. Whilst he progressed over the shorter distances and found training less tiring through his increased strength, the high intensity led to a calf injury that severely impacted the final weeks to his Berlin marathon, although he still ran a solid 3:46:19.

Realising things needed to change, Mark asked me to coach him again and said he would “trust the process” and asked for more explanation of the choices I put forward each week. I was happy to explain my thinking and loved seeing Mark so engaged with the process.

Throughout the block, Mark achieved two 10k PBs, a 10 mile PB, and a 20 mile PB, the last of which included an unofficial half marathon PB of over 3 minutes as well.

The calf issue did come back in the middle of training, but with management of training sessions and Mark sticking closely to my advice, this had a negligible impact on training.

Arriving in France, Mark was confident of a strong performance, having also delved deeper into nutrition throughout training and tapering. He powered through Paris in a fantastic 3:27:09, improving his PB by over 7 minutes and is now planning for Chicago and beyond.