My Road to Sydney-Week 1 Training Recap
- nic7819
- 19 hours ago
- 4 min read
By Coach Nic Baxter | NBx Running Coach
If you've been following me on Instagram this week, you'll know that something big was launched on Monday. After years of coaching others to finish lines all over the world, I'm bringing you along for every single mile of my Sydney marathon journey, which will end on 30th August.
Welcome to Week 1 of my Road to Sydney training diary. I'll be posting a weekly recap every Monday. This will be the honest, unfiltered reality of marathon training alongside a full coaching schedule, life, and everything in between. No highlight reel.
Here's how Week 1 went.
MY PLAN
Sydney will be the first of 4 fall marathons for me, so my goal is realistic and not necessarily my "A" goal. My recent 10K time of 53:00 in Lake Placid puts a sub-4 marathon well within reach on paper. My ultra marathon background (and most recent 34.6 miles along the D&R Canal towpath earlier this month!) means my endurance base is solid. Now it's about building the specific marathon fitness to back it up.
Week 1 was always going to be about laying the foundation. My aerobic base, to establish the rhythm of training and getting the legs used to structured work again.
Target for the week: approximately 37 miles. Actual mileage 39.5 miles.
MONDAY — THE OPENING SESSION
The plan called for 4 x 1.25 mile tempo intervals with a 1.5 mile warm up and 1.5 mile cool down. This was a total of 8.4 miles.
How it went: really well. Avg HR 141, Max HR 161, cadence 180 spm. RPE 7/10 and feeling 5/5. The intervals felt controlled and strong, exactly the kind of session I wanted to open my training block with.
TUESDAY — CLIENT SESSIONS & ACTIVE RECOVERY
Tuesday involved several coaching sessions with my athletes, plus some cross training-a 35 minute easy bike session keeping HR very low and an easy run of 1.7 miles. Nothing taxing, just keeping the legs moving and recovering from Monday's effort.
WEDNESDAY — CLIENT SESSIONS, EASY RUNNING PLUS STRENGTH
Wednesday was a busy day with clients, and brought a double easy run day. 4.2 miles in the morning and 3.2 miles later in the day, both at easy Zone 2 effort, plus a strength session. Avg HR 116-124 which was nicely controlled. This is exactly the kind of day that builds the aerobic base quietly and consistently.
THURSDAY — EASY MILES & TRAIL RUN
Thursday was one of my favourite sessions of the week. A 3 mile easy run in the morning followed by a 5 mile trail run at Jockey Hollow in the evening with a friend. This trail run was by feel, not pace, just enjoying the terrain and letting the body do what it loves. Trail running has a way of resetting everything.
FRIDAY — CLIENT SESSIONS, EASY MILES & STRENGTH
Friday brought more coaching sessions, some easy running & a strength workout. My easy run included a warm up mile and a 2.9 mile easy run. Followed by 1 mile cool down HR nicely controlled, keeping it light ahead of the weekend.
SATURDAY — THE LONG RUN & RECOVERY
Today's long run was humid and tough. My legs felt pretty heavy after the week. My average heart rate of 131, tells you how hard this was. My cadence kept at 180 spm. I practised my fuelling, which is a non-negotiable part of marathon preparation that I'll be dialling in every single week.
This was not a great long run, but it is the hard days that build us up as runners and make us run stronger.
My recovery consisted of an Epsom salt bath, stretching and my Normatec boots.
SUNDAY — REST DAY
A well earned rest day. The body needs time to absorb the work and adapt. Rest is not a weakness. Rest days are where the fitness is actually built. I walked my dogs and relaxed.
WEEK 1 BY THE NUMBERS
Total running miles: 39.5 miles. All sessions completed and my key workout tempo interval session done. My average HR across the week was well controlled in Zone 2 for easy runs. Despite the tough conditions for my long run, my feeling at end of week was accomplished.
WHAT I LEARNED THIS WEEK
Pacing discipline matters from day one. It's tempting to push harder than the plan calls for, especially on days when the legs feel good. But week 1 is not the time to be a hero. The work compounds over 10 weeks, and the miles I run today need to serve the miles I'll run in weeks 6, 7 and 8 when the real work happens.
Fuelling practice also starts now. Not in week 8. Now. Every long run, I'm practising taking on fuel even when I don't feel like I need it. Race day fuelling is a skill and it needs to be trained just like everything else.
Trail running is my reset button. Thursday's trail run at Jockey Hollow reminded me why I fell in love with running in the first place. If you haven't tried trails yet, please do. This will change your relationship with running.
WHAT'S COMING IN WEEK 2
Week 2 introduces marathon pace work for the first time. The target mileage increases to approximately 42 miles. The long run steps up to 16 miles. It's where the plan starts to mean business.
Follow along every Monday for the full recap, and if you're training for a fall marathon yourself, I'd love to help you build your plan.
Book your free 30-minute intro call at nbx-runningcoach.com
Sydney — Week 1 is done. Let's go get Week 2.
Coach Nic Baxter is an RRCA Level 2 Run Coach and ACE-Certified Personal Trainer based in Morristown, NJ. She is currently training for the Sydney Marathon on 30th August 2026.
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