My Road to Sydney - Week 3 Training Recap

By Coach Nic Baxter | NBx Running Coach

Week 3 of my Sydney Marathon training is done, and this was the week that tested something other than my fitness. This week tested my willingness to practice exactly what I preach.

THE PLAN

Week 3 continued to build on the previous two weeks with increasing volume and a 16 mile long run finally arriving. But partway through the week, an old injury flared up, and I had to make some daily decisions about my training rather than just following the plan blindly.

Total for the week: approximately 45 miles. Actual mileage 45.21 miles.

MONDAY JULY 6 — CROSS TRAINING DAY & CLIENT SESSIONS

Monday was a full cross training day. Today included a dog walk, indoor cycling session, strength work and indoor rowing. No running at all. HR very low throughout everything. A smart, steady start to the week that kept the legs fresh ahead of Tuesday's sessions.

TUESDAY JULY 7 — DOUBLE RUN AND STRENGTH

Tuesday brought a double day of running plus strength work. Average HR 128 and 126 respectively, both nicely controlled. Cadence strong. It was during the second run that an old injury I've dealt with before started making itself known again.

WEDNESDAY JULY 8 — TRAIL DAY

Wednesday was supposed to be a track workout, however I hit the trails at Lewis Morris, as Jockey Hollow was still closed due to storm damage. This was a slower workout, with me walking some sections and climbing over (or under) trees. I want to be honest about this because it's exactly what I coach my athletes through. When something you've felt before starts flaring up, you don't push through and hope it goes away. We listen, adapt, and reevaluate.

Storm damage.

THURSDAY JULY 9 — REASSESSING THE WEEK

Thursday I made the call to significantly scale back. A short, slow run to test the injury and a walk was nowhere near what was originally planned. This was a deliberate decision to protect the injury and avoid turning a manageable niggle into something that could derail the entire training block.

This is the exact scenario I wrote about a few weeks ago in Listening to Your Body. It's one thing to write the advice. It's another thing entirely to take it yourself when your own marathon is on the line. I took it.

FRIDAY JULY 10 — CAUTIOUS RETURN. CLIENT SESSIONS

Friday brought a slightly more confident & slower miles with clients, followed by a walk. My HR well controlled throughout. The injury felt more settled and I was able to reintroduce some volume carefully.

SATURDAY JULY 11 — THE LONG RUN

This was the big one and the one I wasn't sure I'd get to attempt this week.

Given everything earlier in the week, I approached this run cautiously. I was ready to stop and modify if anything felt wrong. It didn't. The niggle stayed quiet, my legs held up, and I completed the longest run of this training block so far, exactly on the misty morning path I shared on Instagram. 5:30am starts continue to be worth every early alarm.

Saturday's Long Run Route.

SUNDAY JULY 12 — TRAIL RUN AND RECOVERY

Sunday brought a 6 mile trail run and a walk to close out the week. An easy, settled effort after Saturday's big session.

WEEK 3 BY THE NUMBERS

Sessions completed: Multiple runs, trail sessions, strength, indoor cycling and rowing. Key session: long run — the longest of the block so far. Mid-week challenge: An old injury flaring up, requiring a scaled-back Thursday & Friday. Feeling at end of week: Relieved and cautiously confident

WHAT I LEARNED THIS WEEK

Practicing what I coach is harder than coaching it. Telling an athlete to back off is easy. Making that call for myself, mid marathon block, with a goal race on the calendar, is a genuinely different experience. I am glad I did it.

An old injury deserves respect, not denial. This wasn't a new problem, it was something I've managed before. The instinct to assume "it'll be fine" is strong. The smarter instinct is to actually address it: scale back, monitor closely, and only push forward once it settles.

Scaling back for a few days protected the whole week, including the long run. And due to this, I was able to complete Saturday's long run safely. If I had pushed through on Thursday, I may not have been able to run at all this weekend. The short-term sacrifice protected the bigger goal.

WHAT'S COMING IN WEEK 4

Week 4 is a recovery week with my injury being monitored closely throughout. I'll be paying close attention to how the body responds and adjusting as needed, exactly as I would for any of my athletes.

6 weeks to Sydney. The work continues......carefully.

If you are training for a fall marathon and want expert guidance to get you to the start line healthy — I'd love to help.

Book your free 30-minute intro call at nbx-runningcoach.com

Sydney — Week 3 done. Week 4 — let's go, sensibly.

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.