My Road to Sydney -Week 7 Recap

By Coach Nic Baxter | NBx Running Coach

Week 7 of my Sydney Marathon training is done, Peak Week 2, the final and biggest push before the taper begins. This was also when NYC Summer Streets happened, which meant one of my longer runs came with closed roads, iconic skylines and my some friends alongside me.

THE PLAN

The second and final peak week of this training block, designed to squeeze out the last significant training stimulus before easing off for race day. Unlike a typical week with one long run, this week included two substantial efforts, a longer midweek run and a further long run on Saturday.

Total mileage for the week: plan said approximately 50 miles. Actual mileage 51 miles.

MONDAY AUGUST 3 — CLIENT SESSIONS & TREADMILL TO OPEN THE WEEK

Monday brought a walk, client sessions followed by a 5 mile treadmill run. Average HR 115, max HR 138. This was a comfortably easy start heading into a demanding week.

TUESDAY AUGUST 4 — EASY MILES & STRENGTH

Tuesday brought a short run and strength day. Average HR 109 and 122. Easy effort banking steady miles.

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 5 — LONG RUN

Today brought a significant long run of the week. Average HR 147, with noticeably more time spent in the higher heart rate zones than earlier long runs this block. This was a genuinely tough session on tired legs, after last week.

First long run of the week took me around Morristown and on the Traction Line

THURSDAY AUGUST 6 — RECOVERY & STRENGTH

Thursday brought an easy pace run and a walk. Heart rate showed a touch more effort than usual as the legs worked through Wednesday's big run.

FRIDAY AUGUST 7 — STEADY MILES & CLIENT SESSIONS

Friday brought a solid 7 mile run. Average HR 115, max HR 150, a good, purposeful session ahead of the weekend's second long effort.

SATURDAY AUGUST 8 — THE SECOND LONG RUN

This was the standout day of the week. NYC Summer Streets meant roads closed across Manhattan, and I made the most of it — a short warm up, then miles through the city with the Amazing Feet crew, finished off with a short cool down run. Average HR 145, max HR 168 across the main effort. Had the opportunity to get some Marathon Paced miles in on the streets of NY.

Running through Union Square and along closed avenues with a group of people made this one of the most memorable long runs of the entire training block. The miles genuinely didn't feel like miles.

Summer Streets with the Amazing Feet Crew. Thanks to Gautam and DJ for pacing my MP miles.

SUNDAY AUGUST 9 — FULL REST

Sunday was a complete rest day. A dog walk and nothing more. After two significant long efforts in the same week, full recovery was essential heading into the taper.

WEEK 7 BY THE NUMBERS

Total running miles: approximately 51 miles Sessions completed: Treadmill running, city miles at Summer Streets, and two long efforts within the same week Key sessions: 2 long runs Feeling at end of week: Tired, fulfilled, and definitely ready for the taper

WHAT I LEARNED THIS WEEK

Two long runs in one week is a real test — and a valuable one. Most weeks in this training block have featured a single long effort. This week's structure, with two significant runs just days apart, gave me a genuine sense of cumulative fatigue and how my body responds to less recovery time between hard sessions. That is exactly the kind of stress marathon day itself can bring in its own way.

Community transforms hard miles into good miles. The Summer Streets long run was physically demanding but it barely felt like training. Running with people who show up for each other made the distance disappear. This is precisely why I believe so strongly in group training and community for my own athletes.

The taper is genuinely earned, not just scheduled. After two peak weeks and two long runs in the space of four days this week, the idea of reduced volume ahead feels like more than a plan on paper. It feels necessary, and I'm genuinely ready for it.

WHAT'S COMING IN WEEK 8

Week 8 marks the beginning of the taper, with reduced volume, protected legs, and a shift in focus from building fitness to preserving it for race day.

2 weeks to Sydney. The hardest training is behind me.

If you are training for a fall marathon and want expert guidance through your own peak weeks and taper — I'd love to help.

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

Sydney — Week 7 done. Taper — let's go.

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.