The Next Chapter Begins

Brighton has come and gone

I crossed the finish line on April 12th with a time of 3 hours and 58 minutes. A personal best by 16 minutes. I should have been proud of that, and in some ways I was. But I walked away — barely walked, if I'm honest — knowing there was more in there.

The legs went at 34km. Not dramatically. Not a collapse. Just that moment where the body sends you a message and you have no choice but to listen. I slowed down, managed it, and picked the pace back up for the final 2km. Crossed the line empty. Could barely walk after.

No regrets on the effort. I gave everything I had on the day.

I'm setting myself the goal of knocking 13 minutes off my time. Ambitious? Maybe. But I know I've got it in me.

The break

I haven't run since May 1st.

The ankles needed it. The body needed it. Honestly, I think I just needed a mental break from it all too. Marathon training takes more out of you than just the physical. There's a point somewhere in the final weeks where running becomes your whole life, and when it's done, you almost don't know what to do with yourself.

Just over four weeks off. And it's done its job.

I feel ready. More than that, I feel excited to get going again, which is exactly the feeling you want at the start of a new block.

The last two marathons, training didn't go smoothly for either of them. Niggles, disruptions, sessions missed. So this time round I'm praying for a clear, injury free build all the way to Loch Ness. That's what will really test what I can do on race day.

What the next chapter looks like

The target is the Loch Ness Marathon on September 27th. 118 days away.

The goal is 3 hours 45 minutes. That's 13 minutes faster than Brighton, and it's going to require a smarter build, not just a harder one.

Running three times a week to start. Nothing heroic. Sessions between 5 and 10km, with the focus firmly on rebuilding the engine and getting the legs used to being on the road again. Heart rate, rate of perceived exertion, technique. Pace will come later. Right now the foundation comes first.

Alongside the running I'll be training four days a week in the gym. Two upper body sessions, one lower body, one full body. The gym supports the running at this stage, and

I'm not overdoing it in either. That balance matters more than people think. Too many people either neglect the gym entirely when they start marathon training or keep lifting at the same intensity and wonder why their runs feel heavy. Managing the load between both is one of the things I'll be documenting as this block progresses.

The weight goal

I'm also in the middle of a fat loss phase alongside the training.

Currently sitting at 86kg, down 4kg in the last 6 weeks. The target is 82kg in the next 4 to 6 weeks.

The approach is straightforward. Calorie deficit in place, protein being hit consistently, eating food I actually enjoy. Nothing complicated, nothing miserable. Just keeping what's been working and staying consistent with it.

There's a common assumption that fat loss and marathon training can't coexist. They can, if you're smart about it. The deficit doesn't need to be aggressive. The protein needs to be high enough to protect muscle. And the nutrition needs to actually fuel the sessions rather than fight against them. I'll cover this in more detail as the block progresses.

What I'll be documenting

All of it.

The training. The nutrition. The good weeks and the ones that don't go to plan. The honest check ins on where the weight is at and how the running is progressing. The lessons from Brighton that I'm carrying into this block.

This isn't a highlight reel. It's the whole thing.

If you followed the Brighton build, you'll know that already. If you're new here, welcome. This is what we do.

118 days to Loch Ness. The next chapter starts today.

Andy 👊

If you're working towards your own goal, dropping body fat, building fitness, transforming your physique, and you want structured coaching to actually make it happen, DM me START and I'll send you the details.