For many runners, the marathon is the pinnacle of distance running. Callum sees it as a great bucket list item to cross off, especially after completing a half marathon. “I’ve already done a half marathon before, and I see the full marathon as a natural next step,” he shared.

But it’s not just about the challenge. The New York Marathon provides a unique opportunity to experience a new city while tackling the distance. “New York was obviously a really cool opportunity and a great way to see a new city,” he said.

Training for a marathon doesn’t start on day one of the official training block. For our runner, it began earlier, with a focus on building base mileage after a period of decreased running capacity. “Technically, training has already started. Due to my decreased running capacity over the last 2 years, I wanted to start with 1-2 runs a week and build up to an average of 25-30km a week about 5 months out from the race,” he explained.

Training will ramp up as they move closer to race day, with a planned 16-18 week training block involving 3 runs a week, along with gym and prehab sessions to complement the running. “I love my golf still, so I’ll also get some accumulative load on the legs by walking 7-8km on the weekends when playing golf,” he added.

While Callum doesn’t have any major injuries going into the training block, they do have some minor concerns. “Mild bilateral shin splints are starting to creep in now, but I hope to prevent this with regular maintenance therapy, and appropriate strength and plyometric loading now in the early months,” they said.

Staying ahead of injuries by focusing on strength and recovery is crucial during marathon training.

Setting a goal for race day helps with motivation and focus. Cal has a specific time in mind. “Yes, sub 4 hours would be an ideal goal,” they shared. While this is an ambitious target, their structured training plan is setting them up for success.