A marathon plan on your phone is easy to find. Knowing whether you should run through a niggle, move a hard session after a poor night’s sleep, or take an extra recovery day is much harder. That is where endurance coaching earns its place. I help you turn a big goal into training that works around your job, family, travel, current fitness and real recovery capacity.
Whether you are preparing for your first 10K, building towards a marathon, returning to triathlon, or simply want the energy to run, cycle and train consistently, the aim is not to fill every spare hour with exercise. It is to build fitness progressively, stay healthy and arrive at your event confident in what your body can do.
What endurance coaching should give you
Endurance training is often misunderstood as a test of suffering. There will be demanding sessions, especially when a race matters to you, but constant fatigue is not proof that a plan is working. The right workload is the one you can absorb, repeat and build on.
My coaching combines structured training with direct feedback. I look at your goal, your training history, your schedule and the equipment or routes available to you. Then I create a programme that has a clear purpose: easier sessions that develop your aerobic base, quality work that improves speed or threshold, strength training that supports durability, and recovery that lets those adaptations happen.
For some clients, the priority is getting out of the door twice a week without feeling overwhelmed. For others, it is pacing a half marathon properly, handling the bike-to-run transition in a triathlon, or managing a demanding Ironman build. Both need a plan, but they should not receive the same one.
Training for the race and the person
A good race plan starts with the finish line, then works backwards. We consider the distance, terrain, elevation, likely weather, cut-off times and the result you want. A flat city marathon needs different preparation from a hilly trail race. A sprint triathlon asks for a different balance of skills and volume than a long-course event.
But the race is only half the picture. Your training has to fit the person doing it. If you work long hours and can only train early mornings, I will not prescribe six complicated sessions that repeatedly get missed. If you travel regularly, your plan needs useful hotel-gym, bodyweight and running alternatives. If you are coming back after injury or a long break, consistency and sensible progression matter more than chasing the mileage you used to manage.
That flexibility is not a softer approach. It is how we get better results. The best programme is not the most impressive spreadsheet. It is the one you can execute for months.
Building the engine before chasing intensity
Most endurance progress comes from doing the basics well for long enough. Easy running or riding develops the aerobic system, improves efficiency and gives you the capacity to recover from harder work. It should feel controlled, not like a race every time you leave the house.
Once that foundation is in place, targeted intensity has a clear role. Depending on your event and experience, this might include intervals, hill repetitions, tempo efforts, race-pace blocks or brick sessions for triathlon. These sessions need intent, good technique and enough recovery around them. A tough workout is useful because of what it develops, not because it leaves you exhausted on the floor.
Strength is part of the picture too. Stronger legs, hips and trunk can improve running economy, resilience and confidence, particularly when fatigue sets in. You do not need to become a powerlifter. You need practical, consistent strength work that supports your sport rather than taking energy away from it.
Recovery is training, not time off from training
Fitness improves after the session, not during it. That sounds simple, yet it is where many motivated athletes lose momentum. They add extra kilometres because they feel guilty, ignore persistent soreness, or try to make up for missed sessions by cramming everything into a weekend.
I would rather adjust the week early than force a plan that your body is not ready for. Sleep, work stress, nutrition, illness and life events all affect recovery. We monitor how you feel as well as what you complete. Your pace, heart rate and data can be useful, but they never tell the whole story.
There is a difference between normal training discomfort and pain that changes how you move. There is also a difference between one difficult session and a pattern of declining energy, poor sleep or recurring niggles. Learning those distinctions helps you train independently and confidently, rather than relying blindly on an app.
Nutrition for sustained performance
Endurance nutrition does not need to be complicated, but it does need to match the work you are doing. Under-fuelling is common among busy people who train before work, skip meals or try to lose weight aggressively while increasing mileage. The result can be flat sessions, poor recovery and a frustrating lack of progress.
We focus on practical habits: regular meals, enough protein to support recovery, carbohydrates around demanding sessions, hydration and a fuelling strategy for longer training. For race preparation, we practise what you will eat and drink on the day. Race day is not the moment to test unfamiliar gels, a huge breakfast or a new electrolyte drink.
Body-composition goals can sit alongside endurance training, but the approach has to be realistic. A short, carefully managed calorie deficit may be appropriate at certain points. During a hard training block, performance, recovery and health may need to take priority. This is not about perfection. It is about making choices that support the goal in front of you.
Coaching that works beyond the gym
You do not need a fixed gym routine to train seriously. I can coach you outdoors in Barcelona, at home, or remotely wherever you are based. That means your strength work can use the equipment you have, your run sessions can suit local routes, and your plan can travel with you.
Remote endurance coaching is not simply receiving a generic schedule. You have access to a coach who understands the reason behind each session and can adapt it when life changes. We review progress, discuss challenges and keep the plan moving forward. If a business trip removes your bike session, we find a sensible alternative. If you are progressing faster than expected, we build carefully rather than jumping ahead too soon.
At AB Fitness, I bring my own background in marathons, Ironman triathlons and multi-sport training to the process, but your programme is never about copying my training. It is about preparing you for your challenge, at your level.
When to start preparing
More time usually gives us more options, especially for a first marathon, long triathlon or return after injury. A longer build lets us develop endurance gradually and reduce the temptation to force volume. That said, you do not need to wait for the perfect moment or a race entry to begin.
Start by building a routine you can protect. Two or three purposeful sessions each week can create a strong base. From there, we can add volume, strength, skill and intensity when your body is ready. If you already have an event date, we work with the time available and make sensible decisions about what is achievable.
The goal is not merely to finish tired and relieved. It is to stand on the start line knowing you have prepared with purpose, listened to your body and earned the confidence to enjoy the challenge ahead.