With the West Highland Way Race now just a couple of months away, many runners find themselves in a familiar place.

Training hasn’t quite gone how they hoped.

Missed sessions. Disrupted consistency. Life getting in the way.

And with that often comes a quiet pressure to catch up. To do more, and to fix things quickly.

In this episode, Paul explores why that instinct can lead you further away from where you want to be… and how to approach this final phase of training with clarity, control, and purpose.

In this episode:

• Why the “perfect training block” is largely a myth
• The common trap of trying to cram fitness late in the build
• A personal story from student life that reframes how to use limited time effectively
• How to shift from “catching up” to “making the most of what you have”
• What actually matters in the final 6–8 weeks before race day

Building a simple, effective plan

• Structuring your weeks around consistency rather than intensity
• The role of the long run and why it should feel controlled, not exhausting
• Using back-to-back runs to build durability without overreaching
• Why easy running needs to stay genuinely easy
• Practising fuelling so it becomes automatic on race day
• Learning sustainable pacing through feel, not guesswork
• Why recovery, sleep, and nutrition are part of the training process

Managing life alongside training

• Handling periods of increased life stress, including moving house close to race day
• Understanding total load, not just training load
• Protecting sleep and creating intentional downtime
• Reducing decision fatigue by planning ahead
• Adjusting training without losing rhythm
• Why arriving slightly undertrained but fresh is often better than overtrained and exhausted

Reframing where you are

• Letting go of the idea that training needed to be perfect
• Recognising the experience and resilience you already have
• Learning to respond, adapt, and move forward without overreacting

A practical reflection to try

Take time to write down:

• Key experiences that show your resilience
• Moments where you’ve handled difficulty well
• Strengths you can rely on during the race

Often, the evidence you need is already there.

Key message

You can’t recreate missed training. But you can make smart decisions now.

Consistency, control, and clarity in this final phase will take you further than trying to force what’s already gone.

About the host

The WHW Race Pod is hosted by Paul, a three-time winner of the West Highland Way Race, with deep experience of the race and a strong connection to its community.

Race Links

West Highland Way Race

https://westhighlandwayrace.org/

Instagram

@whw_race

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