New video up this week and it’s one I’ve wanted to make for ages – the three tests I run every runner through before I’ll tell them they’re genuinely sub 3 fit. Not just hopeful, but actually fit. I start with Yasso 800s early in a block as a rough early check, then it’s the race ladder, the marathon pace test and the consistency test that really tell the story. I’ve laid out exactly what passing each one looks like, and just as importantly, what to do if you fail one, because that’s often more useful than the pass itself.

I talk through three runners I coach to show how this plays out in real training. Keiron went from 2:58:52 to 2:52:35 at Boston, Scott finally broke 3 at Manchester with 2:59:18 after a few near misses, and I’m backing Lee on camera to go sub 3 at Chester. It felt right to show the tests actually working for people rather than just explaining them in theory.

Then I turn the camera on myself and put my own training through the same tests, with Valencia Marathon on 6 December coming up and 2:24:35 to beat. I’ll be honest, I don’t pass every one, and I think that’s worth seeing – even after 40 marathons and daily running since the end of November 2015, these tests don’t care who you are.

If you fancy finding out where you stand, drop your latest half marathon time and your average weekly miles in the comments under the video and I’ll come back to every single one with where I think you’re at. It’s a proper look at the video in full though, the context matters, so have a watch when you’ve got ten minutes and let me know your numbers.

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