Training with Pain #11, What a Difference a Week Makes

Sleep is doing the heavy lifting, and the running is starting to fly.

June 2026 · 8 min read

What a Difference a Week Makes

Last week I felt noticeably better. The stress is still there, but it feels much more manageable. A couple of weeks ago I felt like I was getting dragged along by it. Last week I felt like I was back in the driver's seat.

I've kept the same changes in place because they seem to be working:

Waking between 6:00 to 6:20am instead of 5:20am
Dropping strength work to two sessions per week
Getting to bed earlier
Reading for 30 to 45 minutes before sleep
Averaging around 8 hours sleep per night
Keeping my running volume the same

Out of all of those, sleep has been the game changer.

I think sleep is one of those things everyone knows is important, but most people don't realise just how much is going on while you're asleep.

Throughout the night we cycle through different stages of sleep. Deep sleep is where a lot of the physical recovery takes place. Growth hormone is released, tissues recover from training and the body gets to work repairing itself. REM sleep is more heavily involved in learning, memory and processing information from the day. It's why after a poor night's sleep everything feels harder. Your reactions are slower, your mood is worse and training feels like you're dragging a caravan behind you.

The older I get, the more I appreciate that recovery isn't something that happens after training. Recovery is the training.

If you're sleeping five hours a night and wondering why you're struggling to build muscle, lose weight, recover from injuries or find motivation to exercise, that's probably where I'd start.

I also had an entirely work-free Sunday.

I ran, had a couple of beers, ate Greek food in Yarraville, got a massage and spent some time catching up on World Cup highlights. If Carlsberg did Sundays…

The reason I enjoyed it so much was because I had absolutely zero guilt. No laptop. No emails. No work calls. I think a lot of people struggle with this. We convince ourselves we're relaxing while simultaneously checking emails every 15 minutes. I'm certainly guilty of this.

Sometimes you need a day where your brain gets a break too.

And another reason Sunday was so enjoyable?

I absolutely smashed my run.

Running Update

Last week finished with 53km of running and my final big race-practice session before things start winding down.

The session looked like this:

4km warm-up
5km at race pace
3.5km conversational pace
5km at race pace
3.6km easy cool-down

The target pace for the two 5km blocks was 4:20/km.

After the previous weekend's run, I went into this one with a lot more confidence.

I knew pretty early that 4:20/km wasn't going to be the pace.

I really felt good.

The first 5km averaged 4:09/km. 20 minutes and 45 seconds. I was absolutely buzzing.

I pushed hard, but everything felt controlled. My breathing was elevated, but not out of control. My legs felt strong and I knew I had got to a good point with my fitness.

The second block averaged 4:13/km and felt very similar. I started a touch more conservatively and built into it.

Overall, I couldn't have asked for much more.

I'm feeling fit. Probably the fittest I've felt since the full marathon training last year. Perhaps quicker.

The only thing keeping me grounded is the fact that Albert Park is unbelievably flat.

The race course isn't. Hills have a wonderful way of bringing you back to reality.

Still, confidence is building. The race is close now.

Strength Update

If I didn't have ambitions to grow IAC into what I think it can become, I'd probably spend 70% of my week in clinic and the other 30% coaching classes.

I genuinely love coaching. It's one of my favourite parts of the week.

I get to see people improve, watch confidence grow and be part of your fitness journey.

Unfortunately something had to give. I've handed over my final weekday coaching shift and Sam has taken over the Thursday morning sessions.

The silver lining is that Sam does an unbelievable job. Most of you already know that.

It gives me more time to focus on improving our service while knowing members are still getting coached properly.

Week 1 Is Nearly Done, RDLs Are Back

Deadlifts are back. One of the best exercises we do.

Week one introduces Barbell Romanian Deadlifts before we move into conventional deadlifts the following week.

If your goal is building a strong posterior chain, it's hard to go past these two.

Glutes. Hamstrings. Back. Grip. Everything gets challenged.

Which brings me to lower back pain. One thing I've noticed over the years is how many people have ongoing back pain but never actually train their back.

They'll do plenty of stretching. A bit of foam rolling. Maybe some core work.

But very little actual strengthening.

When people say they're working on their core, they're usually talking about planks, sit-ups or abdominal exercises.

The back often gets forgotten.

The evidence around chronic lower back pain has become much clearer over the years. For most people, backs respond very well to movement and progressive strengthening. We know that people with persistent back pain often become fearful of bending, lifting and loading. The problem is that avoiding those movements long-term can make them less tolerant to those movements.

The back is designed to bend, straighten and to carry load.

We just need to expose it to those things gradually and intelligently.

That's why I love exercises like RDLs.

They teach people that their back is strong.

More importantly, they teach people that their back can become stronger.

If you've got ongoing lower back pain, Mondays should be very high on your priority list.

As always, we'll modify and scale things depending on the individual, but avoiding loading forever is rarely the answer.

Dr Samina Workshop Reminder

A quick reminder that Dr Samina's workshop is coming up:

Saturday 27th June, 11:00am

We've currently got 8 people booked in.

This is one I'm really looking forward to. The more consultations I do, the more I realise how much confusion still exists around menopause, exercise and hormone replacement therapy.

Dr Samina will help clear up a lot of that.

Book via the "Courses" section in the app.