A Quick History of My Marathon Career…

Marathon No.1 (Wrexham 2016)

Target is to run sub 3hrs

I run 2.38 in my first ever marathon

Marathon No.2 (London 2016)

Target is sub 2hrs30 

I run 2.26 in London

Marathon No.3 (Snowdonia 2016)

Target is to win

I win, missing the course record by just 80sec (read here)

Marathon No.4 (London 2017)

Target is to break 2hrs20

I run a 4min pb of 2.22, after stopping at mile 21 with a stitch (read here)

Marathon No.5 (Berlin 2017)

Target is to break 2hrs20

I run 2.20.20, missing my goal by 21 sec, setting another pb by over 2min (read here)

Up to this point, my marathon career is looking pretty sparkly. But in 2018 things take a turn for the worse, for all sorts of reasons. My next 3 marathons go:

London – 2.29 (read here)

Berlin – 2.29 (read here)

Chester – 2.27 (read here)

I do manage to finish the year reclaiming my title as Snowdonia Marathon Champ (read here). But all in all, 2018 is a disaster in terms of marathon progression. 

With all those ‘life excuses’ out of the way;  this next marathon, I really want to get my progression back on track. To take back control. All of a sudden, I’m not a marathon beginner, I’m a veteran with no less than TEN under my belt. 

Brighton Marathon is in 3 weeks, so far the build up has been pretty controlled. With all the expected ebbs and flows. 

This Sunday morning, the target is 18 miles @ 6min miling. I take a 3 mile warmup, and then get changed into the exact kit I will be wearing on race day. 

Mile 1 – 5.37. Whoops. It felt ALOT slower, better cool it off Russell

Mile 2 – 5.28. What?! I have to look and relook at my watch. I can’t believe it is that quick. I was expecting 6min miles to be a struggle.

Mile 3 – I am jogging, I am feeling so easy, this mile I will nail it, it will be 6min dead…5.27. FUCK OFF!

I have done my Sunday long run on this course countless times. I have never been in a situation like this. Especially not on the back of 8 x 100 mile weeks. It is a difficult situation. I want to turn everything down, switch it all off. But you have to be so careful with that. All your systems are firing and raring to go, turn them off, and suddenly things might feel much harder, and get much slower. 

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should

I abort the planned run 3 miles early. Keep saving, saving, saving, all the way to race day. I need to get my marathon progression back on track, this race. I need to run the time I KNOW I can run, not the time I THINK I can run. And to do that, I have to listen to my head, not my body. This run is a reminder of just how hard it is to do that. 

Non-Running Highlight Of The Week:

Really enjoying working full-time on my own project. Seeing the family much more, the time flies by, and I can’t wait to get back to work every day. Dad comes to help over the weekend and drives the job on while I’m half dead.

Best Thing On The Internet This Week:

Fleabag – Season 2

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p071bk3f

Thing I’m Digging This Week:

Brilliant song and music video, recommended by my sister and bro-in-law

I run in ON Shoes. Click here to check out the ON range

I do half my training on the smooth and powerful NoblePro. Click here to see their treadmills