Luke Goodman writes:
Wow, it’s hard to believe it’s already 2023 and we are nearly halfway through January! I keep getting people coming up to me and asking how the marathon training is going, and to be honest I’m not too sure what to say to them at the moment. It’s a strange feeling as I’ve never thought about training for a marathon so far in advance before. Normally for a marathon at the end of April I’d start thinking about starting training sometime in mid-March. Surely my 3-5 week “training plans” from the past will be fine again… although maybe not this time.
2022 was a tough year for me in terms of running. After a knee injury in February and subsequent surgery months later, I only got back to running again in December. I started off with a parkrun naturally and it was such a nice feeling to be back running around with everyone else on a Saturday morning. A few more parkruns later and here I am, looking forward to the London marathon! It’s going to be a different challenge for me preparing for London this year. Having had 10 months off with zero running, filling the void it left with food and drink, this adventure I am starting will surely have a few twists and turns along the way. For a start, rather than following a traditional 16 week training plan, which would be primarily focused on running (and rightly so), my self-prepared training plan will be a little unorthodox. I’m going to be trying something different this time around to get fit and ready for the start line. The reason I’m choosing this approach is to try and protect my knee while getting fitter and stronger at the same time. It’ll be interesting to see how I get on.
So my approach for London marathon training is not going to be about running 😬 I will be swimming, cycling, on the rowing machine and doing some gym classes as the main focus of my training. I will of course also be doing some running but it will not be the focal point of my preparations for London. I’ve no idea how it’s going to turn out! All I know is I’m sure I’ll have fun along the way learning and trying new things and enjoying the different challenge it poses and the adventures ahead.