Trevor writes on 5th March
As I write this, I am at the end of week 9 of a traditional 16-week marathon training plan. It’s obvious that there is nowhere now to hide, and the next 5 weeks are critical. From now on, there is only one ‘LSR’ under half marathon distance, and that’s in the taper week. In late March I have a ‘rest’ with a half marathon race at Hampton Court; apart from that I must go to 32k twice, 29k, and 24k. I must also factor in three other running sessions pw, strength and flexibility work, remember my nutrition and hydration; and perhaps most importantly, ensure I get plenty of rest. Effectively, at this point of the training cycle it becomes a full time job – or a second job if you already have a day job. This presents its own challenges.
I have been fortunate when training for previous marathons in either being on a career break working on my PhD, or working where I was largely free to organise my own day. Luckily, this situation continues with my current job. There is a whole staff meeting in the office every three months, but I work from home on long-term projects. While I have remote meetings to attend, I have huge freedom to structure my time as I want. In practice, I tend to structure things like a traditional working week (even to the point of taking a short walk in the morning before I start, to simulate travelling to work). I am hugely fortunate in this respect. The time and effort involved in marathon training at this stage of the cycle still impacts. I have the utmost admiration for runners who manage training around more restrictive work and other commitments.
I ran 24k this morning – all the way to Teddington Lock on the north side of the Thames; then back along the south side via Richmond, the Old Deer Park, Kew, and Gunnersbury. Din did part of the same route with me; but had 29K on her plan, so did a slightly different route along the Thames and more in Gunnersbury to practise for Boston hills. It was a glorious experience, with dozens of other runners all obviously on long club runs or training for a Spring marathon. Unlike Din, I didn’t see the dog called Nelson who was bright enough to play hide and seek with his human family; but I did see two cormorants feeding in Teddington Lock (1). Overall, it was a great experience; but despite the long slow pace, I’ve been tired for the rest of the day. My face also feels blasted by the cold. Monday is a rest day, but week 10 contains an interval session, an easy 5k, an 8-10k tempo session, and another 21-24k. That is the regime now. The test of the marathon isn’t just the 42k on the day, it’s these weeks of preparation.
For me, the real learning experience from today’s run was to overcome the fear I get thinking of the distances involved in long runs. As I mentioned in Blog 6, I often experience a wave of panic when I visualise how far training runs and marathons are. When I got back today, I couldn’t believe I’d run as far as Teddington and back. I clearly did, but it already seems like a dream, or a film I half remember of a long-distance runner. It doesn’t seem like me.
In the last blog I asked for advice on how to overcome my fear when a well-intentioned spectator calls out ‘Just two Parkruns to go’, when I’ve just run the furthest I’ve run in training. The consistent advice I’ve received is to break the runs down into sections (‘blocking’) and just think about the next element. The Thames at Isleworth is 5k from home on the way out, Eel Pie Island 10k; crossing the river at Teddington Lock was 13k and over halfway for a 24k run. Kew Bridge on the way home is only 4k to go, and as I’ve run that route literally hundreds of times, once I am there I know I’m almost home. The only thing I was worried about this time wasn’t someone shouting ‘Less than a Parkrun to go’; but possible crowds, as I had forgotten to check if Brentford were playing at home!
The maddening thing is that none of this is new to me. Last year I jog/walked nonstop from London to Brighton – 100k. I’ve done it several times and am signed up for it this year a month after London. Someone in my 7am start wave at the Old Deer Park was starting to panic as she thought of the distance and time involved. I told her not to worry. She just had not to go flat out, and only think of the 12k to rest stop 1 in Surbiton. Then reset the target as rest stop 2 in Nonsuch Park at 25k. Just after the tunnel under the M25 is the farm stop at 40k. Just keep going and resetting. Soon she’d be halfway, and from then on counting down, not up. I didn’t see her again after the collective irrational mad dash to the gate onto the Thames Path, until the finish at Brighton racecourse the next morning. She came over and thanked me for the advice 22 hours earlier. She had finished 32 minutes ahead of me.
So the solution, as well as the problem, was and is in my head. Not 100% in the head, as I think I’m making some progress with nutrition, but more of that in the next blog.
Until next time, and continued thanks for all your support.
(1) I also spotted an Icelandair 787 which had been painted up with a Viking long boat along the side – it even had an oar by each window. I had the unkind thought of Ryanair thinking up a way of making passengers row during their flight. I laughed aloud as I stopped to take a gel. Two Wimbledon Windmilers out a long run looked at me as if I wasn’t taking it seriously enough. Perhaps I wasn’t, but it helps to be a little mad at times.