So, being new to this whole marathon training situation, I thought I would do a blog post every 2 weeks detailing my training and how it is going.  First, I thought, if I have to write and share how I am doing, compared to plan it might hold me as more accountable.  Second, I thought, that it might be a good way to show how a plan changes and moves around based on, you know, real life 🤷.  So here we go, weeks 1 and 2, what was planned versus what happened, and how it felt.

Week 1 Plan	Week 1 What Happened	Notes
Tuesday 4 miles	Monday 5 miles (9:47/m)	Stop and start as I was delivering xmas cards
Thursday 4 miles hills	Thursday 3 miles hills (11:54/m)	Very hilly for me, 454 ft elevation
Saturday 4 miles	Saturday 5 miles (Parkrun pace 8:45/m)	1 mile w/u, 3 mile Park Run, 1 mile c/d
Sunday 8 miles	Sunday 7.4 miles (8:46/m)	Was quite tired as we had been in the car all day

Plan miles: 20 / Actual miles: 20.4

Thoughts: We were on holiday this week from Tuesday to Sunday, so I had a squeeze these runs in while away.  Luckily where we were staying in Wales, it was very hilly, so I was easily able to tick that box off the plan, and also on the doorstep of a ParkRun.  Coming back on Sunday and knowing I had to head out in the dark after a long week and a long drive that day was daunting, but once I was out it was okay.  I was also quite pleased that the pace on Sunday felt quite comfortable – probably due to the relief my little legs had running on pancake flat land after those Welsh hills.

Week 2 Plan	Week 2 What Happened	Notes
Tuesday 5 miles	Tuesday 5.6 miles (9:20/m)	1.1 mile w/u, 3.1 mile New Year’s Day ParkRun, 1.4 mile c/d
Thursday 4 miles hills	Thursday 2 miles with hill reps ( 11:07/m)	2 miles on bike, 2 mile run, then 3 miles on the bike home
	Friday 2 miles (10:00/m)	To make up for the 2 miles I missed out on Thrusday
Saturday 4 miles	Saturday 10.1 miles long run (9:49/m)	Shunted the long run up a day and included a hilly route
Sunday 10 miles	Sunday 3.4 miles (slow)	Run/walk so Eben could do the Junior Park Run

Plan miles: 23 / Actual miles: 23.7

Thoughts: I had to shuffle things around this week, as although we were back from holiday, the kids were still of school and I still had work to juggle as well 🤹‍♀️.  On Thursday, it got too late to do all 4 miles, and I only managed 2 as I had to get Ellis and me home on our bikes before it got too dark.  I did do 3 hill reps during that run, but when I went to ‘make up the miles’ the next day, they were flat as a pancake.  So, then I decided to make my long run hilly, through Richmond Park.  It was lovely, but I also have a bit of a chesty cough, so I am not pushing the pace and just trying to get through them and look after myself.  The last thing I need is to get ill.  I did my long run a day early as on Sunday it was Junior Park Run and I wanted to give it another go with Eben (which was more successful than the first attempt).  The final thing is that this week, I also did strength training at home on Wednesday and Thursday, so I am feeling quite a bit of muscle soreness (that I kind of like) throughout my core.

What’s coming up?

Week 3 sees my long run climb to 12 miles, and week 4 is my first cut back week.  So far everything I am doing feels doable, but I don’t necessarily feel that the marathon feels doable.  But I’m just going to trust the plan, not get distracted by what others are running for their marathon training and keep to my plan as best I can. As they say #planislife

Oh, and to top it all off, it’s RedJanuary – where you are active everyday to beat the blues away and raise awareness for mental health and Mind, the Mental Health Charity. In previous years, I have run every day – but this year, I am trying to stick to this marathon plan and fill in the other days with strength training and cross training (which will be my cycle commute).

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Any and all advice welcome!