Sleep, Eat, Train, Repeat

There is now just one month (minus two days actually!) to go until I will be running the London Marathon! That thought slightly scares me, but also excites me too. It’s been a long few months of training and I am looking forward to it all coming together.

Training is going well. I am set to run 22 miles this weekend, which will be the longest I run before the day, and I am looking forward to the challenge. My last long run was 14 miles and I managed that at a consistent 9 minute mile pace, which is faster than I am planning on running the marathon in so I was really pleased. The last few weeks have definitely taught me a few things about running though, even though I am on my third time training for a marathon!

SLEEP

Quite simply, I run better when I’ve slept better. I guess that’s not rocket science and is just common sense but I have certainly learnt the hard way when I try and run when I haven’t slept well. So given that I have been planning my long runs when I have been able to fit in a good eight hours worth of sleep. I just hope I sleep well the night before the marathon!

EAT

I generally eat quite a balanced diet anyway but I have been making sure to add a bit more protein and carbs in before and after runs. The food before long runs is the most crucial though - as I learnt to my detriment the other day! I have got into a habit of getting up before a long run, eating a bowl of porridge with banana, leaving it an hour and a half to two hours and then going open my run. I have a handful of sweets beforehand and some gels on the way round. The other day I was with my nieces though and had to run in the afternoon. I’d eaten a nice breakfast and then wasn’t really hungry for lunch at 12 (when my niece needed to eat) but I knew I needed to eat before I ran. I forced down a cheese sandwich, felt incredibly full, and then when I tried to run after a windy car journey two hours later was very nearly sick on the side of the road! Needless to say I abandoned the run that day and stuck to porridge the next morning, and did my 18 miles! So I am certainly going to stick to the food I know for race day.

TRAIN

Someone asked me yesterday if I sometimes wake up and don’t want to run.

Speed and track training has really helped my speed and endurance

Yes, all the time! Sticking to the programme is tough at times and I don’t always want to do it but I can definitely see the benefits to all the speed and track training. My speed in my long runs has massively boosted in the past couple of weeks and I can only put that down to putting in the hours pounding the streets so it has been worth it!

Now with a month to go I just have to keep repeating this pattern…!