by The last push before the day of the marathon is the place where the training really tests you.
The long races, the first mornings, the constant mental reminders of the reason why you do this. These are fatigue, discipline and confidence in your training.
With five weeks before the Barcelona marathon, I had the 10 km of Norfolk Gazelles in my calendar – the second race in the Sportlink Grand Prix series.
But rather than running it thoroughly, I transformed it into a key marathon session – that designed to simulate the final and crushing kilometers of the big day.
The plan was simple: an 11 miles of warm -up before arriving at the starting line of the race. I ran this with my friend and Wymondham AC Club-Mate, Matt Webster, who had carefully planned the route.
As I mentioned in a coherent way in my column, running with people is so useful to make the Miles clip. The route was wavy, adding a little additional work for the legs, but having Matt alongside it made it much more manageable.
I made sure to combine properly everywhere so that I did not reach the start of Valentine’s Day completely exhausted. In fact, when I got to the race, I didn’t really feel like I’ve traveled 11 miles, although there was a little fatigue there. There was something good to reach the race in a more relaxed state – no traffic drama, no last -minute dashes for toilet or frantic warm -up. Just a pick-up number and a desire to continue moving before you stiffen.
At the start of the race, I had to remember constantly: it was a training race, not a PB attempt.
It was difficult to see runners that I normally run with disappear in the distance, but I had to remain disciplined (what does maturity look like?).
I thought I was in about 40 minutes 10 km, but with 11 miles already in my legs, it was never on the cards. Instead, I focused on the effort, to run hard but to control and resist the urge to take a look at my watch.
The first half of the race was good from a cardiovascular point of view, but the fatigue of my legs became noticeable after halfway. The descent of the descent at 7K, which I usually knew, was a struggle – my quads would not appreciate it. And then came the last kilometer: an almost cruel climb grid – I’m sure it was more uphill than last year – or maybe I have to admit that I am not such a good shape.
I kept stable things until the last 500 meters when the competitive side of me came into play and I tried to make sure that as many runners as possible. However, crossing the line in 42:14, on average of 6: 48 minutes of Miles, was a solid result. Much faster than my target marathon rhythm, which, I hope, will be around 7:10 am by Mile.
This performance allows me to feel positive for the last two weeks of training lasts before the start of the cone. I feel tired but in good shape – the key is now to maintain this physical form while allowing enough recovery to be in a cutting -edge state for Barcelona.
My body is resistant despite the high mileage, although my knee reminds me that it does not always appreciate the additional load. The work of strength and packaging has been essential in management, and I will continue to carefully monitor things in recent weeks.
A big goal for me was to compose my supply strategy. The experience of previous marathons helped and I trained in a coherent way to the training. I even placed an order this week for the exact fuel that I will use in Barcelona, by ensuring that there is no surprise on the day of the race. When it comes to a marathon, every small detail counts.
A last key session awaits: the Tarley 20m. It will be my last long term before shrinking, and I always finalize my approach. Currently, I’m thinking of running the first 14 miles about eight minutes from Mile before moving to the rhythm of the marathon for the last six miles. It will be a crucial test to see how the legs react to sustained efforts late, simulating the last section of the marathon. I will also use it as a general rehearsal for the day of the race, practice my fuel strategy and run in my planned marathon kit.
After Tarley, I take a few days off to let the body recover before assessing the last training block. Then, it is a question of adjusting end – maintain the mileage and the physical shape while ensuring that I arrive on the fresh start line and ready to leave.
With five weeks to do, excitement and nerves are built.
I have invested a lot of time and money in this training cycle and my planned trips, so naturally, there is anxiety.
But that is part of the marathon’s trip – I know that my brain will want to try to keep myself safe in recent weeks and that competence is to know when to push a little and trust my body.
It is crucial to find this balance between March 16 and March 16 so that I can stay on the starting line and say: “I am ready”.
