Week four of training - a quarter of the way though my sixteen week journey to the London Marathon. This first quarter has sped by, however this week I have started to feel the demands step up a little notch; a sign of the weeks to come...

MONDAY: I have signed up to a block of 'Strength and Conditioning for Runners' sessions which are being delivered by the therapist I use for my regular sports massage, and tonight was the introduction session going through basic techniques. I am really looking forward to the sessions ahead, and I am hoping it will give me extra motivation to do S&C stuff in the gym when I know it is directly benefiting my running.

TUESDAY: today's run tested my motivation levels. After a long day at work I found myself lacing up my trainers at 8pm at night; which for me felt very late. I tried to put the physical time out of my head and just focus on running, but I couldn't really shake the fact I just wanted to get home as quick as possible. A supposed 7 easy miles therefore turned into 7 steadier miles, approx 8 min/mile pace. I am not pleased with my pacing discipline, as I knew I was running too quick but did not even attempt to rein it in, but I am at least pleased with my motivation to get out there!

WEDNESDAY: gale force winds made me push my planned early morning run back to the evening today - I did not fancy trying to run intervals against the powerful gusts! Thankfully the wind had died down later, and I ran 6 miles with 5 x 1000m reps and 200m recoveries. I aimed for 7.10 - 7.20 min/mile pace on the intervals and hit this target on all bar the middle rep, which I seemed to have a little bit of a mid way slump on, but in general I am really enjoying pushing myself during faster paced running at the moment.

THURSDAY: 7 alternating miles; one mile at an easier pace, one mile at a faster pace. I set myself the goal of trying to keep about a minutes difference between my two paces, and was pleased to stick fairly accurately to this, with splits of 8.17, 7.23, 8.16, 7.35, 8.32, 7.33, 8.23 min/mile. Body Pump class after. 

FRIDAY: Rest Day

​SATURDAY: I managed to maintain my sub 21 minute Lincoln parkrun record for the year this morning, running a 20:44 time, which as ever, felt really pleasing (see image). It was cold today, colder than I expected, and I did not really feel mentally prepared for the conditions. As I stood waiting to start I was actually thinking we are all nutters for being here! As soon as I started to run though, as ever, I loved it; my legs felt strong and I enjoyed running with a couple of other parkrunners who I kind of naturally worked with to keep the pace going. We finished together and shared handshakes at the finish funnel, and I also enjoyed chatting to a number of other runners at the finish too - there is magic in madness sometimes, especially at parkrun. 

SUNDAY: after a few weeks of solo Sunday long runs it was really good to have the company of my running buddy on today's 14 miler. The distraction of chatting meant I paid literally no attention to our pace, and only minimal notice to mileage, so much so we actually ending up running about half a mile in the wrong direction at one point! Towards 11ish miles my legs became a bit tight, especially into my hamstrings and glutes, and the final couple of miles were a determined push to the finish, which I was especially pleased to have my friend with me for. When we finished running I proudly flashed my Garmin in my friend's face - 8.21 min/mile average pace it read. A tough but great end to the week. ​

'How has your running been this week?' I asked my friend as we stood chatting at parkrun. 'A bit of a blur!' she replied - and I knew the feeling. This week has been busy for me, with running slotting into life. Whilst this can feel a little hectic, it does make training feel more precious and emphasises why it is important to you. It also shows how running can help you get through the madness of life at times!

MONDAY: strength and conditioning 'stuff' at the gym - a self devised programme which I find a little tedious, but for now have the motivation to stick with.

TUESDAY: a late evening run on a cold and snowy night. To be honest as much as I wanted to run, simultaneously I also wanted this run to be over as quickly as possible, simply so I could get back in the warm! This meant on what should have been a steady run, I found myself pushing the pace a bit. In fact I ran a pretty good 6 mile progression run, with a starting split of 8 min/mile and this gradually decreasing to end on 7.35 min/mile. 

WEDNESDAY: early morning intervals with the added bonus of a strong, blustery wind - the joys! The conditions were 'character building' but I managed the 6 miles, with 3 x 1 mile reps and 400m recoveries, that I had on my plan. I aimed to run the mile intervals at around 7:10 min/mile pace, but from the start the first rep was an effort to get anywhere near that; my route took me up a long steady climb for virtually the entire mile, as well as having the battle of a head wind throughout. I logged a 7.55 min/mile split on this mile, but just told myself that this had to be the hardest rep out the way and not to give up. The second two reps were in fact better, with splits of 7.13 and 7.06 min/mile - it seems I just had to mentally get through the first part of the run and not let it defeat me!

THURSDAY: an actual 6 mile progression run was on the plan for today. I am not a fan of progression runs really; I understand why they are good training, but I find them hard to pace and feel the pressure to be constantly doing calculations and assessments in my head. I tried to start at an easy pace to give myself lots of room to pick up speed in the latter miles, but I instantly failed, with what felt like a comfortable stride actually being an 8.19 min/mile starting split. From then on I found pacing the remaining miles hard to judge and it just did not feel a natural run. In the end I logged vague progression splits of 8.19, 8.05, 7.52, 7.54, 7.39 and 7.35 min/mile, but it was not a run to write home about. Body Pump class after. 

This week saw the London Marathon launch the 100 day countdown until race day. 100 days is still a long way to go - there are many more miles to be logged and a lot of care to be taken in order to successfully get to that start line, but it did give me that little ripple of nervous excitement thinking about race day. I have loved my running this week; I always love running, but this week has felt an extra joy and I think has shown in my performances. 

MONDAY: a running rest day, so I took myself to the gym for some strength work.  It was a little boring but functional!

TUESDAY: early morning intervals before work. I had 4.5 miles with 12 x 200m reps and 200m recoveries. As I programmed the training into my Garmin I had a wave of 'what the hell am I doing?!' - 12 lots of fast, hard reps at 6am in the morning is surely torture?! I had set myself an ambitious target of hitting 6.40 min/mile pace for the intervals too, which probably did not help! As soon as I began to run though I found a powerful and confident stride, and all bar two of my reps were actually sub 6.40 min/mile pace - a good start to the day after all!

WEDNESDAY: 5 steady miles - my pacing was a little quicker than perhaps it should have been on paper, averaging roughly 8 min/mile pace; however ignoring the stats, it felt comfortable. I think whilst I need to be mindful of my pace and keep a level of disciple during marathon training, I am also growing in experience as a runner, so am beginning to know what feels right for me. 

So here we go again, my journey to the London Marathon start line. In 2015 I began training for my first London Marathon, which was also my first ever marathon. Three years later I probably did not think I would be starting training for my third London Marathon and my sixth marathon overall. I have come a long way since 2015 when a tentative 10k runner started this same sixteen week quest to run one of the worlds most renown running events, and this year I won't be secretive about my target, which is to run a sub 3:45 time. Can I do it? I think you have to have some confidence when setting a goal - but I know I will have to work hard across the next weeks to stand a chance of making it happen. 

MONDAY: a New Years Day trip to Clumber parkrun - more here. 

TUESDAY: the return of intervals. I actually quite looked forward to this run; it had felt a while since I had pushed myself like this and I was happy to have the test. It was actually a relatively gentle introduction; 5 miles with 4 x 800m reps. I aimed for the intervals to be close to 7 min/mile pace, and whilst the first two were, the latter two were a little slower - but overall I was happy - it was an ambitious target and the slight burn in my quads told me I had pushed myself enough!

WEDNESDAY: 4 steady miles at around 8 min/mile pace - this was too fast really for a steady run, and although this is my sixth marathon training cycle, I still struggle to rein the pace in a little at the start despite recognising I do this every time!

THURSDAY: another 4 miles not really on plan pace wise. I ran a good tempo run with the middle two miles at sub 8 min/mile pace; however this is not really my marathon pace as my plan recommended! For the last couple of months I have been running quite free without looking at my watch, and I need to instil just that little more discipline now I start focused training again. I also returned to Body Pump after the Christmas break this evening; weight training which reduced me to almost instant muscle soreness!

FRIDAY: Rest Day

SATURDAY: the first Lincoln parkrun of 2018. I literally am not sure where my run today came from. Earlier in the week I was commenting how I would like to run sub 21 minutes at parkrun again at some point during 2018; and today I did just that. As I started running I felt I could hit a good time; at parkrun I sometimes have the sensation where everything is in sync, my breathing, my legs, my arm movements etc. - it all just feels smooth and I can focus all my effort on pushing the pace instead. Today was one of these days, and as I collapsed hands on knees in the finish funnel and saw a time of 20:46 staring at me from my watch I was obviously very happy. This was actually a new PB for me too - I had ran the exact same time once before at Lincoln, however due to a course change the route was a little too short, and I have never counted the time - now I can.

SUNDAY: icy miles today, really icy on certain paths. I quickly realised this run was going to be about just getting round safely, and 10 miles actually passed quite fast as I focused intently on what I was doing/where I was stepping rather than the overall distance covered. I was really cautious at some points, but this seemed to make my legs pick up the pace a little on safer pathways, and I actually finished with an average pace of 8.23 min/mile - a little too quick really for a long run, but I was just happy to have safely completed week one of my marathon training. I am excited for the challenge of the weeks ahead. ​

This seasonal period has offered me the chance to take part in some extra parkrun opportunities on both Christmas Day and New Year's Day. I find it mad to think that a couple of years ago I would not have completed either, and yet now parkrun is a predominant feature in my plans. I think if there was any doubt about the impact parkrun is having on peoples’ lives and their physical activity habits, then this time of year demonstrates it more so than ever. Over 62,000 people took part in a parkrun on Christmas Day, and at the Clumber parkrun event I attended on New Year’s Day the attendance on the 1st January 2018 had almost doubled from that of 2017. They are quite simply crazy figures!

In somewhat shocking news it was not even my idea to go to parkrun on Christmas Day - my sister actually suggested it first! I took my sister to her first ever parkrun, and a few years ago she would have seen no point in driving for half an hour, to run for 20 odd minutes, to then drive half an hour home again. She has got the parkrun bug now though! Christmas morning came and I was pleased it was unseasonably quite mild, meaning I could wear my apricot Lincoln parkrun vest with pride (see first image). I was back in my childhood hometown of Stowmarket in Suffolk for Christmas so we headed to the nearby Bury St Edmunds parkrun set in Nowton Park. I had ran here before in the summer when back in Suffolk for a wedding, so knew the course, however had somehow not thought about the change of season and that I may now need trail shoes to combat the winter mud...! The course is clearly set off road and has a few longer gradual climbs set across the two loops. On the first lap I felt I ran round quickly, my Dad had come to watch us (I haven’t quite got my parents running... yet!) and he nearly missed me as was not expecting me to complete the lap so quick - I think after standing for hours waiting to glimpse me in a marathon this was a shock to him! By the second lap the mud had thickened from the hundreds of footsteps and I was slipping all over the place at times! I managed to keep upright, keep going and keep my Santa hat on my head though. I battled through to the finish in some seriously sticky mud, which zapped any form of sprint effort, to a pleasing 22:21 time. I loved the run; it was great to have my sister there running too and also my Dad watching, it felt like a real family morning which was perfect for Christmas, and looking around it seemed we were not alone in embracing the parkrun festive joy as a family/group. 

On New Year’s Day I knew I wanted to go to a parkrun, it was just the question of which one! In the end I opted for Clumber parkrun (see second image), I had ran here last New Year’s Day and the event also started at 9am still, which just seemed right to me! Clumber parkrun is another off road route, so this time I remembered to take my trail shoes with me! These clearly helped, as did my memory of the course from last year. It was crazy how the two laps seemed to speed by, I barley remember completing the first - although I am sure I did! It was sticky and slippery underfoot at times but I coped better, although I noticed I did lose a bit of ground on a few other runners during a steeper climb on the route; my confidence pushing up a slippy hill at speed was not quite up there! A gravel path finish was much preferred though, and I injected my sprint kick to stop the clock at 21:27. I was really happy with my time as last year I finished in 22:09 - so this showed some large improvement. Although I didn’t quite place first female as I did last year - a new course PB is something I will gladly take going into 2018, and it felt a good way to mark the first official day of my London Marathon training. 

My parkrun aims for 2018 are to hit 100 runs (currently on 72) and edge closer to my 25th volunteering milestone (currently on 15). I would also love to sneak a sub 21 minute time again, which would probably be at my home parkrun in Lincoln. Whatever happens I am sure my Saturday mornings during 2018 will continue to be dominated by barcodes!