London Marathon Training: Week Fifteen

I am writing this weekly training round up on a Tuesday evening - which seems both very early and odd! But this week will be odd - in a good way - as I am flying to America tomorrow and will therefore not be sat on my laptop on a Sunday evening as normal reviewing a week of running. I am also a bit OCD and like consistency, so could not just let Week Fifteen disappear! I am bound for Boston to watch my friend and running buddy take part in the prestigious Boston Marathon. I am personally excited as I have never been to America before, but I am also very excited for my friend as I know just how special this race is for her and in the world of running and in particular marathons.

So far this week I have completed my usual Body Pump class and a 7 mile interval run. Both were fine, the intervals were pretty harmless; 10 x 400m reps at 5k pace and felt more like there were waking up my legs rather than pushing them too hard; which is a good feeling for a taper week. Tomorrow I plan to get in four early morning, easy miles before leaving for the airport, and then I will be continuing my training in America. Thankfully with it being a taper week training volume is not too high and therefore it is easier to plan in running and it is much less disruptive. I have a 5 mile tempo run on Thursday and a 10 mile run on Sunday. Saturday’s planned 3 miler will be the Boston Athletic Association 5k race, which whist I will not be racing so close to London, I cannot wait to participate in the event and experience the atmosphere. 

Some people have questioned why I am going to America so close to the London Marathon and I have had a few comments from people about jet lag/tiredness/being out of routine etc. My response has always been the same; it means just as much for me to be there to see my friend conquer Boston as it does me running London. I could fit in both events – so why not! I have been running with my friend for a few years now and, as many people will appreciate, running develops a unique kind of friendship that nothing else can really replicate. With our Spring marathons being so close together it has meant that across these last few weeks our training has also been nearly identical, and we have shared virtually every long Sunday run together, building our bodies up to be able to take on 26.2 miles. It feels like we have been on this journey together even more so this time, and to not see the final outcome, the marathon itself, would be a little heart-breaking. So Boston beckons…and then focus will shift to Sunday 23rd April – London. ​