first day of training - no heckling

Today was the first day of the rest of my life. At least, the rest of my pre-marathon life.

I do feel like a bit of a fraud as the first run on my training schedule was only 2 miles. This is a bit of a cheat, as it's shorter than I've been running for the last few months, even on easy days. But it was a total luxury just doing a short run and knowing that it is officially on the training programme. I'm making the most of it while it lasts - that is, for one whole day.

As I was running round my local streets I came to the conclusion that 7.30 am is the best time of day to run if you want to avoid the hecklers. Everyone is just too tired to make sarky comments about your outfit/speed/Forrest Gump at that time of day. In fact, most people look quite scared of me. Which makes a nice change from the weekends, where every passing lorry or loitering teenager feels the need to give their idea of encouragement. Every 'yoot' tells me to go faster (I am to out of breath to tell them to pull their trousers up) and every lorry driver has to make a lecherous comment. Believe me, I am a hot chick when I run. Literally. Obviously, purple cheeks and profuse sweating are the way to get to a man's heart. Or at least a lorry driver's heart.

On the downside, 7.30 am is far too early to be running any distance. Half asleep on an empty stomach is no way to achieve a PB. But I'm not going to manage 3 nights a week after work so need to try and get used to running early at least once a week over the next 15 weeks. That might be the hardest bit of all the training!

LON