Something old, something new

I'm into week 10 of my marathon training plan - over halfway now. I think everything is progressing ok, although I know I need to do more trigger release on my right glute and work on my calves and ITB before I feel really comfortable about attempting a marathon again.

I've been a lot easier on myself in this training plan that before. I'm doing 85-90% of the plan, and not stressing about the odd run I miss due to other life commitments. I am also trying to maintain a focus on the non-running side of things, be that nutrition, stretching, foam rollering or lying on the sofa watching a movie after a long run. These are just as important as the running itself, really, and I'm trying to respect those aspects of my marathon preparation.

The other big change for me in this marathon training is the inclusion of speedwork. Despite this being the 5th marathon I have trained for, I have never really pushed myself with speedwork before, apart from 10 mile or half-marathon races in the run-up. I'm lazy with intervals and have never really been able to measure my own pace very well. So the last 9 weeks have incorporated two new elements: interval sessions with my running club, and wearing a Garmin.

The interval sessions are positive on many levels. They enable me to engage with other runners, of varying ability, and encourage me to push myself much harder. My club, Ealing Eagles, is very friendly and supportive so it's been really easy to stick to the Thursday night interval principle. I've only missed one session since the year started, because I went to the opera (another first!), and the club coaches deserve all the praise for keeping me interested and engaged. I've even tried out the track for the first time, and tonight am going back for a second attempt at track running. The track is the toughest training I've ever done, second only in pain levels to the day after a marathon, so it must be doing me a lot of good!

The other way I've worked on a faster pace is to wear a Garmin. I've always recorded my runs on my phone before, and during races wear a sportswatch to time my laps. But out on the towpaths, or in the parks, I've always just run 'blind'. This is very liberating and probably has contributed to my enjoyment of marathon training but if I'm going to get faster, and pace myself properly, I need a Garmin.

After a few teething troubles with the equipment, I've used it to incorporate some tempo runs into my schedule. I know I should have been doing tempo runs before now, but I told you I was lazy! Running 3-4 miles at race pace is definitely good for the confidence and the plan works towards longer tempo runs in the coming weeks. This faster pace training definitely contributed to my strong finish in the Watford half (which counteracted a very slow middle section) and hopefully it will translate into some strong miles in the London marathon too.

I suppose I won't really know if the intervals and the more controlled pacing have had an impact on my race time until marathon day. With only one more test race in the preparation (Maidenhead 10 miles on Good Friday), I won't get many more opportunities to review my progress in a race. But that's almost part of the fun of marathon training: the unpredictability of the day itself, and how you will perform when the chips are down. All I know is that I've taken myself out of my comfort zone after four years of plateauing. No matter what happens on the day, I've tried something new, used some new muscle groups,and enjoyed it. That can only be a good thing.