Yes, as I reflect on my running start of the year training for my first marathon is about to begin.

Red January

For the 5th year, I kicked off my year with RED January. It’s realistic exercise daily, or run every day which is what I did. I stick with 2 miles as the minimum as when I’m low on motivation, it feels doable.

The weather this January was very mixed! I had to deal with a lot of ice, which meant a lot of cautious running. I did find it frustrating because I felt strong but I couldn’t safely test it out until towards the end of the month.

What was great however, is this year I felt stronger for longer. I normally start to feel the odd ache and pain after 2 or 3 weeks but this time it was the final week which is great! It might have been because of me taking it easier or that I took yoga more seriously ha! Who knows…!

Strength training

Towards the end of last year I signed up to a personal trainer to help me build some strength so I can be strong for the marathon.

I know on Strava I’m always posting workouts and doing something, but it’s hard to push yourself when you’re not sure that you’re doing it correctly or lack confidence. Which I do.

So having a personal trainer is fantastic. I’ve been learning about different exercises and techniques that can help me be a better runner. Since January I’ve really started increasing the weights and seeing the results. I can do some push ups on my toes now, something I really struggled with!

There’s also the lockdown problem. Before the pandemic I was much more active, mainly because I walked around more, went to the office etc etc. I now work from home most of the time and I am more or less glued to my desk. This has to have had an impact on my running.

I’m hoping to get into the office once a week or so but more importantly I’m going to try and get at least a walk around the block everyday. Even if it’s raining!

These changes can only be positive…

Actual progress

On Saturday I finally saw some progress, I decided to give it a go at parkrun to see where I’m at.

I ended up running the best time there since March last year! I am delighted to overcome that barrier that I was trying to ignore, but it was lingering over me like a black cloud. I’m hoping this will help me continue to grow and progress into my training for Edinburgh marathon.

I will be updating this blog weekly with how my training is going. I’m really looking forward to be focusing on endurance rather than pace. The longest I’ve ever run is a half marathon so this will be a shock to the system!

As always, happy to hear any tips haha!