Day 10: Back to the Grind (and Snoozing Through Alarms!)

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It’s Day 10 of my London Marathon 2025 training, and I’ve hit what can only be described as a wall of reality – the sort of wall that doesn’t politely step aside when you approach but stands there smirking, arms crossed, daring you to wake up at 5:15 am. After two blissful weeks of holiday mode – late nights, leisurely mornings, and alarm clocks gathering dust – my body decided to stage a mutiny against the return of discipline.

The Alarm That Wasn’t

In fact, the mutiny was so effective that I managed to sleep right through my alarm and woke up at the far more civilised hour of 6 am. Clearly, my subconscious had concluded that holiday lie-ins weren’t quite ready to vacate the premises. Still, I’m counting this as a minor victory: I did wake up eventually, and that’s half the battle, right?

A Gentle Start

Mercifully, the training gods smiled upon me today, serving up a 22-minute recovery run on the schedule. After the shock of returning to early mornings (or not-so-early, in today’s case), this felt like the equivalent of being handed a cup of tea and told, “There, there, take it easy.” It was a perfect way to ease back into the groove without further offending my post-holiday body clock.



The day itself was relatively forgiving, too, thanks to a staff training day at work. With no students in sight, there was a little less pressure to arrive fully caffeinated and ready to face the world. Even so, the lingering tiredness from holiday mode made its presence felt, sneaking up on me during the evening and lulling me into an unplanned post-dinner nap on the sofa.

Recovery for Body and Mind

Today’s run was a reminder that recovery isn’t just about giving your legs a break; it’s about recalibrating the whole system. And, let’s be honest, the mental readjustment from holiday brain to training brain takes time – especially when that transition involves 5:15 am alarms (or, you know, 6 am-ish ones).

This week, the focus is on building a routine again, starting with getting my sleep schedule back on track. With the mileage set to climb, I’ll need all the rest I can get. Hopefully, by the end of the week, the alarm will feel less like a cruel joke and more like a gentle nudge towards the path of marathon glory.

The real marathon isn’t just the one you run; it’s the one where you learn to outwit yourself. Here’s hoping tomorrow’s version of me is a little more cunning when it comes to that alarm clock.

Location: Sittingbourne, UK

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