Day 114 – One Week, One Hill and One Too Many Flapjacks
The Final Countdown Begins
It’s Easter Sunday and the calendar has become rather smug about the fact that there’s only one week to go. Just seven days now until the London Marathon. Every run feels more significant, not because of the distance, but because of its place in the story. There’s a definite shift now from training to preparing. It’s a bit like tidying your house before guests arrive—you’re not really doing much, but everything feels more important than it probably is.
Today’s run was a measured 48 minutes, designed to keep the legs turning without tipping them into rebellion. I took the familiar route that I’ve now almost worn into the earth: down through the Highsted valley, where the world briefly feels flat and forgiving, and then, once again—as mentioned in more than one previous blog post—I ran up the absolutely no-nonsense incline that is Stockers Hill. That hill and I have history now. It’s the kind of climb that makes you question your choices, your fitness, and occasionally your life. But cresting it always delivers that sweet view towards Rodmersham Green, a reward for legs that didn’t give up.
From there, it was a smooth curve past Rodmersham proper and on to Bapchild, where I rounded out the loop with a calm, cool rhythm. I even stopped outside Rodmersham Church whilst the Easter Sunday service was going on - it felt like the sensible thing to do! The air had that spring chill—not quite cold enough for gloves, but enough to remind you that your breath was visible. It actually made me think, this would be ideal next weekend. Around 12 degrees, maybe a light drizzle—something just enough to keep you from drying out like forgotten toast in a student flat. But of course, the weather is a law unto itself and, like a cat on a windowsill, it absolutely refuses to be summoned on command.
Despite the shorter time on my feet, my legs were gently whispering reminders of yesterday’s anaerobic run. Nothing alarming, just that vague tightness that seems to say, “You do remember we’re running a marathon soon, right?” It’s a good cue. Tapering is about resisting the temptation to do just one more big run. That’s a path lined with overexertion and regret. The smart thing now is to reduce the load, trust the process, and bank freshness like it’s a rare commodity. Today’s effort kept me well within my target heart rate zone. This is where I need to be—active, but not worn out. Primed, not depleted.
There’s something quite liberating about this part of the training cycle. The hard work is, mostly, behind me. The sessions I’ve sweated through, the long runs, the tempo workouts—they’ve laid the foundation. This week is about preservation. It’s like seasoning a cast-iron pan: don’t overdo it, don’t underdo it, and don’t drop it on your foot.
Flapjacks, Fire, and the First Hint of Carb Loading
Once home, we lit the barbecue for the second Sunday in a row—another little tradition I could definitely get used to. Burgers, sausages, and then flapjacks, which I’m fairly certain I didn’t mean to eat quite so many of. After that came the Easter Eggs—plural, unashamedly. It turns out that if you run enough miles, your children will cheerfully hand over their chocolate offering you the “you’ve earned it” look, which is both heart-warming and highly dangerous.
And yes, I’ll call this the unofficial start of carb loading. It wasn’t strategic, not really, but it’s definitely the beginning of the mindset. From now until race day, I’ll be dialling in the nutrition, hydrating properly and reminding myself that fuelling a marathon is not the time for half-measures. Expect me to mention carbs with increasing frequency. Apologies in advance.
One Week. That’s It.
This time next week, I’ll (hopefully) be sitting with a medal around my neck, having taken on 26.2 miles of London’s streets. The nerves are settling in now—an odd mixture of excitement and sheer disbelief that it’s come around so quickly. But I know I’m ready. Not perfectly prepared—nobody ever is—but definitely ready.
Thank you for reading along this journey. The support has been immense, and it really does lift me when the miles get tough.
If you’d like to support my run and help raise funds for The Brain Tumour Charity and Sittingbourne Carnival 2025, you can donate via my JustGiving page:
👉 https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/saul-kay
Let the countdown truly begin.
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