Day 118: Rest, Ruminations and Reluctant Sitting

 Another day, another bagel. As tapering continues, today was all about taking things slow — and, crucially, horizontal when possible. I even managed what I’d call a "decent night’s sleep," which in tapering terms is the gold standard just below "slept like a teenager during half term."

The day began with a pilgrimage to Asda before work. The mission: acquire bagels. The outcome: success. The carb-rich spoils now await their glorious role in fuelling the engine over the coming days.

A Standing Teacher Takes a Seat

Most of my professional life involves standing — whether it’s in front of a whiteboard, beside a student’s desk, or pacing with a purpose that says, "Yes, I’m absolutely headed somewhere specific, not just stretching my legs." But today, I consciously chose to sit down whenever I could. My long-term back and shoulder issues have made a standing desk a necessity over the years, but today the goal was simple: preserve the legs.

My students — wonderful, insightful humans — adapted quickly. Many came to me rather than the usual "teacher travels to pupil" model. This is a luxury I shall not get used to, lest I begin expecting them to wheel me between lessons on a chaise lounge while feeding me grapes.

Beans, Bake, and Glycogen

Dinner tonight was a proper pre-race plate: fish, chips and beans. This was followed by preparing a family-sized pasta bake. It's called "family-sized" because it sounds better than "just big enough to get me to lunchtime tomorrow." A key part of carb-loading is, of course, glycogen — the body's way of politely storing all that pasta for later. Like a squirrel with a pasta addiction, I'm stashing energy wherever I can.

There’s something immensely satisfying about this part of marathon training. After months of measuring progress in miles and minutes, you now measure it in forkfuls. The science behind it makes sense, but honestly, it’s nice when the training plan involves cheese.

The Inner Monologue Grows Louder

What stood out about today, though, was that it was the first time I really felt the weight of the marathon coming up. Left alone with my thoughts — always a risk — I noticed the beginnings of those unwelcome little doubts that like to whisper, “Are you sure?” It’s like your brain suddenly turns into that one friend who wants to double-check if you locked the front door... while you're already 200 miles away.

But I know better. I've done the work. I’ve followed the plan. I’ve run through rain, fatigue and that one Saturday morning where my legs felt like they were made of antique wardrobe doors. The doubts will creep in, sure — but they’ll have to find room among all the positive thoughts and carbs.

Three days to go. The forecast is starting to rise and the nerves are joining it — but so is the excitement.