"London Marathon 2025: Getting in Shape Again for the Ultimate Running Challenge!"

Today marks Day 100 of my London Marathon training. It’s strange—when I first started this journey, 100 days felt like it would be an almost mythical milestone. A century of runs, routines and rain. And now it’s here, less like a trumpet-blasting celebration and more like a quiet, weary nod between two old travellers passing on the road. With three weeks to go, I decided the best way to commemorate the occasion was to run for just over 100 minutes. The number felt satisfying. My legs disagreed. But this milestone run didn’t happen until the afternoon. The morning was reserved for Polly’s tennis session, which she thoroughly enjoyed, particularly the ice cream that followed. I didn’t have any, but I did get a reward of sorts: a minor back twinge, earned not from any athletic feat, but from the unassuming act of twisting to pick up a slowly rolling tennis ball. There are people who can sprint a hundred metres in under ten seconds. I, meanwhile, can injure myself bending at the wrong an...

After yesterday’s promising threshold run, it really felt like I had turned a corner. Unfortunately, my back had other ideas. I woke at around 4 a.m. to a gnawing pain in my lower back and then again at 6:30 am just in case I’d forgotten about it. It was back, and it was demanding attention—ignoring it was about as effective as ignoring a tax bill. The Roast That Broke Me Despite this unwelcome development, I pressed on with my pre-Mother’s Day errands, determined not to let a bit of pain disrupt the grand plan. By midday, I was in full roast-dinner mode, cooking up a feast for the family. Now, I suspect that standing for hours over a hot stove, lifting heavy trays and wrestling with an uncooperative joint of meat are not top-tier recommendations for lower back recovery. But if you’re going to suffer, you might as well do it surrounded by gravy and Yorkshire puddings. A Laughable Promise Somewhere in between basting and boiling, I made a bold commitment: I would run after dinner. In hi...