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

A Cinematic Warm-Up Today came in two distinct parts, mirroring the varied demands of marathon training itself. First, family time! A trip to The Light Cinema in Sittingbourne was in order to watch the highly anticipated Dog Man . While perhaps not an Oscar contender—unless they introduce a category for ‘Most Enthusiastic Use of Woof’—it was good fun, complete with the essential cinema staples: a hot dog and some pick and mix. Whether pick and mix counts as proper pre-run fuelling is debatable, but it certainly boosted the spirits. One could argue that jelly sweets provide quick-release energy, but that argument might hold less weight when also accompanied by a fizzy cola bottle sugar crash. Thresholds and Small Victories As late afternoon approached, the looming run demanded attention: the dreaded threshold run. There’s something about knowing a hard effort is imminent that makes even the most mundane distractions—tidying a sock drawer, reorganising a bookshelf—suddenly very compellin...

Coldest Run in Years One word sums up today’s training: cold . At a brisk -3 degrees, this was officially the chilliest run I've tackled in years. The only comparable experience? Freezing my proverbial toes off as an assistant referee at Bishop’s Stortford on an equally frosty day a mumner of years ago. Back then, I was more concerned about offside traps than icy pavements, but the temperature left the same lasting impression—mainly on my extremities. Today, however, the focus wasn’t on flagging for fouls but on keeping upright while running. Every step was accompanied by the crunch of frost underfoot and the faint, treacherous shimmer of ice on the pavement. It was the kind of morning where you question the sanity of running outdoors but lace up anyway because the training plan doesn’t leave room for weather-based excuses. Dancing on Ice (Sort Of) The pavement this morning gleamed with that telltale sheen of danger, a reminder from nature that it doesn’t care for running schedules...