Training for my first marathon

I had this crazy thought in the back of my mind for a time - probably longer than I realise - that 'one day' I'd like to run a marathon. I always thought this would be some vague time in the future when I got my life sorted...!

Despite a bit of running at school I really haven't done a lot of running in the last 15 plus years. I have had very occasional phases of 'going out for a run' but I tended to find it such a struggle that I never stuck to it, and was genuinely more than happy to walk/bag Munros. I've always been very inspired by the efforts of my brothers - all three have run marathons - but I couldn't see how on earth I would get myself from non-runner to marathon-runner. So I put the thought to the back of my mind.

I started running once a week last summer after completing the Dog Jog in Holyrood Park. Ross mentioned parkrun to me and I found myself at Vogrie Country Park, my nearest parkrun event, on a few Saturday mornings in a row...I can't say I always enjoyed it, and it certainly caused me a fair amount of anxiety going to a new place with lots of unknown people and variables. However, the lure of beating my own time each week ensured I turned up. I didn't run with a watch back then, so I would only know my result when they got emailed, usually around 11.15am once I was home and showered. For the first seven or so weeks in a row I set a new personal best. I could literally see improvements week by week. I was still only running those 3 miles a week, but it was enough to get me started and pique my interest.

The marathon thought continued to pester me from the back of my mind, and as early as August I decided to start a journal to document a potential account of a training plan. I wrote about the thought of running a marathon in 2018, potentially Edinburgh - which was 9 months away at that point - as I'd read it was a good course for first timers.

I made a bold move in early September when I realised I was going to miss my beloved parkrun routine due to the exciting opportunity to walk over the new Queensferry Crossing. So I went out for a three mile run around Stow, totally out of my comfort zone and feeling very self conscious. However I'd got my three miles in that week so I was chuffed, and just a few weeks later I went for TWO runs in one week - 3.75 miles in Stow (nowadays I'd have to stop at either 3.5 or 4 but back then I didn't care about that extra 0.25!) and 3 miles at parkrun! I was starting to feel like a proper runner, doing two runs in one week!

I found a 30 week training plan online that had a slow and steady build up of miles, and felt achievable - after all, 30 weeks is ageeeeeeeeeees. I wrote the training plan out in my journal, working back from the date of the Edinburgh Marathon - 27th May 2018 - to current day. This meant I'd have to start the plan on 30th October 2017 to be ready. I had entered the Inverness Half Marathon with my friend Paula, and this fell on week 19 of the plan, which called for a 12 mile run - perfect!

I still hadn't actually entered the Edinburgh Marathon by this time, but I tentatively started the training plan, the day after the Jedburgh 10k. Day one, thankfully, was a rest day!!

I had decided that four days of running per week was just too much for me, so I opted to try and do the weekly mileage across three runs instead. I wanted to ask someone 'in the know' whether this was okay - was it the total weekly quantity that mattered or the number of days I ran? - but as I was keeping the marathon a secret there was no one to ask! I decided that as it was my first marathon and I wasn't running for a time, it was more important that I got to a reasonable level of fitness rather than obsess over the weekly numbers.

So it was thus fairly rare that I hit the weekly mileage the plan called for - in fact this only happened on seven out of the thirty weeks, although I was pretty close at times. I also walked a fair bit during the week, generally between 20 and 35 miles a week, so no day was ever a true 'rest day'. I went to my much loved Zumba class as often as possible, so this covered cross-training for me. I thought about swimming too but the training runs were enough of a commitment for me.

Totals over the course of the thirty week plan:

Miles run: 370.35 (not including the marathon)
Over: 66 runs (not including the marathon)
Treadmill runs: 8
Miles walked: 841
Zumba classes attended: 16

I had two weeks where I did zero running at all - one in late December and one in early January. I caught a nasty cold over the festive period which really stopped me from doing any exercise. I did feel a bit concerned about being so far off the plan, but I also knew my body needed rest, and there was no way I could force myself to run!

The training plan also saw me through one of the toughest winters we've had for a while, and this too really reduced my running. Many days in January, February and March that could have been training days were lost due to the snow. Four parkruns at Vogrie were cancelled due to the weather conditions. I did manage eight trips to the gym in Galashiels to take advantage of their treadmills, and that was very handy when the streets were white and icy. I had bought new trainers in December and needed to test them out on a treadmill - TriFitness gym were offering a winter pass of £30 for 12 gym sessions to be taken by the end of February. So that gave me an incentive to go, and it was very close to work too. Although I didn't manage the full 12 trips, I still saved myself a fair bit of money by going eight times, and I got runs done that wouldn't have been possible outside. I also had a bit of faffing with trainers so it was useful to try them out on a treadmill so they could be returned. However, treadmill (or dreadmill) running is a totally different beast and I always found these runs incredibly tough!

Obligatory gym changing room selfies!

I struggled to run two days in a row, so I made Monday my 'long run day' instead of Sunday to ensure I wasn't running the day after parkrun. On a couple of weeks I did manage four runs therefore running two days back-to-back on a couple of occasions, and I was always surprised that this felt manageable. But for the most part, I allowed myself to rest after each running day.

I stayed injury-free thankfully, although in the early days I did get shin splints caused by wearing the wrong trainers (hence the aforementioned trainer faffing - until I finally got round to going to Run4it in Edinburgh and getting properly assessed. Saucony Guide 10s are my perfect pairing apparently!)

I mostly ran in the evening after work, with the exception of parkruns of course. I had a eureka moment in November when I discovered how much I enjoyed running in the dark - it felt so much more free! - and so thankfully I coped with the short winter days by donning my headtorch and reflective gear and getting a dark run in. That being said, when the light Spring evenings finally arrived, I was delighted! It's wonderful to be able to SEE where you are and take in the nature too!

I ran alone for the majority of my runs - I'm a fairly solitary creature so this suited me perfectly. I can see why running as part of a group or with a friend is beneficial to many, but I was generally happier running alone. It gave me time to think - or not think. I listened to music on some of my longer runs and got lost in the thoughts each tune would bring. That being said, the runs I did do with others - I think only 6 runs out of 66 - were really enjoyable. Parkrun with Ross, Loch Leven with Paula, a run at Loch Awe with Gibson on 31st December - I did enjoy the distraction of chatting to another person.

Over the thirty weeks, life happened too. It wasn't always easy to get out running or prioritise my training (especially when no one knew!). A lot of stressful things happened in our personal lives, particularly in early January, and sometimes this stopped me from running. At other times I did run through some of these hard times, and of course found it very helpful and a great stress reliever. I generally returned from a run feeling in better shape mentally, although I do recall a couple of occasions when returning home resulted in an outpouring of pent-up emotions - poor Dave!

Although I hadn't set out to run a marathon for charity - I'd originally considered keeping it entirely a secret until after I'd finished it, but I'm so glad I didn't do this! - once I had made this decision, in January 2018, I got through the tough runs by remembering why I'd made that call. Andrew getting ill has been, and still is, an incredibly tough journey, and when I was slogging through a long run, or a wet or windy run, or just not generally feeling good, I remembered that this was a choice I was making. I remembered that I was very fortunate to be able to make that choice, and that there were so many people who'd give anything to be out running in the fresh air. 

Keeping the journal was really beneficial to me as it allows me to revisit each run, and remember some of the random details I might have otherwise forgotten. I even noted the day (February 8th) I lost my first toenail and felt like a proper runner!

Other highlights from my journal each week included: seeing an otter in the Gala Water; smashing my parkrun PBs twice (2nd December and 31st March); actually signing up for the Edinburgh Marathon on 29th November (week five of my plan!); Colin's birthday parkrun on 23rd December - slow and steady after being ill but enjoyable time spent with two of the bros; a wet Hogmanay run near Loch Awe; a snowy run in the Gala Policies one Saturday morning; telling Andrew in January I was running the marathon and hoping to raise money for Myositis UK; running round Loch Leven on a beautiful February day with Paula as training for the Inverness Half Marathon; a 6.5 mile one Sunday (after parkrun the day before!) where every mile started with an 8 and felt so effortless (I still look fondly back at this run and how good it felt); running the Inverness Half Marathon in under 2 hours in March; telling everyone at last about the marathon; the fundraising starting and raising over £1000 in one week; running with Tig and Ross at parkrun; rescuing a lamb stuck in netting and helping a lost driver with directions to Walkerburn on one run (a memorable run for these reasons and also because I'd fallen down the stairs on my way to put my trainers on - ouch!); gradually building up my long distance runs and testing out SIS gels for energy; running at West Linton where I grew up; running in France twice whilst on holiday and supporting Colin's amazing triathlon efforts; managing the 20 mile long run I was so worried about three weeks before the marathon; finally reaching the tapering stage - increased anxiety but I was so grateful of the decrease in weekly mileage; finally reaching marathon week!!! Raising over £5000 for Myositis UK and completing - and enjoying - my first marathon.

My running journey in 4 races: 30th July 2017 - Dog Jog, 29th October 2017 - Jedburgh 10k, 11th March 2018 - Inverness Half Marathon, 27th May 2018 - Edinburgh Marathon

Running has been a real journey for me, and the quote that really sums it up for me - as quoted at the end of my blog post about my actual experience of the Edinburgh Marathon - is:

Starting was the hardest part - I continuously doubted myself and every decision I made about running. I felt totally clueless and intimidated. But little by little I chipped away at my negative attitude and lack of self-belief, and even though it took 30 weeks and 26.2 miles, I did it!