The Road to London: When the going gets tough (the reality)

Something along the lines of following my plan to the letter even though the marathon is a long way off and I’m tired.

Well, what a load of rubbish that was.

I only got to the Sunday before I sacked off my planned run.

It was supposed to be 16 miles of effort, starting at 7:50 min/miling and speeding up every four miles so the last four miles was at 6:50.

I started out at about 8min/miling pace, struggled down to around 7:45 for a while and may even have hit 7:30 but it was such hard work.

And the wind. It was always in my face no matter which direction I turned.

In the end I just decided to cut my losses and was home by 15 miles.

Yet, such are the peaks and troughs of marathon training that on Tuesday I comfortably knocked out six miles at 6:40 pace around Viccy Park, slightly faster than was called for on the plan.

At the back of my mind, though, I can’t help thinking it will all be for nothing.

With the coronavirus having already forced the cancellation of marathons in Asia and now impacting on sporting events in Europe, it only seems a matter of time before talk turns to the London Marathon.

An event attracting athletes and supporters from around the world would seem a prime candidate for measures surrounding the spread of the virus.

Hopefully, it won’t come to that and that is not purely from a selfish point of view (though I admit I would be gutted) but from the view of the thousands of charities which depend upon monies raised each year from the event.

Last year, it raised an incredible £66.4 million for charitable causes, a hole that would take some plugging for some of the lesser-known projects and charities should it fall victim to the coronavirus outbreak

Closer to home, I will be running the Warwick Half Marathon on Sunday (weather permitting) and I am looking forward to finding out where I am in my preparations.

After the cancellation of the Bramley 20, it will be the first road race of my schedule and I have absolutely no idea how it will go.

Apart from that it will be windy, of course.

Completed training:

Saturday: 12 miles including Humber Bridge parkrun at 22:53 (4th)

Sunday: 15 miles at 7:50 ave

Tuesday: 9 miles including 6 at 6:40 ave

Wednesday: 14 miles at 7:50

Thursday: 1.5-mile warm-up, speedwork 3 x 8, 4 x 6

Imodium usage (running total): 11