No Train, No Pain

After a very cold last couple of weeks, the weather, and more importantly, the temperature, have slowly started to improve. The sun might even make an appearance soon. Perish the thought. In a few weeks' time, I might even be able to venture out on a run without having to wear gloves and a hat!

So far, the training is going well. I'm having to sacrifice more of my personal time to be able to fit in some of the running. I woke up at 6am on Tuesday morning to go for an eight-mile run. After that, I showered, dressed, and was straight out to work, and seemingly managed to stay on my feet and awake for the whole day. Now I have to find some time this weekend to fit in a 15-20 mile run. Quite frankly, after a hard week slaving away at the office, I could do with a rest at the weekend. At least I can find the motivation to get out of bed and do something, which is more than can be said for my flatmate who struggles to emerge from his pit before 3pm.

It is now just under two months to go until the London Marathon, and also just under 60 days, so the pressure is mounting. For most first-time runners, this is where the hard work really begins; the distances of the long runs get longer and longer. I already experienced this last year and have completed a few long runs over the last few weekends over the last couple of months. What concerns me most of all is that it is almost a year since I injured my achilles tendon and I am desperate not to get myself injured again this year. Each time I go out on a run, I wonder to myself "is this going to be the run where my knees give in and I finally lose the use of my legs?"
The sad fact is that after many weeks of rigorous training, there is every chance that I will end up carrying a slight niggling injury, but it's how I manage that slight injury that makes all the difference. As soon as I feel that something is wrong, I'll stop running and as soon as I feel the slightest of injuries, I'll rest. It's just difficult knowing what to do when a slight injury comes along because you want to rest it so that it gets better, but you also want to train, for fear that going too long without running will impede your progress. So I'll try and come to a good old-fashioned British compromise by not over-exerting myself, but still doing plenty of training. With the Marathon being less than two months away, it feels like it's coming ever closer, but yet still feels like a long way away - plenty of time in which to get myself injured. Sometimes I wish the Marathon could be taking place this weekend so that I can get the bloody thing over and done with. I feel ready enough to do the 26 miles (+ 385 yards) now if it were possible.