Marathon blog: part 2

The funny thing about marathon training is that it starts with a whimper, not a bang. Two weeks in to training for the biggest race of my life, and my schedule looks exactly like it did before – a few three mile runs in the week, some yoga, a little cross training, and a longer run on Sunday. It’s strange, I’m training for a marathon but because the long milage hasn’t kicked in yet it doesn’t always feel like I’m training for a marathon!

Even though my schedule doesn’t look that different to before, the first two weeks of marathon training were a lot of fun! December was a great time to start training because there were so many fun festive events to get me motivated! It was great to celebrate my first run of marathon training by exploring London with Lululemon and Zero Calorie Advent Calendar, and I loved my festive run, completed with mulled wine, through the city with Advent Running.

The party season has also inspired my cross training. Rather that hopping on a bike in the gym I tried out Frame Rave – a class that confirmed why I am a runner and not a dancer! Apparently I have no rhythm, poor coordination and pretty limited flexibility. But, from time to time, it’s good to embrace the things you’re bad at, and I had a blast throwing myself around to music!

Last winter I didn’t run a lot because I was injured, so my stash of winter gear is pretty limited and needs some serious investment if I’m not going to freeze. There’s a few bits of I’ve got my eye on like this great half zip from Lululemon (which I’m hoping Santa will leave under the tree), some fab Nike Hyperwarm tights that’ll keep me toasty and visible on my run commute, and Every Second Counts’ seamless t-shirts because they’re so comfy and cosy. I can’t wait to do a little shopping over the festive break to stock up!

The cold isn’t the only challenge that comes with winter training, short winter days present their own problems. I do most of my week day runs in the evening, and at this time of year it’s dark out by 5pm! Although most of my route takes me through well lit city streets I want to make sure I stay as safe as possible, so I’ve picked up a great little strobe light to clip on my backpack – I’m like a one woman nightclub that no car can miss!

The festive season didn’t get in the way of my training too much. I managed to fit my runs around parties and luckily a lot of my friends are marathon training as well, so we’re all on the same page when it comes to early nights! My plan is to keep focused on my goal – I want to run a marathon and have fun while I do it – and what I need to do to get there. I hope that this will give me the motivation to haul myself up off the sofa to train!

If not, then Helly Hansen’s fun app The Winter Duel might help – there’s nothing like a little competition on a cold winter’s day. I’ll also be trading my regular yoga class for the FitStar Yoga app – a great find on the part of my boyfriend, and the perfect way to squeeze a little yoga in to a busy schedule. I love the fact that the app tailors each session to your ability, it’s like having a yoga teacher on my iPad!

Two weeks in to marathon training and this is just the start of the adventure, I can’t wait to see what happens next!