London Marathon Looming

Running to the finish

In a perfect world, I would have wrote a post for '1 month until London Marathon' but the training plan I chose had me running two 20 mile peak weeks. It has been a long 15 weeks of training but I am feeling ready.  Now that I am officially in taper mode, a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.  My mileage is decreasing, leaving more time for food prep and Dance Moms reruns (my latest guilty pleasure).  With less than 3 weeks until my second World Marathon Major, how will my training change in the lead up to the starting line?

Less mileage- This is good as Strava just told me it is time for new shoes.  I might use my Salomons 3D this week for short runs.  In the post, I recently received Wiiv custom insoles which used photographs of my feet to create the perfect fit.  Is 3 weeks enough time to break in new shoes and/or insoles?  I am not willing to risk it so I will wait to try these insoles out.

More stength training with Julia B Fit- Every. Time. I. Say. I will strength train. Then I don't.  There just isn't enough time in the day to work and train in all the disciplines that balance the time on my feet.  Julia's workouts are great because you can mix and match different sessions based on your training goals and how much time you have.  You can get started in her online gym for free, so click on the link above and have a mosey around.

Thank you John Lewis for my new yoga bag. So fancy!

More yoga- John Lewis sent me a 'yoga at home' kit from their wellness campaign. Like strength training, yoga is something I know I need to do more of as a runner, especially one who has Achilles tendonitis and periformis issues.  The bag is beautiful and I can totally see it as a beach bag or carry on.  There was also a resistance band in the bundle, which will be handy with the strength training point above.

More sleep- Seriously. If you are part of a sleep research lab, can I please be a study subject?  I need eight to nine hours normally but then with big miles on top, even more.  Any advice on developing quality sleep patterns?

More blogging- Having reached my fundraising goal a few weeks ago, I can now concentrate on writing posts about my time in South Africa, new kit I have been testing out from Get the Label and La Redoute (check out their fitness guide with a mini-profile on me), and trying electro-acupuncture for my periformis pains.

Whole30 rules- After having to stop and use the bathroom four times on my 20 miler on Sunday and three times during Berlin Marathon, I need to get my GI system under control.  I will loose a lot of time trying to find a bathroom during London Marathon but also it is no fun having to worry about having an accident for 4+ hours.

What do you do in the last two weeks leading up to a big race?  Let me know in the comments below.