Busy weeks

stats of the week: run 29 km, cycled 50 km, gym 4.5 h
stats of the previous week: cycled 68 km
stats of the week before: run 53 km, gym 1.5 h 

result London Marathon: 5:22:38

The past few weeks have been rather busy, with the London Marathon, including working as a tour guide for Interair, travelling to France, and hosting my son Daniel and his friend Mersud. I showed them around and we visited Nîmes, Avignon and Aix-en-Provence.

First of all, my 27th London Marathon went very much as expected. Given the limited training distances I had managed beforehand, I was able to run the first 30 kilometres, but from then on I had to walk most of the remaining distance. So it was much the same as last year, but this time I was mentally prepared and simply happy to finish and receive my medal.

My shirt read, “Finally Goodbye London”, although I still hope it was not my last marathon there. I would miss it enormously, especially the London weekend with my colleagues from Interair and our large group of German runners.

While recovering in France, I was delighted to take part in a half marathon near Mont Ventoux, following the beautiful road through the Gorges de la Nesque. The course included a climb of around 450 metres before descending steeply into the valley to finish beside a lake.

There was only one other runner in my age group, and he was considerably faster than I was. Nevertheless, I was pleased with my performance, finishing in 2:23:19, with around a quarter of the 350 participants coming in behind me.

Late final long run done

stats of the week: run 36 km, gym 3 h

Luckily, the pain in my ankle subsided within a few days, and I was able to add a 25 km run, which went reasonably well. I stuck to my marathon plan, which involves walking 500 metres after every 4.5 km. However, after 20 km I found myself needing to walk more frequently, and after that experience I expect I’ll be walking from at least the 30 km mark next Sunday.

I compared my mileage with last year’s notes and had to admit that I’d covered more distance back then. Not exactly the most encouraging outlook for Sunday. Last year, I said I wouldn’t do it again unless I was better prepared. This time, I’m not.

At least my performance is still improving, albeit slowly. Today, I couldn’t resist taking part in the local charity run and finished the 5 km in 28:07, which gives an average pace of 5:36, my fastest since the incident.

Photo: Happy finisher after the 5K

 

Obstacles to overcome

stats of the week: run 15 km, Cross Trainer and Indoor Bike 3.5 h, walked 20 km, gym 1.5 h

I had to cancel my planned long run due to some unexplained ankle pain. It appears that the half marathon will remain the longest run I managed in preparation for London. I tried to make up for this with a two-and-a-half-hour session alternating between the cross trainer and the exercise bike, switching every thirty minutes. At least my foot coped well with that level of exertion.

I turned 73 this week. Once again, I consulted the Ever Presents website to give myself a bit of motivation. Five of the six remaining runners are older than I am and are still taking part, finishing in over seven hours. For 45 years, they have overcome every obstacle and crossed the finish line each year. They’ve run with broken bones and even norovirus. I really shouldn’t be held back by a strained ankle and a few missed long runs!

3 weeks to go

stats of the week: run 18 km, walked 16 km, gym 3 h

Three weeks to go until London. The plan is to complete a fairly long 28 km run next Sunday, hopefully followed by another 15–20 km the weekend after. I’ve developed a particular routine at the gym consisting of 30 minutes on the cross trainer, 30 minutes on the bike, and a 5 km treadmill run, which allows me to build endurance without placing too much strain on my joints.

Meanwhile, The Guardian has revealed plans to expand the London Marathon from next year onwards: 50,000 runners on Saturday and another 50,000 on Sunday. I find it hard to imagine how such a two-day event could be organised. Just think of the number of volunteers required. And what about the Mini Marathon, which already sees around 15,000 young runners take part on the Saturday?

Nevertheless, the Mayor of London is reported to be in favour of the idea.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/mar/25/revealed-secret-plans-for-two-day-london-marathon-with-100000-runners

Unexpected Comeback

stats of the week: run 26 km, walked 35 km, gym 1.5 h
Prague Half result: 2:10:43 h

My performance at the Prague Superhalf Marathon was a lot better than I expected. I started the race cautiously but still reasonably fast. To my astonishment I was able to keep the pace of around 6 min/km for 16 km, with the last 2 being the fastest. Then I had to take some short walking breaks - Garmin documented walking for a bit more than 2 minutes during the final 5K. However I was happy to clock an average pace of 6:12 min/km what makes sort of a comeback, half a year after the spinal disc incident.

With 4 weeks to London I now hope to build up more endurance that will let me run significantly more than half the marathon distance. I set my goal to finish below 5 hours.

More longish distances done

stats of the week: run 38 km, gym 4 h

Now it's time to taper for Prague after a proper week with a record mileage since the incident. I was able to complete a continuous 15K with three very fit fellows (photo) and was happy with an average pace of 6:20 min/km. 3 days later I managed a 5 K at 5:55 speed and finally I escorted C on a 18 K walk-jog with a pace of 7:10 what by far would be fast enough to beat Prague's time limit of 3 hours for the half marathon. Anyway, I consulted last year's results and found 700 runners who took more than 3 hours to finish. The organisers don't  seem to be really strict. 

A glimpse of hope

stats of the week: run 28 km, gym 3 h

This week I managed a 5K in under 29 minutes, which marks a significant improvement on my previously rather modest performance. I also increased my longest run to 12 km, accompanying C and taking it cautiously with including several walking breaks. Nevertheless, it felt easy and comfortable for the first time since the incident.

I have also started another series of ten physiotherapy sessions. I am not entirely convinced they will make a decisive difference, but I am determined not to neglect anything that might help.

The plan now is to complete two slow 15 km runs before tapering for the half marathon in Prague. Two weeks to go.