Increasing the training distance

stats of the week: run 32 km, cycled 52 km, gym 3 h

While the official TCS London Marathon website recommends tapering at this stage, I managed to complete at least a 20K training run. But wow, it was tough! By the final mile, I was completely exhausted, and I honestly have no idea how I’ll manage to run double that distance in less than three weeks.

My plan now is to do a 25K jog this week. I’ll alternate 3K of running with 300 meters of walking right from the start, along with disciplined hydration and nutrition. That’s also the strategy I’ll be using for London.

This year’s London Marathon will feature 87 Guinness World Record attempts — including people running dressed as a reptile, a Spartan warrior, wearing the most pairs of underpants, and even as a fish, bird, vegetable, and many more!

(c) TCS London Marathon

 

Finish in darkness possible

stats of the week: run 27 km, cycled 76 km, zwift cycled 28 km, walked 14 km, gym 1.5h

Back to slow jogging, and I was really happy to complete a 10-mile workout this week. With just four weeks left until the London Marathon, my modest goal for next week is to complete a 20K training run.

Since last year, participants have been allowed to finish the London Marathon until midnight. The start time varies between 9:30 and 11:30 AM, depending on your start corral - giving me plenty of time to walk at least a third of the distance. Maybe I’ll reach The Mall in darkness, just like these two happy ladies.

With the London Marathon aiming to become the world’s largest, with at least 56,000 participants, I probably won’t be the last to cross the finish line!

Doubts coming up

stats of the week: run 7 km, cycled 39 km, walked 10 km, gym 1.5 h
stats of the previous week: run 17 km, walked 36 km, gym 1.5  

Five weeks until the London Marathon, and I still can't run even half the distance. To make matters worse, I caught a cold last weekend and had to stop training completely.

At this point, my modest goal is simply to complete one 25K training run before race day. Realistically, if I manage to finish the marathon, I have to accept that I'll be walking nearly half of it. If it weren’t London, I wouldn’t even consider taking part right now.

I also have to acknowledge the risks of starting a marathon without proper preparation. I've seen exhausted runners collapsed along Victoria Embankment before, and I definitely don’t want to end up like that.

Head down and finished

stats of the week: run 9 km, walked 36 km, gym 1.5 h
stats of the previous week: run 37 km, walked 62 km

The good news is that I finished the Lisbon Half Marathon! The start was quite fast, as the course went downhill for several miles, but from the 14K mark onward, I had to alternate between walking and slow jogging. The final stretch was tough, to say the least. That said, just a few weeks ago, I couldn’t even run 10K without walking in between. So, my time of 2:15 wasn’t a disappointment—it was simply a reflection of my current reality.

As for the event itself, it’s not one I’d do again. The start on the bridge is spectacular, but after that, it’s just a matter of keeping your head down and pushing through to the finish. The entire route runs outside the city with no crowd support. That’s fine for me, but what really shocked me was the bottleneck just 20 meters before the finish line—I ended up stuck in a jam, taking at least a minute just to cross the official line. To make matters worse, I then had to wait nearly an hour to collect my kitbag while it started to rain.

The takeaway from my trip? I’ve fallen in love with Portugal. As for the half marathon, its only real purpose was to tick off another SuperHalf event.

Photos: start on the bridge

Happy finishers

The scene at the kitbag lorries

Some improvement - also with the temperature

stats of the week: run 24 km, hiked 43 km
stats of the previous week: run 19 km, walked 13 km, gym 3 h
stats of the week before: run 23 km, walked 5 km, gym 3 h

I had a little chat with a pulmonologist, and not surprisingly I’ve been diagnosed with exercise- and cold-induced asthma. So now, I’ve got a daily inhaler, and I noticed some improvement.

To further stack the odds in my favor, we wisely decided to swap chilly air for some Portuguese sunshine, spending two weeks warming up (literally) for the Lisbon Half Marathon next Sunday.

The good news? I’ve managed to push my distance up to at least 13 km. The reality check? My half marathon will still feature some strategic walking breaks but I am confident that I will finish.

Proper training with some pain

stats of the week: run 31 km, zwift cycled 46 km, gym 3 h

Finally, I managed to complete a full week of proper training. I ran 12 km on the treadmill where as part of my daily routine before breakfast, I walk 500 meters and then jog up to 2 km. I’m happy that my meniscus remains stable, but unfortunately, the cartilage in my kneecap is still worse than before the surgery. Interestingly, I’m pain-free while running, but as soon as I stop, the pain kicks in - only to vanish again once I start jogging. Crazy.

A new setback is some muscle pain in my legs, which I suspect is caused by the new medication prescribed by my urologist - pills I now have to take daily for the foreseeable rest of my life. I’ll experiment with reducing the dosage to see if half might be enough.

Me on Zift May Field:

Training camp light

stats of the week: run 9 km, cycled 75 km, walked 21 km, gym 1.5 h
stats of the previous week: run 17 km, cycled 75 km, walked 26 km, gym 1.5 h

As expected, my Lanzarote holiday turned into a rather relaxed training camp - not that I’m complaining! I managed to stay active every day, switching between walking, jogging, and cycling. In total, that added up to 25 km of easy jogging, 44 km of brisk walking, and 150 km of leisurely cycling. Hardly the training plan of a marathon champion, but still satisfying. My meniscus played along without any complaints!

Now, looking ahead to the Lisbon Half Marathon—the official time limit is 3 hours, which means I need to maintain a pace of 8 minutes and 32 seconds per kilometer. If my knee is on board with the plan, a mix of running and walking should do the trick. Fingers crossed!

Some Lanzarote photos:

Training camp waiting for stubborn knee

stats of the week: run 7 km, zwift cycled 40 km, walked 24 km, gym 3 h

I received my fifth and final hyaluron injection, but unfortunately, there hasn’t been any significant improvement so far. On the bright side, I was able to jog 6 km today with a calm meniscus, which is encouraging. Still, I have serious doubts about making a proper comeback to competitive running.

Our 10-day training camp on the island of Lanzarote will be the real test. I noticed on Instagram that Patrick Lange is there as well. If I spot him, I might just take advantage of his slipstream...

Photo from last year:

Another setback

stats of the week: zwift cycled 52 km, walked 22 km, gym 3 h
stats of the previous week: run 21 km, zwift cycled 41 km, gym 3 h

My motivation to post has been quite low since the new year didn’t start as I had hoped. After completing the New Year's Eve 5K race, my meniscus flared up again, forcing me to stop running. I underwent a series of five hyaluron injections, which may help with the cartilage issue but unfortunately won’t address the meniscus problem.

With less than two months to go until the Lisbon Half Marathon, the trip is already booked, and we plan to travel regardless of whether running will be possible. Fingers are still crossed - I plan to ease back into light jogging next week.