Bring it on Uncle Pfitz.

14 weeks from today I will be lining up for my 8th marathon, the Experian Robin Hood marathon in Nottingham. We have established it will be devoid of robbing and pillaging. We have established that the vast majority of runners will be running the half, leaving a small group to run another half on their lonesomes around a windy watersports training centre. We have established that I will be dealing with the loneliness by drawing on my experience of running alone for most of my training and by listening to my iPod. So now all I have to do is train for the thing.

Let's establish where I am - physically. I'm slow. I've not done any speedwork since my Boston training finished, over 6 weeks ago. I've not done masses of running - I've not even updated my DailyMile totals for months. I had another blood test recently which established that I am still anaemic and so for the past 2 weeks I have been taking my iron pills (diligently - I had stopped taking them months ago when they ran out). And I have felt a slight increase in spring in step. So I am slow, but healthy. Knees are fine. The periformis pain (also known as pain in the *ss) which has been bugging me for over a year now is still there but does not appear to be getting any worse and seems to be responding to some hard sessions with my new foam roller. I will do what I did in training for my last three marathons and book a session with Jonathan, my running osteopath, every 3 weeks which seems to keep me more or less stretched. I would also like to keep up the biking I've been doing recently - nothing massive or strenuous but at least an hour a week at 15mph. And I am going to try to make at least one yoga class a week - again, my yoga classes are unbelievably unstrenuous but therein lies much of the appeal. My pushup challenge has been slightly halted by a sharp pain to the left of my right hip - I am a bit worried I may be giving myself a hernia and so am switching to different pushups on my yoga ball. (For those in the know - does this look like the right idea?
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I am determined to work on stability and strength for the first time and I hope that will make me stronger and faster. Finally - my relative dietary diligence means I'm only pounds away from where I want to be. I set myself back a bit this afternoon with some pringles, but you know how it goes once you pop.. Sigh.

Mentally, you'll all be happy to hear I am in a really great frame of mind. I have worked my way through the pile of cr*p that was the last 6 months and I am ready to go. On all fronts.

So training-wise I am back with Pete Pfitzinger. It's worked before and it'll work again. I'm stretching out his 12 week 55M program to 14 weeks - not sure yet which weeks to double, tips? - and although I KNOW I will be cursing him next Saturday morning when I have to drag 8M at race pace out of my 13 miler - sheesh Uncle Pfitz, cut me some slack! - it will be good for me.

I've cranked out a 40M week to set me up, finishing off with a 14M run this morning in the rain.


Running-wise, life-wise. Bring. It. ON!