Having missed an update for August, and with only one week left before the Amsterdam marathon, I thought I quick update is in order. Below is a breakdown of my weekly mileage during August and September:

August 2021

Week 1: 86km

Week 2: 85km

Week 3: 85km

Week 4: 81km

This was an ok month. Lots of quality running in there but probably not enough mileage for my goal time.

September 2021

Week 1: 97km

Week 2: 53km (away in Italy for the weekend so I missed my long run – makes a big difference to the total week)

Week 3: 104km

Week 4: 101km

This was a much better month with almost 3 weeks in the 100km range.

Relfection on August’s Goals

In August I outlined some key areas to focus on in the build-up to the marathon. Below I’ve outlined the key areas of focus and how the execution has gone during the last two months.

Increase weekly mileage – August wasn’t my best month but I ran in the 85km range consistently. Although the total mileage was not as high as I would have liked, the quality was there so I’m happy with this. September was a much better month with three 100km weeks.

Longer runs – I missed one or two longer runs but overall I ensured these were a priority each week. Not all of them included marathon pace efforts, I’ll see how this works out in the last 10km of the marathon next week. As far as marathon builds up go, this has been one of my best.

Strength – I was poor in this department. I didn’t get anywhere near my goal of two strength sessions per week. When you’re running between 90-100km a week, working full time, not sleeping properly and looking after a young child, these “extra” workouts tend to get missed. Not ideal but also not the end of the world.

If I can break 2:45 on limited strength training then I can only go faster if I add it in for my next marathon block. Hopefully, I don’t regret missing these sessions at the 38km mark!

Overall thoughts and the final week

Now that I’m working back through my training I’m quite pleased with how things have gone. My training has been consistent, which is more important than anything else. I am injury-free and healthy.

My longs runs have gone well and weekly sessions have been ok. I’ve missed a few of the weekly tempo workouts due to personal circumstances. The main one being lack of sleep.

I’m definitely in the best shape I’ve been in for a long time. Maybe even better than for my silver medal at Two Oceans in 2018.

This next week is all about keeping consistent and staying healthy. I can’t get any fitter now, the “hay is in the barn”. Any running I do now is to keep the body ticking over and make sure that the legs are sharp for race day.

Another key factor I will focus on will be getting into the right headspace. A marathon is both a physical and mental effort. Visualising the race day, going through the course in my head and picturing the finish line are all great mental exercises to go through as preparation.

Race Strategy

In terms of race strategy, the first 30km are best to run in a group. The section along the Amstel can be brutal if the wind is blowing. There is little crowd support as well, so having people around will make a big difference. If the group is still going well I’ll stick with them for as long as needed. If I’m feeling good I’ll aim to push ahead later in the race.

I need to remind myself that 32km is where the race starts. The race can’t be judged on how I feel at the half marathon mark.

I also need to remind myself that the goal is sub 2:45. The plan is an automatic entry for Berlin 2022. I might be capable of something faster on race day but I do not want to go out at 2:40 pace, blow up and finish with a 2:50. To use a golf analogy, I’m going to get it on the green rather than hunting for the pin.

I’m going to run smart. There will be another marathon for an all-out effort next year.

Finally, I can’t wait to get back on the start line and race again. Training for a marathon is hard work but crossing that finish line makes it all worth it, especially if it comes with a PB. I’ll aim to do a write-up on my race next week. Until then I’m looking forward to a good taper week, two marathons (Amsterdam followed by Rotterdam) and some downtime.