Here is the latest update on my training for the Edinburgh marathon and the Vitruvian half ironman in September. Part 2 can be found here.

In fact, this is more of an update on my marathon training as I have been doing loads of running! The last few weeks have been all about building the long runs. Going from 26km, to 30km, to 35km runs at the weekend with 3 shorter runs during the week. I had never run more than about 23km before this training. One of the challenging things has been planning running routes that get through the distance but are not all the same. So on a few weekends I have been getting the tube into central London and then running back home via the canal system and adding on various different routes. This has made the runs much more enjoyable and interesting and there have been some really beautiful scenery with springtime flowers and bluebells.

Physically I have felt good. I have had a few blisters on my toes, which have not been pretty, but I have managed to finish all my runs. I am still visiting the physiotherapist once a week and he keeps an eye on my injuries and gives me massages, plus I am doing my foam rolling and stretching. Also have been having ice cold baths after the long runs to help me recover quicker.

The 35km run was the longest run before the marathon itself (42km). So I am now tapering down (18km this weekend) and eating lots.

The marathon is on Sunday 27 May and we are travelling up to Edinburgh on the 25th. The course is supposed to be quite flat so it should be quite a good introduction to my first full marathon. As things stand I will be very pleased if I can do sub-4 hours. With the weather warming up it will soon be time to get back into the open water swimming and I will need to focus heavily on my cycling for the half ironman but all of that will probably have to wait until after the marathon!

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