The London Marathon - You're In!... What now?!

You come home and find that magazine you've been waiting 6 long months for. You tear it open hurriedly, excitement filling every part of your body.  YOU'RE IN! It's a dream come true. You take a picture and open Instagram to share it with the wold.  And then it hits you.  You feel sick to the bottom of you're stomach.  Why?! What is life? What have you done to yourself.  You've never run before.

AND THAT IS OK.

I was in that exact same position two years ago. I was so excited and when I called my mum, was met with silence on the other end of the phone, then finally she answered "well I suggest you walk it".

... And that made me determined to not walk it, I was going to run the whole 26.2 miles.

I went out for my first run on 16th October 2015 at 7PM, I wanted it to be dark so no one would recognise me.  I started running, it felt strange and I wasn't sure I liked it.  I ran as fast as I could for as long as I could... 1.8 miles later I stopped at the end of the road, bent over puffing, out of breath.  I had considered myself quite fit, but at that moment in time I had never felt unfitter.  I walked back home and sank onto the sofa, wanting to cry, if I could only barely manage 1.8 miles, how ON EARTH was I going to manage 26.2 miles.

They say it takes around 16 weeks to train for a marathon (there are various traning plans out there).  So you don't need to start training until the new year.

But what you can do is get your body used to running.  If you have never run before, you can start now. 

Just go for one mile at first, don't run as fast as you can, take it nice and steady. Timing doesn't matter at this stage.  Then slowly build it up.

If you have a bad first run or if the mileage daunts you, please do not worry! Yes you may only be able to run 1 mile today, but you have six months ahead of you.  That's half a years worth of running! You will get there!

Tell all your friends and family.  There is nothing better than having the support of all your loved ones to motivate you.

If you got in through the ballot, why not run for charity?  Research your charities and pick one that you feel passionate about.  One of the best feelings in the world, that really helps to spur you on, is knowing that all of those people have sponsored and supported you, and you are doing it for a good cause.

Do not dispair.  It may seem daunting now, and it may seem scary but it's also exciting.  I trained for my first London Marathon two years ago, and I had never ever run before.  Since then I have ran 4 marathons, countless half marathons and I still run for fun now.  If I can do it, you definitely can!

How do you step back into the running routine?!

Sometimes you just need to take some time out from running, whether it's because you need to, or because you want to. Or maybe weeks or even months have passed and you think OOPS I haven't been for a run.

But how do you get back to it? How do you go about getting back into that first run?!

Book some races
There's nothing that motivates me more than setting some dates, that really makes me get off my arse.

Baby steps
It's all good and well thinking I'm going to go out there and smash 10 miles. But you're not geared up for that anymore. Why would you do that to your body? I like to start with a nice gentle 3 miler, nice and slow, then go from there.

Why do you run?
You have fallen out of love with running, take a step back and think why you like to run.  Personally I like lists so I'd make a list of reasons why I run.

Set up a crackin' playlist
Music is my motivator. I like to set up a great playlist with a mixture of  tunes so I can get lost in my own world whilst I run.

Set aims
Do you run because you like to achieve certain targets?  Well you're not going to achieve them sitting on your Ahole. Write down the aims, and then set steps of how you are going to get there.  Stick it up on your fridge, by your bed, or your front door. Somewhere you are going to see it everyday.

Training plans
They don't work for everyone but if you have never run a particular distance before, then a training plan is a good place to start.  Find one that suits you, there's tons out there!! And then tailor it to suit your needs.

Reward yourself
I don't mean get all your favorite ice creams and consume 2000 calories in one sitting.  By all means do this if you wish, but its not something I am recommending.  What I mean is, have a rest, make a cup of tea and watch a film, make your favourite dinner, have a piece of chocolate. Have a good sleep.

Invite a friend
Struggling to go by yourself? I never used to run in the daytime on my own.  Was too embarrassed. If you set a certain time and date with a friend or running partner, you are more likely to go.

Have no friends who run?
Join a running club. Again if you look forward to seeing your running friends at the club every week, you are more likely to go!

Don't overdo it
You have done your first run and you think great! I have so much to catch up on! So you book a spin class for 6am the next day, or you go for another run the next evening.  I've done it before.
NO! Stop. By all means stay active but you're not going to gain anything by overdoing it and doing too much all at once. Ease yourself into it gently.  Your body is not used to this. Start by 2 or 3 runs in the first week, not too fast or long distance. If that feels fine then you can gradually increase the speed and distance as the weeks go by.  DON'T BREAK YOURSELF!!

I won't lie to you, the first week back will be hard. But persist and you will get there!


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