Update

I've been neglecting my running blog for a while. Short update is that I have been running well and still getting a bit quicker despite my advancing years. I've had another decent stretch of eating properly and I've benefited from a higher training load of 55 - 60 miles per week and a lower bodyweight (down around 70kg).

This has helped me chop some decent chunks of my best times. I was particularly pleased to end the year by breaking 17 minutes for 5k for the first time (16:44 at Hallam Parkrun) and then getting under 34 minutes for 10K (33:44 at Percy Pud). I guess I haven't blogged about any of this because the races have come thick and fast and it has all been a bit 'business as usual' really.

The next few months is different. The next few months is all about the London Marathon on 26th April 2015 at 10am. If my body survives the training, I'll be aiming for somewhere between 2:38 and 2:42. Hopefully under 2:40. I'll then be hoping to see Mrs Fowler cross the line 20 - 25 minutes later.

I am planning to use this blog to record my progress each week - training, niggles, how it feels etc. Whether it goes amazingly or badly, it will be nice to have a record of the preparation - you never know I might do another marathon one day. And, I guess marathons, more than any other race, are as much about the journey you take as you prepare to race 26.2 miles.

The 15 week training schedule I am using was pieced together from a range of online tools and advice. I shared a draft of the plan with a load of knowledgeable runners on a facebook group site and refined the plan based on the useful advice received. I went with high (and increasing) mileage every other week - including long Sunday runs that, at their longest, go above marathon distance. The weeks between the higher mileage weeks are still 60+ miles, but they lean a bit more towards quality work. The plan is not a massive hike in mileage for me - peaking at about 84 miles in week 9. However, I plan to add in a few extra miles if I feel up to it - but only in the first 12 weeks of the plan.