It’s been a long while since I last posted on this blog.  Since then, a lot has changed.

My Monday morning motivator, Kate Carter, left The Guardian to start her own blog and do some exploring.  Since I stumbled on Kate’s blog at some point last year it has been inspiring and enlightening to read about the journey a fellow runner was taking.  I’m already loving the new Morning Debrief which Kate is hosting on her own blog – worth a read if you’re a budding runner.

I’m also part way through Lizzy Hawker‘s Runner, a book where she makes her voyages through Nepal, up Mount Everest and her successes at the Ultra de Mont Blanc sound effortless.  It has increased my hunger to explore and has reminded me that anything is possible should you put your mind to it.  I would also be lying if I said I hadn’t looked at the cost of flights to Nepal!

When I say I’m part way through Runner, I have a tendency to have a few books on the go at any one time.  Chrissy Wellington is a name that I became familiar with earlier this year when she created an awesome video to motivate a member of Ramsbottom Running Club on completing his first Ironman.  Her book, A Life Without Limits, is inspiring and the perfect demonstration of how anything is possible if you are prepared to commit to it.  It hooked me from the first chapter and I’ve enjoyed reading it alongside Runner.

I have continued to run with RRC on a sporadic basis and love getting down to the club when work allows.  Getting out for a run with people who share the same passion has opened my eyes to more routes, races and social events.  Not to mention the friendships and camaraderie!

But that’s not the reason I’ve brought you here.  As you can probably tell from the title, I’ve made the decision to plunge head first into my first marathon.

This is why…

I nursed a coffee across from a friend and running buddy that I met when I was working part-time in a running shop one summer whilst at university.  We ran together a handful of times in work at the running club and on a few occasions since as we have trained for different races.  When we last met, we were deep in conversation about running marathons:

It’s not that you have to do a marathon but I think you could

Her words of gentle encouragement started a thought process that lasted for two days before I made the decision to enter the Manchester Marathon.  I found myself pouring over the event information.

This was it.

I had to enter.

Before I had time to convince myself otherwise, I was in.

My first marathon.

It wasn’t as if I had to be convinced.  I knew I could do it but hearing somebody else say that to me gave me added belief that I should.

It’s not the idea of running in a big event that intrigues me, nor the ‘once in a lifetime’ challenge that some people aspire to.  My inspiration comes from somewhere deeper than that.

Before I can run my first marathon next spring, I’ve got a lot of work to do.  I’ve set myself a number of small goals, each one pointing towards the 7th April 2019.  There’s no way that I will finish the marathon without a lot of training, plenty of miles and a shedload of gym work.

With five months to go, I’m all too aware that I’ve still got a lot of work to do.

I’m also conscious that I will need to find something to eat on the run that will give me the energy to keep going for four hours or more.  Equally, I know that my overly sensitive stomach will pose a serious challenge.  I need to get the balance right.  I’m still a huge fan of Kate Percy’s Go Bites® and will be reviewing three new, exciting varieties soon.  I’m yet to take Go Bites® on a run of any significant length but that is about to change.

More than anything else, I’m ready for the challenge ahead and excited to see how far I can push myself.  Whilst I recently shaved three minutes off my half marathon PB, I know the challenge of the marathon will be on another level.

I can’t wait to see what it holds.