January training update

January training update

Notes from first month of training for the London Marathon

February 1, 2025running log3 min read

January is over and I’m almost at ⅓ of the training plan for the London Marathon 2025. I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the last month and see how things are going so far.

Training plan

I’ve started my training in the last week of December 2024. That’s been 6 weeks ago.

For the training plan, I’ve decided to go with the classic version of Hal Higdon’s Novice 1 plan. It’s a 18-week plan, and it perfectly fits the time I have until the marathon day. The schedule is quite simple, with 4 runs per week: 2 short runs during the work week, one slightly longer run on Saturday, and a major long run on Sunday. It’s a good balance between running and rest days, and I like the simplicity of it. I used it in the past for my first marathon, and it worked well for me.

Strava stats for January 2025
Strava stats for January 2025

The first week was a bit struggle, as I was on the Christmas break and didn’t have a good routine in place. After the New Year, I’ve managed to get back on track and follow the plan more closely. I didn’t miss any runs, and I’ve been consistent with my training so far.

View from one of the runs in December, back in 2024, in Poland
View from one of the runs in December, back in 2024, in Poland

Long runs

The long runs are obviously the challenging part of the training. So far, I’ve done 2 long runs, both around 15km.

Panoramic view from Addington Hills, London, UK
Panoramic view from Addington Hills, London, UK

Both were definitely challenging, as I haven’t run that distance for a while. Last week I was also battling tough weather conditions, with strong rain and I was completely soaked by the end of the run. It was a good test of a mental strength, and I’m glad I’ve managed to finish it.

View from a run in LLoyd Park, London, UK
View from a run in LLoyd Park, London, UK
View of a path in Addington Hills, London, UK
View of a path in Addington Hills, London, UK
View of a path going through small forest in Addington Hills, London, UK
View of a path going through small forest in Addington Hills, London, UK

Luckily, this weekend is easier in the distance, so the 11k planned tomorrow should be fine.

Next month

Overall, I feel like my fitness level is slowly improving. The runs are getting a tiny bit easier, and I definitely noticed that my pace is getting better as well. February is going to be a challenge, with increased mileage, with two long runs around 20km.

That’s the part of the journey isn’t it? I’m committed to continue with the plan. Just need to remind myself to take it easy and not push too hard, as my main goal is to stay injury free and simply enjoy the training.

See you next month with another update!

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