How to squeak it in a marathon

Most people are know are hard into about their 4th week. Me, I'm chilling. I'm laid back. In 2010 I had a bad time following a plan I got from a famous maker of shoes (rhymes with greysicks) - by week 10 I was losing the will, and injured to boot. So second time round I thought, I'll squeak it, I'll be a jammy little cow, and I'll do it in ten weeks. This of course leaves no time to be ill, no time to get injured... but the very fact the plan was shorter made me confident that injury was less likely.

So, out came my 2010 calendar. In October 2010 I ran a 3.48 marathon. I'd like to do that in April 2012, so I've basically copied my plan from back then. Someone suggested I share it. It's not in Excel or anything advanced as that. It's on a Chris Packham Photography 2012 calendar if you must know. In biro.

The key bits of it are...

• It's ten weeks long
• For the month leading up to it I have been laying down my base. Three or four sessions a week, plenty of core and stability exercises (thanks for the advice Clive Riley physio), get my head and body into the right place. About 20 miles a week max.
• Long runs start at 8 miles and go up in 2-mile increments (roughly) and I do them mostly on Saturdays, sometimes Sundays.
  
• Alternately 'hard' weeks and 'soft' weeks - only 3 runs in a 'soft' week but 'soft' always augmented by a 30-minute swim. 4 in a 'hard' week.
  
• Peaking at 18 miles 15 days before race day.
• Club sessions once a week to kick me up the arse speed-wise

Anyone reading this who's not a runner, sorry if this is boring/making your eyes pop. It's what we do, runners, we obsess. That's how we achieve what we do, whether it be the Race for Life or the biggest marathon in the world.

And oh, don't even mention Easter weekend to me. Shudder..