It’s 2013 and just over 14 weeks to go until the London Marathon. Eek! I feel woefully unprepared. My training has suffered over the last few weeks due to a mix of injury, illness, weather (well, weather-related road conditions) and travel.

First, I had a tight knot in my calf muscle, which not only cut short a long run but also put me out of action for a few days. My next opportunity for a long run was cut short by weather condition insofar that my chosen route became too slippery and icy to carry on running, cutting a planned 12-miler down to just under 6 miles. Next, I go a cold, while at the same time travelling to the US, so my running for a few days was limited to treadmill running (my thoughts on treadmill running are for another day). My next long run was also cut short, this time due to my chosen route being so flooded that I spent more time dodging more than ankle-deep puddles than actually running.

My last long run was a 10-miler on Christmas Eve. The weather was absolutely horrendous, with torrential rain actually flooding the roads around me but I persevered and finished the full distance I had planned. I did another couple of shorter runs (3.6M and 4.6M, respectively) straight after Christmas (when my running shoes were finally dry), before going on honeymoon to South Africa. I did of course have running gear with me in SA as I wasn’t going to pass up a chance to run in summery weather but due to time and safety considerations, I only managed four short (although truly amazing and enjoyable) runs.

Now I’m back, the marathon is looming large and it’s time to start training again properly but I’ve got yet another cold. I went for an easy 4 miles tonight just to get me out of the house but I feel like I haven’t managed to maintain my pre-holiday fitness level. Provided my cold clears up quickly, my next long run, this coming Saturday, will be the true measure of where I stand. The plan is to do around 11M, at no slower than 11min/M average pace. If I can manage that, I’m still on track, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best.