We really are in the thick of marathon training season.

It’s just over a month until events like London, Manchester and Brighton to name just three of the biggies finally get going again.

I’ve seen many runners, including friends banking countless miles, particularly over weekends, getting themselves in the best position possible to nail those 26.2 miles.

There’s a time when I would be green with envy, but not at the moment.

As mentioned previously, training for a marathon is a huge undertaking and you need to be kind to yourself and have understanding from others to do it properly.

After a disrupted 2021 I’m in no position to run a marathon and do myself justice and I certainly don’t miss the ‘maranoia’ where someone sneezes or coughs and you think ‘get away from me’ (we’ve had enough of that for the last 18 months...)

We’re in a period when some long runs have been banked and there’s possibly still a couple to go (depending which event you’re training for).

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It can be a tricky period to negotiate and I would urge anyone in this position to really ask themselves a very important question that a lot of us forget: How am I feeling?

You can become so consumed by what’s ahead of you in terms of training that you don’t take stock of your own physical and mental health (this isn’t just true of running, of course).

This isn’t permission to miss that long run planned at the weekend... it’s merely a suggestion to really dial in and check how you’re doing.

You are far better to go into a marathon slightly undercooked than overdone. That’s sometimes hard to judge especially if it’s your first marathon and most runners take a few events to work out what preparation works best for them.

But as someone who has left their best long runs in training before coming under Neil Featherby’s coaching wing, it’s best just to step back and think whether it’s worth resting that niggle or just giving yourself an extra day to work some lactic acid out of your legs.

That’s when it pays to have a coach who knows you and can advise you on the best course of action.

I’ve said to Neil before a big session that I feel exhausted. He’s then adjusted my plan and moved things around to give me a bit more time to recover.

On the other hand sometimes, you need a bit of tough love and someone to tell you to just get on with it (a spouse can do this just as well from personal experience).

A good coach will know what you need if they have worked with you for a little while and got to know your personality.

But for those that haven’t got that expert advice to call upon it’s worth asking yourself: Am I physically tired enough to need another day’s rest? Have you had a rough week meaning that mentally you’re just not quite in a place to do that session?

The majority of us are fitting our running around our lives and the other commitments we have does have a huge impact.

It’s why it’s worth anyone being wary of a plan they have downloaded off the internet and tried to stick to.

That can really work for certain types of personalities but of course that piece of paper isn’t going to adjust to how you’re feeling. That piece of paper doesn’t know if you had to work late last night. It doesn’t know if you were up all night because one of your children is ill. It’s just a piece of paper with some words and numbers on. If you miss a run don’t let it make you feel bad and concentrate on all the runs that you have banked.

It’s where I feel the majority of runners would benefit from having a coach or a running club where they can gain some advice.

Whatever happens to any potential marathoners over the next couple of weekends, be proud of what you have achieved so far and excited about what’s to come.

You’ll miss it once it’s all over.