I'm still sticking with the plan: no more than 3 runs a week and trying to keep the weekly mileage increase to not more than 10%. I'm ensuring I mix in walking with the running: flatter routes mean I usually do 10 minute run/1 minute walk and the walking mix naturally increases the more tired I get. If I come across an incline I walk it.
This strategy has so far seen me avoid any injuries, which is crucial to make sure I get to the MdS start line. I also try to ensure my long runs are done off-road: the impact injury from tarmac or pavement running would be too great, and I'm seeing greater strength gains from running across grass, fields and tracks and trails. The LDWA Challenge events (open to both runners and walkers) have been fantastic for this.
What has also definitely helped is the weekly sports massage (as well as getting my Achilles problems sorted early, and finding a podiatrist who knows what he's talking about when it comes to orthotics!). It's only been this month that I've been able to drop from two massages a week (which I started in July) to one a week. It's taken almost three months to undo all the muscle damage from my poor previous running habits (i.e., heel striking and little stretching). I'm no longer swearing during the sports massage sessions, so that's progress!
Mid-foot striking is now second-nature. There was a spell where, once I was getting tired towards the end of a long run my legs would fall back to heel-strike but focussing on form soon addressed that.
September has been a big push in terms of getting over the psychological barrier of distance: it's been many years since I last ran a marathon so to have done so this month is a good start for the next 6 months slog.
Recovery from long runs is also critical. Much as they are uncomfortable I swear by the post-long run ice cold bath, just enough water solely from the cold tap to cover the legs. The effect is immediate and I find myself able to walk around without much stiffness or pain. Obviously this isn't going to be an available option in the Sahara but the point of this is to reduce the recovery time between the long runs in the build-up phase.
The objective for the next couple of months is to build to a weekly long run of more than 20 miles and try and reduce the recovery time to the next run, maybe introducing a short back-to-back run.
