London Marathon might now be a distant memory. However training is already in full swing for many in preparation for Autumn marathons taking place this October. This Breast Cancer Awareness Month – having volunteered for us last October and now living in Canada – Hetty Owen is preparing to run the Chicago Marathon for Against Breast Cancer! Hetty has kindly shared a quick insight into her marathon training.
After telling people for months that I was going to run a marathon, the time has finally come to actually start running. I’ll be honest, I brought it up I conversation a bit too much and didn’t help the stereotype that people only run marathons to talk about it. Of course that is a part of the reason, but my main motivation is to raise money for Against Breast Cancer.
A bit about me: I studied Cancer Science at university and ran the Oxford Half for ABC last October. I really enjoyed the experience and wanted to keep raising money for ABC while pushing myself further. I also love writing. I’ve been invited by ABC to share a bit of my training with you, which I am honoured to do!
Marathon training tips
I’m by no means an expert, but little by little I am learning a lot about running and about myself. With race day still far quite far away, I have found it tough to get out and do the runs on the grey and rainy days. I found that joining Strava groups was a great help. There are often groups for the race you’ve signed up for. Seeing other people up and down the country, or even further afield, preparing for the same race makes it feel more like a community.
So far, I’m enjoying my marathon training, but it’s early days; I only started four weeks ago. Mixing up my runs has helped keep things fresh. Some days it’s a relaxed 4-miler, others it’s interval training to work on speed. The Long Run is now a staple of my week, and the distance is slowly creeping up. Right now, it’s “only” 16km, but looking ahead, I’ll soon be doing half-marathons for fun on the weekends. A wild thought, considering that distance was my goal just a year ago.
If you are training for any race, whether it be a 5k or an ultramarathon, we are all in this together. If you’d like to share your training experience – or if you’re a seasoned marathoner with tips for a newbie like me – please get in touch at hettyowen@gmail.com. I’d love to hear and share your stories and advice.
If you are feeling inspired to run one of the Abbott World Marathon Majors yourself, we may just be able to help by giving you a place to run for ABC…