Run: 2hrs 59min (22miles) / Gym: 0mins / Crosstrain: 0mins

This week, training slipped into the background a little—which, all things considered, felt right. Monday evening brought the usual 5.5-mile run, a steady effort ahead of Tuesday’s funeral. Running helped ease the mind, even if only briefly. The rest of the week was shaped more by family rhythm than training structure. On Wednesday, I stayed home while my son got a lift to training, and Thursday’s session was cancelled—most of the squad off on holiday. Missing those two runs was a shame from a consistency point of view, but not something I’d trade. I was where I needed to be, and that’s a win in a different column.

Friday saw things click back into routine with a regular 10k. The legs felt decent, the mind clearer. Saturday was a rare unicorn of a day—no kids’ sport, no commitments. No run either, but the family time more than made up for it. Sunday I laced up again for a solid 10-miler. Kept a steady eye on the heart rate, but pushed just enough to avoid drifting into a lazy plod. Not a high-volume week, but a reminder that there’s strength in flexibility—and sometimes, just showing up is the biggest step forward.

Run: 4hrs 26mins (32 miles)  / Gym: 0mins  / Crosstrain: 0min

This week was less about chasing miles and more about maintaining balance—between family, training, and the emotional weight that’s been hanging around. No morning runs, deliberately. I wanted to be around when the rest of the house stirred—coffee, cereal, the usual scramble—because those moments matter too. Training was wedged into the margins, mainly during football practice with my younger son. Monday’s run was gentle, heart rate hovering at 128bpm, all about form and flow rather than speed. Same story midweek—Wednesday, Thursday, Friday—though I could feel the pace naturally ticking up a bit. Encouraging to see the body responding while still keeping the HR below 140. Saturday was all about my daughter and netball, and honestly, that kind of movement—the cheering, the chatting, the just being there—felt like training of a different kind. With funeral plans now mostly in place, I got out for a Sunday run at what I’m calling “late morning” (8:30am). Nothing flashy, just legs turning, lungs working, head a little clearer. A week where the miles mattered less than the reasons behind them.

Run: 3hrs 16mins (24.4mi) / Gym: 0mins / Crosstrain: 0min

Morning runs still aren’t happening in the lead-up to the family funeral, so most of the running is squeezed in around football training with my younger son. Managed 5.5 miles this evening—somewhere between slightly too fast to be easy and not fast enough to be useful.

Mid-week I was in London supporting my eldest, which gave me the chance to run along the Thames on a crisp, sunny morning—always a lift. Then Friday brought a rare trip to the Lakes with friends, and I managed to shoehorn in a solid Sunday morning run around Derwent Water. One of those where the scenery does half the work for you.

Run: 1hr 46min (14miles) / Gym: 0mins / Crosstrain: 0mins

This week was all about supporting where I could, with training taking a back seat Monday through Friday. It was a conscious decision—focus on the essentials, be there for my wife, and keep everything else secondary.

Friday evening, I finally laced up the shoes while my son was at coaching. It felt great to be moving again, legs waking up and shaking off the rust. It was like letting fresh air into a stuffy room.

Saturday was a long, calming walk with my wife and the dog. A slow, steady way to be present and share some quiet time. The run from the night before had felt fantastic, but support was still the priority.

Sunday afternoon brought another window of opportunity. While my wife was checking in with our eldest, I took off for a run. My legs felt rested, and I settled into that perfect groove—swift, relaxed, like everything was just clicking. I came home elated, the high of running coursing through me. Maybe it was the release of finally letting myself go again, even if only for a while.

Run: 7hrs 34mins (50mi) / Gym: 1hr 17mins / Crosstrain: 30min

This week was all about cautious progress, feeling things out and keeping the knee in check. Monday kicked off with a very slow five-mile recovery run, the sort of plodding effort where walking might’ve been quicker. But I followed it up with 20 minutes of knee work, which—against all odds—actually seems to be helping. The evening brought another five miles, a heart-rate-focused shuffle while my son was at football training. Played it safe, averaging 131 bpm at a pace that felt almost comically slow, but better to hold back than push too hard.

Tuesday was more of the same—another heart-rate run, another five miles. Except this time, my heart rate was stubbornly high despite the easy pace. Probably still feeling the effects of Monday’s double run.

By Wednesday, I decided to give the knee some extra grace, swapping running for a 30-minute turbo session on the bike. More strength work followed—just keeping the cautious approach going.

Thursday morning, I ditched the watch and just ran by feel over the usual 7.65-mile route. Surprisingly, I was moving better than expected, clocking an 8:16 min/mile pace, though the heart rate crept up to 143 bpm. The evening run was all about discipline: heart rate locked in at 133 bpm, pace dialed back by a full minute per mile. A careful balance game.

Friday, the knee gave a little warning, so I skipped running altogether and hit the gym while my son trained. Better to stay sensible than force something.

Saturday brought the classic ‘parkrun sandwich’—a three-mile warm-up, a parkrun effort clocked at 20:14 (seems like adjusting expectations is finally paying off), then 3.5 miles to warm down. A much cleaner execution than last week.

Sunday’s long run wrapped up the week with a controlled 10 miles—keeping the heart rate low at 131 bpm, a steady 9:15 min/mile pace, and most importantly, no knee complaints. Careful but productive. Exactly what I needed.

After 5 years of focus on marathon training and competing, September 24th 2023 saw me achieve a goal that the 2018 version of me wouldn’t have thought possible – I completed the Berlin Marathon in under 3 hours. Only just (2.59.58), but still “sub 3”.

I was elated, and enjoyed the feeling of the accomplishment for around 45 minutes. It then struck me – what next? Eventually I settled on triathlon, and trail running for 2024. Successfully training for and completing a half-ironman, and really enjoying it, as well as completing a long trail run over 36 miles through the fells and valleys of the Lake District. I enjoyed them, but I missed the pure unrelenting discipline of marathon running. So 2025 is back on the roads, just as soon as I get a knee issue sorted. November through December saw me off my feet, and attending weekly physio sessions. It didn’t get any better, but more importantly, it didn’t get any worse, despite a week skiing over New Year. I have a natural aversion to interventions, so decided that the MRI I was being offered was pointless – even if they could identify the problem, unless it got worse, I wouldn’t go for the operation. Lets instead focus on a really gradual return to running, and a focus on exercise that promised me ‘bullet-proof knees’. Lets get moving then…

Run time: 6hrs 7mins (40mi) / Gym time: 1hr 8mins / Bike-Crosstrain: 0min

Monday started with a routine morning run before an afternoon spent traveling—one in the bank before the week got messy. Tuesday was a write-off with family commitments, but I salvaged something with an evening gym session. Wednesday nearly fell apart after a lie-in, but I salvaged a 5.5-mile heart rate (HR) run—shorter than planned, but better than nothing. Thursday was a double-run day, the first in a while. The morning session was another shortened HR run, which finished with a 10-minute push to make it home in time for the school run. The evening “football run” was about staying under 135 bpm, though I had to hammer the last mile to avoid another late pickup. Friday’s 6:15 alarm was met with knee soreness from the double-run day, so I called an audible and opted for rest—apart from an evening gym session to work on the knee, upper body, and legs. Saturday brought a reality check. With speed training on the horizon, I used a parkrun to set a benchmark—3.5-mile warm-up, then an expected but still slightly disappointing 20:28 (official 20:32), finishing 36th of 524. A half-mile warm-down, then some time to dwell on what needs improving. Sunday was a logistics challenge—travelling 100 miles for my daughter’s hockey fixture, so I got there early for a long, slow 10-mile HR run, which felt every bit as sluggish as the 10+ min/mile pace suggested. A week of small wins, some compromises, and a few reminders that progress isn’t always linear—but at least the wheels are still turning.