London Marathon #16: 5 weeks to go

My long run this week was over 3 hours, it was tough, it was my legs that suffered the most. I thought it seemed too early for the photo below, but I've changed my mind, I needed the inspiration this week. The London Marathon has one of the most iconic finishes of any marathon. After running along Birdcage Walk, beside St James' Park, runners reach Buckingham Palace and turn right down The Mall. Crossing the finish line with Buckingham Palace in the background will be so awesome, it gives me goosebumps!

More after a summary of last week's program:

• Tuesday: Tempo run, Laguna Colorada, Bolivia. This run was 12km, done at a bit faster pace than I will be running the marathon.

• Wednesday: Walk, Westminster, London. Walking at a brisk pace for 50 minutes. This helps with recovery for the next hard session.

• Thursday: Interval run, Monteverde Cloud Forest, Costa Rica. This run involved descending 1:1 intervals, starting with 4 minutes, 2 x 3 minutes, 2 x 2 minutes, 4 x 1 minute. Interval pace was fast, recovery pace was moderate (Kenyan style). Distance covered, not including a 10-minute cool down, was 10km.

• Friday: Walk, River Thames, London. Walking at a brisk pace for 50 minutes.

• Saturday: Long run, London. I did this one at long run pace, no progression, 3 hours and 10 minutes. Total of 31km.

• Sunday: Easy run, around the streets of town. This run is done at a very easy pace, 12km.

• Monday: Walk, Tahiti. Walking at a brisk pace for 50 minutes.

This week's self-leadership lesson emerged from my long run struggle and the insights of more than one of the iFit coaches. The overall message was that the struggle is where the magic happens, it's where we discover what we are capable of. There's no getting away from it, running a marathon is a metaphor for life. So, what are the learnings that are transferable to everyday life?

• Running a marathon (life) is as much about psychology as it is about the physical aspect. When you think you have nothing left, you dig deep, you find more.

• When running a marathon (living life), there are so many moments you want to quit, but you remind yourself of your why and this carries you forward.

• Running a marathon (living life) takes work, dedication, discipline, but the sense of satisfaction for what you have achieved when you reach the finish line far outweighs the struggle. In fact, it is the struggle that imbues the journey with meaning.

• Not every marathon (life event) turns out how you might expect, there are so many variables, there are times when you exceed your expectations and times when you fall short, but you learn from it all.

• Running marathons (participating in life) gives you a sense of belonging, it immerses you in a community of like-minded people that encourage and support you, that share the journey with you.

• It's important to celebrate your achievements. iFit coaches even talk about the marathon event itself as being the celebration of all the hard work put in to get to the starting line. The celebration starts when the event begins, the after party happens when you cross the finish line!

"The important thing in life is not the triumph, but the fight; the essential thing is not to have won, but to have fought well." - Creed of the Olympic Movement