London Marathon #19: 2 weeks to go

We all have days and periods of time where we are not feeling at our best and that's just life! When we feel flat, we tend to focus inwardly but perhaps the best solution is to look outside ourselves. This was my self-leadership lesson for the week. One of the iFit trainers made the point that when we are struggling in a running event the best way to get back on track is to encourage others around us. What happens to our state of mind and our sense of wellbeing when we decide to refocus and make someone else's day? More after a summary of last week's program:

As London gets very close, I'm following the same pattern of workouts but starting to reduce volume and length of time spent in the more intense zones...

• Tuesday: Tempo run, Canary Islands. This run was 11km, done at a bit faster pace than I will be running the marathon.

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

• Thursday: Interval run, Manda Island, Kenya. Intervals of random duration and equal recovery, ranging from 30 seconds to 5 minutes. Interval pace was fast, recovery pace was moderate. Distance covered, not including a 10-minute cool down, was 8km.

• Friday: Walk, Savannah, United States. Walking at a brisk pace for 50 minutes.

• Saturday: Long run, Ireland, County Mayo. This run was done at an easy pace with some short intervals at marathon pace (up to 3 minutes) scattered throughout. Total of 22km.

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

• Monday: Walk, Savannah, United States. Walking at a brisk pace for 50 minutes.

In her article titled, In Helping Others, You Help Yourself | Psychology Today, Marianna Pogosyan explains, based on research, that when we engage in "doing good" activities we are not only helping others, but we are also helping ourselves in more ways than one. Firstly, something chemical happens in our brain when we are generous to others, when we donate money to a charity or volunteer to help, we feel better about ourselves, we are happier. Secondly, when we help others by focusing on their needs and help them to manage their emotions, it also helps us to regulate our own emotions.

"I think I began learning long ago that those who are happiest are those who do the most for others." - Booker T. Washington