My feet pound against the pavement, the steady ‘tap, tap, tap’ echoing across the silent streets. I can feel breakfast, a lukewarm coffee and a half-digested bagel slosh uncomfortably in my stomach with every stride. I glance down at my watch: 6:00 am. What on earth have I gotten myself into? While the rest of London is fast asleep, I’m about to embark on another stage of my journey towards the big finish line: the Frankfurt marathon.

Thirty kilometres on the cards today, with a dash of race pace thrown in for good measure. My legs already feel heavy and sore, as if they’ve just been hit by a tonne of bricks. I can’t even remember the last time they felt fresh, but at this point, I’ve accepted it. Apparently, that’s just a part of marathon training. 

When I first signed up, I pictured myself effortlessly running around one of London’s beautiful parks, feeling fitter than ever and loving every step. The reality? While some runs leave me with a new lease on life, most have me wistfully wondering when my next lie-in will be… (answer: not any time soon if I want to fit my runs in before work or uni). Yet in the moments I long for the days when lazy mornings were the norm, I remind myself why I started and how much I’ve changed along the way. I wanted a challenge, and I now genuinely look forward to getting up and heading out for a morning run, to clear my head and chase that elusive runner’s high. The rhythm of training has become such a big part of my routine that I dread to think what I’ll do with all the free time once it’s over and I need to rest.

One reality I didn’t expect to love is how my perception of distance has shifted. When I first started running, anything over 10km felt intimidating. Now, a mid-week 10-miler feels like a quick and casual jaunt. Each long run still makes me anxious; my heart rate spikes before I even set off as I convince myself I’ll never finish. Yet somehow, I tick off every single one of them. That’s been one of the most rewarding surprises, realising how much further my body can go than I ever imagined.

Another silver lining is the quiet structure of training. As someone who’s always been a bit last-minute and scatter-brained, I’ve surprisingly taken to the methodical routine. It’s brought a sense of calm and order and an almost therapeutic relief amid the noise of everyday life.

THAT’S BEEN ONE OF THE MOST REWARDING SURPRISES, REALISING HOW MUCH FURTHER MY BODY CAN GO THAN I EVER IMAGINED.

Not everything has been a pleasant surprise, though. If I thought I had a healthy appetite before, I was wrong. I’m now ravenous ALL the time. Morning? Hungry. Post-run? Hungry. Mid-run? Yep, you guessed it, still hungry! My bank account is less than thrilled about my ever-expanding weekly food shop, consisting of copious amounts of bagels and pasta. On a serious note, I didn’t realise how important fuelling would be: running long distances is no joke! If you’re hungry, you need to eat, and there’s no better time to embrace the carb load.

I also underestimated just how much training would reshape my social life. I thought I would still be able to manage nights out and late dinners with friends. The reality is that there are only so many hours in the day. As the weeks lead up to race day, I’ve found myself swapping evening cocktails for electrolytes and hip flexor stretches, and honestly, I’m not even upset about it. The exhaustion from early morning rises and hours spent on my feet is very real.

And then there’s strength and conditioning. I’d heard everyone preach about it, but I naively hoped that I was “not like other runners” and could get by fine with just running alone. Wrong, I was. A month into the plan, and I was limping into the physio with a sore knee, leaving with a stern warning to start hitting calf raises and the leg press if I wanted to stay injury-free.

Finally, the stereotype. You know the one: marathoners making running their whole personality. I used to think that was an exaggeration. Sadly for my non-runner friends, all I can think and talk about these days is running…when my next run will be, the newest super shoe release, the best gut-friendly gels, the list goes on and on. Marathon training really has shamelessly taken over my life.

Despite the tired legs, the early mornings, the missed nights out, I’m genuinely enjoying the challenge. I’ve entered the ballot for another marathon next year, before I’ve even run this one. Maybe that’s optimism, maybe it’s madness, but I’m hoping that race day will prove it was all worth it.

Written by Cara Teton

Photos courtesy of Adrian Varzaru; Izzy Brider and Cara Teton.