Beth finished the London Marathon at 52. When she got back into fitness in her late forties, she started with group training. Along the way, she took on HYROX, lost three and a half stone, and built the confidence to take on London. What I like about Beth’s story is that every stage gave her something she could take into the next one. If you’ve got a spring race booked, think about what you’d like to have in place by the time your marathon block starts. Maybe it’s a regular Sunday run. Maybe it’s getting back to strength training once a week. Or maybe it’s finding two or three slots in your diary that you can stick to even when work gets busy. What’s one thing you’d like to have in place by January? Drop it below and tell us what you’ll do about it this weekend.

Scott completed his first marathon at Brighton at 42. But that photo tells you very little about where he started. He’d described feeling overweight, unfit and self-conscious. His journey included losing three stone and rebuilding after a TIA, or mini stroke, alongside work and family life. That’s a lot to navigate before you even consider the demands of marathon training. His preparation involved progressive training, attention to sleep and recovery, and building consistency. What I like about Scott’s story is how much it puts a finish-line photo into perspective. When we look at other runners, we often judge ourselves against what they can do today. We rarely know what their first few weeks looked like, what they struggled with or how long it took them to get there. You deserve to give your own progress that same context. Think back to when you started. Maybe running for ten minutes felt difficult. Maybe you struggled to get out twice a week. Maybe entering a race felt completely beyond you. What can you do now that you couldn’t do then? Share one thing below. It can be a distance, a habit or simply feeling more confident getting out the door.

Dawn’s running journey began with a run around the block after having three children in five years. She went on to complete the Manchester Marathon, building through shorter distances while managing family life, fatigue, and the demands of training. One useful lesson from her story is that your running needs a workable place in your week. It’s easy to plan sessions around the version of your life where everything goes smoothly. Then a meeting overruns, someone needs a lift, or you’ve had a terrible night’s sleep, and the plan starts to unravel. Try looking at your diary before deciding what your training week should contain. Which slots can you reliably protect? Where have you allowed time for recovery? What could you move if something changes? A routine you can repeat gives you something solid to build on. Over time, those weeks can take you much further than you initially imagined. What’s the biggest challenge in your diary this week, and how are you making room for your running around it?