My official 18-week Marathon Training Schedule starts today. It specifies four runs a week and one cross-training session. One of the runs is a 'long run' every weekend, which gradually build up to a 20 mile run (fuck!) three weeks before the marathon itself. It works on a kind of three-weekly cycle; two weeks building mileage, one week cutting back, for recovery. Today, and all other Mondays, are officially rest days. But because I'm out Thursday and Friday this week I'm having to squash all three weekday runs together at the front of the week.

So, my first proper training run tonight then - 3 miles. I felt amazingly ok. It didn't even hurt at all. I feel a real sense of relief after what I wrote yesterday.

I am really getting into the Editors album for running with, even though the lyrics are dismal.