Four miles last night. Am really concerned that I'm not doing enough training at the moment. Was supposed to have run a total of 17 miles across this week, before my 16 miler tomorrow, but have only run 7. Am torn between trying to battle through the midweek training in order to build a proper mileage base, and trying to prevent myself from getting so sore or injured that I can't attempt or complete my long, slow run at the weekend.

At the moment, I'm figuring that the weekend long runs are the most important aspect of the training and I should try and complete them as far as I can. If this means letting the midweek training fall by the wayside a bit, then unfortunately, that's just the way it is. I really wish I could do both.



Just spent £10 on some merino wool technical running socks. I'm hoping they'll prevent the blister problem I seem to be having with the new shoes. This marathon is costing me a small fortune. So far I've spent £39 on the entry fee, £90 on flights, £130 on accommodation, £80 on new shoes, £26 on a water belt, £30 on physiotherapy. That's over £400! And I still have to buy some proper clothes at some point. (My £6 Primark trousers and $3 Old Navy t-shirts are starting to lose their appeal).

Starting to feel the familiar dread at the prospect of tomorrow's 16 miles. My legs feel like dead weights, my calves are really, really tight and I have a painful, localised burning sensation on the side of each knee. Great!