1 grand year old… My Baby is not so much a baby anymore I guess. I’m not very clear as to when each stage starts and ends between infant, baby, toddler, child, adult (still figuring out that last one hehe)… but as Oliver has been able to walk for a few weeks now, I should come to terms with the fact that he is now a toddler*. As he reached the grand old age of 1, we celebrated his birthday twice, with family in France and with some friends in our local pub in Ealing. Nothing too crazy or too grand though, because let’s be honest, he doesn’t realise nor will remember!
I can’t believe how quickly this year has passed, yet if I think of the early days with Oliver at home, it feels like a totally different era. I’m glad the sleep deprivation and approximate and anxious translation of any of his cries are long gone, yet I remember fondly the first few days at home. Actually each moment had its advantages and I always thought “Now, this has to be the best time”. Always to be replaced by another best time. Let’s keep them comin’! 🙂

*To toddle: move with short unsteady steps while learning to walk (Source: Google). So yes, this is it, Oliver is a toddler!

3 months… in the new job. It’s intense, it’s challenging, but I really enjoy it and my new colleagues play a big part in this! Weeks are busy   for sure but maintaining a work/family/sport life balance is doable with a bit of organisation and good support from my beloved husband. That being said, I’m looking forward to the marathon to be over and to not be spending so many hours running!

6 weeks… until the London Marathon. Training is going well and so far I’ve managed to pretty much stick to my FIRST (or less is more) marathon training plan with a weekly interval run at the track, a tempo run, a ballet session and a long run. I’m getting into the long and boring distance (over 17 miles or 27km). Podcasts (Listening to Accused at the moment) are my saviours against boredom! And I’ve started to do some “Parkrun tourism” i.e incorporate some parkruns in the area as part of my long runs. It gives me a goal on my route, and means that I have some running mates for 5km. For those who don’t know, Parkrun are free timed 5km fun races organised in some parks around the world. It’s good fun and a good way to have an official 5km time. Check out  here if you’ve got a parkrun near you. There are loads in the UK, where it all started, a fair number in Australia, and only 7 in France. But you can always try and start it in your hometown if it doesn’t exist yet.

Next week will be my first of two 20 milers (32km), after which I’ll taper off. I’m happy with my progress and happily surprised on how I manage the long distances cardio-wise. As far as the lower body is concerned, I’m afraid I need to go to see a physio again for my pelvis as the soreness kicks in again after about 24km at which point it becomes sore on the panty line when I extend the legs out, and for a few hours after I finish my run, making my walking much slower than usual.

March brings some exciting milestones indeed! 🙂