It’s normal if motivation feels a little low right now. So in the first few weeks we don’t need to push too hard in the sessions. Just keep it consistent, especially the easy runs, slow them right down.
We’re in a nice time of the year where the weather is so much better and hopefully that will help keep you motivated. I would personally try and use your disappointment from London to fuel that fire. Whilst in my eyes it was still a good time, if you get a place next year, then I think you could be looking at going 45-60 mins quicker. Everything you do during this next block is working towards that improvement, so that’s great motivation.
The Great North Run is the main goal. Sub 2 would be awesome. We can train for that and see how you progress. We can always reassess nearer the time if need be.
I’ve been cheeky and snuck a few races in there. It would be great if you could travel down for the Hastings 5 Miler as so many of the Team will be there and we normally go for a drink afterwards.
Then a good local race I found was the Sittingbourne 10 Miler, that comes at a good time of the plan and would provide a nice challenge, but also practice for the big race.
It’s going to look busy on the schedule with only 1 day off, but apart from the Sunday long run, most of the sessions are do-able in an hour, and there are plenty of short easy runs in there too.
It’s all about consistency. I appreciate your work can be a pain some weeks, but the fewer runs you miss, the better your fitness will be.
Just keep reminding yourself what a difference this had made to your life. I think documenting it all on Tik Tok is another great idea and also gives that extra level of accountability, knowing your followers are interested in what you are doing.