Lauren Stewart interview post-2:51 in Amsterdam Marathon

I trained for the marathon with a specific goal in mind, and that was to achieve a time as close to 2 hours 50 minutes as possible. I put in about 4 months of hard training and, under Frank Horwill's guidance, followed a very strict programme which went something like this:

(All track sessions include a warm-up and cool down which added up to about 4-5km)

Monday: 10km track session. This was (and will remain so!) the hardest session of the week. The session ultimately adds up to 10km, so if we're doing 200m reps, we'll do 50 x 200m (with a break of 30 secs between each). The target 10km time is 31:40, so this determines the pace we run at. Very often it was just Bernadine (Pritchett) and myself doing the session with Frank Horwill on the side blowing his whistle at every 100m to make sure we're on pace. Each week the sessions would vary, so if we'd done a 200m session the week before, then the next week it would be a slightly 'longer' session and be 500m reps following the same basic principle.

Tuesday: 1500m track session. A great session to do after Monday. Shorter, faster, and the type of session which reminds me why I am a distance runner and not a track athlete!

Wednesday: Marathon tempo run. This was a run done at race rehearsal pace. The idea is to start with  9 miles at 6:20 per mile (or ultimate desired marathon pace) and once 9 miles is covered comfortably at this pace, then the next week an extra mile needs to be added on. I spent a few weeks trying to get 'comfortable' running 6:20 per mile for 13 miles, and eventually, just before the marathon, was able to get to 15 miles at this pace relatively 'easily.' The idea is to ultimately get to 18 miles (if you have been training for long enough) and Frank advised me to try and get one 18 mile run in at this pace before the race. I managed to do 18 miles but not able to keep the pace the whole way.

Thursday: Track session similar to Monday's. About 8-10km in total, but a lot more people training that day which automatically makes it easier.

Friday: Rest day!

Saturday: 2 hour training session which varies each week, but always comprises lots of strength work and exercises, cross country hills in Battersea Park, and a combination of 3-5km time trial routes on the road, or fartlek on the track.

Sunday: Long run. I started at 90 minutes and added on 5-10 minutes every week until I was running for 3 hours. This run was purely about the length of time spent of my feet, and not about speed at all. This was by far my favourite session of the week! No whistles, no track, just myself and some slow, gentle running where ever my feet felt like taking me.

Two weeks of tapering before the race: decreased my training by one third two weeks before, and then by two thirds the week before. Lots of carbo loading and water drinking a few days before.

I had worked out my 5km splits before the race, so wanted to try and stick to those as much as I could. A few weeks before the race I ran a 10km PB of 36 minutes, so I knew that I would find the first 10km in 40 minutes manageable... which I did. The race itself was great. I had my Dad from South Africa cycling on the course alongside me for most of the way which was hugely encouraging. I didn't hit 'that wall' that everyone talks about hitting in the last 10km of a marathon. For me, the hardest part of the marathon was the middle bit,15km - 30km. I think this was also due in part to the fact that this part of the race was run along the Amstel river which was beautiful, but the surface was not tarred but rather small paving stones, which my legs did not enjoy at all. This was also outside of the main city so there were less crowds. And on top of this, I just felt plain tired at this point, and realised how much more further I still had to run before it was over. It was quite mentally challenging, however at 30km I gave myself a stern talking to which went something along the lines of: 'Pull yourself together Lauren. You've trained hard for months you only have 12km left. You can easily run 12km. Just give it everything you're got..."

And although my splits don't reflect this, I actually felt good the last 12km and pushed myself as hard as I could...

I expected to feel absolute elation at the finish, for so many reasons, however I didn't at all! I was completely and utterly exhausted, and not just physically, but mentally too. After a leg massage, some food and a tram ride back to the hotel, all i could think of was lying down and going to sleep. However, I tried so hard but just couldn't sleep. My mind felt as if it was still running the marathon! It took a few nights to get back into a proper sleeping pattern, and once I did, I just couldn't stop! For the last two weeks I've just been so extremely tired, which I think is due to training so hard for so many months and for having such a massive focus, and then very quickly it's all over. But I'm finally feeling more human now, and have had a great weekend of red wine and chocolate cake, and am now looking forward to slowly but surely getting back into training and am very much looking forward to the x-country season. I can't promise I won't be running backwards, but I'll be there sporting my green and white vest, which got me a few 'Go Woodford Green' shouts in Amsterdam!