Mia McGoldrick, nominated for the Yorkshire & Humberside region in this year’s edition, explains how she prepared for this year’s edition.
This Sunday (April 26) some of the world’s best distance athletes will cross the finish line at the TCS London Marathon. But the day before, tens of thousands of children get the chance to decorate the streets of the British capital, making the 2.6km journey from Horse Guards Parade to The Mall.
Around 22,000 of them, up from around 18,000 finishers last year, will take part in the 41st edition of the Mini London Marathon, an event created in 1986 to help inspire the next generation.
The list of past competitors in the event is a who’s who of British middle and long distance running, including the likes of Keely Hodgkinson, Mo Farah, Josh Kerr, Jake Wightman, Laura Muir, David Weir, Hannah Cockcroft, Alex Yee and Alistair Brownlee.
Mia McGoldrick will be one of the athletes hoping to make a mark in the championship race this year. An English schools junior cross country champion, the 14-year-old made her England debut at the SIAB Cross Country International last month. Primarily a 1500m runner on the track, he has a personal best of 4:43.79 in the metric mile and will now test himself on the roads of London.
This is his training diary.
FOUR WEEKS LEFT!
Preparing for the London Mini Marathon. This week has been focused on preparing for the Trafford Track Medal Meet 1500m on Sunday (April 5). I wasn’t feeling well at the start of the week as I had a cold and cough which didn’t seem like the best preparation for the race. Despite this, I still kept moving with stretching, foam rolling and cycling, and by mid-week I started to feel better as the cough started to clear up.
The main sessions went well overall. The 4x800m session was tough after the first rep as I was struggling to breathe, but later in the week the 3x500m and 2x200m felt much better and I was hitting the times I was aiming for. I also completed a hilly session on the Ghyll field and finished the week with a light two-mile run and stride before race day.
On Sunday I ran the 1500m at the Trafford Track Medal Meet, finishing in 4:47.02. It wasn’t a personal best, but it was a good start to the season and a good starting point to improve on.
THREE WEEKS LEFT!
This week my focus has shifted to preparing for the London Mini Marathon. I had fully recovered from my cold earlier in the week which meant I was able to get back into training properly with a four mile steady road run followed by stretching and mobility. On Tuesday, alongside a challenging alternate hill and flat speed session, I also walked up to Whernside in the Yorkshire Dales National Park with my family, which added some time on my feet and was a good way to stay active. Wednesday was a lighter run in the warm weather and Thursday I had a solid session of 2 sets of 400m, 400m, 400m and 200m where I felt good throughout.
I also made sure to recover well by taking Friday as a rest day while still stretching. Over the weekend I completed a 2, 3, 4, 3, 2 minute grass pyramid session before finishing the week with a slow long run on Sunday to finish things off nicely.
TWO WEEKS LEFT!
This week has been building towards the Mini London Marathon and I’m starting to feel both excited and nervous at the same time, but really looking forward to it. On Monday I did a steady run with my friends, which was a nice way to ease into the week. Tuesday was a tougher day with a hilly session of six hilly loops followed by 4 steep hill repeats where I felt strong throughout. Wednesday was a leisurely three-mile run before a pace trial on Thursday to prepare for Saturday’s race. On Friday mornings I rocked back and forth with a stretch run to stay loose.
I ran the 1500m in Blackpool on Saturday and although it was very windy so I wasn’t too happy with my time, it was still good practice and experience before the Mini London Marathon. I ended the week with a long run on Sunday. Being at Giggleswick School means I get three weeks off for the Easter break which has given me more time to balance my training and recovery properly and I feel this helps me prepare well.
ONE WEEK LEFT!
Looking ahead to the London Mini Marathon I am really excited. I remember from last year that the starting line was a huge experience. it can feel quite overwhelming, but that’s also what makes it so special. The night before, I like to prepare by putting on my gear, jogging, stretching, eating pasta, and making some appointments so I feel ready for race day.
This year I will be wearing the Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Next% 3 which I recently got and really like. I’ve also made some great friends through the Mini Marathon over the past few years, especially my Yorkshire teammates Jess Take and Carlotta Bailey, which makes the whole experience even more enjoyable.
