London Training Update: January 2024

Happy New Year to all of my London Marathon sponsors! 🎉

As many of us experience sub-zero temperatures for the first time this year 🥶, you might be curious about what my marathon training looks like during the cold winter months. Grab yourself a hot beverage ☕️, and I’ll tell you more about it!

When I think about serious training in the winter, two words come to mind. Rocky Balboa. 🥊 

So many iconic training montages occur during the Rocky movies and a lot of them occur in cold temperatures. I thought it would be fun to re-live some of Rocky’s best training moments and share whether I’m doing the same in my London Marathon training.

Rocky Moment #1: Racing up the stairs to the Philadelphia Museum of Art 🏛️

Have I done it? Yes. 🥊

Meg and I visited Philadephia in 2022, and I HAD to run the Rocky stairs. I am convinced this Rocky moment contributed to me finishing 45th overall in the San Francisco Marathon later that month.

Rocky Moment #2: Punching meat in the freezer 🐄🥊

Have I done it? Nope. Eww! 😬

While punching meat is not prohibited on a plant-based diet, It somehow feels wrong. I think I’ll skip this training method for now.

Rocky Moment #3: Training outside in frigid temperatures in Siberia 🏔️

Have I done it? We’ll see… Colorado feels like Siberia right now!

🏃🏻‍♂️Out of the six marathons I’ve finished, none of them have required training in the winter months. I guess you could say I’m a fair-weather runner. ☀️😎

If the roads are icy or the temperatures are below 15 degrees, you’ll likely find me riding the Peloton in our warm basement. Follow me @SixStarJourney, and I’ll make sure to give you a high-five ✋ on Peloton next time the temperatures drop!

Stay warm friends,

-Matt

🏃🏻‍♂️ Coming up in February: Revealing my Official Spotify Race Day Playlist! 🎵