Trainers and training plans. And velociraptors

It's approaching six weeks since I started this training plan for my first ever marathon and... well, to my surprise, it's going OK so far. I'm steadily increasing my distances - up to 12 miles now (the 11-mile run the week before last was a bit of a disaster, to be honest, but let's put that one behind us). I can run up to 5 miles at tempo, or threshold, pace, which apparently should be slightly faster than the pace you're aiming to race at. And the intervals training, which looked really scary, has not proved a problem either. Yet.
I say yet because tomorrow I'm scheduled to run six half-mile bursts at a pace that equates to about 4.30 mins per km. That's about a minute and a half per km faster than my "race pace". With mere 90 second breaks in between each one. And that's just this week. Next week's intervals training is demanding three mile-long bursts at that speed. Now I know I can do one of those. But three in the same session?? Hmmm.

New shoes

This is one thing I've learned about the Training Plan method. Never, ever look at what the coming weeks have got in store for you. You just panic. It's talking about distances and speeds and sequences that may as well just be fantasy as far as I'm concerned. The only way I've found to cope with this is to concentrate solely on the next upcoming session and think, well, I might be able to do that. And not worry about the rest of the Plan until some time in the distant future. Or next week, as some people call it.
Got a bit of a boost with the training last week - replaced my old trainers with my brand spanking new exactly-the-same-model-as-last-time-just-in-a-different-colour Asics. The main advantages of which are the soles aren't yet worn down and they haven't got a hole in the uppers where my toe has inexplicably poked through. 

Old shoes

I don't know why this happens with my trainers. I don't, as far as I know, run with my toes turned up. My toenails are neatly clipped. One running friend reckons I have feet like a velociraptor (below) - that strange dinosaur with a raised claw that got up to all sorts of mischief in Jurassic Park. Whatever the cause is, I'm hoping this pair can hold out a little longer than the last ones, which developed the extra unscheduled ventilation within about three months. I'd really like the new pair to remain un-holed at least until they've made an appearance at the Virgin Money London Marathon.
Add the new trainers to the pile of extra equipment I've ended up buying to aid my marathon preparations. Got myself a foam roller, new socks, and isotonic jelly beans, investigated those disgusting-looking gels, even browsed through a selection of ergonomic water bottles. But by far my best new acquisition, which I managed to persuade my long-suffering wife to buy me as a birthday present, is my "recovery flipflops".
I'm not gonna lie, they aren't the most beautiful footwear I've ever donned. They look like the sort of thing an overweight German swinger might wear as he waddles his way towards the communal jacuzzi. But looks aren't everything. They are ludicrously comfortable - soft, padded, arched - perfect for pampering your feet after a gruelling double-digit miler. So much so that if it wasn't for the public shame I'd have to endure, I'd happily wear them out of the house. Even to work.
Another part of my marathon preparations is coming together - my fundraising plans. But I'll save that for another time. I have to concentrate now on panicking about my next training session.