I often ask people what motivates them to run… well sometimes we all need a little push. I’m actually not a huge doughnut fan (unless its chocolate filled) but an endless supply of Doughnuts is good encouragement.
So, on 11th January 2026, I ran my 1st marathon of the year. This was my 179th Marathon (plus) and first of many for the year. I had the company of Scott for the run. We didn’t plan a set time, but we held a good pace throughout. If you take out the stops for toilets, Doughnuts and other snacks and drinks, we probably ran a sub 4 marathon together. We maintained a solid pace the whole time we were moving.
It is also great to run with a like minded person, where we can just chat to keep away the boredom of continuous running, and plan other potential future races.
In truth, it was very cold, today. We started in the dark with a head torch for the first 2 laps, then we spent the rest of the race holding our race. If I was running alone it would have been very easy to slow down.
I had a couple of Doughnuts on the run, then another to eat on the way home. Clearly I could have eaten more, but it was an enjoyable amount.
My official finish time was 4:16:33. Would you run a themed marathon like this? What would get you to the start line?
pickupthepacepaul 