This COVID-19 pandemic turned everyone’s world upside down. The lockdown in the UK has been in place for more than three months now. Trips and races all cancelled since March, gyms closed, people working from home; what are we to do to maintain our fitness now?

I took a few weeks at the beginning of lockdown to rest and enjoy some downtime. But by Mid-April, I started running again a few days a week on the treadmill. By June, I was antsy and needed to do longer distances. I needed to be inspired if I am to start doing virtual races. I signed up for the Explorer Marathon with Phoenix Running giving finisher’s the world’s biggest finisher’s medals! That huge bling was enough to get me looking forward to running a race again. I planned to run the marathon on the treadmill.

I started running at 9:00 AM on June 27, 2020. I had cold water, 5-hour energy drink, Atkins protein shake, oranges, grapes, and SiS gels on my personal aid station. The bathroom was right next door. I opened two windows and had the fan blowing directly at me and got started. It was a warm day!

The housekeeper arrived at 10:00 AM. I was still at it when she waved through the window as she was leaving. She must be wondering what I was up to.

There are several pros and cons to treadmill running. On the plus side, you can control the race conditions – incline, speed, heat, nutrition, loo breaks. On the minus side, it can be mind numbing to be running in one place on your own for hours on end. I ran slower and distracted myself by finishing the Netflix limited series The Defenders.

After six hours and 50 minutes, I finally completed my first virtual marathon. Whew! I was worried for a minute that my endurance was gone. I was pleased that I can still do a marathon with limited running. Okay, I understand this treadmill running better now. On to the next marathon!