“It’s an experiment” I said. “A shot to nothing. I wouldn’t advise anyone I coach to try it.”

I was talking to my coaching mentor and explaining my rather unorthodox approach to training for the Copenhagen marathon. It involved peaking with a 50 mile run then doing two marathons a week apart.

But it’s not as simple as that. That’s not the full story.

Since last October my training had been focussed on the two ultra marathons I’d entered: Country to Capital and EcoTrail Paris. In March I ticked the second of those off and my focus shifted to finishing my coaching qualification – training of a very different sort.

I had a Good For Age spot in London in April to take up, so when my legs had recovered from 50 miles in Paris I started picking up the mileage again for that. Then, on a whim I decided to run Manchester marathon the week before.

Copenhagen is a flat course. It’s four weeks after London and I want to go there and run fast. When I say fast, that means fast for me – something under 3:45 again and I’ll be happy.

I know the misery of targeting a quick time in a marathon and not making it. Of seeing pace group after pace group pass you as you struggle to put one foot in front of the other. I know that that’s a possibility on Sunday, but I’m willing to give it a go anyway.

If I’d been targeting a marathon PB as my big spring goal then my training would have looked very different. I’m being greedy if I hope for too much – I’ve already ticked off some big goals this year. But maybe, just maybe there’s method in the madness of my training.

Pictured above: running in the Sweaty Betty Splits Run Capris and Anusara Vest. Both were kindly sent to me by Sweaty Betty and I ran 10 miles round Hampstead Heath in them on a sunny day. They suited the weather and my mood perfectly.