Teo

Credit Risk Analyst

Current sporting discipline

Marathon Runner

How and why did you get into this sport?

I got into the sport as I was looking for a new challenge after full-time football.

I enjoyed the individual aspect, as it was all down to me. I then fell in love with the process of making myself better, feeling and seeing the fitness improvements month on month, and watching my hard work come to fruition.

I’m quite a technical person, so I love breaking down the numbers, my pace, heart race, HRV afterwards, optimising sleep, cadence, shoes etc. The more I got into running, the more I realised how much of a science it can be, which I love.

This, combined with the enjoyment of constant challenge, is why I do it.

What has been your biggest recent battle with training?

My biggest recent challenge has been not “peaking too soon” and allowing my body to rest.

I’m racing the Berlin Marathon in Sep’25. From late January, into May, I completed a long training block focused on rebuilding my previous fitness from late 2024 and improving my overall running economy.

I then found myself super fit late May, running some PB’s and a quick long run relative to my PB’s. I then became concerned that I was getting “too fit” too early, as in June I was going into marathon training.

I found it mentally very difficult to run less and allow myself to relax. This coincided with a holiday, and eating more than usual, so I put on 2kg and felt super sluggish when I got home, as I hadn’t run at threshold in a while. Mentally, this was very, very tough, and I struggled to grapple with how my fitness and body was changing.

BUT, now I’m 4 weeks into marathon training and I’m in the best shape of my life and feeling ready to attack training. So, the break was super necessary.

If we were to open your diary from the last week, what would it say?

I’ve recently adapted to running first thing in the morning, giving running my best energy and focus.

Yes, I am tired in the mornings as going to bed early enough is still something I’m working on. However, it has allowed me to increase my mileage per week to levels I’ve never reached.

I’ve run 290km in the past 4 weeks, and I feel great for it. My threshold pace has moved from 4:05m/km towards 3:45m/km which is awesome. I’m learning to love the process of training and having a strong focus on execution; completing each run as best as I possibly can. Every little detail, and it’s really paying off.

I have 7 weeks left of this marathon block before the taper, so I’m excited to see where I can get my weekly mileage to, the goal is to peak around 70 miles per week/110km per week.

This should put in the shape of my life to attack a sub 2:50 marathon at Berlin.