Amsterdam Marathon: Knowing Your Why

On Sunday, 18th October 2026, God willing, I’ll be running the Amsterdam Marathon.

I’m now several weeks into my marathon training plan and entering the peak phase. This will be my fifth marathon — although, despite what you might think, it never seems to get any easier!

I thought I might write a weekly blog over the next seven weeks. Hopefully it will be of some interest to you, the reader, but there’s another reason for doing it: it will help me focus my own attention on the journey.

I suppose I ought to start by explaining why.

That’s probably one of the questions people are most interested in — certainly one of the questions I’m asked most often. But knowing your why is also important for yourself. When things get hard, and they inevitably do, I think knowing why you started is essential.

So, why am I doing it?

I’m past the stage of running marathons to prove to myself that I can do it, or for the validation and admiration of others. I don’t doubt that both can be powerful motivations, but they aren’t mine.

I’m not running this one in honour of someone else either. I can completely understand the emotional strength that can come from running in memory of a loved one, but that isn’t my motivation.

Nor am I running for charity.

I have done that before, and I’m hugely supportive of those who do. Charity runners raise essential funds and I wish anyone taking on that challenge every success. But I think I’ve now exploited my ever-decreasing circle of friends and family enough! From now on, in our household at least, charitable donations will be more private affairs.

So, why Amsterdam?

Quite simply, progress and the desire to keep pushing myself.

I want to slow down the ageing process as much as I can and maximise my healthspan — the years I’m able to live strongly, actively and independently — rather than simply concentrating on lifespan.

For me, those are two different things.

I want to be strong and healthy in body, but also progressive in mindset. I want to keep challenging myself, keep learning and keep moving forward for as long as I can.

That, for me, is what Never Fade Never Quit means.

It’s a call to action that I’ve increasingly taken to heart, and there’s also a great Facebook group by the same name that I’d recommend to anyone who shares that philosophy.

Running and finding flow

I haven’t always run. There have been gaps along the way, but running has been a fairly consistent part of my life and, quite simply, I love it.

It is also the only time when I genuinely recognise what the Buddhists describe as flow — that state where everything seems to disappear except the movement, the surroundings and the moment you’re in.

There is something wonderfully simple about that.

The last marathon

My last marathon was in May at Milton Keynes — an interesting and somewhat challenging course, although challenging in a rather unconventional way.

I finished in 3:45, which was a personal best and, at the time, put me five minutes inside the Boston USA Marathon qualifying standard for my age group (60–65).

Whether that will ultimately be enough for Boston is another question, particularly as the qualification criteria can change and the required times are only part of the equation. But for now, I’ll happily take it!

I ran that marathon with the help of the Runna running app and the excellent services of Charles Allen at Walk to Run — someone whose services I recommend to anyone who will listen!

I visit Charles every month without fail to help reset the body. I can’t really see that changing any time soon.

A change of approach

For this marathon cycle, however, I’ve swapped Runna for a dedicated human coach — Ash Gilbert from Nakd Fitness.

Ash is a seasoned ultra runner and winner, as well as being one of the outstanding runners at my club, Dereham Runners.

Since April, things have felt much more balanced. The relationship between training, rest and recovery has been carefully managed, with close monitoring of workload and fatigue.

Strength training has also become a much bigger part of my week — something I’ve personally really enjoyed.

And, perhaps most importantly, I’m beginning to see the difference.

The next seven weeks

So, for the next seven weeks, I’m going to share the journey.

The good weeks and the bad ones. The highs and the inevitable moments when I wonder why on earth I’m doing this.

I’ll talk about training, recovery, food intake, shoe choices, distances and routes — and probably anything else that seems relevant along the way.

Hopefully, it will be interesting for you to follow.

For me, writing it will hopefully provide another little bit of accountability and a chance to reflect on what I’m doing and why I’m doing it.

Seven weeks to Amsterdam.

Let’s get started.

#NeverFadeNeverQuit