Boston Marathon UK 2026- I MADE SUB 4!

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And if you've somehow gone straight past the title onto this post- I ran Boston Marathon in Lincolnshire on Sunday, and I achieved my goal- A SUB 4 MARATHON! 

A sub 4 marathon meant a lot to me, as it was one of the goals I was hoping to achieve this year. 

I'll be displaying all the in-depth thoughts for all of you that are lucky enough to being close to running a marathon soon, and for the rest of you, so you can laugh at those of us that choose to torture ourselves for a distance! 

Not quite sure how I'm going to structure this, but I'll just see how I go. 

First off, the initial details:

Distance: 26.22 miles (watch measured as 26.30)

Location: Boston, Lincolshire UK

Average pace: 8:56 minutes

Moving time: 3:54:56 (official time was 3:54:48)

Average HR: 167bpm

~Best Efforts: (Based on Strava)~

5km/3.1 miles: 26:26 (8:30/mile)

10km/6.22 miles: 53:07 (8:33/mile)

15km/9.3 miles: 1:19:43 (8:33/mile)

10 miles: 1:25:32 (8:33/mile)

20km/12.44 miles: 1:46:40 (8:35/mile)

Half marathon/21.095km/13.1 miles: 1:52:43 (8:36/mile)

30km/18.64miles: 2:43:48 (8:47/mile)

Marathon/ 42. 195km/26.219 miles: 3:54:14 (8:56/mile)

~Goals~

Going into this, I had an A, B and C goal. As you do when attempting a new distance, or even a new route. 

Those goals were: 

A goal: Aim for a time that Runna predicted, which was 3 hours 40 minutes- 3 hours 48 minutes. Knew that was pretty unlikely, but I was planning on staying conservative, and try for 8:35/mile pace (which equates to 3:45:00 marathon time). 

B goal: Sub 4 marathon. The time everybody hopes to achieve for their first marathon if they've been training for it. I knew that, if I stuck to the plan, and stayed at 8:35/mile pace for the first half, then I was likely to achieve this (so long as nothing completely untoward threw me off). 

C goal: Just finish. That is always the C goal. Just finish. Don't give up, and don't pass out. 

~Preparation~ 

Drinking water: Making sure I was as hydrated as possible, going into race day. I had a couple of extra water bottles the day before, and one extra on the friday. Those that know me know that I'm absolutely terrible at continously drinking water throughout the day, so managing extra beforehand was frankly a miracle. 

Carb-loading. I took extra care with this- on friday, as well as my usual pot noodle, apple, twix and crisps, had a tuna pasta as well. Saturday, I had a beef stew and veg from my favourite cafe in King's Lynn, before travelling to Boston (all the veg- making sure I had all the carbs that were available to me). 

Low fiber. Aware that veggies are high in fiber, for dinner on Saturday, I deliberately went with a plain chicken wrap with lettuce, so as not to come into trouble on Sunday morning. 

Sunday morning: I woke up at 6. Race started at 8. Nutrition was apple porridge and a banana. This is what I'm used to on race day, whether it be 10 miles, a half or otherwise. 

Couple of toilet trips later, and we were off! 8am on the dot. 

~The Race~

Miles 1-10: I was feeling fresh. I was taking gels every 35 minutes, knowing full well that if I didn't, I'd regret it later. The wind was a bit of a surprise, especially the strength of it. I'd dealt with wind in training, so I wasn't too phased by it, but I knew that it might be a problem later (Boston marathon covers a lot of open fields, with no cover whatsoever). Nothing I could do about it, so I pressed on. 

Note: Started to feel an ache in my left hip. That did not go away until the end. Got gradually worse. 

Halfway: I hit halfway at 1:53:ish, and even then, I knew that the wind was going to be the BIG ISSUE for this race. Three quarters of this race is exposed to the elements, as it's all very much open fields. You turn a corner, and you're running straight into head wind. Having seen the splits I was hitting, I had made a conscious effort to slow down. That wind was sapping the strength from my legs, and every other runner I spoke to whilst on the course. I also knew at this point that I was not going to be getting my A goal, that I'd set out beforehand, so I focused all of my energy in beating the 9:09 pace I needed for Sub 4. 

Mile 14-15: Was definitely starting to feel it. My hip was starting to hurt, and I was getting frequent cramp in my right foot, from overuse, and was causing me to slow down for several minutes. The wind wasn't lessening, and was the main reason for the fatigue I was starting to feel. 

Mile 17-18: Low point. The wind wasn't showing any signs of slowing, or lessening, the cramp in my foot had come back once more, and there was still over 10K to go. Mile 18 is survival mode, the point where you hit the wall, and you have the choice of giving up on a time and just getting through it, or gritting your teeth and try to stick to something, anything, to get you through those last miles. These miles are the reason you taper, the reason you carb load, the reason you try nothing new on race day. 

Due to the gels I'd been having every 35 minutes, I hadn't hit the wall. For those that don't know, the wall is that time between 18-21 miles when you run out of glucogen stores in the liver and muscles (which you get from carbohydrates). I don't believe I did hit the wall at any point, due to good preparation and tapering. But of course, there was a lot of wear and tear at this point, because I'd ran so many miles. 

20 miles landmark: 2:56 and some seconds. By this point, I was feeling the second wind I'd been promised I would feel (this was fleeting, by the way- the second wind left and returned over time). At this point, I knew that, unless something absolutely fucking horrible happened (like twisting my ankle) that I was going to get Sub 4. I was checking my watch every five minutes at this point, to see what I could achieve. From this point until the finish, I was just telling myself, just get to 22 milles. Now, just get to 22.22. 4 miles left. 

22 miles- At this point, it was helpful to know how much time I had left, if I wanted to get Sub 4. Now, this was just an assurance for me personally, to know, but I was still trying to get as close as I could to 9:09 average. Looking at my mile splits afterwards, I was definitely slower than 9:09 pace, but thankfully, that first half had given me some wiggle room for those horrendous final miles, out in the cold, engulfed in the relentless wind. (Please do think that this is a sensible thing to do, it's probably the least sensible thing you can do in a marathon, trying to bank time.) 

I had an extra gel in my pocket, for if I needed it. One rule I stuck to, when on my long runs for this marathon, was to always have an extra gel if I needed it. So with 5 miles to go, I took my second to last gel, with the promise that, after I had ran 5K, I would have the final gel, with 2 miles to go. It was that, along with the time that I was making up. I think I had about 42 minutes left, with 4 miles to go, and thinking, how many times have I ran 4 miles in 42 minutes, and the ending of the wind, that was enough encouragement for me. 

Finishing: Reaching the town, getting away from all of the open fields, and the gusts of wind that came with it was the biggest relief I'd felt in ages. With less than 2 miles to go, last gel taken, with more than 20 minutes to go for Sub 4, I knew I just had to get there. More spectators, more encouragement, more noise, was almost overwhelming. I didn't need any of it though, surprisingly. I was focused though, I was calm. I was ready to be done. The only question left though, would I manage the distance with more than 5 minutes to go? You can imagine what I was feeling when my watch buzzed at marathon distance before I crossed the finish line, by quite a bit. 

I forgot about that when I saw Jordan, at the finish line, looking proud and emotional. Then my Mum and brother as well. 

Did I manage sub 3:55:00? You can bet your ass I did. Official time: 3:54:48. 

I've never felt so elated after a race than when that time came through. 

So, what's next, you ask? My next race isn't until September, in a similar place to this one. I'll be doing the Mablethorpe 10K on 13th September. But until that, I want to help Jordan get back up to scratch with his running. I'm determined to get him back to doing sub 24 at the 5K before September, and maybe a halfway decent time at the 10K as well. 

So, if you're a runner, taking on a marathon soon, or even a half, here's my advice: 

1. Take more gels than you think you need, just in case. 

2. Same goes for water. I had water at every station. You're going to feel crap enough as it is, without a headache and stomach ache on top of it. 

3. Talk to people. The race you're doing is the victory lap for all of the training you've just put yourself through, when you were tired and run down, and wanted to quit. Talking to people, admitting you're both hurting, helps. I've never got through a race longer than a 10K without talking to someone during it. 

4. Be proud. How many people do what you're doing, how many people can tackle 26.2 miles, or even 13.1 miles? Less than 1% in the entire human population have completed a marathon. Take pride in your achievement, and shout about it, as hard as you can. Because it's bloody difficult. 

5. NOTHING NEW ON RACE DAY.

Okay! That is my account of Boston Marathon, in Lincolnshire, which I completed last Sunday. I'm sure I'll think of more to say once I've posted this, but for now, I think that's it. I know it's a fair bit different from what I usually post on here, but since it's all I can think about at the moment, I thought it might be beneficial for myself, and anybody else that's considering a half, or marathon in the near future. 

Right! That is all I have for you all today, but I will see you all soon! (Feel free to comment). 

Byeeeee! 

-Abi xxxx

Anticipated Releases (April-June 2026)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm back with my annual Anticipated Releases post, this time, for April through to June. 

I have a fair few more than I did for the last Anticipated Releases post, so I hope at least one of them catches your eye! 

Without further ado, I hope you enjoy! 

~April~

1. Maybe Tomorrow I'll Know, by Alex Ritany

Release date: 7/4/26

"Laurie wakes up in a girl's body with no memories, driving down an unknown highway, and promptly crashes the car. Thankfully, a handsome named Gideon comes to his rescue. It's awkward for Laurie to pretend he's a girl, but at least this is the scariest thing he'll ever have to deal with. 

Except the next morning- and every morning after- Laurie wakes up battling down that same highway. He re-meets Gideon every day, with no idea who this girl whose body he's inhabiting even is. Only one thing is clear: he's on a countdown. Laurie has been given only one hundred days to get back in the right body, break the time loop, and not fall for Gideon while he does it." 

This sounds like a unique, fun and light-hearted story with a twist, and the fact that it comes out in just over a week is very exciting. If I have some spare cash in a couple of weeks, I may order it, or get it from my local Waterstones (if it's stocked there). It sounds like the perfect read for Spring, when the weather is just that little bit warmer. I can't wait for this release. 

2. The Escape Game, by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss

Release date: 7/4/26

A MARISSA MEYER MURDER MYSTERY! 

I was totally sold, straight away. 

Basically, The Escape Game is a tv show, that just wrapped up it's fourth season. The ending- Alicia Angelos, contestant- is found murder on set. 

And now, Season Five is underway, and the new contestants are ready to put their skills to the test- figuring out the clues in order to solve the show's trickiest escape rooms. Contestants that include Season Four's murder victim's sister, Sierra Angelos. 

But Sierra's not just there to win. She's here for justice. 

When the contestants start to uncover the clues for the actual murderer's identity, they realise the stakes aren't just high this year- they're deadly. If the teens want to win- and survive- The Escape Game- they must solve the biggest mystery of all- who killed Alicia Angelos?

(Pretending I'll be getting to all of these anticipated releases) this feels very much like a September/October read, but who knows? Maybe I'll be in the mood for it sooner? 

It sounds crazy good. 

3. Until We Meet Again, by Lily Kim Qian 

Release date: 7/4/26

Goodreads describes this as "poignant and vivdly illustrated graphic memoir", and honestly, that is all I needed, when I read what it was about. 

Until We Meet Again is about Lily, who, upon entering her college years, has never felt like she's in control of where she belongs. Her family is contantly on the move, from different towns scattered across Canada and, eventually, to Shanghai, China. Her father plays the role of prime caregiver, while her mother is absent for extended periods of time. 

Now, growing into an adult, all Lily wants is to better understand her family, and her place within it. But can she escape the inherited trauma passed down by her immigrant parents?

Now, clearly, I'm not the target audience for this. But I do understand the feeling of knowing how you fit within your family, even if this family is vastly different to my own. 

And I'm always a sucker for a self discovery graphic novel. 

~May~

1. In the Blood, by April Henry

Release date: 12/5/26

"Adopted as a newborn, Tessa has always wondered who her biological parents are. After turning 18, she takes a DNA test in hopes of finding the answers. With best friend El and lab partner Victor, Tessa uses the results to start building her family tree. But they find more dead ends than answers. Her biological mother, who was raised in a religious cult, has cut all ties with her controlling family. And her biological father remains a complete mystery, at least until the police show up. For fifteen years, they've been trying to identify a serial killer known as the Portland Phantom. Tessa is the link they've been waiting for." 

From what I've seen on Goodreads, this book isn't wildly known. There aren't a huge amount of reviews from ARC reviewers, but what is, shows that it's a well liked books. The majority are 4 and 5 star reviews, and if you add that with the simple, yet unique premise, you have quite the show-stopper here. 

I really hope they stock this in my local Waterstones, because I would quite like to read this one. 

2. Force of Nature, by Melissa Clark 

Release date: 19/5/26

Obviously, a book is so much more than what the blurb describes it to be. We force feelings, thoughts, romances, plotlines, passions and all of the above into a couple of short paragraphs, and hope that articulates what's in a story. 

What I got from this blurb- it's a whirlwind of everything. 

(See what I did there? Hehe.)

Anyway. Here's the Goodreads blurb. I am definitely excited for this one. 

"Who is Chloe Lovejoy, really? A straight C- student, a girl with a crush on the cutie from chorus, an all-powerful being responsible for taking care of the planet... or perhaps all three. That's what Chloe finds out on her sixteenth birthday, when she unexpectantly inherits the role of Mother Nature from her grandmother. Chloe is overwhelmed, to say the least. Then, when the unthinkable happens, and grandma is no longer around to guide her, Chloe is left to oversee the natural laws of the world all by herself. 

Between managing earthquakes and hurricanes, rivals at school, and her not-very-helpful-mother, Chloe tries to maintain balance and harmony on Earth and in her everyday life. But someone in the community has an eye towards harnessing her powers for nefarious purposes, which means Chloe needs to dig deep and get her act together before her secret is found out. After all, the universe is depending on her." 

I mean, I'm not gonna lie, the cat on the cover was what drew me in. But the premise is what held my attention. 

And hey, I've been throwing the world unique around a lot in this- but that's what this book is. It doesn't have the best reviews on Goodreads, but then, there's only five of them. 5 reviews doesn't mean a thing. 

I'm willing to give this book a chance. It might even be a favourite of the year. You never know. 

~June~

1. The League of Dangerous Young Ladies, by J.A. Morgenstein

Release date: 2/6/26

    Now, I have no idea how J.A. Morgenstein came up with something this genius, but that's precisely what it is. Famous villains' offspring, running round, solving mysteries, and killing monsters? That's a story I can get behind.

Reading from the POV of Rose Moriarty- daughter of Sherlock Holmes' arch nemesis, has made a name for herself by fighting off monsters and solving crimes. But that was before she was faced with a mystery she couldn't work out- her Headmistress' murder. Now, she's out of school, without a purpose, or a friend and completely alone. 

"On the very day Rose receives word that an old friend is drying, the shadowy Count Christoph and his ward Clara show up at her door. Rose has already figured out why they're here (to hire her) and what's in their bag (an ancient orb with incredible powers), but questions remain: Can Rose convince these strangers to help save her friend's life? What are the grotesque, bug-shaped stalkers that plague their every step? And how can Rose pursue this adventure while avoiding a certain boy from her childhood? The only thing certain is that Rose is no longer alone, because danger forges strange alliances... 

... and Professor Moriarty wasn't the only famous villain to have a daughter." 

I love the idea of this. It has a Girl in Red (Christina Henry)/ Pride and Prejudice and Zombies vibe to it. Not to mention this is a debut novel. 

I'm expecting this to be a huge hit, to be honest with you. 

2. How to Lose Yourself Completely, by Peter Bognanni

Release date: 2/6/26

An extremely emotion novel, about Case, that goes to 'adventure therapy' to try and start coming to terms with his brother's death. Sean, Case's brother was basically the only person to truly understand him. 

Who else is there? Brother's girlfriend, Diana, trying to do exactly the same thing. 

Sorry, this adventure therapy sounds like a horrific idea. But, thinking that maybe, just maybe, roughing it out in the woods with a group of strangers, might actually help, he agrees. 

And what happens? In between the horrific bonding over shared pain, the counselor mysteriously disappears, turning a cheesy camp into a night of survival. This leaves Case, Case's brother's girlfriend, and the rest of the kids to go out and look for him, with the only thing in common being their prescriptions, and lack of social skills. 

In order to survive, they must find their own way back home, lost and alone. In the process, they will change each other's lives forever.

 

3. The Music of Us, by Emereld Alexandrea

Release date: 2/6/26

This was all I needed, in order to get on board with this book:

-Set in cat cafe. 

-Student, instead of enjoying her summer before college like her friends, is struggling to make enough to pay the rent in her mother's cat cafe. 

-Emails old school friend, now part of a band, with past romance history- can he do a live performance to raise Cat Cafe money? 

-Old flame romance & raising money for Cat Cafe plot

-Did I mention it's set in a Cat Cafe? 

-Also romance, which is very cute and fluffy. 

That's literally all I needed to know. Should be enough to get you to read this too, if you like cats and romance. 

4. Finish Lines, by Sarah Broyles & Hannah Schroy

Release date: 16/6/26

This is more or less a bullet point book as well to be honest. Pretty simple in it's premise, but straight and to the point. Also a graphic novel, so I expect to get sucked into this in the first page when I get to it eventually.

"Miranda has a plan: ace her junior year, get into an Ivy League school, and skip anything that doesn't look good on a college application. But the pressure is getting to her, and now her parents have cut her off from every club, competition and committee she's a part of. 

Desperate to get back on track, Miranda sets her sights on the Texas Water Safari- a 260-mile canoe race her mom was set to do with her grandad. With her mom sidelined with an injury, Miranda joins her grandfather. It's grueling, messy, and scorching hot. 

Can a perfectionist survive the wild long enough to find out who she is outside of a college checklist?"

I've been dying to get my hands on another fast-paced, standalone graphic novel for the longest time, and this seems like the perfect choice. I personally love a physical challenge, but I can understand the feeling of falling behind on the future you've set your heart on, so I think this will be the perfect fit for me on a personal level. I genuinely can't wait for this release. 

Okay! Those are all of my anticipated releases for April- June! I may already have a list started for July onwards, but that doesn't mean I'll be skipping these releases! 

As always, if you have an interest in these or any other releases, let me know in the comments, and we can chat about them! 

I hope you have a wonderful evening and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeee! 

-Abi xxxxx

Skulduggery Pleasant: Month 1

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And right now, both my brain and body feel absolutely fried. 

But I promised myself, I would be doing a blog post tonight, and I intend to follow through with that. 

Unfortunately, that means that this Skulduggery Pleasant update will be the bare bones of what I was planning, so sorry in advance. 

Or maybe not- I'll see what I'm able to do. 

Without further ado, I hope you enjoy it. 

(I won't be doing a wrap up up at the end of the month, by the way. Just so you know.)

How things are going...

Surprisingly, not bad. I'm kind of exactly where I thought I'd be. Do I wish I'd read more this weekend? Absolutely. But missing a couple of days isn't the end of the world. 

So, the plan for this update is, I was thinking of going through each of the books I've finished so far, and give a brief description of what I thought, how many pages, and finish dates. 

So far I've finished:

1. Skulduggery Pleasant

Pages: 371

Reading dates: 1st March- 4th March 

What did I think: Book 1 will always be one of my favourites. I love that this first book has the ability to make me forget the page count and lose myself in the story. Every character I love: Stephanie, Skulduggery, Tanith, Ghastly, Mr. Bliss, China, even bloody Serpine. This was the foundation for a now, 17 book series (and extras), and I can't fault it one bit. 

2. Playing with Fire

Pages: 351

Reading dates: 5th March- 12th March 

Yeah, Playing with Fire is always a sore spot for me. It always feels like more of a slog to get through after the first book. Don't get me wrong, it introduces some characters that becoming recurring characters over the next few books, but something about defeating a villain that Skulduggery has history with, and then three, seemingly more dangerous killers show up? That seems a bit off for me. Playing with Fire is basically where the storyline for the next two and a bit books starts off, which is preventing the faceless ones from returning to that dimension. 

I can't really fault the direction that the story takes, but for some reason I've always struggled with this particular book. 

3. The Faceless Ones

Pages: 395

Reading dates: 12th March- 15th March 

If you can't tell by how quickly I finished this book, I like this one. Like, a lot. Nearly 400 pages and I finish it in three days. It all kicks off in this one. Everything that was bubbling in book 2, comes to the surface in this. The stakes are higher. The faceless ones are coming, teleporters are being killed. Necromancers start making an appearance. People get killed, and someone gets pulled into a deadly dimension where he'll likely be tortured to death. It's the first time everything isn't magically fixed, and you're left wondering what's going to happen next. These kinds of books are why I love this series so much. 

4. Dark Days 

Pages: 413

Reading days: 16th March- 19th March 

I read this so quickly because it was on my list to complete before tomorrow night. I was ready to push to finish this book as long as I could, that very first night. 

With Dark Days, we say goodbye to the faceless ones chapter (although some grudges against Valkyrie are very much active, but that's nothing new- a lot of people want her gone). We move on to a whole other threat, one that is consistent throughout the remaining 6 books in this series (phase one). 

That threat is Darquesse. A mysterious person that seemingly destroys the world. It sounds cheesy, but is anything but. Dark Days definitely isn't a filler book, it's more building things up, for something big to happen in book 5. 

Remnants arrive, you get your fair share of psychics, and some of the good guys get hurt quite a bit. The stakes are starting to bubble higher, waiting to spill over in Mortal Coil. 

I enjoyed this one immensely. 

5. Mortal Coil 

Pages: 571

Reading days: 20th March- currently

Currently on page 37. 

After reading Dark Days, I decided not to persist with this for a couple of days. It's not that I didn't want to read it- I happen to think this is the book that changes the direction of the series more than any of it's predecessors- but I didn't want to burn out, especially as I have another 12 books ahead of me before I get to the new release. I'm ready to hit the ground running with this come tomorrow, when I have more time to focus on it. 

Very much anticipating this one. 

Total page count for 1/3- 22/03: 1567

Averaging 72 pages a day. 

Pretty good going for month one, considering. 

I'm expecting next month to be bigger though- the later books in this series reach the high 600 page mark. 

I am very much enjoying this re-read. It's so nice to get re-acquainted with the series, and all of it's wonderful characters. 

Can't wait to get to the rest of them. 

Okay! That is my present Skulduggery Pleasant update! I hope you enjoyed it, I hope you're enjoying whatever book you're reading at the moment too! 

That is all that I have for you today! I will be back soon with my anticipated releases (probably Saturday- must admit, I completely forgot). 

I hope you have a lovely evening, and I will see you all soon! 

Byeeeee! 

-Abi xxxxx