The rest of 2011 - between marathons

[Sweder]

I think your plan to mix it up gradually works very well for a road race. My training is far too weighted - occasional ParkRun aside it's 100% - in favour of the 'yielding turf', great for all the reasons you mention but hopeless when it comes to bashing out 26.2 hard road miles.

There's no escaping what needs to be done. Just as you dip your toe into the soft loveliness of damp grass so I must hammer mine into concrete and asphalt. My baptism will be equally cautious, yet if I am to give my all in Brighton I surely must embrace the road.

And so our worlds spin, ever closer, towards alignment.
Good luck fellow adventurer!