Monday 3rd - Friday 7th December

Training Report:

Having survived the storms that plagued me for my long run on Sunday morning it was with great relief that Monday brought - joy of joys! - a rest day. Once every two weeks I am embraced by a day in which the world is my oyster, I don't need to worry about running, my life does not have to fit in around my training, I can go anywhere do anything and meet anyone. So I spent the day in bed! What a waste I hear you cry! For many it may seem to be a waste, but for me sleeping is more than just something that all human kind must partake in in order to survive, it is something of a hobby. Whenever I can, I partake in this most enjoyable of past times, much to the annoyance of family, friends and most notably girlfriends!

I once read an article by a wise old man - sadly I forget his name, but that is unimportant - he wrote that rest and recovery is more important than the actual act of training itself - hallelujah! Since that day I have been a hugely vocal advocate of this notion, when I'm not sleeping of course! Its also given me a valid reasoning for being a tad lazy and sleeping as much and as often as I can get away with!

I did manage to raise myself from my slumber to do some training this week, and I'm happy to report I'm back training well and with the same enthusiasm as I had a couple of weeks ago. Tuesdays speed work was greatly improved, 5 x 1200 meters were knocked out easily. Wednesday's long runs were made all the more enjoyable for the company of a training partner for once, which made sure the wind and rain had little effect on my mental focus, I also secretly quite enjoyed getting covered in mud from head to toe. On Thursday I was feeling so good I headed back to Box Hill for the first time since I ran so hard I could actually not remember what I'd done! This time I dealt with it slightly better. I got very tired and worked very hard but I remembered how many times I ran up the hill: five! Not many but at three minutes each time, up the steepest hill for many a mile, I was satisfied that it was enough! Generally a good week and I'm confident i'm back on the up after my two week plateau.