Training 27th of October - 2nd November

The races really are coming thick and fast this month. No sooner had I untied my laces after the Great South Run, I was doing them up again contemplating a double-header weekend of races. They often quote athletes as racing themselves fit and if my race diary is anything to go by I should be super human by the New Year!

This week’s races were less important to me in the grand scheme of things, which allowed me to train fully into them - meaning I wasn't so preoccupied with times and race performances. You can't expect to run your best if you’re racing every week, especially when your races are less than twenty four hours apart.

I followed my weekly ritual of two runs on Monday, totalling seventy minutes, and Tuesday’s very easy morning run in preparation for the evening’s speed work. During these runs I could still feel the effects of the weekend’s race in my legs, so I knew Tuesday was going to be a struggle, and sure enough, it was.
I was thrust to the front of the pack to lead out the first rep. I was glad it was the first rep I was nominated to lead as it was the only rep I hit target pace. I didn't bomb out, I just found the going a little tough and dropped a handful of seconds each rep. But I was working hard, and knowing how tired my body was feeling I was comfortable with dropping a few seconds - what's a few seconds between training buddies anyway?!!

Strange as it may seem, and it seemed very strange to me, I woke up on Wednesday as fresh as a daisy! My legs didn't beg to be left in bed, they wanted 'to be up, and at em'! I shut my eyes on Tuesday night prepared to feel worse in the morning, prepared for two tortuous runs, and a probable missed gym session, but the opposite was true. I felt great on both runs and had to reign myself in from running that bit further and pushing that bit harder than planned. I even felt excited about hitting the gym.

Over the last six months I've done very little strength work on my legs in the gym. I've focused on my core and upper body, partly due to having tired legs that didn't want any extra stress put through them, as well as fearing injuring myself and thus being unable to run. Having arms that are sore and tight is uncomfortable to run with, but easily doable,. However, tight and sore legs is another matter. But I now felt the time was right to start, and I've felt my legs have been missing that vital strength during some of my recent races.
So I squatted, and raised, and pushed, and pulled my way through the session, where I surprised myself with the loads I was able to use. I'm not a complete wimp after all!

The session may have gone well but my fear of tight sore muscles greeted me Thursday morning. Thankfully the joy of doing my favourite session got me by. A fifteen-minute tempo run, with fifteen minuets warm up and cool down. I don't know why I love this most simple of sessions but I do. Probably because it is so simple! I eased my way through a steady, no slow, fifty minutes in the evening. This left me Friday to do a few strides during a slow morning run then concentrate on stretching out my legs, hopefully to ease the tightness for the weekend.

Saturdays race was a cross-country relay in Reigate.
My legs still felt a little sore but I knew once I got going I'd be ok. It was a horrible day (weather-wise), it rained non-stop and took me the whole evening to thaw out! I ran reasonably well, nothing spectacular. I was a little way off the fastest time of the day but nothing to cause me too much distress. As well as not being rested and having tight muscles I was a complete wimp on a very tricky downhill section of the course. I tippy-toed my way down, very different to my normal kamikaze style, loosing me a lot of ground, but keeping me in one piece! An acceptable days work - all in all!

Sunday morning’s race was a ten-kilometre race in Guildford. I was feeling a bit more like it, even though it was nine o'clock on a Sunday morning. I could hardly feel any tightness in my legs and I was hoping to produce a solid time.
I thought the race was going to be run predominantely on roads with occasional sections on the mud, but nothing too major. It turned out to be mainly run in the mud with hardly any sections on the road. Having donned my flat racing shoes for the race I was like Bambie on a skating rink! It took me a few seconds to gain any traction after the gun went. Having thought my chances of victory were gone along with any chance of a decent time I soon noticed that almost all the guys around me hand normal trainers on to. It was back on!

A group of three of us soon started to pull away, and I was feeling good. This soon vanished as we hit the first long climb through a ploughed field. My legs went to jelly as the other two pulled away. I felt like I was standing still, and I had visions of a long lonely run to the finish. Once at the top of the hill I felt ok again, I got back into my rhythm and set about trying to repair the damage. One guy had pulled out over three hundred meters on me and the other maybe two hundred. Along the flat I made no impact, but what goes up must come down. I was flying on the down-hill and was gaining on second, who intern was gaining on first. As the hill levelled out we were all back together. The same scenario then played out for the rest of the race. I fell off the back up hill, one guy pulled ahead leaving one in the middle. Then down the hill we would all come back together. It was a strange pattern. I was feeling tired on the down hills now but was still able to close the gap until we finally got into the final kilometre. For the first time I hit the front, I knew the finish was a long drag up hill so I needed a cushion. I made my bid for glory, as much as to impress the girlfriends parents, (who'd come to check up on me!), as it was to get the prize! It worked and I got my cushion and I impressed the girlies parents!
It was time for a sit down and a hot bath. Now I have to begin plans for next weeks race!