Watch Will

Monday 2nd March - Sunday 8th March

2009-04-23T10:39:00.001-07:00

So yet again I've managed to get to the final and biggest race of the season in far from top form. A week off sick is never a good thing in an athlete’s life, but two weeks before the race I'd been aiming at and training for (for nearly five months), my timing is less than perfect.

I struggled with my coach as to what to do training-wise this week. I'd wanted last week to be really hard, with a lot of mileage and some quality sessions.
Instead I was in bed struggling to keep dry toast down. I wanted to really ease back for the race, letting my body recover so I could be at my best. Instead I had to get some runs in to get back my fitness and to rebuild my confidence.
It was tricky. I was still recovering my strength from the illness, so getting the balance was key. Too far or too hard and I'd be tired come race day.
Not enough and I feared I'd be found wanting by the pace required to be competitive.

On Monday and Tuesday I attacked my key training sessions relatively hard considering it was only a few days before a massive race. We changed my usual morning thirty-minute steady run into a tempo session. Ten minutes warm up, ten tempo, and then ten warm down. I actually felt quite good. My stomach problem had passed and I had some strength in my legs compared to my race on Saturday. It was a step forward but completing a ten-minute tempo run is miles from completing a ten kilometre cross country race against the best in the country. With a track session on Tuesday night and energy conservation my top priority, easy runs on Monday night and Tuesday morning were completed. They were so slow I hardly broke sweat and was over taken on a solo training run for the first time in years!

With a number of my training group taking part in the race on Saturday the coach broke the session up. We started with 1200's followed by three 400's then the same again. I worked the longer reps, building my confidence. I felt OK and then flowed round the 400's, letting my legs turn over at a good rate, but at no stage did I want to push myself into severe oxygen debt. I knew with a weakened body it would take me longer than normal to recover and time wasn't on my side. I was reasonably happy with the way things were going. I would have liked to have been able to save myself more, but having had a week off I knew I needed to remind my body how to deal with hard work.

From now until Saturday it was just a case of easy running and a few strides to keep the legs ticking over. I focused on being positive. I'd had the best winters training I've ever had, which had to count for something. I put my feet up as much as possible and tried to tell myself that last week was a chance for my body to rest up, and for my legs to repair themselves, rather than let the illness become an overbearing negative.

The day of the race arrived and I was as excited as I was nervous. I was feeling good and was focused solely on my race and forgot all about my less than perfect preparations.
The Inter Counties in Nottingham have a special atmosphere. With numerous age group races going on throughout the day there is always something happening.
Sky TV cameras add a bit of spice to it, and everyone that's there is there because they are the best in their County. All season you run for your club in open races that anyone who wants to can enter but to run here, you have to be selected. It makes you feel special, like you've achieved something already.

As well as focusing on my race as an individual I was also very aware that my county, Surrey, were in with a very good chance of winning a medal in the team race. With nine runners in each county starting out and only six to score I was going to have my work cut out just to make the team.

We all lined up in our starting pen decked out in the gold of Surrey. Annoyingly, due to my poor luck with illness this season when it came to the big races, I was at the back of the pen. As I was the last qualifier from the County Championships, where I'd suffered with a cold, it was going to be a tricky start.
The gun went and it was a charge up the first hill. Runners quickly swamped me and the crowd dictated my pace. I would have liked to have run at my own pace and have taken closer order from the gun but I couldn't. Part of me wanted a steady start after my poor race build-up. It would give me chance to get into my stride, find my pace and ensure that I didn't go off too hard and use up all my energies.

I felt comfortable but could see I was falling behind where I had wanted to be. Having come well outside the top one hundred last year, I'd set a target at the beginning of the season of 50th. After half a lap I was able to dictate my own pace. I started to move forward slowly. I guess I must have been outside the top 200 after my start and surveyed the field for other Surrey runners to gage how I was doing. I could see a group of four Surrey boys but they were well ahead. I was dismayed. They'd gone for it from the off, weaving in and out to get up well inside the top 100. I'd played the safety card, possibly my lack of fitness and fear over my staying power and lack of strength meant I was happy to settle into the pace of the crowds that engulfed me.

I continued to make progress through the field. I was running reasonably well, but I knew it wasn't well enough. Something was missing. That little bit extra I'd been training for all winter wasn't there. My legs felt reasonably strong but I didn't have the speed and endurance I'd wanted.
Up ahead I had glimpses of my teammates with whom I'd raced all winter. I knew where I should be in relation to them but I wasn't. Yet again I'd missed my chance and all because of food poisoning. The way I was performing showed I was in great shape; I was just outside of the top 100 in the UK. But my reserves had been depleted by my illness. I think I was fooling myself that I could have run to my true potential. How can I perform to my best so soon; after losing half a stone in body weight, after having my energy stores so thoroughly depleted, after having my training routine completely disrupted. As I finished all these things went through my head.
Part of me told myself I was making excuses. It's part of the game to get yourself to the line in the best shape possible. I'd failed at that. But my excuse was valid. If it had been just a single day off sick or a cold maybe I would have been making excuses. I was just absolutely gutted. 107th and eighth Surrey scorer. I'd missed out on a team bronze, which didn't make me feel great. It seemed like the rest of the guys I'd been dicing with all season had got to the start line in great shape. 7th, 14th, 43rd, 60th, 63rd, 64th 74th. I should have been in the middle of that lot. 107th felt like nowhere.
On Sunday I didn't run. I needed time to put things into perspective. 107th was much better than last years performance. I'd performed well when I didn't have the best tools. When I look at what my teammates did, it shows me what I can do, and it puts me in the mix.

Running can be a cruel sport. I'd put six months into one race and illness made it seem as though I shouldn't have bothered. But I've had success leading up to this point. The work I'd put in won't be wasted. I just have to change my goals and come back fighting. I want to move up to the Marathon and be more competitive over the shorter distances on the road.
The Inter Counties will come round again next year, and I'll have another chance to prove myself. If I can improve as much as I have done this year all this will be forgotten. With running there's always another race, another chance.

Monday 23rd Feb - Sunday 1st March

2009-04-22T11:05:00.001-07:00

Food! I love food. I love running because it requires me to consume vast quantities of food! Up until now it has been a good friend of mine. It makes me stronger and picks me up from the lows of exhaustion. However, food kicked me in the guts this week, literally.

I like a treat, and after a long Sunday I feel I deserved a treat. A nice piece of cake found it's way into my grubby paws. I wolfed it down, it didn't taste as good as it might have but I thought nothing more of it as I moved onto my staple diet of a big bowl of cereal.

On Monday morning I was up early and completed a simple thirty-minute run. I felt OK and there were no sign of what was to develop. As the day wore on I began to feel a little odd. I was tired and lethargic. I was a little light headed and had a slight aching in my stomach. I completely lost my appetite and when this happens I know that something's wrong.

The time for my scheduled evening run arrived. I was racked with guilt as I declined to put my trainers on deciding instead to get an early night hoping that it would all just pass with a little rest.

It didn't pass.

Half way through the night I was up - my head down the toilet. It wasn't fun. I can't remember the last time I was sick. I like to pride myself in having a strong stomach but tonight something had well and truly weakened it.
I was up and down all night, but at the back of my mind was the fact that at least my body was ridding itself of the troublesome bug and that I would be quickly be back on my feet.

I was wrong.

I'll save you the details but for the rest of the week I didn't like to venture more than a short dash from the toilet. I couldn't seem to shift whatever it was that was irritating my stomach. I was still eating, aware that I needed to keep up my strength, and drinking well, ensuring I wasn't dehydrated. But it was all very bland, water and dry toast.

By Wednesday evening I thought I was on the road to recovery and with a race on Saturday I knew I needed to eat some proper food so I stood a chance of making the start line.
It was the last league match of the season. My club Epsom & Ewell Harriers were in the running for promotion to Division One. To compete in Division One next year would give me stronger competition every weekend and will hopefully prepare me more for the bigger cross country races, when every second counts, which are sometimes a shock to the system when I'm used to cruising to victory. I knew I had to run if we were to stand a chance of promotion. I had a decision to make. Did I miss the race to ensure I was rested and recovered for the final remaining race of this season, the Inter Counties, or did I race to help ensure that next season I had the competition to make my whole season as strong as possible.
Eating normal food didn't go down too well with my stomach. I was almost back to square one. I paid my doctor a visit. I explained the situation to her and rather than just advise rest and no or minimal food as I'd expected, she advised me to eat normally until my race on Saturday, compete if I felt able, then fast for twenty four hours. Giving my stomach a rest and hopefully enabling it to recover and return to normal.

So I carried on as normally as I could. As I wasn't running I didn't have to consume the same levels as I would normally, just enough to keep my energy up.

Friday came round and I was still unsure of whether to run or not. I decided an easy twenty minutes to test everything out was a good option. I felt dreadful, but I didn't need to nip into the bushes, which was my biggest fear. I would race and keep my figures crossed that I could pull something out of the bag.

The race was in Lloyd Park in Croydon, my favourite cross-country stomping ground. It gave me a bit of confidence that I felt so at home racing here. I hoped it would add an extra string to my depleted bow.
I did a minimal warm up. I would use the first mile to warm up properly, the less running I could get away with the better. My goal was to make sure I finished and that I did so within the top ten. No point in taking all the risks I had and not completing the race. At no point was I going to take the lead. If I was in contention I would leave it till the last stride if possible to hit the front. I knew I wouldn't have much energy for the race or my recovery post race, so saving as much as I possibly could was key.

The race started and I settled into a pack in around twentieth place. We hit the first hill and it felt like Everest. I had no power in my legs. I knew it was going to be a long hard slog and that I'd need to play to my strengths if I was to get to the front and really help my team's push for promotion.

Up hill was hard, but down hill was no problem. I could stretch out my legs and chew up the ground on the leaders without wasting any energy. I managed to use the first two down hill sections to move up to fifth. On the flat I felt reasonably comfortable and my group of five moved clear of the field. Up the next hill the two leaders, one a team mate, the other from a rival club vying for promotion, moved away. I managed to stay with the rest of the group then moved onto the back of the leaders down the next hill.

I was actually enjoying the fact I was running under such tough circumstances; it added a strange spice to my race. I was running with less pressure on me to win. I could just concentrate on running a tactical and sensible race.
We finished the first lap as a group of three. I was stalking at the back, unwilling and unable to take on the pace. I decided to alter my pre race aim. I was clear in third and as long as my teammate won, I'd be content with third. But I wanted an Epsom & Ewell victory, so my mission was to stick to my opponent and react only to what he did.
My teammate Phil made his move early on the last lap. He managed to open a gap on us and I was content to let him go. By this time I was finding the going tough. I was really lacking any energy. My aerobic capacity was fine but my legs just felt empty and drained.

Up the next steep incline I was dropped. I had no response and resigned myself to finishing third. The gap grew to a hundred metres quickly. I managed to recompose myself on the flat and stayed within watching distance of the action in front. Suddenly I noticed my teammate faltering. The gap to second was quickly eaten up. I woke myself up and decided to make an attempt to catch back up if I could.
My competitive spirit had got the better of me. If we finished second and third instead of first and third it would make little difference to whether or not we were promoted. I just felt that if I could win feeling like I did it would be a great confidence boost for when I got myself back to 100% fitness.

I caught my teammate who'd fallen behind the leader and started to slowly claw back the gap to first. Up the final uphill drag I neither gained nor lost any ground. It was all down hill to the finish now. I began gaining and with one hundred metres left I made contact. I went for it straight away. Anything I had left I gave and it was just enough. After an initial tussle I pulled a few metres clear in the last few strides. Of a five-mile race I'd only spent ten metres in the lead. But they were the ten metres that counted!

I was shattered and my warm down was a dash to the Portaloo!

I refuelled that evening then set about a twenty-four hour fast. I was actually feeling a little better post race. Like I'd finally blown away my bug. But I took no chances and rested up, 'Doctor's orders'.

Now it was about recovering my depleted energy reserves to ensure that for the final and biggest race of the season I had a chance of being competitive. I hoped I'd made the right decision by running. We'd gained promotion for next season but had it come at a cost? I'd soon find out, as there's no hiding place at the Inter Counties Cross Country Championships.

Monday 16th Feb - Sunday 22nd Feb / Nationals

2009-04-06T08:51:00.000-07:00

This week the National Cross Country Championships were being held in their spiritual home of Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath.

I love the National. Runners from all round the UK, of all abilities, set out for some quality racing with individual goals and hopes for the race. The men's race is a great sight, with nearly two thousand runners racing in their club colours and Parliament Hill has got to be the biggest cross country test of them all.

Undulating is a polite way of describing the course. A bit muddy doesn't do justice to the ranges of underfoot conditions you face. The mud can be like an ice rink or like quick sand and you never know what you are going to encounter.

I really wanted to put in a solid performance. So far this year things haven't quite gone my way in the big races for one reason or another and although my confidence had taken a few knocks, I still had faith that I was training better than ever and that at some point I would surely see the fruits of my labour.

It's always difficult to know how to tackle the week of training leading up to a big race like the National. It wasn't my main aim for this season - that was to come in a couple of weeks. But it is an important race and it's definitely a race that needs to be respected. To go into it shattered from a really hard weeks training would be madness. You'd soon be found out because if you sneeze, you lose a dozen places, so it's important that you feel confident that your body is strong enough to tackle seven and a half miles of fast, testing cross country racing.

Over the past eight months, since working with my coach Robin Dixon, a lot of the worry of how to tackle weeks like this has been taken away from me. I discuss with him what I want to achieve overall in a season and what I want to achieve in each individual race. He then sets about guiding me in the right direction so I can achieve my goals and perform at my best when I need to. Obviously certain things alter your plans and illness and injury are factors which will always change the path of your season and how you approach certain races. However, with Robin directing me, I now only have to focus on each session he writes out for me, rather than being constantly distracted by the thought of what I will be doing tomorrow or next week or next month.

So we decided that this weeks training would tail off towards Saturdays’ race, but only slightly - enough to give me a bit of bounce in my step but not so much that I compromised future races.

Monday was 30 and 40 minute runs which were tackled at a steady pace. Tuesday morning was a couple of miles to stretch out the legs. The evening session on the track was an initial 1200 metre rep, which I worked hard on, helping to push the pace as we lapped the track in around 72 seconds. This was enough to make me feel like I was working. The second part of the session was three sets of 4 x 400 metres. This is where I backed off saving some gas for Saturday. I was lapping around 70 seconds striding out as much as I could but staying close to my comfort zone. I didn't want to feel the lactic burn in my legs, that my heart was going to burst out of my chest or that my lungs were going to explode! I was working but I knew I could always pick the pace up if I needed to. The racing takes place on Saturday not on Tuesday night.
Wednesday was cut back considerably from the hour plus runs I'd been completing to just 20 and 40 minute easy runs. Thursdays tempo was cut to just 6 minute bursts within a 50 minute run, with a hours slow plod in the evening and Friday was just my usual pre race 20 min jog with strides.

I felt good going into the race. My legs were reasonably rested and the way I'd run on Tuesday gave me confidence as I'd shown myself during the 1200 that I was running well and in the 400's, although at the back of the pack, I wasn't finishing miles of the pace and this, without giving my all.

Race day and the gods were on our side. The sun was out and there was no breeze to speak off. This didn't fool me and after a quick look round the course, 15 millimetre spikes were placed in the bottom of my shoes. Mud, mud and more mud, the more grip I could get the better.

The race begins with a charge up hill for 400 yards or more. I decided to play a waiting game and relaxed for the first mile. It's all too easy to get caught up in things and push too much too soon. I set about getting into some sort of rhythm, which was difficult on a course that is so undulating and with so many changes in underfoot conditions. I was feeling good after a lap but was outside the top hundred. My goal was to finish in the top hundred. I pushed on at the start of lap two and was passing people consistently. At the half way point I was in around 100th place and still felt confident and full of running but just wasn't able to give as much as I felt I had. I was working hard but just lacked that edge, that extra five percent, which can make such a difference.
I knew I was capable of being much further up the field but yet again I couldn't realise it. I continued to work through on the last lap finishing in 89th place.
I was relatively satisfied. It was my highest placing in a national cross country race and shows that this year I'm running at my best. But it was one of those races where I feel I could have achieved so much more. The top 50 was by no means an impossibility. I know I have the potential to do it, the way I'd run told me so. It was a solid banker race. Unspectacular but another box was ticked and I remain convinced things are going to come together soon.

I've got the drive and motivation like never before. My long run on a Sunday is a great example of this. It's no longer a drag. I can't wait to put in the miles; it's made me stronger psychologically as well as physically. Even after racing over seven miles the day before doesn't stop me now. Previously, I may have wimped out, put it off for another day or cut the length down. Now I have to stop myself from doing more than my coach has set.
I need to put that cherry on the cake and to start performing in races. The sooner, the better, as far as I'm concerned. It's all well and good putting in weeks of great training but results are what count and I need to step up to the mark.

Monday 9th Fevruary - Sunday15th February

2009-04-02T11:39:00.000-07:00

After the fun of running in snow I was glad to get back to normality this week.

I'd always thought I wasn't a creature of habit, doing the same runs at the same time every week, year in year out. I'd thought I was a lot more flexible with my training. If I felt good I'd make adjustments and do more or work harder, the same if I wasn't feeling quite right. But it turns out I like the reassurance of tried and tested routines. So it was with great pleasure that I donned my trainers for Monday's runs of thirty and forty minutes.
A Monday schedule I'd thought I was growing tired of. Not any more.
I never get tired of training on a Tuesday night. It's one of my real quality sessions of the week. But I guess you do take it for granted. Tuesday night is group-training night, only last week it wasn't and I missed it! At first I didn't think I really would miss it, but now looking back a week I know my mind and body longed for the extra impetus training in a group, doing hard and fast work, gives you.

So we tackled six 1400 metre loops on the road. I think everyone must have been missing working together as we were flying along. When I look back in my diary we were a good few seconds up on each rep. We were all up there as well, right to the bitter end. Quite often the group disperses a little after the initial charge to get away. Today, however, we were finishing more or less together. I started to wonder if my enthusiasm had got the better of me by the final two loops. I was starting to blow. But I dug deep and regained some form of composure to get the session done and done well.

Having had a bit of an up and down week due to the weather my coach decided to punish me! I told him the weather had nothing to do with me. He didn't listen to my pleas and upped my mileage for the second half of the week, beginning with a single 75 minute run on Wednesday. I decided to become a coach myself and included a very easy ten minutes in the morning. The first run after a hard Tuesday night session is always painful. My legs are tired and stiff and it all seems a chore. By doing a ten-minute leg stretch it got the aches and pains out of the system before my long evening run.
It worked wonders. I felt very little pain or fatigue in the evening. I almost would go as far to say as I loved every step of my longer than normal run. I particularly enjoyed being able to get a good distance away from home. The extra time gives me room to try paths and routes that I would normal only include on my long Sunday run. Having talked about loving routine I still had a soft spot for spicing training up with different training elements.

On Thursday training again was that little bit further than normal, my usual 15 warm up 15 tempo 15 warm down were increased to include a 25 minute tempo run. Keeping with routine I used my normal route, which takes my usual 45-minute session to complete. The spice was added by lapping Ashtead Village Green to add ten minutes to my run. Having just read back that sentence I guess I'm really easily pleased, I don't think Ashtead Village Green has spiced up many young men's lives! But to the long distance runner simple changes of scene like that can make world of difference. And I think it did make a bit of a difference. Just as I was beginning to feel the strain after ten minutes of tempo running, the diversion gave me a new impetus and I finished the run as strongly as I'd begun it. Exactly what you want from a tempo run.

Friday was an easy day. But I was told to run. Where normally my day's so easy I don't actually do a run and completely rest up, I was under strict instructions to get at least an easy 30 minutes under my belt. So I did.

On Saturday a small group tackled a session in Richmond Park, including tempo running, which always feels a lot faster and harder when I do it in a group, perhaps it is, and some hill running which, opposed to a normal hill session where you summit the hill and turn back, included a good four hundred metres on the flat once we we'd reached the peak. It's all about simulating racing. You never climb a hill then stop in a race. You have to quickly regain your normal cadence and form and by doing this sort of hill rep it teaches you how to cope with the change in style and work rates involved.

Thankfully my Sunday run was kept at just an hour and a half. It was about all my legs wanted to do as they began to feel a few side effects of the week. That said I'm sure I could have done more if required. My legs although tired are ready for more of the same next week, as we really get into the big races of the cross-country season.

Monday 2nd Feb - Sunday 8th Feb

2009-03-19T11:45:00.000-07:00

This week the weather dictated when, where and how much I trained. I woke to find a winter wonderland outside my bedroom window. Being the big kid I am I couldn't wait to get outside a play. Snowballs, sledging and snowmen till late morning. What a great way to spend a Monday - if only they were always such fun!

I walked into town to see what was happening and to pick up something for lunch. I had planned to go for a run when I got back. However my plans quickly changed after I fell over just crossing the street! I was at my girlfriends in Cranleigh, which didn't get the same levels of snow as the rest of Surrey.
This meant that the snow on the pavements and roads was quickly compacted down, turning it into an ice rink. I didn't have access to any off road runs so decided to miss training rather than risk injury. I unfortunately had to spend the rest of the day sledging, where (if I am honest) I stupidly risked injury!!

On Tuesday morning I decided to risk driving home. I couldn't believe just how much snow had fallen on Epsom Downs. Cars were abandoned everywhere as over a foot of snow covered the ground. Thankfully, at home I can walk out of the back door and onto fields that lead over to Epsom Downs. With mud and grass under the snow, slipping and sliding was reduced dramatically and I was running again.

I left without a set time goal. With the snow so deep I didn't know how far I'd be able to get, or how tiring battling through it would be. But I relished every moment. I loved working hard every step of the way, how my feet quickly froze, the thrill of finding fresh un-trodden paths, the adventure of running down new paths and how old routes seemed very different when covered in snow.
I stayed out for seventy-five minutes, but I could have done more. The way snow gives even the ugliest of views an uplifting brightness fills you with joy and lifts your mood. If you’re in a good mood whilst out running it makes such a difference to your performance or the way you perceive your performance.

That was it for Tuesday. With my local running track closed by the council for safety reasons I had nowhere to go. I had got a long run in so on Wednesday I would try and do some speed work.

I set off unsure of how fast I would be able to run. The faster you run the more you slip. I knew that short, sharp running was a no go, so decided upon a tempo session. My favourite 15 minutes warm up, 15 tempo, 15 warm down seemed like the perfect solution.

It all went well and because of my adolescent love of the snow I felt great. It was hard work, especially the last five minutes, my thighs were really burning due to the extra strength required to pull my feet from the deep snow, my lungs were taking in long deep breaths of freezing air, my core stability was stretched to the enth degree trying to keep me in an upright position and my feet were like blocks of ice. But again I loved every second. The buzz you get from completing a hard workout was doubled or even tripled. I had a massive smile across my cold, sweaty face. I couldn't wait to get back out in it.

The only way I was going to get a second run was to venture out after dark. I still didn't want to risk running on the roads, but they do have the benefit of lamps lighting the way. I looked out of the window and the moon was shining and bouncing up off the white surface. There was more than enough light to allow me to get out and run off road again. So I set out for a spot of 'off road night time snow running' or ORNTSR! It was great fun. I wandered over fields and golf courses with no particular route in mind and I'd bump into the occasional dog walker and sledge rider enjoying the same night light. I fancied more of the same on Thursday night.

I wanted to do a bit more that night than the three quarters of an hour I'd already run in the dark so did a simple thirty minutes during the day. That night I planned to do an hour's ORNTSR but the clouds had closed in and a thick fog descended cutting visibility to just over a hundred yards. But I could see the ground right in front of me well enough so I set off. It was a great run. It was another fun, new experience in the snow. I was very much focused on myself. At times all I could see was a dark white glow as the snow merged into the fog. It was as if the rest of the world no longer existed. The fog was so thick I could run barely two or three hundred metres away from a road and hear but not see the cars and their headlights. I could focus on myself and my running without any distractions.

With the snow showing no signs of melting, Friday brought some more steady state running. This time the novelty seemed to be wearing off. It was becoming frustrating that all I could really do was steady state runs. I longed to push myself through a session, so on Saturday I would do something about it.

I hit Epsom Downs with vengeance on Saturday morning. On the flat I still couldn't go any faster than my tempo pace so set off for fifteen minutes of it. What I did find is that going uphill I could almost push to my maximum without loosing grip. So I found a steep hill and climbed it. Then did it again and again ten times, all done in around the same time of a minute and a half. I hadn't finished with my session just yet so decided another fifteen minute tempo run was in order. All in all I'd done three quarters of an hours worth of fast and hard running. I was shattered and only just dragged my body back home. But I was satisfied that I had run well, pushed my body to it's maximum and that I was in good shape despite the strange way my training had gone.

I decided to go back to Cranleigh on Sunday. I'd heard it was free from snow and fancied a break from it. I wanted to run normally for ninety minutes. Not worrying about avoiding roads, about where I was going to go and how much extra energy the snow was going to take out of me. So I got it done and enjoyed running without thinking about the conditions. I'd enjoyed my week of snow fun but wanted to get back to normal and continue the good work I've been doing lately. But I wouldn't change this weeks running for all the sun in the desert and can't wait for a bit more ORNTSR but not for a good while yet.

Training Mon 26th January - Sunday 1st February

2009-03-12T09:21:00.001-07:00

With the frustrations of the Southern’s fresh in my memory I decided to use my pent up aggression in a productive manner and hit my training really hard, putting in lots of long hard sessions and quality runs.
Often I find a poor result acts as a greater incentive, to work harder in training, than a good result. You know in a bad race that you didn't show your true potential so the next time you tow the line, your determination to show even greater potential is so much stronger. If you compete well, you can fall into the trap of resting on your laurels.

Needing to have an instant release of tension, I spiced up my normal thirty minute Monday run by pushing at tempo pace for the first third of the run, recovering for a while, then pushing hard up a near, five minute gradual hill climb before relaxing back to the finish. I needed to feel I'd had a hard run and a good run, which is what I managed to achieve. In the evening I knew I had to take things slightly easier running a steady forty minutes.

Tuesday. With a long hard session lying in wait with my group that evening I just cruised a thirty-minute run by way of preparation. That evening we were back at Ham Gate for that legendary Ham Gate session. The coach set us over eight kilometres of fast running, broken into two sets. Each set consisted of 2100, 1200 and 800 metres of running. I was feeling good, I was focused and I was determined to give one hundred percent to the session. I pushed on at the front during the first set, helping share the pace with two members of the group, James and Stuart. I knew I was working hard and I hoped I was working them hard too! The second set was going to be a hard, painful affair. The first set had been so fast that hitting the same times with fatigue setting in was going to be tough and so it was. I could feel my legs were tired but I was really focused. I kept my concentration, focusing on my running form and on maintaining contact with the other two. I managed this, give or take a couple of metres and we maintained the pace, completing each rep no more than a handful of seconds down on the initial times. I had run well but was more than happy to finish. It was a real battle of mind over matter just jogging the warm down. My body wanted to switch off, get in the car and just stop. But I knew I had to get it done. After a hard session on the unforgiving roads I knew that if I wanted to walk downstairs in the morning I had to get it done.

Having wanted to hit my training hard this week I was pleased that my coach was agreeable and set me a reasonably long Wednesday run of seventy five minutes. I cruised round surprising myself with how fresh and bouncy I felt after Tuesday night's exertions. I even found myself working the hills rather than easing back for them. I think subconsciously I was preparing myself for what lay ahead on Thursday, namely Boxhill!

Sitting in my car in the car park at the foot of Boxhill, the size of the task that lay ahead gets into your head. The sheer scale of the hill is intimidating. You have to crane your neck to see the peak you are about to climb as you squint to make out the dots of figures enjoying the view from the top. What helped me get out of the car was a training partner. Without Matt showing up I think I would have just driven back home. But with him keen to tackle the hill for the first time, chickening out wasn't an option.

My memories are of pain. Three minutes of heads down arms and legs pumping for all they’re worth. With each rep the burning in my thighs greeted me further down the hill. By the last run it was just all out agony. But finally after scraping myself up off the grass I too could take in the view, basking in the sun with the warm glow of satisfaction easing the pain and numbness in my legs. I think Matt enjoyed it too, although he hasn't mentioned meeting up for a repeat performance, although for that matter, neither have I!

Easy running was all I had planned until Saturday. Easy running is all I could face or do!
Saturday came round as quick as a flash and it was back to some tempo running. With my club participating in a local cross-country relay I decided to combine my training with a leg of the race. I took the role of anchorman. Not for the glory of bringing the team home, it was more to do with having space in which to do my own thing. I didn't want to be battling it out for position. I knew that by the time it was my go everything would be decided. Which is what I wanted as I was set twenty five minutes of fast tempo running and with a lap taking less than ten minutes I would have to just keep going after passing the finish. If I had to work hard and push all the way there was no chance I was going to be able to just keep going.

Thankfully my plan worked. I whipped round the course with no one in sight. Then having crossed the line, slowing to pass through the funnel I took off again. I must have looked like I'd taken the wrong turn to all the dog walkers. I was still decked out in my team colours and race number but with no one else to be seen. The second half of the run was hard. I had pushed the pace more than I would normally for a tempo run in the race. Your competitive spirit takes over when you’re in club colours. But it was good for me. Another hard work out and a great weeks training proved to be the most satisfying week that I've logged down in my diary for a while. I wanted more. I was tired but it was a good tired. I still had energy and will power to burn and the tiredness in my body was a positive thing. It was like I could actually feel my body getting stronger and faster. I just need to make sure I don't try to take on too much and have illness or injury come bite me like it has before. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day!

Monday 19th January - Sunday 25th of January

2009-03-10T11:09:00.000-07:00

This week I was a little caught between wanting to ease up for racing and continuing on with the good progress I'd been making in training. With the Southern Cross Country Championships on Saturday, (over nine miles of muddy fields), I knew it would be a real test of my fitness. To go into them tired was asking for trouble, but I wanted to build on my fitness and all round conditioning. You always want more, with every hard run you feel faster and stronger, with every easy recovery run you feel your fitness is just treading water.

I decided to keep working hard on Monday and Tuesday and then make a decision based on how my body was feeling with regard to how much and how hard I should train for the rest of the week.

So on Monday I ran a reasonably hard double header of 35 and 45 minutes. I felt strong and relaxed for both, which is relatively rare when I work hard twice in a day. Normally the second run is more of a chore. I feel lethargic and know I'm working a lot harder than I should for the pace I'm running at. But not on this run - it all flowed. They were both the type of runs where you just feel you could keep going forever.

After running hard twice on Monday I took things really easy on Tuesday morning. The run was OK, but I often find it quite tiring to run slowly. And I was running so slowly that I didn't really enjoy it. Unlike yesterday's runs I wanted it to be over almost as soon as I'd begun. But I got it done and it helped flush my legs out ready for the evening's session.

For my speed work my coach had set out another broken session. We began with a two-kilometre rep. I felt really good. I was lapping just shy of seventy two second laps which I was happy with, especially as it was a freezing cold night, far from ideal conditions to stretch out the muscles. We then tackled two sets of five x four hundreds. Again I felt good, dipping under seventy seconds, without ever hitting top gear. I began to feel a small build up of lactate in my legs towards the end of the set, a sure sign that fatigue was beginning to set in.

With Saturday in mind I decided to ease back a few seconds for the next set and run closer to race pace. I tried to slow down to an easy seventy three seconds per lap, running within myself, listening to my body, but my times were always up. I had to push myself to the back of the pack to slow myself down, forbidding myself to overtake anyone. Finally I was hitting my self-imposed lap times. I finished just how I'd intended, feeling that I'd worked hard but with gas in the tank and freshness in my legs.

On Wednesday I did a fairly easy fifty minutes. It felt OK, but my calves were a little tight, possibly due to the cold temperatures the previous evening. I didn't want things to get any worse so I decided to take Thursday off rather than Friday. The sooner I eased out the stiffness the better. So Thursday was a hot bath and stretch day, not the hardest day's training I've ever had! But it had the desired effect.

Friday was just easy running, nothing I did today was going to make me any faster in the race; it would only have the opposite effect. So a couple of relaxed twenty-minute runs, with some relaxed strides thrown in, did the job.

The race was held in Uxbridge on some college playing fields, which were, for the most part, covered in ankle deep mud. With a dozen races run before the senior men the course was churned up nicely so it was going to be a mud bath. After an initial burst to get ahead of the masses and avoid the bottleneck around the first sharp bend, I took things easy. With nine, long, country miles to run, a cautious start was the order of the day. After the first lap I was comfortable sitting around fortieth. I would like to have been higher but I just didn't feel my body was with me one hundred percent. I made my way through to a position with a group battling for a place in the top thirty on the second lap. I felt comfortable after my cautious start and was gearing up to move through the field some more. On the long slog of a climb that greeted us at the start of each lap I started to feel uncomfortable, a dreaded stitch was beginning to form. I made it to the top of the hill without losing position and hoped that on the flat the stitch would disperse. Sadly I was wrong. It only got worse. I started losing a few places as I struggled to breathe and run normally. The pain soon got so bad there was nothing for it but to stop and with it any chance I had of getting into the top twenty in the South of England.

I walked and stretched, which eased the pain until I could jog, but I was over-taken by more and more runners. I felt like it would never go. I managed to get up to some sort of speed but people kept passing me. As I was slipping back and being passed I kept to the inside of the course, out of the way, occasionally running just inside the flags, but without any advantage being gained. This wasn't good enough for one runner who accused me of cheating in a rather ungentlemanly way as he passed me. It was red rag to a bull and I pursued him, letting him know what I thought of his gesture. It would seem that shouting is the miracle scientific cure for stitches. No sooner had I finished telling him my point of view, noting that as I did so he cut a corner, than my stitch was gone. I couldn't believe it. I slowly started passing people, not wanting to get carried away in case it returned. I waited till the final lap to push again. I now felt great and was full of running. My legs were fresh and I started climbing back up the field. Having dropped to somewhere between seventieth and eightieth place I worked my way back to finish 54th.

I was so disappointed thinking about what could have been. If I hadn't had to stop I'm sure I would still have felt full of running on that last lap having saved something in the early stages. Top twenty was on the cards and would have shown me a good improvement year on year in my progression.
There was a lot to be pleased with, yet so much disappointment at an opportunity missed. I hit Sunday’s long run hard, frustrated, as I wanted to be faster and stronger for the races that lay ahead. Ninety minutes flew by as I played things out in my head. Running has got to be the best stress relief going. I made sense of everything on that run, putting things into perspective. I finished exhausted but my mind was at ease. I had a good weeks training planned and I know things will come good for me eventually if I just stick with what I'm doing.

Monday 12th January - 18th January

2009-03-03T10:47:00.000-08:00

With my foot still sore from the blister, or to be accurate, the wound where the blister was ripped off, it was always going to be tough doing a long run.
Having switched my sessions around on Sunday to shorter (more manageable) runs, I had a long cardio workout to do on Monday.
My foot was healing but a ninety-minute run was never going to help it, so I opted instead for a session on the static bikes in the gym. It wasn't going to be as good for me as a run, but it was better than nothing.
I knew it was going to be tough, an hour and a half going nowhere! It was going to test my mental resilience to the max. I took my seat and began pedalling.

The first thirty minutes were quite enjoyable. Cycling was a novel experience and I could feel it working different muscle groups but as time wore on the monotony of what I was doing took hold. It was a battle not to look down at the clock every ten seconds, it was definitely a chore to do it. With fifteen minutes to go, and the end in sight, I began enjoying myself a bit more so I kicked in with a long run for the finish. I'd be lying if I said I enjoyed it or that I'd do it again in a hurry, but it showed me that my mental toughness over long time periods was good, a skill I felt needed improving in order to make a future attempt on the marathon.
The job was done, I got off the bike, my feet didn't hurt, I'd had a long workout and I had that happy glow of satisfaction across my face.

I wanted to do my normal training on Tuesday night, so just to err on the side of caution I missed out my Tuesday morning run, to give me more blister recuperation time! I bandaged my foot up securely for the evening session and cautiously donned my trainers. Was I being silly doing speed work, as a first run back, on a bad foot?!

Not only was it speed work, it was hill climbing. My foot would be pushing greater forces through it, increasing the chances of a set back in the healing process. However, the wound was looking so much better and was pain free to walk on, with plenty of cushioning from the bandages, so I headed off to training.

Conditions were good for the session, which was to be 12 repetitions of the hill climb, roughly a minute and a half of running per rep, with a jog back down to the start. The session was OK. My foot came through unscathed, which was my key goal. I felt good running the reps, but struggled to keep up with the group on the recovery jog back down. My legs were a little tired, understandably, from my bike endurance ride and I knew that if I kept up on the recovery jogs I wouldn't finish the session and if I did I would see a dramatic fall in my hill times. So, I decided to let them go and do my own thing. My times varied by only two seconds for the whole session which I was very pleased with. I finished it, and was in one piece, so I was more than happy with my evening's work.

My foot rehabilitation continued on Wednesday. It had survived hill reps easily, now it had to face a long run. I was set seventy-five minutes by my coach, which I always like to do off road whenever possible. I find it is better for my mind and body. But with my dodgy foot I didn't want to wear my stiff and less forgiving off road trainers. So I spent some time slipping and sliding, like bambi on ice, in my road shoes, in thick mud!
Aside from the muddy sections it was another solid run. I was relaxed, other than when trying not to fall on my backside, and running well. My foot was up to it and was no longer an issue.

Thursday was tempo day. I can't recommend tempo running enough. For me it's the session that gives me the most back. I get a long run, a hard cardio work out, variety of pace and a great indication of how I'm running and where my fitness is at.
This run told me I was in good nick. I felt really strong, as if I was flying along at a rate of knots, but without ever getting close to all out. I love the feeling of running well and knowing that you're holding something back and that there's more to give. It gives you confidence and motivation for the races and training that lie ahead. Thursday was finished off with a very cold, steady six miler with my club.

Friday was rest day, no longer my favourite day of the week! A real sign I'm running well and enjoying it. Unfortunately I made one small error of judgement on Friday night. I got sucked into a world of gluttony as my chocolate addiction hit me hard. With cream eggs on special offer I never stood a chance. I wish they'd put a limit to the numbers you can buy at any one time! Nine in one sitting is a few to many!
On Saturday morning I paid the price with a lethargic body. The fuel it had received was not up to the standards it requires and unsurprisingly it didn't fire on all cylinders. The session was a ten-minute tempo, followed by seven long gradual hill reps. I didn't run that badly, I just lacked the zip I'd had recently. There was more speed in my legs but I just couldn't get to it. No real harm done, but next time I'll maybe just have seven eggs!

Sunday was back to normal this week and a long run, out and back along the disused railway line between Cranleigh and the South Coast. I didn't quite get to the seaside and back, but enjoyed a long flat hour and three quarters. It was a change not to have hills breaking up my pace every couple of miles, which meant I got into a really good rhythm and managed to keep it going pretty much throughout the whole run.
So, another week done. Lessons have been learned, wounds have been healed and fitness is improved. What more could a runner ask for!

Mon 5th - Sunday 11th January

2009-02-10T10:44:00.000-08:00

By pushing my body whilst it was less than 100%, I'd lowered my resistance and enabled my bug to take hold allowing a full-blown cold to take over and force me off the road.
Normally it's quite a frustrating couple of days waiting for a cold to pass but this time I knew that my cold was the small price I'd paid for achieving my goal and a top 10 place at the county Champs.

I decided to rest up until Tuesday's track session and to stay well within my limits during the run. We were set 8 x 1000 metre reps, on a cold bleak evening for running. I knew it was going to be a bit of a slog and decided that after the first rep that to complete the full set of 8 would be too much of an ask for my tired, ill body, so I set my sights on completing 6.

Before the session had even begun, I'd unknowingly made my task even harder. I'd sucked on a throat sweet, containing an antiseptic. I'd thought that it would numb my throat, taking away the pain, allowing me to concentrate on my running. What I hadn't considered was the numbing effect it would have on my tongue. I was soon aware that by numbing my mouth I'd created the sensation of running with a big gob-stopper on my tongue. It also stopped me from swallowing properly. I was soon choking and gasping for air, which only got worse the longer the session went on. At least it took my mind away from the fact I was ill, very lethargic and leg weary!

My times were unsurprisingly unspectacular and I found myself getting slower each rep. By my sixth I was nearly 20 seconds down on my first clocking, and if I hadn't already decided to call it a day at six that would surely have been the sign to stop.

I woke up on Wednesday and felt stiff and tired. My coach had set me a single 70 minute run, but I knew I needed to stretch my legs out so I did a little ten minute run to get myself into better shape for my longer evening run. I was glad I did. I felt ten times better by the evening and enjoyed 60 of my 70 minutes. As is the way with me at the moment things didn't quite go to plan and I landed awkwardly on a tree root and twisted my foot. Thankfully I didn't injure myself, but I did manage to re agitate my blister on the sole of my foot. I hobbled home and surveyed the damage. At this stage it wasn't too bad, a quick jab with a pin and the pain was gone. Luckily, Santa had left me a pack of blister plasters at the bottom of my stocking, which came in rather useful. I don't know whether they were left over from his supply, thousands of miles in a pair of old, black boots has got to take its toll!

I set out on my run on Thursday morning with no pain, and begun my tempo session. 15 minutes warm up, 10 minutes tempo, (for which I felt really strong and more like my old self), and then a 15 minute warm down. The blister survived the fast tempo running, but sadly decided to show it's ugly head during my slow warm down. This time things didn't look so good. It had got significantly larger and annoyingly was slightly too big for my plasters to cover.

The only course of action was to stay off it so I cancelled my evening run, which I wasn't unduly worried about with a race on Saturday. It would give me a chance to heal my foot and completely get over my cold. I sat out my Friday pre race run too, hoping another 24 hours off my feet would see me through the race unscathed.

Saturday was the coldest day of the year. As I drove to the race the thermometer read minus four and it was one o'clock in the afternoon! The ground was frozen solid and having lapped the course on my warm up I knew it was going to be a fast race.

The blister was OK. I could feel a dull pain every time my foot struck the floor but it wasn't unbearable by any means, although just to err on the side of caution, I ditched my spikes in favour of flats, which offered me more cushioning.

I decided not to push the pace if I didn't have to. I didn't want to make my foot worse and I knew I would still be feeling the effects of my cold.
As I'd expected, the course was super fast, with short sharp hills and long winding downhill sections. I felt comfortable and found myself at the front at the start of the second of three laps. I refrained from giving my all, hoping that I could win without pushing my body to the limit.

By the start of the last lap it was down to two of us. However, I was aware of a growing discomfort in my shoe although the rest of me still felt OK, so I slowly upped the pace. I just couldn't shift my opponent from my shoulder, so I really started to open up my stride on the final down hill. As I did I was aware of some real pain on the sole of my foot. I tried to ignore it and keep my head down. I'm unsure of whether it had any effect on my pace or not, I know for sure it didn't help matters!

With the finish in sight my opponent eased past. I tried to respond but I couldn't and finished a couple of seconds down. I was gutted. I'd wanted to win all my league cross-countries this season and to make matters worse I'd never seen or heard of my conqueror before.
I knew I'd been ill but I'd actually felt really good during the race and had felt like I was really bombing along. When I took my shoe off I found I'd ripped my blister clean off my foot, to reveal a rather angry looking gash???
But it hadn't felt too bad during the race, the cold temperatures having numbed my pain. A quick chat with some of the younger members of my squad revealed all. He was in fact a former under 20 national 1500 metre Champ, who apparently had been working hard on his endurance over the winter, which explained why he had the edge over me in the sprint finish. I had the answers to the questions I'd had about why I'd not won. Under the circumstances, I'd run quite well and was pleased I'd got over my cold. I just had the small matter, which was fast becoming a larger matter, of my foot to deal with.

On Saturday evening I bathed it, rubbed cream into it, wrapped it up and hoped it would just go away.
I tried to run Sunday morning but I knew it wouldn't survive my long run, so switched to Mondays 30 mins.
I could feel every step but it wasn't overly painful and as long as I didn't stop quickly or go round any sharp turns I knew it would just about survive.
Having done one of Monday's planned two runs without doing any additional damage I decided to cut my losses. I'd done what I'd wanted to achieve, turned my legs over after a hard race, so it was back home to my Florence Nightingale and another afternoon with my feet up! I know I'm in good shape and running well, all I need is to steer clear of all these silly little interruptions to my training, before they become any bigger.

Mon 29th Dec - Sunday 4th Jan 2009

2009-02-10T09:58:00.001-08:00

This week was a case of my body letting me down (with some bad timing), and of mind over matter.

The County Championships were a big goal for me. Last year I finished second and I hoped to have another strong showing. Unlike last year where I peaked at the Champs and then failed to make any progress as the season wore on, due to bad form and injury, I was determined that Saturday's race would act as a marker, indicating to me my form, but not becoming the highlight of my season.

The week started off well enough. Monday passed with two extremely easy and relaxed runs. Tuesday evening session was OK as well. We were on the road completing a session of 6 x 1200 metres. I didn't want to push myself as far as I would normally. With the race only days away, the session will have little positive effect and is more likely to leave me fatigued. So I pushed to a point and completed the session feeling both strong and positive about my fitness and leg speed. But by no means was I bent over double at the end of the session.

On Tuesday evening I started to feel a little off colour! It was nothing major, but I could tell my body wasn't 100% healthy. I did all I could to refuel sufficiently and kept my liquid intake high.
I woke up on Wednesday and felt the same. It wasn't quite enough to warrant staying in and as I only had a relaxed 45 minute run planned on Epsom Downs, I carried on as normal. The run was fine but as the afternoon wore on I began to feel worse - my throat was sore and I was extremely tired.

I couldn't believe it - a cold less than four days before an important race. I really wanted to show people that had questioned my result the season before that it wasn't just a fluke, although I'm unsure how you fluke a result in cross- country! I knew that I had very little chance of being in top shape and that my result wouldn't be a fair reflection of the form I'm in.

So for the rest of the week I stayed in, keeping my feet up, eating well, and drinking lots. Thankfully the cold stayed off my chest and hadn't quite developed into full-blown, snot infested, man flu! But I still felt rough, and my throat was quite raw. I ummed and arghhed about whether to run. I wanted to compete but didn't want to make matters worse by turning a one week cold into a three week lay off.
I phoned my coach and explained my situation. As well as wanting to do well in the race, I wanted to qualify to represent Surrey at the Inter Counties in March, the County Champs acting as the trial. A top five spot guarantees selection and with nine in the team a top ten spot could make it, as people often opt out, or are ill and injured. My coach urged me to run if possible, as to miss the race would mean I would most likely miss selection for the Inter Counties!

As soon as he said I should run I stopped all talk about illness. I put my workman's hat on. I had a job to do and moaning about how I felt wasn't going to help me get a top ten finish. I told myself I was in good shape, the days off I'd had trying to get over my cold were a thorough rest, so my legs would feel as fresh as ever come race day. I was determined to go out and do my best, to get the result I needed.

I woke on Saturday morning to a heavy frost. I wasn't sure if it was a blessing or not. I normally like a bit of mud to break up the rhythm and allow my strength to show through. With the frost it would be hard under foot, making the race faster but with my cold this could be a good thing. I wouldn't work my body quite as hard, which would hopefully prevent my illness from taking hold of my race performance.

I kept myself busy, preparing my kit and sorting my food and drink out, distracting my mind from how I was feeling. I took myself off to the race on my own and early. If I'm waiting on others I get agitated. My pre-race stress levels seem to only show their face when I'm travelling to a race. Once I'm there I relax and can get focused again.
During my warm up I didn't feel great, but I was really well wrapped up and rarely feel good running when I'm not in shorts and t-shirt. I was ready to go.
As I knew a top ten place would be good enough that's the pace goal I set myself. I didn't need to be up the front. If I could keep myself inside the top ten, I would be working my body as little as possible. The easier I took it the less chance there was of my body giving into the bug.

Once the gun went and things settled down I actually felt full of running. But with seven and a half miles to go I kept a lid on things in about 9th place.
I was just focussing on running, my position in the race and on staying relaxed and in control of what I was doing. I was ticking off the miles maintaining my top ten spot. I felt comfortable with how things were progressing.

With a lap to go I suddenly became aware of a group gaining from behind. I suddenly fell back as I was overtaken. 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, I had to do something, 13th was not good enough. I dug in and used a down hill section to re-overtake and moved myself up to 8th. From then on I didn't look back. It was 'head down grind it out' running. I focused solely on the runners I could see ahead. If I could gain on them it would hopefully pull me away from the others.

It seemed to do the trick. With a mile to go I was clear in 8th and all I had to do was bring it home, which I did. I was exhausted and my warm down was a run back to my car, as any more would have finished me off. As evening came I was over taken by the dreaded man flu. My nose was snotty, I was hot although felt cold, but I was content and happy. I was almost as pleased with my performance this year as I was last. I did a job, I set myself a target and I achieved that target. I hadn't let negativity affect me. It was a real mind over matter job and gave me a real satisfaction. Now my focus turns to my handkerchief and resting. The quicker I get over this, the quicker I can start planning for the next big race and another opportunity to show the shape I'm really in.

Monday 22nd - Sunday 28th of December

2009-02-03T06:47:00.000-08:00

This week is probably (psychologically speaking) one, of the toughest weeks of the year to be out running. Everyone else seems full of Christmas spirit, be it Sambuca or malt whiskey! The house is cosy, the fire is on and the Christmas tree stands sparkling in the corner, but I’ve got to go out and run!

The week took on a different shape to normal because of Christmas, but began with my normal 40 and 30-minute runs on Monday, and my Tuesday morning easy 30 minutes.

With temperatures in minus figures in the evening Tuesday’s session was hard work. To start with the track is slippery, meaning you’re constantly concerned that injury may lie around the next bend, and you have a major lack of grip, thus slowing you down. The temperature also means your muscles aren’t as pliable as normal, forcing you to make shorter stride lengths and therefore slower times. Your body is taking in lungfuls of freezing cold air, which it has to heat, leading to wasted energy and greater fatigue. Getting your body temperature right is also difficult. The more clothes you put on the warmer you get, but your natural body movement is hindered by every extra layer, even when I use the equation ((clothing + temperature) x session length) / how tired I get = optimum training performance!

The session was actually not that bad, but I was suitably tired on its conclusion. I know because the next day my legs didn’t want to move, 20 minutes felt more like an hour. But it did its usual magic trick and left me feeling fine for my evening 50 minutes. It’s like I start the day using my Grandmas legs, whilst mine stay tucked up in bed resting, ready to perform as normal less than 10 hours later.

My coach Robin Dixon gave me an early Christmas present. When he set my weeks training on Tuesday he gave me Christmas afternoon off. After a steady five miles I was instructed to have my Christmas dinner then put my feet up in front of the fire. Which sadly meant I couldn’t help clear away the 12 dirty dinner plates, three roasting tins, multiple utensils and any other dish my Mum could lay her hands on. I guess that’s why little brothers were invented!

Boxing Day morning was the time for my clubs annual Handicap race on Epsom Downs. A three-mile blast that pits seasoned distance runners against the clubs shot putters, sprinters and dodgy veteran athletes that have done way more training than they let on. I’d love to win this race, the pride, the honour, the achievement and the fact you get a blooming big trophy! Sadly I never stand a chance, the others are off well before I’m called to the start. Some have already completed their first lap before I set off, and in a two-lap race it means I’ve lost before I even start! To try and get my self a favourable start time, this year I dressed as Santa. I told the timekeepers I was over 300 years old and that I’d just had a very busy day! But they quickly saw through my cunning disguise, I must have been the skinniest Santa ever seen!

So I set off dead last and didn’t win, but I had a great run, I felt fast and really enjoyed myself. I don’t think any dog walkers and bike riders cheered anyone else on, and I’m almost positive they didn’t have their photo taken by complete strangers. I had to console myself with the idea of being the fastest Santa in the land, especially as a close friend and bitter rival had won. He took great pride in informing me that he’d been finish for couple of minutes, and has phoned me regularly ever since to bask in his glory!

The next day it was back to business and a seriously hard session to complete on my own. I was back in my normal running kit, much more practical but not as much fun! My coach set me a 20 minute warm up to be followed by a 15 minute tempo to be completed over undulating terrain. After a 5 min recovery I was to find a hill, and run up and down it 10 times for 45 seconds a rep. This was tricky as I can run a lot further in 45 seconds down hill than I can up hill, but I quickly found by jogging up the hill during my recoveries I found room for both. It was hard work but running downhill really got my speed up. I love downhill running during races so to emulate it in training can only help. The session felt like it had had real benefit. A good endurance base, followed by strength work up the hill and speed work down it.

I finished the week with a shorter than usual run on Sunday. Only ten miles was set, as I start to ease back ready for the County Champs the next weekend. My body is looking forward to an easier week, as am I. I don’t have to push myself out the door so often and for nowhere near as long, which makes me more relaxed. I’m not constantly thinking about my next run, when I’m going to do it and how soon I have to recover from it before I have to go out again. Time to re-ignite my Christmas sprit!

Monday 15th - Sunday 21st of December

2009-01-21T10:10:00.000-08:00

This week I was focusing all my efforts on the weekend's race, the South of the Thames Senior Cross Country.
I was looking forward to testing myself against good opposition and racing over seven and a half miles, which is what I would face at the County Champs in the New Year. It would be good preparation for me pre Christmas, as post Christmas the important races come thick and fast.

What I took away from the race was slightly different to what I had expected. The lesson that thorough pre-race preparation is key and that silly, little problems can become bigger problems quite easily, was really drummed home.

I still had a full week's training planned; the first half would follow my normal programme with the second half of the week being more 'easy state' running, so as to be slightly fresher by race day.

Monday was my now 'set in stone', 40 and 30 minute runs and I felt quite relaxed and flowing (my race the day before had obviously
blown away the cobwebs!)

Tuesday was my usual easy run before the evening’s group session.
For our speed session, we headed back to Ham Gate in Richmond Park.
I was looking forward to this long, hard session. I had eased myself into it when I first took it on a month ago. This time I was confident I could complete it and I knew I was running well, so a good blow out was in the offing. During the session we alternated between full laps of 1700 metres and broken laps of 800 and 1200 metres with 100 metres recovery. We would run each twice.
I was feeling good and was at the front helping set the pace. The first set was no problem. I much preferred the full loop and feel happier the further we go, but I gained some enjoyment from getting my legs turning over during the 800's. The faster you can run over shorter distances, the faster you can run over longer ones!
As we finished the first set I was aware that I could feel the beginnings of a dreaded stitch coming on. I decided to play dumb and ignore it, setting the same pace as before. Half way round, I was in a lot of discomfort but decided to try and stick it out. I was having trouble breathing which is not what you want when you’re working hard.
I nearly made it to the end of the rep, but I had to stop. I couldn't hold my normal running form and was getting slower. I decided to cut my losses on this rep and recuperated for the final split lap. That
decision paid off, as by the time we set off, it had all but cleared. I was a bit cagey during the first of the final reps, allowing the stitch to clear fully, but then finished the session strongly.
I went away satisfied that I was in good shape. Stitches happen and I wasn't unduly worried about Saturday's race.

For the rest of the week it was just easy running. Just 40 and 20 minutes on Wednesday, which gave me more time to recover from Tuesday's session.

Thursday was a 45 and 50 minute run, with a final 20 minute trot on Friday with my pre race strides included. I started to get excited about how I might run in the race. I was a little fatigued and didn't want to be as rested as I would be come the County Champs, but I knew a good performance was in the offing. I just had to do it!

My lesson was learnt and my problems all started during my warm up. Usually I'll jog round the course. It allows me to take a look at the underfoot conditions and terrain. It's a bit like a formula one driver's warm up lap. They check the circuit conditions and make any changes that are needed to their set up. However, for some reason I decided not to run the course. I took my own route away from the course and found the conditions to be a little muddy and wet and hence assumed the race conditions would be the same.
I was wrong. As a result of my warm up, I changed my shoe set up. I placed six, shinny, new 12-millimetre spikelets into my running spikes. They would surely see me fly through the mud unscathed. I had noticed that there was a stony patch just after the start, but I knew that we quickly turned off it so there would be little damage done.

I got off to a good start, was in the lead group and I was right, we soon turned of the path and onto a soft grass field. I was feeling comfortable. I knew the pace was quick but it wasn't too quick for me to handle.
We were soon heading downhill through large muddy patches. I felt I'd made the right choice of footwear and was slipping about much less than my rivals. I sat in the pack and waited.

My joy was short lived as we turned off the muddy track onto another stony path. Unlike the first path, which lasted a little over a hundred metres, this one went on for the rest of the lap - well over a mile. The extra grip I hoped to gain with my long spikes was useless on the hard ground. I was the one slipping as my spikes stood proud unable to press into the surface. I started to slip back from the leaders. As we came to the end of the first lap I was still hanging onto a top ten position but I could feel that my left foot wasn't happy - the early pain signals that a blister was forming.
I carried on but the pain quickly got worse, even when the terrain was in my favour. It felt as if something was in my shoe. Not only did I have the wrong spikes in, I also had a massive blister to deal with.

When we hit the stony path again every step was agony.
I thought I'd just try to make it back to the start and see if I could make the final lap but on the hard ground the pain was much worse. I knew I had to stop and see what was happening in my shoe. As we turned the corner I saw my chance, a park bench.
People streamed past as I took my shoe off, finding no stone or dirt. I took my sock off finding nothing but a big blister down the middle of the sole of my foot. Then it hit me! My spikes were pushing through the bottom of my shoe causing the blister. I looked at my spikes and sure enough they were all bent in various directions, indicating they were pushing through. It's amazing how something so pathetic can cause such pain. I walked and jogged back, falling, like the non-existent stone in my shoe, back through the field. I managed to jog a little, very slowly in my spikes, so decided I could change into my trainers and complete the race.

With more cushioning and no spikes pushing through the pain was greatly eased. I got back into something resembling race pace, and was soon re over taking, finishing somewhere mid field.
Frustrated is an understatement! I was annoyed I'd made such a stupid mistake and that something so minor had snowballed. Not only was
it going to affect this race but it was likely to affect the amount and quality of my running next week.

A lesson that I already knew was well and truly re-learned, namely “Don't take things for granted. Check everything for yourself, leave no stone unturned” (Even if they’re not in your shoe!).
But I'd shown myself I had a high pain threshold - a two inch blister proved this.

By finishing the race, my team of twelve finished third (in the twelve to score) event.
All that's left is to deal with the fluid filled blister. I just hope that once I pop, I don't stop!

Training Mon 8th - Sun 14th December

2009-01-19T09:42:00.000-08:00

Having sampled the good life over the weekend, I eased my way back into training on Monday.
Relaxed and switched off from running, even though it was for just three days, I discovered my body was ready, but my head was still on holiday. It was a case of just forcing myself outside in my trainers.
Once I was there, it was easy to put one foot in front of the other and start running. Thankfully I managed to get myself outside twice for both my scheduled runs, and I felt OK.

Tuesday was cold all day. I went for a gentle run during daylight hours and ice was forming on cars so I knew by the evening track session it was going to be freezing. I wasn't wrong!
I went through my usual warm-up routine, but I think warming up was a little optimistic. I decided to take my time getting into the session, allowing my body enough time to adjust to the weather and the speed at which I wanted to run.

We were set a split session of 4 x 1000 metres followed by 6 x 300 metres. I was a little anxious, as the track was getting icy. I thought I'd be OK during the 1000 metre reps but the increased speed and forces required for the 300s would cause my footing to slip every time I pushed off. The first part, as I had anticipated, went well. I was pleased to clock around 3 minutes per kilometre given the conditions, but I struggled when I tried to sprint. I have a very long stride, which, by the laws of physics, requires a greater load or force to be transferred between my toe and the ground, but heightens the lack of grip I had on the track. My leg would slip out from under me with every stride. This meant my times were slow, but I was more aware of my hamstrings tightening. I was using my legs in an unfamiliar manner and they didn't like it. I only just completed the session, did a thorough warm down and hoped for the best on Wednesday morning.

With only one run planned on Wednesday I knew it could wait till the evening, giving my legs more time to recover. My hamstrings were stiff but nothing too serious. I decided to do a very gentle ten minutes in the morning to loosen them up. That, combined with lots of stretching whenever I could during the day, meant I had a pain free 70 minute run in the evening.

Having taken some time off I really wanted to push things on this week. So my coach upped my tempo session to 25 minutes of fast running. I really enjoyed the extra time I had working hard. I had to be careful not to over cook it, which I didn't, and felt strong and relatively controlled throughout. I had a race planned for Sunday but I wanted to train into it, so joined my club for a 50 minute run on Thursday evening and another one Friday.

Saturday saw another session in Richmond Park, which normally I wouldn't do with a race the next day, but as I wanted to train through to the race I turned up in the pouring rain, and ran a slightly reduced session. I didn't want to be completely knackered for my race and the conditions, due the bitter cold wind, were almost unbearable. I ran the 10-minute tempo and 10 one-minute hill reps within myself. I was pushing my body, just not to the limit.

Sunday was the Hogs Back road race in Guildford, an eight-mile race that involves nearly two miles of continuous hill climbing.
I was looking forward to it, the weather was still cold and my body was a little tired but my mind was focused and I wanted to put in a strong performance.

The race didn't really get going until we began the climb. There was a big group of us that splintered with the first attack. As soon as the gradient changed the pace was upped and it was soon down to a group of three. I felt OK but knew I couldn't go any faster. I was in a good rhythm but I was vulnerable to another increase in pace. That change soon followed and I was left to battle for second place. We reached the top of the climb half a minute down and I was looking forward to the fast decent that followed, but nothing happened. Normally my legs just flow, allowing the gradient to speed me up and I start flying. But my legs wouldn't go as fast as normal. I couldn't open up my stride length and second place got away from me. I still felt strong and had my rhythm I just didn't have that extra bit of speed I needed to compete. Once we were on the flat I slowly began to gain on second, and in turn we gained on first but it was too little too late, and I finished third. However, I wasn't dejected.
I had trained hard and well all week, and my aim was to run strongly, which I did. So I went away happy - I guess you just can’t win them all!

Training Mon 1st December - Sun 7th December

2009-01-08T10:49:00.000-08:00

I've been feeling a little low of late, running-wise.
It's often been a struggle to get out the door and go running. I've felt tired and low on energy. My running, when I do make it out of the door, is solid but not spectacular.

I think it's the mid-winter blues! The days are short and the nights are cold. I've been in need of a change of scene and a short break to revitalise me. I know I love running, but sometimes I question this.
Especially when it's seven in the evening, freezing cold outside, while everyone is sitting around the fire watching TV and eating sweets, I have to out and do a ten mile run.

So a weekend in the party capital of the south coast, Swanage, will do me wonders!!
Having decided to take three days off, I was determined that I was going to work hard, so that when I took my break I really needed it.

I didn't change my mileage - I just pushed that bit harder on nearly every run. I'm a quality not quantity type of runner. I use easy runs to just turn over the legs and I try to keep away from logging up a lot of junk miles. I hoped that by going for quality and quantity for four days I don't fall into the 'junk miles' trap.

Monday was my usual forty and thirty minute runs. I just went further than normal, which was fine, but having run the same routes for years, knowing which route takes how long, I suddenly found I'd finished my loop but still had five minutes to go. I read an article by Paula Radcliffe years ago and she stated that if she was set a timed run and completed her route quicker than she planned she would run round the block till the time elapsed!
I've stuck with that idea ever since. The trouble is, my block takes less than thirty seconds to run round, so a new problem, in the guise of a dizzy spell, has now come into play!

I took Tuesday morning’s run relatively slowly so I still had some pace for the evening session - hill reps. It was a really cold night and I got lost in the fog of my own breath on more than one occasion. The hill (in Rayne's Park) that runs up to the Ridge Way that joins up to Wimbledon Village, takes about two minutes to run up, and we had to do it 12 times.
The climb starts slowly, so the speedsters always hit the front. I always like to hold back and then really work hard during the second half where the climb steepens dramatically. I like getting towed along the flatter, faster, lower section and to then work on my power and strength on the steeper section. I like to do the same in races using inclines as areas to push on, so imitating it in training can only help.

On Wednesday I was a little stiff and my morning twenty-minute stretch out run was torture. I could hear my muscles cracking and my bones creaking as the stiffness that had set in over night was eased out. But it always seems worth it by the evening. My legs are now far more pliable and I shot round my hour's run, enjoying the fact I managed to squeeze it in before dark, meaning I too could stay by the fire watching TV and eating sweets!

Thursday was a morning twenty-minute tempo run. I felt OK and it was a solid run. It was one of those runs where you cover the same ground as normal, it just seems a bit more of an effort than previously.
It is quite satisfying when you can still compete to the same level as when you felt fresh and full of running, which proves to me I've got a good strength and fitness base behind me.

I'd actually really enjoyed my running this week, but even so I knew that a short break would do me good. I was determined not to let the guilty feeling runners get when they miss sessions get the better of me. I had a nagging feeling on Friday morning but the craziness of Swanage kept me busy. Tearooms, steam train rides, penny falls, and walks on the beach - they had it all! It was just what I needed. I relaxed, ate lots of food and forgot about running for a weekend. It also gave me a big shot of pre-Christmas spirit that I'm sure will last me through to the New Year and hopefully beyond. I just need to make sure I remember where I left my trainers on Thursday evening!

Training Mon 24th November - Sun 30th November

2008-12-18T07:35:00.000-08:00

So my little toe is still not happy!! It's surprising that an angry wound on a swollen toe didn't take to a ten-mile race through muddy and sandy bogs a little better! I got no sleep Sunday night as every time my toe touched the duvet I woke up. I tried to create some form of elevated leg sling, but only succeeded in waking the rest of the house.

Monday’s training was a no go. I spent the day covered in salt water and TCP! But it seemed to be helping. The wound was healing a bit and the swelling had all but disappeared. I forgot about Tuesdays easy morning run and put all my toes efforts on completing the evening track session. Far from being able to ease the toe in, I was faced with an increased workload. My coach had upped our total session distance from the usual six or seven thousand metres, to ten thousand, which is quite a jump! But I was game, and thankfully much like my trail race it was freezing cold, which numbed my toe a treat.

No sense, no feeling - just like the head of a long distance runner! The ten thousand meters was broken up into an initial 3 x 1600m, a 1200m, another 1600m, an 800 and a final 1600. When the format was read out it all sounded a bit daunting, big distance, lots of reps, and too much to remember! However, the impact was softened by alternating the reps between a hard and a steady/hard pace. It was actually quite enjoyable. I was able to relax and recover on the slower reps then regain focus for the hard ones. I was hitting the targets and feeling good throughout. But it was tough. The distance slowly wore you down, you could really feel it on the last couple and I knew I was working hard and ready to blow on our last lap.

For me this was closer to replicating a race progression, namely a longer, slower progression of fatigue. The oxygen dept and lactate build up only come through strongly close to the end of the run.

Pacing was also crucial much like an actual race. In a shorter session you can get away with pacing too fast, but in a session of this length any over-exertion is going to cause the pain to be two fold at the end. As for the toe, I only became aware of it on the last rep, but by that time everything was hurting a bit, from my head to my toes, so it just joined the queue! For the rest of the week toe-wise it was a case of slow healing. Each run knocked the recovery back a bit, but in between sessions things were looking a lot better, the situation was being managed well, eventually it would be fully healed.

Training got back to normality. Long recovery runs on Wednesday, and a fifty-minute run, incorporating 10 x 1 minute efforts, on Thursday, followed by easy runs on Thursday and Friday evening.
Saturday’s session in Richmond Park was a hard 15-minute tempo run, 5 on the steepest and slippiest hill in the whole of London! and a final 5-minute tempo to finish. All aided by a strong, freezing cold wind. It was one of those days I wish I'd parked much closer to the park. In between reps and on my cool down I was dreaming of my car and its heater. But the work got done and it should all toughen me up. I closed the week with a mid-afternoon 90 minutes on Sunday. The sun was shinning, I felt no pain from my toe, I was relaxed and really enjoying my running. If it could be like that every time, I'd be a truly happy runner!

Mon 17th of November - Sun 23rd of November

2008-12-15T10:52:00.001-08:00

This week I was ready to continue the good progress I'd made already this winter. I had another race on Sunday and having performed reasonably well in my double header race, I was looking to put in a solid weeks training, finishing it off with another strong race performance at the Saab Salomon Turbo X trail run. But my week didn't quite go to plan.

It all started well enough, with a couple of easy recovery runs on Monday, and a reasonably solid Tuesday speed session on the road. Running the same session as a month ago, 6 x 1400 on the road, I was able to complete each rep between five and ten seconds faster than my previous attempt. Things were looking up. However, this all changed during Wednesday mornings innocent looking twenty minute recovery run.

It's annoying when you get injured, but its part and parcel of athletics. You expect a muscle pull or a tight tendon and taking time out is the only way to recover, but to take time out for a blister seems ridiculous. Even more ridiculous is when it's because you're wearing a novelty pair of socks, just because you've been too lazy to wash your stinky running socks! But that's what happened, and to make matters worse the blister got torn off during my longer afternoon run, and the muddy off road nature of the run did me no favours. An infected swollen toe kept me out of action for two days. It didn't even look that bad so I got no sympathy, not even from my Mummy! But it really blooming hurt. I wore flip-flops everywhere, which looked quite odd in Asda in the middle of winter!

With a race on Sunday I was eager to see if I could run on my bad foot, so I turned up for training on Saturday morning. It was not feeling good during the warm up. Every step was painful, and I feared it would get worse when we ran faster. Amazingly it actually felt better when we were going for it. The extra force was pushing my toes flatter as I landed, meaning the toe was prevented from rubbing on the inside of my shoe. So I gave myself the OK to race, all I had to do was alter my warm up.

Sunday morning came round and I prepared for the race. As it was to be a trail race with lots of mud and water I plastered up my toe and attempted to waterproof it with duck tape! All in all, a highly scientific bit of bodge work. I then opened the curtains to have a look at what conditions we'd be running in - SNOW!

Driving to the race I was well aware that it was going to be a cold one, and it truly was. One slight benefit was that as soon as my bad toe got dunked in the first puddle it was immediately frozen and numbed to any pain, but I just couldn't get the rest of me going.
I was stuck in second gear and as much as I wanted to press the accelerator, to keep up with the leaders, there was just nothing there to press. I was OK in third wading through puddles with shards of ice floating about, climbing over sand banks and through thick mud, until I fell over. I managed to fall into the deepest coldest puddle on the course. I went in head first, and came out frozen, soaking wet and covered in a strange sand coloured gloop!
I completely lost it from then on. I was cold and not very happy and I had no confidence going into any puddle, “tippy-toeing” my way through, losing masses of time but ensuring I stayed upright. I got through the rest of the race ok, but was frozen. I changed quickly into two t-shirts, two fleece tops, a gillet, coat, hat and two pairs of gloves and socks. With the heater on full I was just about thawed out by the time I was home. Now I'm dry I can look back and admit I actually enjoyed it, but I don't think my foot did. As I thawed out, the pain got worse. My toe was not happy and let me know all day and night. But I'd do it again. I just hope I still have ten toes to do it with!

Training 10th - 16th November

2008-11-27T11:08:00.000-08:00

Yet again the races were coming thick and fast. I had another two this weekend, the South of the Thames Junior and Hell Runner!

Although I wanted to do well, I wasn't prepared to sacrifice a weeks training for them. If anything, I thought I'd work harder in training to see how well I coped running on tired legs. I hoped that the extra strength work I'd been doing at the gym would pay dividends, and ensure that I didn't 'wash out' in either race.

So my week followed it's tried and tested format. Seventy minutes worth of running over two runs on Monday, for which I was feeling great, running freely and feeling fresh. Tuesday’s easy thirty-minutes before track in the evening. The session was broken in two, something we haven't done since the end of the summer.
To start, we tackled four 1200 metre reps. I was comfortable with this part. I was feeling relaxed even though I was working hard. Then the fun was over, 400 metre reps followed, 5 of them. One lap to a distance slogger like me seems hardly worth bothering about. I struggle to get my legs spinning round fast enough in the summer, so knocking them out on a cold damp night wasn't going to be fun. I started off well but was soon put in my place by the sheer speed of Great Britain's Olympic 1500 metre representative Susann Scott who has been training with us recently. Her body's well used to reeling off quick 400 metre laps whereas mine is happier doing an hour or more in the mud. I did all I could for the remainder of the session to keep in her slipstream. The final 100 metres were the worst. The group would take flight off the final bend almost effortlessly, whilst I was very much putting in the effort! My legs were all at sea. Running fast is not my strong point, but I actually came away from the session happy. I'd kept the same pace throughout and was pleased with how I'd coped with a mid winter burn up.

Wednesday morning run is always hard after having pushed myself on Tuesday - my legs are always tired and a little stiff. Having made my little legs move round so fast on Tuesday, this mornings run was particularly painful. But I got it done, and it makes my evening run so much easier. Your legs are no longer heavy and the stiffness has eased, you enjoy it so much more because of how easy it feels in comparison to the first run of the day.

Thursday was back to my old favourite 15/15/15. 15 minutes warm up, 15 minutes tempo, 15 minutes warm down. I felt particularly strong and covered more ground than normal during the tempo without pushing myself any harder than I'd done in previous weeks. A sure sign that I'm getting stronger. Rather than do my normal pre-race easy run with strides I decided to take Friday off. I've not had a complete days rest in at least a month so decided that it would probably do me good to take a break. All work and no play makes Will a very dull boy!

Saturdays race was five miles of cross-country fun in Croydon! I love racing in Lloyd Park. Most of my friends hate it because it's hard to get any rhythm due to its undulations, adverse cambers and of course its mud but I love it because of those things. On the start line I noticed two local international runners, Messrs Wicks and Warnby. I knew I had to be on top of my game to challenge them, so didn't fancy my chances after a heavy week. The gun went bang, I was suddenly in the zone. I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up for the whole race but wanted to see how far I could get. I could just about see them throughout the first lap, but as soon as it was over, so was I.
I slipped out of my zone and the going got hard. I struggled up the hills and couldn't get myself going on the flat. It was as if my body had shut down, saving my engine for another race. I couldn't get my head together and slipped back from third to fifth. I knew I was more than capable of beating the two who'd past me but I just couldn't do it today.

I was quite frustrated, as well as anxious ahead of Sunday's Hell Runner. I'd struggled for pace and my personal “Achilles heal” was the hills. Hell Runner was all about hills, as well as running through bogs, lakes and sand!
I was more relaxed on Sunday morning. The race was to be a bit of fun, something different to my normal long Sunday slog. There was a friendly atmosphere and I felt more comfortable towing the line than I had the day before. In the back of my mind I had the memory of struggling in the second half of the race, and as we had over ten miles to cover I decided to sit off the pace.

I felt OK as I pulled away from the pack behind the leader. I followed him closely through the first technical section. I nearly went A*%! over T*t! and quickly decided at that point to hit the front so I could see what I was doing. As the whole race was run around Longmore Army base the course was very tricky. Tanks had churned everything up and the largest puddles I've ever seen had formed everywhere. I got into a rhythm of sorts and pulled away. I enjoyed every second. You have to concentrate the whole way or you are bound to fall. You are constantly looking at your foot placement as well as looking ahead for the quickest, safest and driest route. I even loved the fifty-metre long bog section. The spectators had gathered, I suspect to laugh at us fools getting very, very wet and muddy. The water soon rose to my armpits and as the crowd cheered and laughed, I decided wading through was too slow, front crawl was the only option. This delighted the crowd and spurred me on. It was soon over, there was just three miles of fun to go, and I wish it could have been more.

I was happy to win, but I was more pleased with how I'd bounced back from a disappointing run the day before. It was just one of those days where things just didn't quite click. But it's over and the race wasn't really that important to me. What is important to me is that I'm training well and I'm illness and injury free.

Training 3rd November - 9th November + Race

2008-11-20T11:47:00.000-08:00

As the days get shorter and colder my love for running gets larger. I can't describe the satisfaction I get from finishing a run plastered in mud from top to bottom. I much prefer donning my gloves in winter than my sunglasses in the summer. I get a heightened sense of achievement running in the wind and rain knowing that the average “joe” would never be out running when the temperature gets into minus figures - it makes me feel special, different.

The fact that I can really feel my fitness improving also helps. I feel so much stronger than I did just two months ago. My level of fatigue on my longer slower runs is much less, and my faster sessions are just that, faster! Being in the middle of a spell of racing also does its bit. I'd gone for so long without racing that I'd lost a little hunger and passion. I begin to get excited a few days before each race, which aids my training. You have that bit more bounce in your legs, you have a goal to aim for and that inspires you. Post race as long as things have gone well, which 'touch wood' they have so far, you get a high which spurs you on for a few days after the race. You've run well, and now your training well, it's all money in the bank so when the next race comes, you'll be even better. Due to racing every weekend for a month I'm on a continuous roundabout. I get inspired by my race Thursday Friday Saturday, I do my race, then bask in the glory on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday!

This week’s goal was the second cross-country league match. Having won the first race I wanted to keep it going but knew I would face tough opposition in the guise of John Hamblen, who'd run me close in the first race, and beaten my time in the relay last weekend.
However, I was confident with an easier finish to my weeks training I would feel fresher and stronger than last week.

Three steady runs on Monday and Tuesday morning eased out the legs after a weekends racing, and prepared them for a long speed session Tuesday night. It was to be the infamous 'Ham Gate' session in Richmond Park. I'd been told about this beast of a run back in the summer! It included a long three-mile warm up, through a pitch black Richmond Park, which is surprisingly busy with cyclists and dog walkers, even though you could barely see your hand in front of your face. The session involved a loop broken into two sections of 800 and 1200 metres, completed four times. It was easily the longest speed session I'd ever done, but I felt quite good throughout, keeping a little bit back for Saturdays race. We then had to run home, this time not through the park. We'd apparently got out just in time during our warm up as there was a dear cull going on!! If it moves they'll shoot it. I didn't fancy explaining that particular injury to the physio!

On Wednesday, as with last week, I did an easy short morning run to shake out the stiffness from the night before. I then headed down to the gym to work on my legs. I felt a lot happier with what I was doing this time round. I was more disciplined with weight levels, rep numbers and recoveries. This all meant I felt no soreness, unlike last week. My body and my mind quickly got into the grove of including leg based weights exercises into my routine, which psychologically made me feel stronger and more powerful than last week. I finished the day with a strong fifty minute run, through lots of mud and lots of puddles - great practice for the weekends cross country, especially as the weather reports didn't look good.

Thursday’s tempo session was cut back by my coach into ten x thirty second sprints with thirty seconds recovery. As with Wednesdays run I went off road and really enjoyed flying through the mud during my sprints. I frightened the living daylights out of two dog walkers and a little bambie, who's lucky enough to reside on Epsom Common rather than the 'shoot em up' that is Richmond Park! An easy run Thursday night and another short easy run Friday with my pre race ritual of three times thirty second strides and I was ready for the weekends race.

All Saturday morning the rain fell like it was going out of fashion. I wasn't worried for the race, but I hate warming up in the rain as everything gets wet and cold. You’re then expected to use your frozen hands to pin on your number and tie up your spikes laces, which takes five times as long when you cant feel your fingers. Thankfully, as if by magic, when we pulled into the car park the sun started shining, so we all happily warmed up and got ready for the race.

I was feeling a little nervous, I really wanted to win, and that was adding extra pressure. As I did my final few strides in preparation I noticed my adversary Mr Hamblen. Then I noticed he was wearing his jeans and was obviously not running! It was as if a weight had been lifted. I knew my task had been made easier, a cold had forced him out, but I slightly wished we could have had a good old churn up between us.

As soon as we were called to the start the heavens reopened. I didn't mind one bit, it would make the race more fun, and I knew all my clothes were safely packed away in my highly professional black bin bag, for which I had been mocked due to it’s lack of style and old woman nature, but at least when I got back, my clothes would still be dry!

I ran the race in a really relaxed fashion, taking the lead after about a mile and pulling ahead, gaining a nice cushion that meant I finished comfortably in one piece. I was really disappointed I didn't have my challenger as the course suited me down to the ground. Steep climbs, fast furious descents, mud, puddles, and rhythm breaking twists and turns. I loved every second. My joy was complete when the rain stopped just in time for me to put my nice dry cloths back on. A perfect days racing!

Come Sunday morning I really noticed the difference to finishing a race comfortably rather than on your knees. I flew round my long run, reminding myself not to push too hard. That post race high was working well - long may it continue.

Training 27th of October - 2nd November

2008-11-13T08:10:00.000-08:00

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!

Traing 20th - 26th October + Great South Race

2008-11-06T04:54:00.000-08:00

When I plan my race schedule I try to make sure there is a mix of important races that I want to be at my best for, and lesser races that I can train hard before, and use to keep my racing brain in gear. I always plan well ahead for the bigger races, entering months in advance, telling myself I have weeks ahead of me to get into top shape. So far for me, it has very rarely worked out that I have towed the line for a big race and felt in top form, both physically and mentally. Possibly it's a bit more of a mental problem. When you think back on the training you've done, (one, two three weeks before), it's the missed sessions or the below par runs that you tend to remember, not the days of double sessions and quality workouts. But leading up to the Great South Run on Sunday I was actually feeling very positive. I knew that I was in good shape, that I had missed or changed very few planned workouts recently, and had set myself a realistic and obtainable goal for the race.

My weeks’ training was fairly relaxed. Having felt so good on Sunday's long run I allowed my body to dictate my pace on my two Monday runs, rather than my watch. It worked well as I again felt really fast and strong, but unbelievably relaxed. Tuesday's track session involved a fair bit of sandbagging by me. I didn't want to push myself into any sort of difficulty, especially as it was a freezing cold night, and there was little to gain and much more to lose. I went straight to the back where I stayed for the entire session. Happily ploughing through the session of six, one kilometre repetitions, I felt ok. The cold was slightly affecting my breathing, and taking in less oxygen meant that the times were slower and the session harder. But I was not flat out on my back at the end of the run, and was beginning to feel more comfortable training in the cold conditions.

The rest of the week was my usual pre-race diet of steady runs, cold baths, stretching and vast amounts of sleep. If there is an opportunity to sleep I’ll grab it. (A blossoming career as a mattress tester I'm sure is beckoning!)
I was feeling confident and excited about the challenge of racing ten miles. I haven’t raced a distance more than ten kilometres for a while, and knew that it was important to hit my target pace early on, as there is a long way to go if you get it all wrong. And as if the pressure of competing well wasn't enough, I’d entered into a big stakes bet on the outcome of the race. It was a battle of the couples, having taken on the might of Mark and Emily Alden (two close friends of mine from my athletics club - both very keen runners), along side my girlfriend Vicky, who to my disgust describes herself as a jogger not a runner, and who in the last four weeks had run only four times! The pressure was on!

Having woken all week to bright sunshine I was disappointed to wake up to rain. Annoying for the race, but more of a pain pre-race. With twenty thousand people running it's hard to get a proper warm up, as you need to be in position in your starting pen well ahead of the start time, and dressed ready to race. So standing in the pouring rain was going to be a very unhelpful. A couple of designer bin bags made sure I was dry on the start line, and a dodgy old t-shirt helped ensure I was reasonably warm.

I managed to turn myself into something of a nervous wreck before the race. My nerves always grow on route to a race, and I never settle until I'm at the start. Then I know what's happening and when it will happen. With only one main road into Portsmouth and thousands of cars wanting to get in, the traffic was horrendous. I got worried - I needed a pee - I got more worried. Thankfully we pulled into a multi-storey car park just in time, as my bladder and head were ready to explode. I was reasonably calm, and faffed about as normal, before we set off for the start. We soon took a wrong turning and my nerves grew!
I needed the toilet again and we were in the middle of some housing estate and my nerves grew again. I just wanted to get to the start. I knew I wouldn't be happy until I was there, so I valiantly ditched the girlfriend and my two mates and ran for it! With every step that I got closer to the start, the less nervous I felt. I think it's probably the most wound up I’ve ever been before a race, probably not the best start, but now I felt calm and had enough time to finish my warm up and get focused.

Getting focused was easy. The scale of the event does it for you. TV cameras and helicopters were buzzing overhead and then Paula Radcliff and Co came out ready to start the elite women's race. You feel part of something special, which focuses the mind solely on what you’re there to do, and seeing such great athletes naturally inspires you.

Ten minutes later and it was nearly start time. I'd kept reasonably warm, but due to being hemmed in I was unable to finalise my normal warm up routine, but being a ten-mile race I knew that I could ease into it slightly.
The front of a mass participation event is something of a scrum, but I'd expected that. Everyone wants to be at the front, it's frustrating when you have to fight for position with someone dressed as batman but I guess it's all part of it. Due to the scrum factor the elite athletes from around the world don't have to join us. Five minutes before the start they file out and are able to finish off their warm up, up the empty road ahead, absolutely fine. What I hadn't banked on was a swarm of 'celebrities' and their running buddies assembling right in front of me. I knew there was going to be trouble! Celebs are great for a race, I guess, certainly by raising the profile of a race and for the various charities they represent. But why oh why do they get put out ahead of everyone who can actually run and who want to post good times and finish well??

The gun went bang, and I went nowhere. I was trapped in by the Port Vale football club manager and his posse of mates. I weaved in and out, and then found myself boxed in by some bloke off Casualty. I was getting very frustrated as they happily waved to the crowd. I began to sharpen my elbows then a chink of light appeared and I was almost free, a quick side step past Ewan Thomas, former European 400 meter champion and someone whom I expected to be a bit quicker off the line, and I was finally able to run in a straight line.

Finally free, I made a massive schoolboy error. Knowing I was behind schedule and way off a number of athletes I had hoped to be competing with, I started pushing hard. For two miles I felt great. I was picking off people and slowly making headway but I was running nearly thirty seconds a mile faster than I had planned. I soon ran into trouble. I backed off to my planned pace, hoping I'd recover. I made it to mile six just behind schedule, but for the next four miles I started slowing. My legs were shot, and I was finding the going tough. I was furious with myself, as I'd lost much more time by pushing too hard than I did stuck behind “blokey” from Casualty. I was gutted at the end, and the workers handing out medals couldn't understand why someone finishing so high up in the field could be so grumpy. But I was, and to add insult to injury I lost my bet, even though my girlfriend ran a nine minute personal best, we finished just shy of my friends combined time. I blame no one but myself. It's a lesson hard learnt in pacing, and from now on I will beg, steal and borrow my way into the elite start. Either that or go on big brother and get into the 'celeb' start. I'll have plenty of time to deliberate my mistakes as I pay off my loosing bet - a three-course meal lovingly prepared by my own fair hands!! It’s one thing after another with me - I HATE cooking!

Training 13th - 19th October

2008-11-03T06:07:00.000-08:00

I went to bed on Saturday, pleased with my race, looking to push on the next day with a long run and a full weeks worth of quality training. This plan was somewhat hindered by the agro my legs were giving me when I woke up - a result of my sprint finish the day before.
Having not sprinted at full pelt for quite a while my legs took offence to my wanting them to work to their maximum. I know from playing football and tennis that my legs don't like doing things out of their norm. They are used to the levels of stress they are put under whilst pounding out the miles, but not sprinting one hundred yards. It caused an excess amount of stretching to my legs, particularly my quads, which left me as stiff as an old board on Sunday, and rather than pushing on during my long run, it was a case of going through the motions and doing as much as I could stand.
This was frustrating, to say the least.
Monday’s training was slow. This was partly so I didn't damage my muscles further and partly because I don't think I could have gone any faster. A lot of stretching and self massage went on, as well as a number of hot baths, so hot they left me sweatier than after a hard run! All of this, to loosen up the angry muscle fibres.
By Tuesday my legs felt suppler. I took my morning run extra carefully so that my legs would be in some sort of shape to attempt the evening track session, which actually went slightly better than I had expected. I thought I would be off the back of the group before we'd even completed a lap. Hence I was pleased that I was able to grimly hang on to the back of the pack, even taking my stint at pacing a rep at the front. Admittedly, every one sped past with a hundred metres to go, but my times remained constant and my aerobic capacity wasn't drastically stretched - it was just my tight legs letting me down a bit.

After chatting with my coach about my tightness, I never buy a round of drinks! And after his observation of my lack of zip, it was decided that until Saturday I was simply to do a number of easy runs. (Nothing more than fifty minutes, nothing less than thirty). This would enable me to keep up my fitness levels, but also giving my legs some time to recover. A lot more stretching, and hot baths also took place. I'm starting to get worried about our next water bill, what with showers twice a day after training, plus numerous hot and cold baths. I think I'll blame the leaky outside tap!

By Saturday I was almost back to normal. Only a small amount of stiffness remained, but my legs did feel a little jaded, perhaps as a result of having hot baths instead of my favourite revitalising cold ones, as well as an excessive amount of stretching which can fatigue muscles slightly. Having said that, the session was solid enough. A stable Saturday diet of tempo running, hill reps and long sprints. I eased back a little during the sprints knowing that the exaggerated stride length and over stretching of my quads lead to my problems this week. But the tempo was solid and my hill reps showed me signs of improvement.
Sunday’s final run of the week was one of the most enjoyable runs I've had in a while. I hadn't actually wanted to do it. I cried off joining the others for the long run in the morning. I felt tired and slightly demotivated, and after drawing back the curtains to reveal a dull damp day, I went back to bed!
By two in the afternoon I still didn't feel much like it but I forced myself. It was a fine line between doing a run and watching the football, but the run won. As soon as I hit the country I felt great. I had a high from actually pushing myself out the door, and it all felt so easy. An hour and a half flew by in no time. It was one of those runs when you almost feel like you could go on forever. You breeze up every hill and fly down the other side. I felt ready for another week’s hard work.

Training 6th-12th October (Plus Race)

2008-10-27T02:39:00.000-07:00

After two long months without a race, there's finally an opportunity to don my racing shoes again. Not only is it a chance to race again but it's the first cross-country meeting of the season, marking the start of competition over my favourite running surface.

There's something different and special about running in the mud, the cold and more often than not, the rain. I love the challenge of it - the more mud and the bigger hills we encounter, the better. It's great to just put your head down and work hard, no lap times or mile markers to worry about, no time comparisons to see how you rank, just you against the course and the opposition on the day.

It's been my longest break from racing whilst uninjured since I was in the junior ranks. I've really enjoyed training hard each weekend and throughout the week, without worrying about easing back for races. As the time has gone on it’s become harder and harder to stop myself from racing in training, be it on my own or during my group workouts. I've found myself comparing my performance during my speed sessions to others in my group, which has been slightly unhelpful. You can never really tell what's going on in training. People will have done varying amounts of training during the week, leading to different levels of fatigue. Or you, or they, may be holding something back, be it due to injury or not wanting to push to the limit, but in a race everything is even, you give your all and see what 'your all' equates to.

With the race on Saturday my coach reduced the mileage for the week slightly, and replaced my Thursday tempo run with just an easy forty-minute run, hoping that my legs would feel fresher and my body stronger. This should mean that I have better tools with which to put in a good performance come race day.
My last hard session was on Tuesday. It was my groups first winter speed session, run on the roads of South West London. What the local residents think is happening when twenty odd people arrive at the corner of their street, and begin to undress to the point of it becoming indecent, god only knows. We all then disappear into the darkness, returning five minuets later, hot, sweaty and gasping for air, repeating the process another five times.
Thankfully we were able to complete the session of five times a mile loop without the police being called! I felt ok during the run, not spectacular but not disastrous. I always like to hold a little more than normal back during my final quality workout before a race. I like my legs to feel strong right to the end, and feel as though there's more to give. So I spent the evening at the back of the group, controlling my efforts in the hope it would leave my body in a better state for the race.
The rest of the week was fine. Just steady state runs and lots of stretching, massaging, (sadly self massage!!), and ice baths. I was a little concerned on Friday as I always like to do the same off road three mile loop the day before a race. I run it really slowly and like to feel my legs bouncing along, and to get that urge to push on. But I felt a little flat, and my legs felt a bit heavy and fatigued. I also always do three thirty second bursts, thankfully my legs felt good when travelling at race pace so my mind was put somewhat at ease.

Race, Division 2 Surrey League:

My legs still didn't feel as fresh and bouncy as I would have hoped for on race day. But mentally I felt great, I had my spikes on, the sun was shining and five months of cross-country fun lay ahead of me.
I got a reasonable start to the race. As the course turned on to a narrow path, I was eager to get towards the front quickly. I was in fifth place as we ran down a twisting path and felt comfortable. I could see the leaders weren't getting away and was content to sit until we reached some playing fields at the bottom of the hill. I moved up to the three leaders, two of them team mates, and just sat behind them to see what would happen. The group was down to three as we climbed the hill back to the start. I was still feeling comfortable and my confidence was growing. I was revelling on the twisty pathways through the woods and felt in control of what I was doing. I decided to let my opponent from our opposing club make any move on my team mate. We'd been lead round at a good pace so why challenge it.

At the top of the hill our opponent picked the pace up and it was down to two, I was glad in a way, as it meant I could be more ruthless. Until this point neither of us had made the running, but as it was my team-mates that had pushed the pace for half the race I felt I could just sit on my opponents' shoulder and wait and see what he did. I shadowed him as we continued at a good pace back down to the playing fields, and began the climb back up the hill to the finish. The pace was good as we wound our way through the narrow paths. On the final wide climb as I pulled level, a little game of cat and mouse began. I knew I had a good kick, but was also wary, as I had been beaten by the same competitor in a sprint finish on the track. However, I but I still felt unbelievably strong which gave me the confidence to wait. We reached the top of the hill with four hundred metres to run, and he made the first move. I quickly responded and didn't feel he'd put me into any difficulty. I waited on his shoulder and hit the gas pedal with one fifty to go. I don't think I've ever sprinted so fast! I knew I had enough to sustain it to the finish which I did finishing a couple of seconds ahead.
A very pleasing start to my season. I was really encouraged by how strong and controlled I felt throughout, and at how good my finishing kick was, something I thought I'd lost. The races start coming thick and fast now, and I'll probably moan about not having a weekend off, but if they all go as well as this one did I’ll have very little to complain about.

Training Mon 22nd September - 5th October

2008-10-13T10:41:00.000-07:00

I finally let greed get the better of me. I tried to do too much and it came back to bite me. I fell into the trap I had avoided so well for the last four months. Having followed my coaches set weekly schedule to the letter since we started working together, I suddenly decided to add an extra mile here and there to his plan, to push harder on the steady runs, all in order to get that little bit extra from my training. Which all ultimately ended with my body breaking down under the pressure, and me missing time away from my trainers, tucked up in my sick bed.
Tuesday’s track session on the 23rd September was the start of my gradual downfall. I felt so good as the session began. For the first time my legs weren't that little bit fatigued from my previous training runs. I was feeling bouncy and I felt like I was skipping over the ground as we begun the session of 1600 metres, 1200m, 800m, 1200m, and 1600m. So I pushed myself that little bit faster than planned, hoping to take full advantage of how good I felt. I reached the halfway point, still feeling ok. In the back of my mind I knew the extra few seconds per lap I'd taken off my planned pace might take an effect. I began to struggle a little with the final 1200m rep. I was unable to help push the pace, I had to rely on the pace setting of another group member, as I hung on and actually lapped at the planned pace, ten seconds down on my previous 1200.
I then completely switched off. I was fatigued and concerned about my pace for the final rep. Then the athlete I was training with decided to call it a day as a precautionary measure due to a sore Achilles tendon. I fell further back, and dropped more time each lap. I relied on another member of the group, who had only just started training after a break, to get me round. Without him I don't know what would have happened, but I would have been even further off of my first 1600 metre time, which was thirty seconds down as it was.

Far from learning a lesson from my over exuberance, I set about doing the same thing again on Wednesday. Having completed an easy thirty minutes in the morning, as set, to recover from my track session, I decided to do 60 minutes rather than the set 50 in the evening. Not that much difference, but I also decided to push on the pace, so it became more of a long tempo run rather than a steady turn over of the legs.

The next day I was tired. My legs were heavy and it took a lot of will power just to get out of bed. I had no “get up and go”, and the set 20-minute tempo that was waiting for me filled me with dread. It wasn't going to be pretty! I felt like I was running slower during just twenty minuets of tempo running than I did in my hours run. Every hill I came to felt like Mount Everest. I got it done, then spent the entire steady evening run with my club at the back, not saying much, dreaming of my bed and Friday’s rest day.

Friday came and went, but when it came to Saturday’s session, I felt no better. I was tired, my legs were stiff and heavy, and I was beginning to feel the early stages of a sore throat coming on. Needless to say I struggled. It was a simple session of three times ten minutes, a basic session set by my coach because he was unable to be at the training session. It was a shame he wasn't there. I'm sure he would have seen that I was working hard and getting nothing back, that my body was struggling and that I was tired and needed to ease back. I'm sure he would have told me to take Sunday off and to ease back for a couple of days. Instead I rose early for the pre planned 90-minute morning run. I felt dreadful the whole way. I don't know why when I woke up feeling worse than when I shut my eyes I didn't pull out. My legs hadn't recovered and my throat had become worse, I had a headache and my sinuses were beginning to block. I guess my eagerness to improve got the better of me. I wanted it all, and didn't take note of the clear signs my body was giving me, a clear case of the craziness of the long distance runner!

So I spent the next four days in bed, feeling sorry for myself. Itching to get back into my running shoes, but more than aware that I had to give my body time to recover. I made mental notes not to deviate form my coach’s plan - he's set it for a reason so why change it. I also needed to stop blinkering myself from the signs that my body is breaking down. Maybe I see them as a sign of weakness, that I need to work through it, but there's a difference to pushing a tired body and an exhausted body. After all by pushing to much in the hope of the gains it would give me over my rivals in races, I lost four days of training, rather than just the one it may have taken for me to regain my strength.
Thankfully I took note before it became anything more than a cold, and I was back in light training before the week was through. Lesson learned me thinks!

Monday 15th September - Sunday 21st September

2008-09-24T11:33:00.001-07:00

Having been so tired last week it was a great relief to me that as each day passed since then I've felt fresher and more like the bouncy Will of old, and to have felt better without reducing my training load fills me with confidence. As the week drew to a close I was able to get back to the high levels of intensity in my key sessions I've now become accustomed to.

I won't deny I wasn't concerned last week. Was the training load becoming too much, had I reached the maximum level my body could take before breaking down, had I picked up a virus that was taking the edge off my performance, thus needing to back off or take a break? Questions that it's hard to know the answer to before it's too late.

Even though I've been running since I was eleven, with the bank of knowledge and experience I've gained over the years, it is all very much a gamble as to the limits my body can take. I'm breaking into new territory every day. Never before have I trained so hard, never before have I had such a long spell of unbroken training. So I really didn't know what the signals of tiredness, that my body was sending me, actually indicated. Every runner must have a limit as to what levels their body can endure, even the greatest runners in the world, or else we would be training every hour of the day, every day of the week. It's a balancing act, and at the moment I've the biggest weights I've ever experienced at either end of the scales, making that balancing point, between staying fit and breaking down, much harder to maintain.

Mondays two runs of forty and thirty minutes left me still concerned. I was tired and struggled a little. Tuesday's track session was the key sign that I was turning the corner, completing ten six-hundred metre reps. My legs still felt a little flat, and I lacked any real zip. This meant I was off the back of the group. However, my lap times were unbelievably consistent, and I finished the session with some gas left in the tank. I was no longer physically exhausted from my exertions and my legs just wouldn't go round any faster! Two steady runs on Wednesday totalling an hour and a half went by with little fuss, and by Thursday I was able to turn my legs over at a much faster rate during a fifteen-minute tempo run. A rest on Friday was followed by the confirmation that I had come through my rough patch unscathed.
Saturdays session of a ten minute tempo run, five two minute hill reps and a final ten minutes of thirty second sprints followed by thirty second jog recovery was great. I had speed for the sprints, strength for the hill reps and endurance for the tempo run. I gained great confidence as well from how I performed against my training group. I always try hard not to race during training, it's important to concentrate on what your doing, not what your mates are up to. I always make sure I have a little bit left in reserve. But if you weren't supposed to use those you train with to push you on to faster times I guess you'd just train alone. I didn't manage to finish first in a single element of the entire session. I was second throughout, which was a little frustrating, but I took great heart that the guy finishing ahead of me was a different member of the group each time. I guess I was “jack of all trades” but master of none, though I was delighted to be. It proved to me that I was right to keep plugging away with my training and that stopping wasn't the right choice to make this time. I just hope that I continue to make the right choices and keep my momentum going.

Training Mon 8th September - Sun 14th September

2008-09-22T01:25:00.000-07:00

My body has ached nearly the entire week. For seven days I've had to roll myself out of bed and into my trainers, my legs have felt like they'd buckle under my weight at any moment, and I worry that if I close my eyes for any longer than a the merest blink of an eye I'll fall into a deep sleep. It's been great! You get a perverse pleasure from the fact your body's tired. It reminds you that training must be going well, that you're working hard and making gains. It helps test your motivation and dedication. It would have been so easy to miss a run here and there, or to miss out of few repetitions on the track. But I fought through it, and as long as I come through this period of tiredness and get the bounce back into my legs soon, without my body breaking down, be it illness or injury, it will all have been worth-while and extremely encouraging.

I actually feel stronger than ever before, which is strange given how tired I've felt. But from my training this week I know I'm in good shape. On Tuesday, even though I didn't fancy lapping the track one bit, I got it done. (2 x 1K, 5 x 400 metres, and another 2 x 1K.) I was still able to lap faster than I did just three short months ago. My legs wouldn't let me do the lap times I know I can do, but my fitness shone through as I finished the session feeling that I had more to give, my breathing was under control and I wasn't doubled up, as I often am.

On Saturday my club were participating in the county road relays. I obviously didn't wanted to run badly, but in the grand scheme of things the race would count for very little. With this in mind my coach dropped my Thursday tempo run and replaced it with an easy run, but the rest of my schedule was kept as normal. With just Thursday to ease back, my legs were still very weary by Saturday.
The race was run from Wimbledon Park, running up Wimbledon Hill, past the tennis, down the other side and back into the park. I flew off at the start like a mad man, hoping to blow the cobwebs well and truly away. I love hill running so that was easy, but I was a little over exuberant coming down the other side. My legs were going round ten to the dozen, I doubt Usain Bolt could have kept pace! But as soon as I hit the Park at the bottom of the hill, with a mile still to go I knew I had over cooked it. My legs went dead, my bounce was well and truly deflated, everything was burning and I could feel the pack eating into my lead. I managed to maintain some sort of rhythm to the finish and was fairly pleased with my time given that I'm in a hard phase of my training. I was a little disappointed to be only three seconds quicker than last year as I know I'm in much better shape, but you cant have it all. I have to expect to be slightly slower in races when I train into them. I just can't wait till next month and some bigger races when I can really show my form and actually have a bit of a rest pre-race.

Training Mon 1st Sept - Sun 7th Sept

2008-09-10T09:54:00.001-07:00

It’s hard for me to contain my excitement at how well my running seems to be going at the moment. Having followed my coaches' training schedule religiously, the slow and steady build up of distance and intensity of each session is now reaping the rewards. My body is stronger than ever thanks to gently increasing the workload, enabling me to cope with the stresses of each session better and leaving me ready for more.
For me a sure sign of this, is in my gym workouts. I've only really flirted with the gym in the past. I'd put a consistent weeks work together, then the stain of trying to do everything would get too much, and the gym would fall by the wayside to allow me to complete the more important run sessions. But now I complete my workouts regularly and to a higher standard. Now that I have my body into the routine of incorporating regular gym sessions into my training plan I don't think they'll be cast aside so easily again.

I was a little surprised to find that this week’s track session was to focus on our speed. With the track season over for me I was expecting to see a gradual increase in the distance covered, and so a slight reduction in the lap speed of each rep, rather than the reverse. But my coach is keen for me to keep my speed, after all getting faster is the name of the game. The rest of my week saw a marginal increase in total mileage as I had expected, the track session kept us all on our toes and I actually had a great run. Seven sets of 400, 300 and 200 metres. I was knocking out good times even though there was a reasonably strong head wind into the home straight. Psychologically I was dealing with the session well too. I would lead both the 400 and 200 reps and take a rest from pace making duties during the 300 without compromising the times. Once each 400 was out of the way I knew the rest of the set would be a breeze, and so it proved. My consistency hit an all time high. Each rep was covered in an identical time. Never before have I set myself time targets and hit them 21 out of 21 times. That sort of pacing bodes well for racing.

For my lonely speed session this week I took myself of to Box Hill. (The scene of one of my all time hardest workouts that had left me dazed and confused. So tired was I by the end that I had no recollection of how many times I had run up the dam hill.)
Thankfully, this time I was more in control. My body was more than capable of handling five hill reps, each lasting three minutes, up the steepest, lung-burning, leg-buckling hill in the South. I felt great and was spurred on by the strange looks given to me by ramblers and school kids on their field studies. Why would anyone run up that hill once, let alone five times? Because if there's no pain, there's no gain!

For the rest of the week my legs were very tired, but it was a good kind of tired. I was not so tired that I couldn't complete my training schedule. I was even able to put in a good session on Saturday, which for the first time I was not looking forward to because of its length. But once I was into my running I completed the ten-minute tempo well, ran the 30-second sprints strongly and hauled my body up a minute long hill ten times without losing the will to live! I was just tired enough to let me know I was working hard. It was a satisfying tiredness. I was tired enough that as soon as my head hit the pillow each night I was snoring in double quick time, but when I did, I had a big smile on my face!

Training Mon 25th August - Sunday 31st August

2008-09-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

Training seemingly goes from strength to strength. My body seems to finally be getting used to doing three speed sessions a week. No longer am I unable to walk down stairs unaided the morning after a hard work out - now I just shuffle down on my backside!
With each training run I feel stronger, due to the fact that I'm in the middle of my longest spell of unbroken quality training for a long while.
I know I'm also enjoying my running a lot more. I'm now more enthusiastic than ever to run round the track, something I never really enjoyed (more tolerated), and with that comes an improvement in the times I'm knocking out during my track sessions.

This week was a mixture of 1200's and 800's totalling 6 kilometres worth of running. Not only am I running the reps faster, I'm also now back into my old 'Mr Consistent' ways, with less than two seconds difference between the end time of each rep.
Doing fast sessions with a group twice a week has enabled me to improve greatly the quality of the tempo session I complete on my own. It no longer seems like an impossible chore. I'm more motivated as to what lies ahead when warming up on my own, which had been a problem in the past. It's difficult to prepare yourself to run hard and to push through that pain barrier every week when it's only “me, myself, I” completing the run. It's all up to you, which was hard when two thirds of your quality work was done on your own. But now it's just a third of my speed work it's so much easier. I also feel it's actually a chance to do that little bit more to gain some kind of advantage over the rest of my training group, so the next time we're together I can work them that little bit harder.
My favourite session now is easily my Saturday morning run in Richmond Park. I love the length of each session. We start before ten in the morning and finish well after twelve. I also now really appreciate the way my coach will mix the session up with tempo runs followed by sprints or hills. This week was a fast ten-minute tempo, followed by five, two minute hill runs, and a final eight-minute tempo run to finish. I enjoyed every single minute, until we came to the warm down. My group are all ready well and truly sick of hearing me moan at how I detest this final act. Having given my all (mentally and physically) to complete the session I just can't be bothered with any more running. I know it's vitally important to do it, so begrudgingly I will always do one. I tell myself of how it will aid my recovery, flush out all the toxins from my aching legs, enabling me to recover faster, and be it some sort of fit state for the next run. But it does make me wish I'd parked that little bit closer every time!
The puzzle is really starting to come together now, and I'm enjoying every minute, apart from the warm downs! I feel confident that things are on plan for some great races; all I need to do now is run one.

Interim Report

2008-09-09T04:07:00.000-07:00

Sometimes things happen that make you take a close look at what your doing from a different perspective. A sudden shock, a bolt from the blue that makes you stop, and take stock of where your going and what you’re doing. In a moment every thing you've achieved can seem meaningless, I've questioned what I'm doing many times in the past, and I've always felt I'm doing the right thing, that I'm on the right path to achieving what I want from life, be it my personal life or my running career.
However I've often felt with my running that I've just been going through the motions. I've been told to run from A to B, and I've done it. I've not done anything less, but sadly I've not done anything more. I've known what I wanted to do, and I know how to do it, but sometimes I've fell short from crossing those T's and dotting them I’s. It's taken so much effort to get the basics done and done well, that putting that cherry on the top has seemed one step to far.
When you face a tragedy in your life, it knocks you back and drags you down. But often good can come form the worst of times. It makes you look deep inside and evaluate every thing you do with your day, your week, and your life. I know now all too well that the next moment may be my last so use it must be used wisely, I have to make the most of it. I wish it didn't have to take such a terrible, tragic moment to enable me to start dotting my I's and crossing the T's. It goes without saying that I would go back to bumbling along, without making the absolute most of every opportunity as I was before it all in a heart beat, but I guess things happen that you can't control.
I know I need to make the most of every opportunity I have, and this is definitely a big one, as Will would without doubt have done. I will make the most of every thing I do, and make the most of every one I do it with. I'm going to put the biggest cherry on the top of every session every day. No stone will go unturned, so I can get the very best out of what I've got. To give my all is surly the least I can do.

Monday 4th August - Sunday 10th August

2008-08-15T08:45:00.001-07:00

I went through a strange period in my training this week - slightly inconsistent would be a generous way to describe it. All my key, hard sessions went well and without a hitch, but the rest of the time I was lacklustre.
I almost couldn't face putting on my trainers to get the mileage into my legs. Psychologically I couldn't enthuse myself unless it was a hard session. Mentally I felt a little drained, and the long lonely miles I need to put in didn't fill me with any joy. I struggled mainly with just the thought of running them. Once I was out there with my trainers on it wasn't too bad, but I wasn't setting the world alight, more going through the motions. Perhaps having had four days of running with friends whilst in Cornwall pampered me too much. Your thoughts and concentration aren't a problem when you while away the time chatting. Pushing myself during sessions, my concentration levels weren't a problem, which was a big relief for me, and I took comfort from the fact that my fitness and speed weren't a problem. Perhaps it's just a dip or perhaps it’s because things are winding down a little towards the end of the summer season. Maybe it's too much to expect myself to be 100% focused 100% of the time. At least I've got plenty to talk about during my next sport psychology session!

I'll keep to the good part of my training, as I've already learnt that psychologically negative thoughts have a much larger impact on your mind than positive thoughts. You need to put in positive blockers to stop the negatives taking over, so I've forgotten all about the dodgy runs!
Tuesday's track session was again a great work out. I'm pushing myself much harder than when I was circulating the track whilst training on my own. I'm at least a couple of seconds faster per rep than I was before I switched groups. We completed a session that I had previously enjoyed during one of my first times out with the new group. Two sets of 1200 metres and 3 x 400 metres, with another 1200 to finish. We ran the session differently this time round, slowing the longer 1200 reps down, concentrating instead on running the 400's at a quicker pace. Getting the legs used to a faster pace, so that come race day when your lapping at a slightly slower more sustainable pace it feels a little easier, at least to start with anyway.
Thursdays run was a bit of a monster solo effort. A fifteen-minute warm up, twelve minutes tempo run, 8 x 30 second fast strides, another 12-minute tempo run and a fifteen-minute warm down. It was a hard and very long session, but I haven't felt as satisfied on completion of a workout for a while. I think a lot of the satisfaction came from producing a quality session on my own. I kept the pace high throughout and worked as hard as I would have in a group run.
I take a lot of heart and encouragement from the fact that I'm still running good sessions. I would be a lot more worried if I was running my hard runs poorly but my easy/steady runs well. It's just a little frustrating as I've been running so well for two months, and I just want to keep that going. Possibly I could do with an easy week to recharge the batteries. I guess I can't be take, take, take with my body and have no give.

Training Monday 30th July - Sunday 6th August

2008-08-08T06:40:00.001-07:00

This week's training was spiced up by a long weekend away in Cornwall, to train and try and learn to surf!
Before we headed South West on Friday I completed another solid block of training. Again my track session was successful and just about enjoyable. My coach, Robin, cut back the distance of each rep so we could concentrate on upping our leg speed. The group all felt the session didn't seem that tough but we were wrong. 600, 400, 300, and 200 metre's four times. We all felt that as the reps were short we'd zoom through the session no problem. But slowly it caught up on you. The lactate would suddenly start to hit, as a result of the increased speed and only a short jog recovery between reps. I was on my knees by the end. One more rep and I think it may well have been curtains for me. I guess that shows the coach got the session spot on, it took us to the limit, but didn't tip us over the edge.
The rest of my week, whilst still at home, went well, some solid runs, and good mileage in the bank.

I travelled down to Cornwall on Friday and the surf was up dude!! I'm often a little worried when I go on holiday mid-season. It's often quite hard to motivate yourself to go out training, especially as there are so many more distractions than at home, engrossed in your normal routine. But I wasn't worried this time as two of my fellow surf dudes were runners and were keen to keep up on their own training. For the first two days, a mixture of steady runs and surfing worked well. As I quickly found out, surfing is an excellent core and upper-body work- out. Just carrying the dam board from the surf hut to the designated surf area, around half a mile, had me completely knackered. Beginners boards are big, heavy, ungainly things, I made many kids weep as I trampled on their sand castles, to walk round with the blooming board was not at option, I was taking the shortest point from a to b come hell or high water, pun definitely intended!

As it turns out I'm rubbish at surfing and extremely competent at falling off in a spectacular manner. Hauling my battered body back onto my board was a great core work out, especially after my three hundredth and forty second dunking!

Sunday was dune-running day. We found a steep hill in the sand and decided to run up it twelve times, holiday makers looked at us like we were the most stupid people on the planet. I guess we were as it was one of the hardest sessions I've ever done. The sand had sapped my strength and my lungs were burning after only the first run to the summit, just eleven to go then! With each assent we churned up the sand a bit more, thus making it harder to find grip, as well as making the path so uneven you spent as much energy falling from side to side as you did moving forwards, but we made it to twelve. My legs were burning like never before, I had a massive headache and standing between me and a nice cup of tea was an even longer and steeper run back to the campsite - brilliant!
Surfing felt like a breeze after that run, and the freezing temperatures out at sea quickly brought my legs back to life. It was definitely an early night for me that night and to my surprise my legs were just about in working order for my morning run.
It was great to have a change of scene for a couple of days. It's strange how such a simple thing can really rejuvenate you and I've definitely felt the benefits of hill running in the dunes. I'll just have to find ones a bit closer to home as a six hundred mile round trip is a little far to go, even for the hardest session in the land.

Training Monday 14th July - Sunday 20th July

2008-07-30T03:48:00.000-07:00

My training continues to go from strength to strength. I've only had a few problems arise in the last two month's, and I've managed to over come those much quicker than I used to. This week was more of the same good quality workouts.
My Tuesday sessions are really testing and worth their weight in gold. O.K., technically they don't weigh anything but you get what I mean.

This weeks training involved 3 x 1000 metres with 200 metre recovery jogs, followed by 5 x 600 metres. Breaking the session up into two separate parts is a new format I'm coming to terms with since joining my new track group. I'm used to completing the same distance for the entire duration of a session, or a continual increase or decrease in distances. It's challenging to set yourself a pace goal for half a session, which your body and mind quickly becomes accustomed to, then you have to change that body and mind set for the second half of a session, usually upping the tempo for shorter repetition distances. I'm very consistent with my pacing. I can set myself a target and will hit the correct lap times again and again. So to change the pace goal posts has been a bit of a shock to my metronomic style, but a shock that will ultimately help my racing, enabling me to cope with a mid race change of pace, be it of my own making or in response to an opponent.
A clear indicator for me that I'm running into great shape is not the speed sessions, where I finish flat on my back gasping for air, but in my steady run's. I'm consistently completing routes that I've used for years faster than ever. I often look at my watch and do a double take. I worry that I'm pushing the pace of my easier runs too much, but when I'm running I'm not in any difficulty. I'm running relaxed and my breathing is controlled and by no means laboured. I'm just getting fitter and faster and more economical in my running, so I'm covering the ground faster.
All that's left is to prove it in a race. It's here that I feel very undecided. Half of me wants to keep my powder dry. To continue to make progress in training and to wait for a big race to come along where I can smash out a massive P.B. When I was racing nearly every weekend I started to become frustrated with easing back a day or two before and event, when I could have been putting more miles under my belt, increasing my fitness. I also feel that long term I gain more from doing a hard session on a Saturday morning than I do from racing. I just want to stay on the conveyer belt of training and only jump off when I reach the end. But then there's the other half of me that wants to get out and race. I love racing, it's why I train, it's why I run! I start to get itchy feet when I've been more than a couple of weeks without a race. I read results every week, and see how people I know, and people I know of, are doing. I always wonder where I would have finished, and what time I could have run. I'm also wary that if I put all my eggs in one basket I might not get the result I want. If I wait for one big race, a million and one things could happen that prevent me from producing my best. By racing more often and coming out of a training cycle I'll lower the risk of not producing what I'm capable of. It might not be in some prestigious race, but a time is a time whether it's in the Olympic 10k or in some local mid week one man and his dog 10k!
For now I'm happy to continue my training. I'm enjoying my running more than ever. Running faster than ever plays a big part in that. I've also found that by freshening up my training, by changing groups, it's given me a new impetus. Things as simple as training in new surroundings and with new people have spiced up my running. I've never really struggled to find the motivation to put my trainers on and hit the streets, it's just now it all feels new and exciting again. It's like getting a new bike for Christmas. Ultimately a bikes a bike, but the new ones special, you feel more proud of yourself and your bike when you ride the same streets, you take it up new pathways to explore it's potential. The paint works perfect, the wheels are shiny, and you just feel that bit more special when you turn the pedals. I just hope I don't fall off!

Training Monday 7th - Sunday 13th July

2008-07-29T11:29:00.000-07:00

After the high of running well and setting a new P.B. last weekend, I was brought back down to earth with a bump this week. I felt tired and off colour as a result of the race and all the travelling that went with competing up in Leeds. The race also left me with tight calf muscles, I believe from sprinting full-pelt round the last 200 metres of the race, something my legs are not very use to. This all meant that the week became an exercise in injury management.

I eased myself round my Monday morning run but my legs didn't feel great, it was like walking the tightrope of good health. I knew I was starting to wobble and I didn't want to fall off! Reluctantly I decided not to do my evening run and rather than hit the gym, I spent my time stretching and manipulating my tight calves. The decision was made a hell of a lot easier when a summer storm hit Surrey. I really didn't fancy my chances in it, especially when it started hailing!

By Tuesday I was feeling a lot better. I knew I'd made the right decision and my legs were feeling a bit more like it as well. I knew a track session would really test my health and my slight injury problem but I wanted to get this key session in. I could worry about the consequences later. The session went well. Two sets of 1200, 800 & 400 metres followed by a final 1200. It was a slightly odd session given that every member of the group had one decidedly dodgy rep. Mine occurred in the second 800. I felt dreadful, but quickly regained my composure and flew round the remaining two reps. I reckon it was a case of mind over matter. However, the aftermath of the session was not good news for my calves. They stiffened up a treat and all the stretching, icing and massaging I proceeded to give myself before I hit the hay, made not a jot of difference come Wednesday morning. I knew my calves were not great before I even got out of bed and the walk down the stairs, which I nearly had to do on my backside, made sure I knew they were none to pleased with me.

I began to stress about the training my coach had set for the next few days and there was also a race at the end of the week that my club really needed me to make. I started to get caught up in thinking about the short term and how completing every session was the be all and end all. I got carried away thinking about the ground I would lose on everyone else if I didn't train every day. Thankfully I soon saw sense and chilled out. Missing a few sessions was not really going to hurt the game long term but forcing myself out the door in a vain attempt to complete every run would definitely do me a lot more harm than good. So I spent Wednesday and Thursday rehabilitating my legs. I felt almost nauseous as the time for each session came and went but I knew I was doing the sensible thing. I was getting over this strange and intense guilt you feel whenever you miss a session. It's a strange feeling but it at least shows how much I want to do well and how much I love to run and push myself forwards.

By Friday I felt confident I could run without putting myself back to where I was on Tuesday night. I just set myself an easy twenty minute run, with half a mind on the injury and the other on Saturday's race. I came through unscathed and confident I could race on Saturday afternoon.
The actual race was a bit of an odd one. I was worried about doing more damage to my legs and I think that really affected my mindset. I warmed up really well and paid close attention to the old calves. I didn't want to push to hard, to protect my calves, but I still wanted to perform reasonably well. When the gun went bang I suddenly didn't fancy it at all. I knew I could win but I was so concerned with aggravating the problem that I just dawdled round the track for two laps. I was in third and had lost nearly fifty metres on the leaders. Suddenly at the start of the third lap I got interested. I eased back up to the leaders, stayed with them till halfway, then pushed on. My nervousness towards the injury problem that had left me feeling quite subdued was gone. I was running well, still not giving it 100%, in order to protect my legs, but I felt strong and reasonably fast. I finished first and was pleased to be only thirty seconds down on last week’s effort. Not to bad seeing as my first two laps were a complete joke.

I quickly flicked into recovery mode, taking great care to warm down and stretch out any stiffness in my legs. I continued the process for the rest of the day and went to bed without any problems. I even decided to play it extra cautious on Sunday. Rather than getting up first thing to do my long run as normal I waited till after lunch. I wanted my calves to have woken fully and to have done some rehab work on them before I hit the road for ninety minutes. It all worked out really well. I had one of those runs where you feel like you could go on forever, and take on the world. I felt so relaxed and fast I didn't want it to end.
I feel proud of how disciplined I've become towards dealing with injury and illness problems that will always occur when you are training hard. I didn't panic too much and took my time, which ultimately resulted in a shorter lay off than may have happened. During this new phase in my running I've learnt that Rome wasn't built in a day, and know I know that Rome won't crumble in a day either!

Training Monday 30th June - Friday 4th July

2008-07-08T11:01:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I’m travelling up to Leeds to make my British League debut in the 5000 meters, so this week my training schedule has been tweaked to allow me to be in the best possible shape for Saturdays race. That entailed reducing my overall weekly mileage, as well as easing back on the intensity of many of my steady runs.

However my disastrous race, the previous Saturday, threw a large spanner in the works. That race was intended to provide me with two things. Firstly I hoped it would be a big confidence boost, which it most defiantly was not, and secondly it was supposed to give me an idea of my fitness levels and along with that, an idea of the pace I would be able to handle in Leeds. Even though I knew I was in good shape, doubts began to cross my mind. I had certain time goals that I knew I was more than capable of achieving but I didn't have that concrete evidence.
I felt trapped between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand I wanted to rest up so my body was fresh and capable of working to its maximum potential, knowing however this would not prevent the doubts from creeping in. On the other hand, should I push hard in training and prove to myself I was in good shape, at the expense of being fully rested?!
In the end I managed to find something of a happy medium. I eased my steady runs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday back even more than I would normally, which allowed me to increase the intensity of my sessions on Tuesday and Thursday. This gave me the physcological pick me up I needed, as well as a full recovery phase.
Tuesday’s session worked wonders. Two sets of 800, 600, 400 and 200 metres. I decided to really go for it during the first set and I certainly did that, running faster in training than I can remember. I think I may have even produced my fastest time over 200 meters ever! For the second set I didn't push myself as close to the edge. I was still pushing hard, I just wasn't bent over double at the end of every repartition, which may not have made much difference physically to my overall recover for Saturdays race, but physcologically I felt I was leaving plenty of unused gas in the tank.
Thursdays final pre-race tune up involved running a leg of a local relay race, run over a two-mile course. On paper it was ideal, a nine-minute work out, in a low-key race, in a very relaxed atmosphere. I even requested the third of the four legs. I was hoping to be in no-mans land. Too far behind any of the leaders to think about catching them up and too far in front of any of the others to fear being caught.
Sadly that didn't happen and I took off in second position one hundred yards behind the leader and the same again in front of third place. To make matters even worse I train with both men, knew they were in good shape, and that they would love nothing more than to put one over me! In the end it actually worked out well. I had a great run, gained a few seconds on the leader and gapped a few more on third. I felt strong yet controlled throughout. I gave it ninety seven percent, those last three I was keeping dry for Saturday!

Leeds 5000 Metre Track:

I experienced the true glamour of athletics for this race. Driving up to Leeds in a cramped mini-bus that had certainly seen better days. (We nearly lost a member of the squad out of the back door, which had a bad habit of opening whilst we were on the move).
I ate my pre-race meal in a service station on the M1 and stayed over night in a Travelodge, which from the sounds of it had a family of elephants staying in the room above! However, I don't think I would have changed a thing!
We arrived in the stadium early on Saturday morning. My race wasn't until late in the afternoon, so I sat in the stands and watched the athletics unfold amongst everything the great British weather could throw at it. High winds, torrential rain, thunder and lightening, you name it we had it. But by the time I started my warm up the weather was perfect for distance running, overcast and cool with only the slightest of breezes - brilliant.
By the time I had my toe on the line however the clouds had dispersed and it was hot and humid - not ideal. Fortunately, I've overcome the physcological barrier I had with the weather and it didn't even cross my mind that the conditions could affect my performance.
The gun went off and I knew after the first lap I was going to have a good one. I was in the zone, I was focused on myself and those I was racing and nothing else. We were circulating faster than I'd ever run for the distance before, but I felt ridiculously comfortable. The race had split into two groups. There were two leaders, one of whom represented Britain at the cross-country world championships, lapping a couple of seconds faster than me in the second group of six. At half way I was still feeling good, tucked in behind the leader of our group who'd been lapping consistently. I really wanted to push on, but because I was into the unknown I was nervous too. A lot can happen in two and a half kilometres and I didn't want to blow my chances of setting a new personal best by being over exuberant.
So I stayed where I was.
With four laps to go the pace began to fluctuate as we battled for position.
It was at this point I had my one bad patch. I fell to the back of the group, but after just one lap I had recomposed myself, moved back through the pack, and even hit the front with two laps to go. I was just testing the waters and slipped back of the pace and onto the shoulder of the group leader, where I remained until there were 150 to go and the mass sprint for the line commenced, as six of us fought it out. We were spread across the track in a single line, as no one was able to make that decisive move. With fifty to go my arms and legs began to flail around all over the shop, as I used that last three percent I'd saved from Thursdays race. It wasn't quite enough to win the race within the race.
I crossed the line fifth, third from my group, but more important than my position was the fact that I 'd improved my personal best by almost 20 seconds. I was elated. I'd run faster than ever before yet still had the energy to sprint to the finish. I know there's still more time to come off.
I felt so comfortable with the pace that I now know I can push it on faster and not fear having the wheels come off. It shows that I really am getting into great shape and if I can improve over 5K, which is a little short for me, and do it on the track, which is my least favourite surface, I can do even bigger damage in the longer races on the road later this summer. It's definitely full steam ahead!

Training Monday 23rd of June - Friday 29th June

2008-07-03T09:10:00.000-07:00

Having had such a great week of quality running last week, the pace and intensity of it started to show a little. My body was suffering a bit from fatigue, which was particularly evident during Tuesday’s track session. Having done such a long and intense workout on Saturday, followed by a brisk long run on the Sunday, it stood to reason that I was not going to be fully recovered. My legs were just a little heavy and lacked the bounce of the week before. That said, I was still pleased with how I coped with running hard on tired legs. What also softened the blow was that my training partner, who'd put me through the mill during Saturday’s killer session, was also finding the session tough. It proved to me that he's not a robot after all. The rest of the group and I have often questioned his humankind credentials, due to his ability to recover so quickly from one session to the next and to be constantly at the front of the pack pushing the pace.
It was a session that showed me that my mental toughness has improved. Previously I may have eased back more, or missed out one or two of the repartitions. But I was never going to do that now. I think it’s a mixture of being more confident in my abilities, as well as the benefits of training in a big group. No matter how bad I felt there was always someone on my shoulder pushing me along, or someone in front I could chase. It stops the 'This is a bit tough, I might stop' thoughts coming into my head.
I recovered well during the rest of the week. My coach decided that my body would benefit from doing one longer slower run on Wednesday instead of the usual two thus giving my body longer between sessions to recover without loosing too much mileage. By Thursday I was feeling fresher and I felt that bounce was coming back during my session of six one minute repetitions, which left me feeling in high spirits ahead of my weekend track race.

Saturday 30th June. 5000 Meters Track race: Having not eased up in my preparations for this race I knew it was going to be a little tough. But mentally I was prepared for that. I knew the night before what I wanted to get out of the race, what pace I was going to go for and that I needn't be overly concerned if the time I wanted didn't happen. However I wasn't prepared for the nightmare scenario that actually occurred.
I'd downloaded my route to the track meet from the Internet the night before. The “AA man” said it would take one hour and six minuets. I love it when he's so precise! However Mr AA man hadn't told me about the road closures, traffic works and the masses and masses of weekend drivers that I would encounter. I knew I was in trouble straight away when, after only fifteen minuets of driving, I ground to a halt. Two and a half hours later I arrived!
Being stuck in my car for so long meant I dare not take on as much fluid as I would normally - where was I going to get rid of it?! I wasn't going to lower myself to using my Lucozade bottle to relieve myself; it still had some left and I don't like to waste my Lucozade! Driving through various unfamiliar London suburbs I knew I was never going to find a loo, not one that was open and in working order anyway! So I took to sipping and consequently was well dehydrated by the time I arrived. Additionally, the soaring temperature in my car, which to all intense and purposes turned into a rolling green house, meant I was also getting annoyed with my slow progress, not to mention stressed that I was going to miss my race.
I'd left home with plenty of time to spare, but when my journey had taken double the expected time I began to doubt that I'd make it. I was slowly getting closer. From the race time I'd been given I had ten minuets to kick off. I was close but still in traffic. I decided in my infinite wisdom that having never been to the track before I was just round the corner. So I ditched the car in a side road and pegged it with vest and spikes in hand. After five minuets I knew I'd gone wrong. Two minuets further down the road and I was sure of it! I reluctantly turned round and ran back to the car, still going at a fair old pace just in case. I was telling myself, 'You never know the start might have been delayed'! I looked at my route instructions and realised I was “oh” so close, but stupidly I'd taken a wrong turn. Sadly this was due to me needing to use a handy bush to finally relieve myself before I exploded! Thus I headed back onto a different main road, in the wrong direction!
I finally drew up to the track. Hot, bothered, tired, thirsty but gamely clutching spikes and vest in hand. As I hit the track I could see my teammate standing on the start line. I wasn't quite sure to laugh or cry. On the one hand I had made it, my journey wasn't wasted, but on the other hand, I was in no state to run. I sprinted to the start and asked them if they'd wait, which they did. The meet was running behind schedule on top of the fact that the start time I had been given was ten minutes early. I was so late I had to draw my number on a piece of paper and pin it to my vest - very professional!
So I towed the line, went to the front and tried to hit the target pace I'd decided upon the night before. What a fool, I was never going to be able to do it in the state I was in. I managed to circulate the track only a second per lap down on my target pace, but only for a grand total of four laps. Only eight and a half to go then! The rest of the race was a bit of a blur. My legs were shot. Not surprising as I'd been sat down for two and three quarter hours, sprinted two miles and done no stretching. I had no energy, as I'd over heated and not taken on enough liquids. My head was all over the shop and I was stressed, first thinking I wasn't going to make it, then that I was, then that I defiantly wasn't and finally, I had!
I finished a whole minute down on what I'd expected. One race to forget. So I will, it's gone. Next week is a new week and next Saturday’s bigger and more prestigious race, is a new race!

Training: Monday 16th June - Sunday 22nd June.

2008-06-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

Without doubt this week's training has been the highest quality, most consistent and satisfying I've ever completed. Some runs were better than others and I've probably had one or two better sessions individually, but when I look back over my week's work I feel I've really worked hard and made some real progress. And not just with my running; every gym session was completed and I managed to include a decent flexibility programme and with the help of my sports psychologist, made some real improvements in dealing with the pain of pushing your body to the limits.
Monday started off with two simple runs; thirty minutes in the morning and forty in the evening. I also completed a tough upper body workout in the gym, which I was particularly pleased with. What made Monday's evening run special was that I really didn't fancy it. I was tired from racing on Sunday, as well as feeling flat after my gym work out. Quite often in the past I've let myself miss out a run when I'm tired, especially when it's not a key run. However I pushed myself out the door and once I got going I really got into my stride and a run I thought was going to be a real drag turned into a real pleasure.
Tuesday began with an easy thirty minute run in the morning, just turning the legs over in preparation for the evening track session. My legs were still feeling jaded from doing seven races in nine days so I knew it wasn't going to be the best session ever, but I got it done. Three sets of 1000 metres, 600 metres and 400 metres, with 200 metres jog recovery in-between reps and 400 metres jog recovery between sets. I got blown away by my group after the first set, as my tired legs found running fast was something the weren't really ready for, but I was actually quite pleased with the session. Being with my new group meant I was running the reps much faster than I would have before, when I was pretty much on my own during such a session. So even though I was coming in a second or two behind the rest, I was still a second or two faster than I would have been had I not switched groups.
Wednesday's morning run was a struggle. My legs were shattered, thirty minutes seemed like hours and all I could think about was how bad doing an hours run in the evening was going to be. I managed to complete a decent core workout in the gym. My core strength is something that has continued to improve each week since I got back from Lanzarote. It is definitely helping me to keep my form when I begin to tire at the end of races and hard training sessions. A couple of hours before my evening run I went to my sports masseur. I've always thought he was good, but on Wednesday he worked some real magic because when I started my hour long evening run all the tiredness and tightness I'd experienced in the morning had gone. I felt like I had a new pair of legs. I was bouncing along like Bambi! I was running pretty fast, (the previous times I've run for the same loop told me so), yet felt like I was hardly even trying. It wasn't down as a hard run and I was stopping myself from pushing too much, yet I ended up with my third quickest time for that course, and I've run that course many, many times.
Thursday started with some sports psychology action. The key focus for the session was how I deal with the pain and discomfort you will always experience when racing and training hard. The idea was to prevent that pain from becoming all-consuming. Stopping it from having a negative effect on my running style and ultimately my times. I simple had to divert my concentration away from the pain when it hits. Harder to do then it sounds! I had to put these new techniques into action during my late morning tempo run. 15 minutes warm up, then two 7 minute 30 second tempo runs, with 3 minutes jog recovery, followed by 15 minutes warm down. My psychologist instructed me to do the session on a grass track rather than just round the park. This was so that at the end of each bend and straight I had a set of markers. At each marker during the final and hardest quarter of each rep I was to concentrate on a different area of my running action, thus diverting my attention from the pain. It worked really really well. I would work my way down my body. I started with a good head and core position, strong fluid arm action, high knees, keeping the leg speed up, getting right up on to my toes. It worked so well I was lapping quicker than when I started. The power of the mind is great, and I can't wait to explore further the possibilities and potential it may contain.
My easy evening run didn't feel so easy, but I got it done, and I'd reached Friday's day of rest without missing or changing any sessions. I was really looking forward to my Saturday morning monster session in Richmond Park. I knew it was going to be long and that I was going to be really tested by the guy I was working with, but I knew it was going to be worth it. A 10-minute tempo run, followed by 5 x 2 minute sprints, with the first minute up a steep incline, finishing with another 10-minute tempo. It was hard and it was fast, but I dug deep and ran arguably one of my best sessions ever. I was so elated with how I'd run I pumped my fist with satisfaction once the final tempo run was completed. If that run hasn't done me the world of good I don't know what will! I finished the day with a mini bit of circuit training and a twenty-minute recovery run.
Then Sunday I pulled myself round ninety minutes of fun with a fresh and very frisky running partner, who was desperate to run faster and further than I wanted to. I was enjoying the experience of having different training partners throughout the week, using them to push and pull me to get the best out of myself. The aim for this week is simple, to match what I've already done. Now I know I can do it, there should be no problem!!

9th-13th June: Epsom Race Week

2008-06-18T10:28:00.000-07:00

Race Report:

Having talked with my coach I decided that participating in this week of races would do me the world of good. I had laid a good race foundation on Saturday and I knew that what was needed was a few race paced runs. This would improve both my leg speed and my endurance, particularly over the final quarter, which is where I felt my fitness was lacking on Saturday.
I really enjoy this series, it's very relaxed and low key. I enjoy all the courses as they cover most of my usual training routes. Also I know most of the courses like the back of my hand and this familiarity really helps me perform well, and for what ever reason the god's always bless us with amazing weather. I guess the race organiser slips them a cheeky fiver!

The series consists of three conventional races, then a time trial, finishing with a handicap race, with the premise of every competitor crossing the line simultaneously! I've never seen it happen, and doubt it ever will, but it would be great to see a couple of hundred runners all hitting the finish as one, it would be brilliant mayhem.
I had two club mates who kept me more than honest each day. I felt really pleased with how my speed endurance was improving. I also worked on picking up the pace during the last five minutes, which seemed to work well as I was on my knees at the finish most nights.

I managed to build up a bit of the lead over the week, which led to me having my only below par run on Friday's handicap. My two club mates set of half a minute ahead, and were both spurred on by their own battle for second. This meant I ran one of the loneliest races I've ever done. I didn't see a sole for most of the race, apart form two supporters, who were supposed to be friends, who took great delight in informing me I was dead last and was rubbish! How nice of them.
Other than that one race, which actually wasn't really that bad even though I was third from last over the line, I was well pleased with how the week went. I felt strong and fast throughout most days and felt I coped well with heavy legs during the final few days. It's really given me a confidence boost that I can take into my training over the next few weeks and it can only have helped improve my fitness levels.

A great week, other than nearly being a Rottweiler's lunch during Wednesday nights race. Of course it was my fault for running in a park rather than the dog owners for not keeping it under control. I do not however want to talk about my hatred for dog owners that don't control their dogs and wouldn't even dream of saying sorry for their dog jumping up at you, bearing it's teeth, because he's 'only playing'. Once I open that can of worms they'll be no stopping me. Maybe I'll save that for my next blog!

Saturday 7th June: Track Race

2008-06-18T10:18:00.000-07:00

Race Report:

A first race back after injury is always a cagey affair. You've had a few good quality weeks of training and you feel reasonably fit but you know in the back of your mind that it's probably not enough to hit that new P.B. time we always want to achieve. Racing, on the track especially, is a different kettle of fish to most of the training I've done so far. It's faster and more intense than most of these sessions. I've also stayed away from using my watch as a gauge of my pace as much as possible but on the track there's no escape from it. Every 400 metres a little man calls out your time as you run past and every runner knows what they should and could be doing, as well as what they'd like to be doing, which are often quite different.

I set myself a realistic target. I resisted the temptation to go for a new P.B. or to aim for a time I know that I'm more than capable of, given the right training build up. The race was more about testing the 'race waters' for the first time in three months. I knew my splits and I was determined to stubbornly stick to the challenging yet realistic target pace.
I got quite lucky in the race in that two of my competitors seemed to have the same pace goal as myself, which meant I could sit on their shoulder and let them do the work, whilst I concentrated on keeping relaxed and focused. I felt good for nearly ten laps. I'd resisted my racing instincts to wind up the pace when I was still feeling really strong at half way. With less than four laps to go I began to suffer. My fitness levels started to show and I began to fall a little off my schedule and my competitors began to move away. To make me feel even worse there was a break in the cloud cover and the sun beat down on my back. Psychologically I was already wilting from the pace and the additional hurdle of the heat made me feel even more drained. However I kept the legs ticking over at a reasonable pace and was pleased to finish only 10 seconds off my target pace, after I'd slightly blown. A good bench mark has been laid for me to work on over the rest of the summer, and although, yes I would have liked to stick to my planned time schedule, all I can take from that race are positives.

Monday 2nd June - Sunday 8th June Epsom

2008-06-11T02:11:00.000-07:00

Epsom was a strange place to be this week. I'm not talking about the near MILLION people who descend upon my sacred training ground on Epsom Downs for the Derby. Nor am I talking about the weird and wonderful gypsies that come with their fair ground for the week. It was the odd goings on I experienced when frequenting the other green spaces of Epsom whilst the Downs were out of bounds.
On Monday I drove to a quiet car park on Epsom Common. I arrived to see half a dozen burly men stood in a group. They heads turned as one as they watched me drive past. I drove to the opposite side of the car park! It was quite a hot day but they were all dressed in big black leather jackets, black trousers and most sinisterly black gloves! I feared for my life but not wanting to look like a wimp I got out of my car and put my kit on. Why I would care what six massively butch strangers thought of me I don't know! Two of the dodgy geezers sat on the bonnet of an old BMW, a very gangster car, and started talking to a guy sat in an old beaten up Ford who I'd not even noticed. I thought I was done for and the shotguns, bombs, knives or fists were going to come my way! My only hope was to leg it, something I'm quite well suited for! As I ran off, no pit bulls were released in pursuit of the key witness to what was surely to be the start of Epsom's biggest ever crime! My mind played tricks on me the whole way round my training run, which I had decided to take my time over, hoping the badddies would be gone by the time I had finished. I fantasized about them putting a bomb under my car and this thought stayed with me for the whole 40 minutes of my run. Would it go off when I opened my car, started the ignition, or when I reached 30, 40, 50 miles an hour! To add to my paranoia, I didn't see another living sole. I normally see loads of fellow runners, dog walkers or cyclists, but not a single one today. Had everyone heard that the Epsom gangsters would be on the common and that the park was the place to go today? Due to my fitness coming back thick and fast I actually got round five minutes quicker than I'd anticipated and for once I was annoyed to have run so well! I feared I might catch the end of the ensuing gang violence all because I'm now beginning to run well! To my huge relief the bad guys had gone and I finally saw another human being, on old boy eating his sandwich by the millpond - not a threat I felt! So I drove home having checked for the bomb and am pleased to report no crime wave hit Epsom or the surrounding area that day!
Tuesday brought about very weird event number two. I chose Horton Park today. No Gypsies or gangsters I hoped. The run went well and was event free. The strange happenings started when I went to use the loo. As I got closer to the toilet, which is miles from anywhere, I could here singing. It wasn't just someone humming a tune whilst having a wee, it was someone belting out opera at the top of their voice! Again I decided not to be a wimp and to keep going, the fact I was desperate aided my decision! The noise was incredible, and was reverberating around like a loud hailer. I took a deep breath and walked in. The noise nearly took my head off and after my experience yesterday, thoughts of becoming the latest victim of the opera singing mad-axe murderer entered my head! What greeted me was a quite embarrassed, middle-aged man, who apologised profusely. I told him to carry on, which he didn't. As I stood there what I'd seen suddenly sank in. Yes it was a middle aged man, yes he was singing opera in a toilet, a bit odd I know, but I believe toilet acoustics are second to none, but he was in fact dressed up like a 17th century gentleman! Breeches, ruffle collared shirt, slicked back hair, buckled shoes and stockings! I quickly ran back out to see where he was and what he was doing but there was no sign of him. He'd vanished! I looked around for signs of an open air and slightly off-season performance of a Dick Whittington pantomime but there was nothing and the nearest theatre was nigh on ten miles away. The only sensible conclusion I could draw was that there was a time space continuum present in the gent’s toilet in Horton Country Park!
The rest of the week was something of a blur as I struggled to come to terms with these life-altering events. I remember doing my first track session in Kingston with my new group. It went well I seem to remember. I recall that not always being at the front of the group, pushing the pace, consumed by the effort of ensuring the lap pace targets were met, was a breath of fresh air. As I regain my fitness it was great just to sit at the back of the group and be pulled round. All I had to worry about was me and my running. I knew the guys at the front would make sure we were running at the right pace, all I had to do was keep up. Which I just about did!
With my first tentative step back into competition on Saturday the rest of the week was easy running, and a relaxed ten- minute tempo run on Thursday. It left my legs feeling relaxed and full of energy and ready to roll on Saturday, even if my head was anything but after the near death experiences of the beginning of the week!

Training Mon 26th May - Sunday 1st June

2008-06-04T11:33:00.001-07:00

This weeks training is a tale of highs and lows. Of good choices and bad. Of being a plonker and making a sensible, calculated move. Not just my running but my whole life can be analysed, digested and summed up within the microcosm of two key speed sessions. Only I can get two such differing results from two sessions, which should in essence have produced very similar results. It's what sums Will Clark up!
We'll start with the low as that came first! I was looking forward to Tuesday’s track session. 6 x 1000 metres was on the menu, with a 90 second jog recovery. Great, just what I wanted. A session that would really test my fitness and hopefully keep my progress in motion. I'd felt really tired all through the day. My legs just wanted to stay in bed; it felt as if my mattress had them in some kind of death grip! I finally pulled myself out and went for my easy 20- minute morning run. It wasn't fun. I wanted to be back home with my cornflakes before I'd reached the end of the road. I persevered with it, and felt a little better when I'd finished, but my lethargy didn't improve for the rest of the day. I knew something was wrong when I slept through 'Deal or No Deal'! I never do that! Thankfully disaster was avoided as it's repeated later on E4!!
I started to prepare myself for the track session. I knew I had to do something to rid my body of its almost comatose state. After racking my brain I came up with the idea that was to ultimately mess my session up completely, coffee. Coffee might not seem a daft idea; caffeine can give you that kick-start I was looking for. However I never drink coffee! The last time was maybe 6 months ago. I don't drink coke either. I might have a cuppa tea once a week if someone else is making it! My body is not exactly used to it. So I decided to heap double the amount recommended into my cup. The warning signs were there, it tasted disgusting and a left a bitter after taste on my tongue, but I thought it would work like a dream. For thirty minutes before my run I felt great, then it started to repeat on me. All I could taste, smell and think about was coffee. As for the session the first rep was great. I was under my target pace and my legs felt good. They were the only things that felt good. The second rep was slower as my stomach began to tell me of its displeasure. I just about finished the third as I struggled to keep the coffee to myself! 200 metres into the forth and I was on my knees desperately trying not to be sick on the javelin runway, the javelins hard enough without introducing a slip hazard! So the session finished up as a complete waste. If I'd thought things through for a split second I may have seen the dangers ahead. I however happily ran head first into a completely ridiculous and unnecessary situation. To add to my misery the coffee high kept me up till half one in the morning!
However, the other side of the coin was one very good choice. I've joined a new training group! Under the guidance of Robin Dixon, an experienced Surrey coach, the group contains a number of the top distance runners in Surrey. My first session with them was on Saturday morning in Richmond Park with the die-hards of the group! The session was a 15 minute tempo run, including 5 minutes of up hill running, then 6 x 400 yards on the grass and a final 10 minute tempo run, this time, thankfully, on the flat! Talk about being chucked in at the deep end!
The session was great, exhausting, but great. It was a real test of my fitness and endurance as well as my speed. I knew I was going to be gracing the back of the pack, but I was pleased to say that after only three and a bit weeks of running I wasn't too far out of sight. Maybe they were taking it easy on me, not wanting to scare me off after my first go. I'd like to think they were busting a gut trying to put the new kid in his place. They were probably just running as they would any other session and were completely non-plussed by my presence!
Training with a bigger group, I feel, is really going to help me. The group meets more often during the week than my old group which helps motivation as there are fewer miles run on your own and because the group is much bigger it means the sessions are of much better quality, as there's always going to be someone up for it, pushing the pace along. I can't wait for the next session, and it all goes to show that I can make good decisions!

Training Mon 19th - Sunday 25th May

2008-06-04T11:17:00.000-07:00

As well as working on psychological tools that can help me train and race at a more consistent and higher level, this week we began work on visualization. Michele continues to help me shake up and reorganise my whole athletic way of life. Thanks to working with a number of world-class athletes, Michelle knows what kind of support system is needed around an athlete. This week I have taken great strides in restructuring my life. There are a number of big changes on the horizon, as yet nothing is signed, sealed or delivered, so I don't want to tempt fate by mentioning too much, but I hope this change will really help my progression. I believe it can act as a massively important stepping-stone, aiding me towards achieving the absolute most out of my abilities.
Training-wise, I eased back on the gas pedal this week. Michelle, for one, could see I was falling into the pit-fall of doing too much too soon. Having been out for so long I'd begun to get caught up in the euphoria of being able to train at full blast, without the worry of re injuring my calf or back. However to train twice everyday at 100% is not going to get me anywhere fast. My body needs time to get stronger, so it can deal with running faster reps in a speed session and churning out greater mileage each week. I'd got caught up playing catch up, so key sessions for me to focus on were highlighted and the rest of the sessions were diluted.
Tuesday's track work was a session for me to go for. I'd done a very, very easy twenty minutes in the morning and allowed my body time to rest before attempting to get the best out of it in the evening. The session was repetitions of 600, 800, 1200, and 1600 metres, with a 200-metre jog recovery. The session was perfect for my state of fitness, not too long in duration and a good mix of endurance and speed. The session went well. I struggled a little with the second half of the 1600 metre rep, but I need to allow time for my fitness to increase, so it was bound to feel a bit tough! I was also helped by the visualization techniques I'd been working on with Michele. At the beginning of the session and at points where I began to struggle, I had to visualize how I ran in my best race, how relaxed I felt, how in control I was of everything and how quickly my legs were turning over. On top of this I was to eliminate any imperfections, to make it the perfect race. If at any point I stumbled or a competitor took my piece of track, in my race it no longer happened. I was out in front and no one could touch me! It worked well, especially when I was beginning to struggle. It took my concentration from a negative, the pain I was in, to a positive, my perfect race. As negative emotions have a greater and stronger influence on us than positive emotions it's important to block out the negatives and let the positives pull you through.
As part of my new regime aimed at giving my body time to recover, the two-hour long runs I had previously planned were shelved for a 45-minute steady run and a 25- minute easy run. This allowed me to tackle Thursday's 20-minute tempo run feeling a lot stronger. This session was of a higher quality than it would have been if I'd attempted it with weary legs. It's the quality that's important right now, the quantity can be built up more gradually, in my body's own time. It also meant that when quantity was the key element of the session, the long Sunday run, I was mentally fresh and eager to smash out an hour and forty. However my next sports psychology class will be on how to deal with nasty training partners who drag their so called 'friends' off, for their first run of over an hours duration in nearly three months, to Boxhill, where even the flat sections are up hill. I guess you keep your friends close and your enemies closer!!

Training Mon 12th May - Sun 18th May

2008-05-21T08:05:00.000-07:00

This weeks training saw a marked increase in both quantity and quality. Excepting Wednesday, I managed two running sessions a day plus three gym workouts and a long swim. Wednesday's second run session was swapped to a bike ride only due to soreness in my calf thanks to my overly friendly sports masseuse!
I was really pleased (overjoyed in fact), with how my body coped with it all. By listening to it, and ensuring I had enough recovery between sessions, as well as including a number of slower recovery runs, I was able to get through to Saturday, having done a full weeks training, in one piece for the first time since January! I was particularly pleased with Tuesday’s track session. I was, very much like last week, hesitant about stepping onto the tartan bowl, especially as the session was a real speed workout of 3 sets of 4 x 400 metres. I made sure I stayed within myself. Firstly because I hadn't run fast for a long time and I wanted to make the end of the session without losing my lunch! Secondly I didn't want to stress my calf too much, as the problem calf is my right which has to work harder than the left as you run round the track in an anti clock wise direction, causing more force to be put on the right leg as it actually has further to run than the left! I surprised myself with how fast I was able to go without stressing my body too badly. I was even able to hang onto the coat tails of my Tuesday night training partner, which after only one previous bit of speed work on the track, was a revelation to him as much as it was to me!
The other big event of the week was my first step into the world of sports psychology, which isn't actually the mental therapy some people think it is. There was no dragging up of deep, dark childhood secrets! I was actually fearful of this as my chosen sports psychologist, Michele Miller, who works with the British Sprint squad and Diving team in their preparations for the Olympics, is actually my old PE teacher from school, and those school days contained some very deep and very dark secrets! But rather than the session uncovering the widely held assumption that I am a mad man it was more focused on straightening out how I conducted myself with regards to my athletic career. From restructuring my training and setting tough but obtainable goals, to whether I was prepared to push myself well outside of the comfort zone, in order to answer the question of how good I can be, and whether I was prepared to face the fear that my best just might not be good enough. In pushing that boundary I might well achieve every thing and more that I could have hoped for from my running.
An additional positive to come from the session, and one very much close to my heart, is that my so-called laziness and reluctance to get out of my pit in the morning, is completely normal. In fact many of the truly elite athletes Michele works with are as equally hard to prise from their beds in the morning. It's not that I have some psychological problem, more that I really and truly need the rest. Please take note friends and family members!!
So, as we stand at this present time everything seems to be going really well (Touch a very large piece of wood!). From my own piece of amateur psychological analysis I've noticed that my running has been helped on it's way by positive actions taking place in my personal life. That my running is very much intertwined with how my life away from the track plays out. As I become happier and more content with life, I become happier in my running and vice versa, not that I was ever sad and discontent you understand! I don't think it really matters if it was the chicken or the egg that came first, more that the egg functions a bit better with a chicken! Now that's a sentence that needs some psychological dissection!

Training Mon 5th May - Sun 11th May

2008-05-13T08:26:00.000-07:00

Since I've come back from Lanzarote I've had quite a different approach to my training. I feel so much more disciplined with what I'm doing. Every session I'm completing has it's own purpose, and it's own effect. All of which are positive and are making me more confident that that I'll achieve what I want to do with my running. This in turn, keeps my motivation levels sky high.
All the extra training elements, and the new regimes I picked up and promised myself I would keep, have been kept, bar the getting up early part! I've improved greatly and since I've been back I haven't even come close to getting up in the pm! I'm treating it like my training, as I slowly increase the mileage, I slowly decrease my time spent looking at the back of my eyelids. No need to do too much too soon! But as for the rest of the new regime, it's going well. Gym work, as well as core strength and stability exercises, are now more organised and focused, with greater emphasis on running specific strength and conditioning exercises. I'm also increasing my flexibility well. No longer do I wake up stiff as a board, barely able to walk down the stairs. I'm now up and running straight away thanks to my gentle morning gymnastics! I’m taking great inspiration from TV-AM's fitness whiz Lizzy. (You remember her!?) A great blast from the past, as I remember my Mum using the same video in the mid 80's when I was a wee whippersnapper. You'll be glad to know I've only used the video as a guide, and the majority of the exercises are from a more up to date and competent source. But I like to put her tape on whilst I'm doing my exercises, it's an even better way to start the day when you can marvel at the most wonderful 80's perm and dazzlingly disgusting sweatshirts!
Running wise this week I felt ready to attempt my first speed session. I demanded that my coach set the group a longer slower session, just to accommodate me, and to my surprise he did. I didn't want to ruin my rehabilitation running 300 metre reps! So we were set 4 x 1500 metres. As this was my first bit of speed work in well over two months I proceeded with great caution. With each rep I slowly increased my lap times. It felt really good to be pushing myself again. But I kept it controlled and didn't give it everything. I ended up running the final rep a minute quicker than my first.
The next morning I was suffering from some stiffness in my calves. But that's quite normal for me after a track work out. If anything, my legs felt better than normal, which is another good sign that my conditioning work is paying off.
By Thursday my legs were quite tired and I felt susceptible to injury and tightening of the muscles, so I took a rest day, rather than trying to run for the sake of running. I now take greater care over what my body's trying to say to me. I followed this up with a day of non-impact training and hit my new cross training best friends, the pool and the bike.
Over the weekend normal service was resumed. I finally completed the full set of running sessions. A quick twenty-minute tempo run and the fail-safe long Sunday run. I'm pleased to report that everything is in one piece and for the first time in a long while I'm looking forward to a full weeks training.

Training Monday 28th of Apil - Sunday 4th May

2008-05-06T01:05:00.000-07:00

On Monday and Tuesday I continued to slowly build up the time I spent on my legs during each run. By Wednesday I was up to half an hour and things were progressing nicely. I was taking great care to spend an adequate amount of time warming up and down with every run. Although I was spending a maximum of half an hour going through the motion of running, the whole session was taking well over an hour. This slow methodical approach to warming the body up and down is something that is very easy to scrimp on, and I often do, but as I continue to persist with the same approach to each session, it's becoming more of a normal routine, and is something that I will really endeavour to persist with once I'm back to full fitness.
On Wednesday afternoon I paid a visit to my friendly masseuse/sadist. We decided to again focus the session on my calf as he could still feel some tightness. Throughout the hour-long appointment he slowly increased the pressure, which in turn slowly increased the pain! He applied more pressure than he has ever used upon me before. He felt it was now safe to use such intense force as the muscle had repaired sufficiently so as not to have a negative effect on my rehabilitation from the injury. I felt like an old man as I walked down the stairs and back to my car once we were done. My immediate reaction was that I'd gone in with a relatively intact calf muscle and left with a completely knackered one. But I trusted him that he had done me some good.
I rested for the rest of the day, as the session had caused some trauma to the calf. The next day my leg still felt very battered and very bruised, but that was in some strange way a positive. I could feel no tightness, and I had almost complete flexibility in the leg as I stretched it out before my first session of the day. No pain no gain I guess, just as long as it's the right sort of pain!
As the rehab phase was going so well I decided to up the work load to two runs a day, still keeping each session at a low volume and intensity, but the move to two runs a day was a good move in increasing my running based fitness as well as the strength in the damaged calf.
By Saturday I was confident enough with my calf to now increase the intensity. The first fast-ish run went really well. My calf handled it all perfectly. I was finding the pace a little hard to cope with aerobically, but that is understandable as it's nearly two months since my last hard session. What I didn't expect was the way the rest of my muscles reacted to the increase. When you injure a certain area of the body all the focus is on that point. You rehab it, building strength and slowly build up your training to allow the area to readapt to the forces involved. What you tend to forget is that it isn't just my calf that's taken a two month break, the rest of my leg muscles were on holiday too! So by Thursday evening my thighs felt like they'd run a marathon! Thankfully I knew it was just soreness rather than anything more serious. Not exactly a positive sign, but a sign that I was now beginning to become strong a fit again. And that the runs I was now able to perform were at a level where, for the first time in my rehab, I'm able to push my body hard, and to an increased limits my body can take.
By Sunday I was ready to go out for an hour. It felt good to be out for a decent length of time again. And it proved to me once more that I'm making real progress. But for the last quarter of the run, my lack of specific running based training really became evident. I was exhausted. My whole body was tired, let alone my legs. So I treated myself to the rest of the day on the sofa, a key element in any decent athletes' rehabilitation, in various states of consciousness. Now, I just have to remain disciplined as I increase my workload, taking care not to attempt too much to soon. Not to run before I can walk!

Training April 19th - 27th April

2008-04-30T07:35:00.000-07:00

Having got home from Lanzarote with only one good leg, I made a pact with myself to not even attempt running until my calf injury had healed and I was 100% pain free.
My first act of the week was to make an emergency massage appointment! My masseuse couldn't believe how tight my calf was, and spent 50 minutes of the hours appointment focusing on that area, trying to ease the muscle back to something close to its normal state. The muscle was so tight that tensing it had no effect; the calf's definition under my skin was no longer visible! I was quite worried I'd torn the calf, as the pain had been so bad whenever I put any real pressure on it, but my fears were unfounded. I was reassured that it was just a really bad pull with tightening of the muscle, and that if I was sensible I could rehab the injury in 6 - 10 days.
For the rest of the week I began implementing the lessons I'd learned in Linarite into my regime. Starting with my least favourite, getting out of bed earlier! For me this was certainly the hardest to enforce on myself and I soon realised that without the incentive of a thirty minute workout with an extremely fit (aerobically!) blonde Danish fitness instructor, the task was so much harder to achieve! But I persevered and eventually began to ease myself into the routine of getting out of bed at a more sensible hour.
Implementing the rest was a breeze by comparison. Stretch sessions and circuit training were also easier to include due to the lack of running in my schedule at the moment. The real test for these sessions comes once I'm back running twice a day. I'm hoping that the benefits I’m already experiencing from them will act as an extra incentive for keeping them in my schedule once I'm fully fit.
The rest of the week was again spent swimming and cycling. One slight change was my purchase of a float. I had increasingly become aware that I was relying on my arms to do the majority of the work as I swam. So I decided that in order to prevent this I'd completely take my arms out of the equation. I dread to think what people think as they see me getting into the pool. I’d hoped the addition of a bright blue float to my ‘speedo and goggle’ ensemble would make me at least look like a pro, but I fear I appear as more of a ‘wannabe’ trying too hard! But regardless of my appearance I've really noticed the difference. Focusing all my energies into my legs makes a lot more sense for a runner, and the resistance of the water makes the session beneficial to both my cardio vascular fitness and my muscular strength. A double gain from one work out can't be bad.
As the week progressed so the rehabilitation of my dodgy calf improved. By Wednesday I could walk up stairs and feel no pain. By Thursday evening I could stand on tiptoes and again feel no pain. So I decided that I would pencil in my first run for Saturday afternoon. I managed to keep the sensible head I've developed with this injury well and truly in place, and five minutes after I started, I stopped. Injury free and feeling good. Step one achieved! On Sunday ten minuets after I started, I stopped, still injury free. I was also pleased at how strong and relaxed I felt. I was itching for more but I know I need to take baby footsteps to ensure long term my running remains trouble free. So tomorrow I look forward to 15 minutes, no more, no less.

Training April 7th - 10th

2008-04-23T10:15:00.000-07:00

My calf was still causing me a lot of problems. The tightness would ease a little but the slightest twist or turn would set me back again. I knew I had to be patient with this one, but I'm not a very patient guy. I had a deadline by which I needed the injury to be healed as on Friday I'm off to Lanzarote for some warm weather training. To go with only one good leg would completely scupper all the plans I'd had. I wouldn't be able to raise my fitness levels, or hone my track speed. All I'd be able to do would be sit by the pool drinking cocktails and working on my tan. Not such a bad thing really, but it wasn't why I'd paid to stay on the sports complex with all it's great facilities.
I stayed away from any kind of sporting activity to ensure the calf was as well rested as possible. Lots of rehab work was done. After stretching, manipulating, ice, heat and a very painful massage, the calf was feeling much better. The day before we flew out I was unsure of what to do. Should I wait to try running on it in Lanzarote, or should I give it a test before I went so I'd know exactly where I stood. I chose the latter option. I tied my shoes once more and headed out of the door for a gentle 30 minutes. I could feel the tightness from the off and it was making my stride length a lot shorter than normal, but it didn't seem to be making thinks worse. The calf was stopping me from rolling up my foot onto my toes. My normal full extension was too much of a stretch for my damaged calf but as long as I didn't stride out to much and I landed on my heal rather than my toes, which is how I would normally run, I was ok - ish!
I knew I wasn't going to be able to put in the big mileage I'd intended at the training camp, but I now felt confident that I would at least be able to do something. I also felt that the extra time I was going to have could be put to good use by attending different strength and flexibility classes, something I might then be able to take away and implement into my normal training schedule.
So I packed my sun cream and shorts and headed off for a weeks training in great surroundings with excellent facilities and most importantly beautiful mood boosting weather!

LANZAROTE! Myself and twelve other members of my running club headed off to Club La Santa on the island of Lanzarote for a week of sun and fun, I mean hard work! As this was the one time of the year the others could act as full time athletes I knew I was in for a busy time, especially as I'm a big fan of complete recovery between sessions (or sleeping as often as possible as the others view it!)
We were delayed on the runway for two hours, which meant we didn't check into the resort until one in the morning. I thought this would get me out of the daily 7:30 morning gymnastics, used as a warm up for a 5k group run, but no, I was told to be at the side of the pool or there would be trouble.
I actually found it very refreshing to be up and doing light exercise before breakfast. It really set me up for the rest of the day. The gymnastics, or gentle stretching and aerobics as it transpired, helped ease the stiffness I often experience when I first get up in the morning, and ensured that I was alert and focused rather than suffering from my normal morning lethargy. Waking up at a set time is not part of my normal regime. I've learnt over the week that sleeping till you wake up is good in moderation especially after hard sessions, but that I shouldn't treat it as the norm. So already I'd picked up two things that I knew could easily be implemented into my training when I get back, and it was only 8am on the first day!
As well as various swimming, cycling and gym work on the first day, I joined my first flexibility class, “stretch and relax”. The writer of that particular description could be done for misrepresentation, as it wasn't the least bit relaxing. Ok, the first five minutes was, as we learned how to control and focus on our breathing, but the next 55 minuets was not relaxing in the slightest. As a long distance runner I am engrained with the thought process that time spent doing any other activity bar running is a waste of time, and stretching comes way down the list, but it shouldn't be so. I only tend to stretch when I've done a session, something many of my peers don't even do, or of course when I'm injured. Prevention is better than cure, and although stretching won't guarantee you'll stay injury free, being supple will defiantly help. So stretching as a session in itself was number three on the list of things to do.
For the first few days I'd been running only during the very steady “morning” runs. The rest of the time I'd been making good use of the bike, as well as the Olympic sized swimming pool, which is a long way to swim when your are used to turning and pushing off a wall every 25 meters. I'd already felt that my fitness levels were coming back and my calf was feeling better and better. So I turned up for a road race around the resort. I wanted to use it not as a race but as a good training session with lots of people around for company. I started off well and didn't feel any pain from the calf, so I upped the pace a little and still felt good. I then caught up with a friend of mine who was also taking things a bit easier. He enquired how my calf was, 'really good' I responded. I then informed him I was going to push on as it all felt ok. Ten seconds later and he over took me, 'It's gone again!' I recomposed myself and got back into my 'make do style' and although there was a little bit of pain, I was just enjoying running again, in the sun, by the sea, in new and beautiful surroundings. Mentally I felt so good I made a bit of an error. There was a 5k and 10k race going simultaneously. They were both run together, you just kept going for a second lap if you fancied doing the 10k. As I finished the first lap, all the sprinters from my group were there to cheer, or jeer, us home. They saw I was limping a bit by my running action and to their surprise, rather than stopping I headed out for a second lap. The loneliness of the long distance runner! I don't know what I was thinking! No, I do know, I was pig headed and I thought “no pain, no gain”. The extra distance would surely help my fitness. Wrong. That second 5k the pain got worse and by the end I was nearly hopping. I hadn't achieved anything I'd just made things much worse. I beat myself up a bit for being such an idiot as I hopped to dinner, knowing that the next day wasn't going to be much fun.
For the rest of the week I stayed away from running as much as I could, and yet again was a frequent visitor to the Olympic pool and the bike hut. I kept up my learning curve by attending as many strength classes as possible, picking up some great new exercises in circuit training, on the Swiss ball and the all important core work out

31st March - 6th April 2008

2008-04-08T04:15:00.000-07:00

Training Monday 31st March- Sunday 6th April: I was beginning to think that my running in 2008 had been cursed. What else could explain the constant injuries that scuppered the second and more important half of my cross country season? And now I truly know I am cursed! I was following my osteopaths directions to the letter. One run a day, real steady, and of only twenty to thirty minuets in duration. I'd even been give a full bill of health by him on Monday morning and was told I needn't come back for a month. So Monday afternoon I headed out on to Epsom Downs thinking my injury problems were done with. Ten minuets of gentle running later I stumbled on some uneven ground. Something I've done a million and one times before but this time, with my luck I didn't get away with it. As I corrected my fall I severely pulled my calf muscle. I knew it was a bad one straight away. Normally you can continue for a bit, but two strides later I had to stop. I could hardly walk let alone run. So for forty minuets I hobbled, ashen faced back to my car. I could not believe it, it's not even related to my previous injury, something you'd expect, it's a completely fresh one for me to fix.
After stretching, massaging, adding ice and heat to the injury I knew it was going to be another couple of days if not a week before I ran again. So Tuesday morning I got my speedos and goggles out again!
Having done quite a few swim sessions recently I was beginning to fancy myself as a bit of an Ian Thorpe! I'm never over taken in the pool, in fact I do a lot of over taking. Ok so it is madly retired folk, and pregnant women who frequent the pool during the day but they've probable been swimming a lot longer than me, I must be a natural! So as I gamely swam up and down, I began to think about a change of events. I'd really started to sway myself to becoming a swimmer, especially as they get interviewed by Sharron Davies, that nearly sealed the deal! But then came Thursday and I did my session later than normal, and as it was after three thirty there were a few scholl kids with me. I still had the beating of them. They were distracted my standing on giant floats and bombing their mates! Then I noticed a little girl no older then eleven was swimming up and down my lane. Two seconds later she was over taking me doing the butterfly! My dreams of meeting Sharon shattered, I shifted my focus back to getting my fitness levels back up, so once I'd rehabbed from my calf pull I was ready to roll straight away. But on Friday and for the rest of the weekend I stayed away from the pool, not that I was afraid of the little girl! I just fancied a change, so I hit the bike. Maybe I could be the next Lance Armstrong! Who interviews him?

Monday 17th-Sunday 23rd March

2008-03-31T06:43:00.000-07:00

The big event this week was my trip to the Osteopath. I've never been to one before and was a little wary of what was going to happen. As his services had been recommended to me by a close friend, who claimed she had been 'fixed' by him on numerous occasions, I arrived for my appointment on Tuesday morning.

After talking to me and getting me to bend and stretch into a variety of weird and wonderful positions, he concluded that my hip was slightly out of alignment and thus was causing my back pain. The way my back muscles were being over stretched would also have been causing the tightness in my hamstrings and calf. Great, so all we had to do was fix it and I'd be back in business.

I was lulled into a serene calm by a ten minute back massage in order to loosen the muscles and allow the manipulation to occur. My arms and legs were then carefully moved into a position which I thought would be used to stretch out the problem area. It was a bit of a shock when he then told me to breathe in and literally jumped on me, thus producing a huge cracking sound from my back. After he assured me that that horrific sound was the intended outcome we swapped sides to deal with the problematic right. I was in position and ready. He jumped on me again, nothing happened so he quickly repeated the jump three times, nothing. I was moved into a new position and stretched out a bit. We then went back for a second 'crack' at it!! This time he jumped with more pressure and purpose. But still no crack. Again he tried twice more with more force. I was praying for it to crack, the position was uncomfortable to say the least, but rather than pain I was hit by a feeling of nausea. The back's a fragile and quite important thing, with all those spinal cords running up it, so to have a strange bearded man I've known five minutes messing about with it, intentionally hurting it for a greater good made me feel a little sick. I stared at his certificates to reassure myself he knew what he was doing and then, finally, there was a small but ever so pleasing crack and I was released from my contorted position.

I was reassessed and my hip had moved closer to its normal position and advised not to run for two weeks, which fits pleasingly into my end of season break. All he advised was to stretch the area and swim and cycle to keep up a bit of my cardio fitness. But I wasn't to over do it, so as to give the back time to recover and mend. Which again all fits in perfectly with me taking a break from training.

It's been a relief to have been given an explanation and something of a cure for my problem. And the Doctor's advice to not run and do minimal exercise has meant my feelings of guilt for not doing anything and losing ground on where I ultimately aim to be will not surface. I can sit back and relax under the umbrella of rehab. Happy days!

9th-16th of March

2008-03-20T04:06:00.000-07:00

Training Report:

My whole cross country season has been focused on this Saturday. I'm now confident I can make the county team so I knew I'd be able to look upon this race as the pinnacle of almost half a years work. But these last few months have been easily the most frustrating of my running career so far. Nothing has gone smoothly. I've rolled seamlessly from one problem to the next. My body's basic fitness and the speed in my legs has improved dramatically over the winter, which makes all these interruptions so annoying. Each time I start back after a set back I know I'm running well straight away, my base fitness is really good, it's just these last few months when I've wanted to really make some strides in terms of my abilities to compete well, especially at this, the last and biggest race of the season, I've not been able to move on.

As I wanted to compete at the inter counties I treated this week as I would have if I'd been in top shape. Every session was easy, and shorter than normal. Normally this would allow the body to recover from the fatigue of intense training, but for me it was more about letting my body recover from all its niggles. Tuesday was my last semi hard session, a final bit of speed work, the last piece in the puzzle, that was supposed to leave me feeling confident. Sadly I knew I was struggling. I copped well with the session as it was only half the normal amount. It wasn't as easy and flowing as I would have liked, but the main problem was my back again. The pain began to flare up towards the end, and with triple the distance covered in this session to come on Saturday I was anything but confident. During this last month my back pain has been getting progressively worse down the right hand side, especially when running at full stretch, in races or during speed sessions. I knew at the end of that run that I now needed to see a specialist about it. I just hoped I could get to Saturday in one piece and deal with getting it 'fixed' next week.

The rest of my week involved slow runs and lots of stretching. I hoped that along with a sports massage on Wednesday it would see me able to complete the 12k cross country race, and do myself some sort of justice as to how far I've improved upon this time last year. Mentally I was focused and confident that I would do ok, whether this was a sign of me becoming mentally stronger, a mind over matter thing, or weather it was some sort of blind, dissolutional insanity I'm not sure!
I was really excited come race day. The inter counties are a big event, 3000 of the best cross country runners from across the UK, and from all age groups. With loud Tannoy speakers blaring out commentary of every one of the ten races, and the cameras from Sky Sports, broadcasting each race out live, you knew you were at a big important event. The chance to represent Great Britain at the World Cross country Championships was at stake for the front runners, and the chance of a team medal was on the cards for everyone.

With the senior men's race on last I had a while to wait for my go. I got myself focused, motivated and warm by running from one side of the course to the other to encourage members of both my own running club and county. And with a number of excellent performances by friends from my club, including an inspirational individual bronze in the under 17 women from Izzy Brinsden, and I was excited and eager to get going and determined to do well.
The start is like the 'Charge of the Light brigade' as nearly 500 athletes literally sprint from the starting pens up the immediate and steep incline to get a good position. For the first lap I'd felt in control. I was placed just outside the top 50and was reasonably comfortable with it. But with three laps to go I could already feel that my body was starting to buckle. The dodgy right hand side of my back was not happy and the knock on effects on my legs would soon surface. The first thing to go was my calf. It tightened up but I was able to cope with this, but towards the end of the lap the back really stiffened up. I continued on for half a lap, but as the tightness increased my stride length decreased and I was quickly going backwards through the field. After running for an extra half lap I decided to stop. I stood watching the field pass me as I stretched and massaged my back, I half thought about joining in again, but that would have done me no good. I would definitely have been last and of no use to the team, and running was only going to have a negative impact on my back.
I stood and watched the race from the side lines. Watching runners I'd raced against do really well, and pictured where I could have come, had I been fit. I was not exactly ecstatic to have gone all the way to Nottingham, to race in the highlight race of the cross country season, just to pull out of a race for the first time ever. Something I really don't want to repeat. As I drove home talking about running with a couple of close friends and club mates we came to the conclusion that my mind and body needed a little break from running. In nearly two years since I have had a holiday from this job. And with this injury problem that only flares up whilst running, now seems like the perfect time. So for the next few weeks I'll be riding and swimming to keep up the fitness levels, but my trainers will stay in the cupboard. An emergency appointment with an osteopath has been booked for Tuesday to hopefully identify the problem in my back. I'm sure this break will give my body and mind new vigour when I tie my shoes up again, revitalising what I know I can do with my body.

Saturday 23rd February - The National

2008-02-29T03:49:00.000-08:00

136th

Race Report:

Myself and seven other intrepid Epsom & Ewell Harriers met at seven thirty to enjoy a three hour mini bus ride up to Alton Towers on Saturday morning for a quick race around a field! I was a little concerned as to how my legs would be after three hours sitting down, but I needn't have worried. With eight athletes all getting well hydrated the stops were plentiful! Which gave me time to stretch my legs and stop them from stiffening up.

The National is a great occasion. Club runners of all shapes, sizes and ages from all over the country meeting to participate in the biggest club cross country race of the season. I'm not sure what the families that had gone to Alton Towers to enjoy the rollercoaster's made of eight thousand runners, but I bet they cursed their luck when it came to sitting in massive queues to get out of the car parks!

For me the race was frustrating to say the least. With four weeks of mediocre/rubbish training behind me I knew It would be a big test. And the challenging course with its undulations and one killer near vertical hill, that was run up three blooming times, soon found my fitness wanting. Due to my lack of fitness I had wanted to come in the top one hundred. If i'd been fit I wanted the top fifty at least. But I found the going hard, my legs felt like jelly after every climb, and to make matters even better for me my lower back really stiffened up and became quite painful, and altered how I was able to run, at least it made my forget the pain in my foot!

I finished a tired 136, not that good really. But considering only two years ago I was finishing in the top 300 in just the southern championships, I know progress is being made.
One of these days I'll run well, to the best of my abilities, with no illness or injury to contend with, and I'll give a true representation of where I am, and how much I've improved. I hope it's soon, like in three weeks at the inter counties, the race I've been looking forward to all season long. Fingers crossed.

Sunday 17th - Friday 22nd February

2008-02-29T03:36:00.000-08:00

Training Report:

After my week of stationary cycling I was eager to get back to my running. By Sunday I felt no discomfort in my foot, and felt ready to try it out. A very gentle forty five minutes was the plan to ease my foot back into weight bearing exercise. I felt a little discomfort towards the end of the run, but no major relapse and was pleased with how things went. But not wanting to push things I continued to use the bike for my second cardio session of the day.

On Monday I was keen to go a bit further and push the pace a bit more. Firstly to test how the foot would respond, but secondly to see how my fitness was doing. After three weeks of severely interrupted training due to my injury and illness I was keen to find out where I stood. The run was great I felt strong throughout and I didn't feel I'd lost too much fitness. Perhaps the run had felt it had gone so well because my legs were well rested and my enthusiasm for pushing myself on was greater than normal for a Monday morning ten miler. The foot had stood up to the challenge quite well, until after eight miles I had to run down an uneven pathway for half a mile. The foot didn't take to well to it. Fortunately it was a slow progression of pain rather than a sudden hit. I was able to carry on and complete the run.

Once I'd taken my trainer off the pain eased considerably. I believe that most of the pain was caused by the expansion of my foot in the shoe. The foot expands as we walk around every day and then shrinks back as we rest at night. The act of running heightens the expansion process because of the greater and more frequent levels of impact. Add to this a slight injury in which the foot swells slightly in order to protect the foot, and the pressure in the shoe grows. It was good to have something of an explanation for the pain, but rather than push it again I hit the bike on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning.

Tuesday evening was a track session of 8 x 600 metres. I was unsure how my foot would cope with the extra strain of running faster but I was keen to find out with a big race on Saturday. On the warm up things didn't feel good, and I was not very optimistic for the session. But strangely as soon as I upped the pace during the reps the pain subsided, which I was obviously pleased with! Half way through the session a dull ache began to occur, but it was only when I ran round the bends. I'm guessing that the additional pressure and an unnatural inverted foot placement were the cause, but nothing major.

For the rest of the week I was unsure how to go about my training. On one hand I was desperate to get my fitness back and start improving again, but on the other I had my injury to consider as well as the National Cross Country Championships on Saturday. I knew I wasn't going to be at my best and that I wouldn't show my abilities as I had hoped, but I didn't want to arrive on the start line exhausted and do even worse. So I stuck with my one run and one bike session plan. It worked ok, but during a slow run back to my club house after a fartlek session the pain slowly but surly got quite bad. Half a mile from home I had to stop. The pressure was way too much. My shoe had become something of a corset for my foot, and my ample ankle was bursting out!! As soon as I untied the shoe, the pain stopped and I quite happily trotted back. The whole shoe lace thing is quite annoying. I can't start out with it too loose for fear of injuring something else but after half an hour's run the pain starts. Not too bad whilst training, but in the race on Saturday I don't want to stop to sort my shoe out. For one you'll easily lose a hundred plus places in the time it takes to do your shoe, plus the course is packed solid with 1500 runners who will trample you into the mud rather than stop! So I rested on Friday in the hope that it would help the foot recover more and prevent any perilous shoe tying occurring on race day.

Sunday 10th -Saturday 16th February

2008-02-20T10:10:00.000-08:00

Training Report:

Having finally got over my man flu, I was ready to hit the training with a vengeance. Nearly two weeks of relative inactivity had really got my juices flowing for some good quality training sessions. I decided to consider the two weeks off as a good rest period. My legs were refreshed and ready to tackle the final and most important phase of the cross country season. But - and we knew there was going to be a but! - things didn't go to plan.

After my long Sunday run I felt quite good. The hour and three quarters had flown by, and having not done a long run for a while due to the illness I was pleased with my speed throughout the run. However once I'd had my shower my foot began to ache a lot. It became quite painful along the top of the foot. The pain eased when I didn't put any weight on it, however walking was a bit uncomfortable which didn't bode well for running on it. I rested for the rest of the day and hoped that by Monday morning everything would have mended it's self.

I managed both my runs Monday, but the pain worsened after each one. I was icing it and manipulating it, rubbing in potions and lotions, which eased the pain whilst I wasn't running, which is fine if you're not a runner, but I am! And as soon as I took to the streets in my trainers the pain was back. Again I took to my bed Monday night hoping to wake Tuesday to a miracle cure. Sadly miracles seemed in short supply and Tuesdays easy twenty minute morning run was not a lot of fun. The whole way only one thing was on my mind, the pain in my bloody foot!

Tuesday night I gamely turned up at the track ready to do my session of 6 x 1 mile. But I didn't even get as far as the first rep. During my warm up strides, the additional pressure created by moving faster and pushing off the foot harder made my decision to call a holt to my session easy. I went home and again iced and rubbed it, I'm unsure weather it was doing much but it made me feel better, it made me feel as if I was doing something useful.

On Wednesday I had an appointment with my masseur, and looked to him for a diagnosis and treatment advice. He felt around my foot, I'd washed it twice for him!! and he said the pain was coming from the tendon that goes down the front of the foot at a point where it comes close to the surface as it passes over a bone in the foot. He felt I must have tweaked or bruised the tendon at some point. I lay there as he sorted out my legs racking my brain for when I'd hurt my foot in some way, as I had no recollection of a moment when I did the damage to my foot causing all this bother. Finally I remembered as he found a particularly tight part of my hamstring, I'd turned my ankle on my Sunday run. I'm very good at reacting to and stumble or twist the body goes through whilst running on the often very unstable surfaces encountered whilst training off road. I think it's this sense of balance which makes me so suited to cross country running. And because this sort of thing happens all the time, and because the pain didn't hit me straight away I'd forgotten about it as a probable cause for the pain.
The recommendation was cross training, time on the bike or the cross trainer was the order of the day. Non impact training is what I needed, so I headed straight down the gym. And after discovering that I don't much care for the cross trainer it was in the saddle that I spent the rest of the week. I would have loved to have got out on my proper bike, but due to the tight, rigid shoes that numb my feet at the best of times that I'd have to use as I'd cleverly changed my pedals to clip on's to make me faster, I had to use the stationary bikes in the gym.

So for the rest of the week I went absolutely nowhere. I watched 'Bargain Hunt' and Neighbours, which interestingly is now on channel Five! I sweated like I've never sweated before. I'm use to the cooling effect of cold air blowing over my face as I run gracefully down a deserted country path, not a hot, airconditioned, magnolia walled place for muscle worship. Not that I dont like the gym, but spending four hours a day in there will drive anybody mad let alone me!

So that's all I can say about my training on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I hope to be running soon or I will definitely be forced to make a sign for all the guys with arms much bigger than my legs. 'Hi I'm Will, I'm a long distance runner, and big muscles would slow me down. Which is the only reason I don't have them, if I didn't run my arms would obviously be as big if not bigger than yours'!

Sunday 10th February - Lloyd Park League Cross Country

2008-02-11T07:02:00.000-08:00

3rd

Race Report:

I was a bit lacklustre before the race. Knowing I wasn't in the shape I have been and that I wasn't going to be racing at the new levels I've reached so far this season, I wasn't really in a racey frame of mind. I was more content to do a bit of sunbathing than get myself ready. I did warm up eventually but it didn't fill me with confidence. I felt ok but that extra 10% was missing.

I was hoping that the pace would not be too hot to start with, but given that my team mate Phil was in good shape and in the race I didn't hold out much hope. He always hits the front hard at the start; he just can't seem to stop himself! Thankfully I was pleasantly surprised as he went off steadily for once in his life which made things a lot better for me. I was able to get myself together, get into a decent rhythm and sit in behind the leaders. I knew that I was going to struggle to get the victory, my main aim was to be as close to the winner as I could be.

Before the start of the second and final lap my team mate hit the front, I slotted into third and it pretty much stayed like that to the end. I had a good rhythm which is what got me round, but I just didn't have enough gas in the tank to make any more of an impression on the leaders.

I was actually quite satisfied with my performance. I was less than 10 seconds behind the winner, which considering I was far from 100% was pleasing. I can now be reasonably competitive in races when my fitness levels are down which shows me how much my overall fitness has improved.

Sunday 3rd - Saturday 9th February

2008-02-11T06:57:00.000-08:00

Training Report:

This week's training was a case of slowly but surely wins the day. I felt I'd recovered enough from my severe man flu to start running again. But it was key that I didn't do too much to soon, a virus can really lower your immune system and it's important that the body recovers properly. I'd learnt my lesson in the summer on trying to push on with an intense level of training during an illness and it just doesn't work.

I was careful to make sure I was fully recovered from each session before commencing with the next. If that meant doing less than planned, fine. It's best to let you body recover and do a decent session and help your progression than do a poor session just for the sake of doing a run, that ultimately will not help your fitness in any way. So I missed out sessions when I felt I needed to and did a lot of stretching and mobility exercises. I also made sure when I did run I didn't push myself to the limit. I wanted to finish each session feeling strong, leaving something in the tank. To finish every session dead on your feet having given everything is never a good thing. This is especially so when you are getting back your fitness after an illness. This was sometimes quite hard to do because due to all the rest I've had my legs felt really fresh and were desperate for me to use them to the max. Occasionally I'd lapse and my pace would quicken, but it wouldn't last too long as the additional strain on my lungs and heart, which have been affected during my illness, would quickly let me know that the pace had to slow or I'd pay big time a bit later!

With my final league match of the season on Sunday I had to decide whether to take part. It's easy to stop yourself pushing it in training, much less so in a race, when you know where you should come and who you should be beating on a normal day. But by Friday I was confident enough that I could push myself a bit more and not knock myself back.

28th January - 2nd February

2008-02-04T07:43:00.000-08:00

Training Report:

Having felt completely drained from my Parliament Hill excursion I gave myself the day off. I knew it would do me no harm and my legs were shot from running three quarters of a race without all the oxygen they required. By Monday they had recovered but I took things a little easier than normal as a precaution. But on Monday evening I started to feel a bit under the weather. Tuesday morning I woke early to do a short run and I felt a bit groggy throughout. I then headed off to London to see my Glassworks posse and make sure they knew I was running and not just kicking back every day watching the TV and eating pizza, which is what a few of them think I do! By the time I got back home I developed a full on head cold, and I was hoping and praying it wouldn't develop into a major case of man flu! I don't think it fully developed into man flu but it did knock me out for a good few days, and I didn't even attempt a run until Saturday which was very frustrating. You think it's just a sore throat and a snotty nose but I knew if I ran it would add an extra day to my recovery, and the actual run would be a load of rubbish anyway, so it would have no positive effect on my progress what so ever! Saturdays run was not fun at all, and was possibly half a day early, but I'm hoping by Monday to be fully fit and raring to go again.

21st-25th January

2008-02-04T07:40:00.000-08:00

Training Report:

With 9 miles of parliment hill beckoning on Saturday It was going to be an easier weeks training. To get to that race with tired legs is madness. So after a relaxed Tuesdays 4 x 1000 metres round the track, steady sedate running was the order of the day. As it had worked so well at the county champs I felt more confident in keeping things slow, even though your head tells you to work hard in order to instil the psyche with positive vibes. I resisted the temptation and just used my Friday pre-race leg turn over as the confidence booster. Three thirty second all out sprints down a slight incline does nothing but put you in a racey frame of mind!

Southern Cross Country Championships

2008-02-04T05:33:00.000-08:00

30th

Race Report:

You're not a real cross country runner until you've tackled the undulating muddy bog that is Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath. Nine not so glorious miles of mud, mud and more mud. You know its going to be soggy going when you find abandoned running spikes embedded in the deep sticky mud. The officials have to be very careful to count in all the under thirteens at the finish, for fear they have sunk beneath the surface never to be seen again!

I'd been looking forward to this race. I like to think of myself as a bit of a scrapper, I keep on going regardless of what I'm running on, which comes in handy on Parliament Hill. I also wanted to put to bed my own personal hoo doo I have for the place. I must have raced there nearly ten times and I've yet to have a good run, I've run well for parts of races but never have I been anywhere near satisfied with my complete race. Sadly today was no exception!

I managed to get an amazing start up the long first hill. I'd placed myself to the far right of the course, and the going must have been a lot better than on the far side as I reached the top in third surrounded by international standard athletes. But I didn't feel as though I'd worked too hard to get into that position so I ploughed on. Things got ugly just half a mile further on. A stitch in the middle of my diaphragm hit me, and my stomach sounded as though I was running with a hot water bottle strapped to me! The stitch meant I had to take short shallow breaths, not what you want when your legs are demanding as much oxygen as you can get to them as possible. My legs soon became heavy, and the course takes no prisoners when the going gets tough. I knew I couldn't stop, I hate to DNF so I kept going. After two of the three laps I'd fallen back to about 50th position, when finally the stitch began to fade and I could breathe again. But it only gave me three miles to bring my legs back to life and make my way back through the field.

I eventually finished 30th, shattered and disappointed at what could have been. But to take a politically positive spin on things I'd finished over 50 places higher than last year and over 150 on the year before that. So to be disappointed with 30th shows me I'm moving in the right direction.

14th-20th January

2008-01-23T01:47:00.000-08:00

Training Report:

It's been a week of contrasts. The first half was amazing the second half was a load of old rubbish.

Monday through to Thursday couldn't have gone any better. I was running well, completing all my runs, and enjoying myself both on and off the track. But from Thursday onwards I was a different runner. It was as if overnight a button had been pressed. I was lethargic, not in my running but in my general self. I'd lost enthusiasm for doing anything, let alone running about a bit! My mind was very much distracted from any task I tried to complete. Certain activities gave my mind a rest, a momentary distraction from my troubles, but unfortunately it wasn't running. The nature of running means mentally it's not that distracting, especially whilst completing long runs. It's easier to concentrate whilst doing speed sessions but it's all too easy to get distracted in your mind, even when racing.

I was extremely restless and bored, but I could not sum up the willpower to change this. The things outside of my running which were not going as hoped, which to start off with had not impeded on my training, now took centre stage. I started to become somewhat lost in the loneliness and loonieness of the long distance runner!!

Doing what I'm trying to achieve is such a long term plan that the end never seems to be in sight. I have short term goals, such as the Surrey Championships and various other races, but the end goal is a long way off. What doesn't help is that there are no guarantees that the goal will be met. A massive range of factors can effect the perceived outcome. And when one thing in my life suddenly changes, or I feel as the goal posts have been moved, even if it has no relevance to the actual act of being able to get out and run, it makes me question what I'm doing. As most of my life is now devoted to running it's sometimes hard to keep up the enthusiasm for it when other things are going on around me. It's the same for many things in everyone's life, yet when something changes in mine and prevents me physically or mentally from running as I would like, it adds stress to what should be the most enjoyable job in the world!

I would love to sometimes stop for a week or two, spontaneously or just because things are getting hard, but it's not an option where I am. My personal life is my professional life. When you train well your goal feels closer, when you don't they seems further away. If you complete a week's schedule exactly as you'd plan the goal feels obtainable, but if you miss a session you feel a sense of failure or disappointment in your achievements. So to down tools and do nothing mentally makes the whole thing worse.

Thankfully because I've got through many torturous training sessions and many long lonely miles my head is tougher than it use to be. As I write this at the beginning of a new week the troubles and distractions no longer seem so big, they aren't the all consuming issues that I'd thought. They are still there, and I expect they'll remain there until it's all resolved, but I've been able to put them at the back of my mind. Running is now a distraction to the distraction! What's more, I've done all the runs I've intended to do, so that goal as far off as it may be, seems that little bit closer!

12th January: Surrey League Richmond Park

2008-01-15T09:05:00.000-08:00

1st

Race Report:

With my legs a little jaded from the week's training I decided not to employ the tactics that worked so well in the county championships. Instead of making a long run for it I decided to sit back and let the field dictate how fast we went. I was happily sitting in a group of four at the head of the field for the first mile, then my club mate decided that he wanted to make me work for it. Having missed the race the weekend before - he was sunning himself in Portugal - he came into the race fresh and raring to go. Having trained a lot with him I knew what I was in for so I sat on his shoulder for the first lap. Towards the end of the lap I pulled a small gap through a tricky section of the course and as my legs were feeling ok I made a break from him down a steep hill. If it had been a competitor from another club I would have sat back for longer, but I feel with a team mate to sprint finish at the end is somehow not the done thing! Plus if I'd managed to out kick him in the last hundred yards I know he'd make me pay for it on our long Sunday run! So I hit the front and managed to pull a gap which allowed me to relax and get into a rhythm that I maintained to the end.

All in all a satisfactory race, it's always nice to see an Epsom and Ewell one two.

6th - 11th January

2008-01-15T09:02:00.000-08:00

Training Report:

This week my body truly felt the effects of pushing it really hard at the county championships. My legs were really sore for two days and a massive cramp in my hamstring on Saturday evening didn't help matters! Added to this the fact I picked up a bit of a foot injury due to not tying my shoe lace up properly in the race - always use a double knot! So I had two days of stretching, walking and baths. Hard work as you can imagine! By Tuesday I felt my legs were getting back to their old selves and I hit back into hard training as normal.

3 x 2000 metres into a howling head wind isn't my usual choice for a first proper run after a rest, but it was duly dispatched. As were the rest of the week's runs. With a league match on Saturday I was a little unsure of how to approach my training on Thursday and Friday. As I'd eased back so much for the Surrey's I decided to train hard and not ease back, and hope for the best!

Saturday 5th January: Surrey County Championships

2008-01-07T10:32:00.000-08:00

Result - 2nd

Race Report:

I was really focused for Saturday's race. I like to have a laugh with my team mates and friends at races, which I did as it helps with any nerves that I sometimes get before even the smallest of races. But with about ten minutes before the start I got tunnel vision. I psyched myself up and I knew I was in good shape, I knew I was ready.

Before the start I had a few plans. Surrey is quite a strong county so I knew there would be lots of good athletes to contend with. I also knew I would most likely be scrapping over second place as Phil Wicks the national half marathon champion and GB world cross country representative was running. And although I have strong hopes of challenging him one day, I knew at the moment he was in a league of his own. So I decided to stick with the chasing pack to start with as 7.5 miles in quite muddy conditions is a long slog.

The gun went and my initial plan was chucked out after thirty seconds. Phil went straight into the lead as predicted but the chasing pack seemed to be showing too much respect and was going a bit too slow. Not surprising really, given the race was only half a minute old and would last for over forty, but I decided to go with Phil for a mile or so in the hope I would get a gap and I could hide from the rest; out of sight out of mind. And I guess it worked! I finished in second all alone. Phil was well ahead and the chasing pack were out of sight.

It was a hard race on my own. Putting myself in second after only 400 metres and then focusing on staying there when I had no one to work with, and knew that the others were hunting me like a pack of dogs. As I began my last lap after five miles of running I was wondering if I'd made the right choice. I was tired and had a few doubts as to whether I would last. But I told myself that I'd put myself in this position and to get on with it, and I guess I did. I was over the moon to come second, and shows a good improvement from my fifth place last year. Now I'm focused on making up for a poor performance last year when representing Surrey at the inter counties.

I think I owe a little credit to my brother who inspired me to make my move so early on. For Christmas he got me a picture of a litte known American runner named Steve Perfontaine, with his quote, 'To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.' And for once I really think I did give my best!

1st - 4th January 2008

2008-01-07T10:23:00.000-08:00

Training Report:

Training this week has been really low key and relaxed, as I eased down for the county championships on Saturday. I met up with friends as much as possible who were also easing back to ensure that I didn't get any urges to work hard and waste my energy. It's a strange feeling when you ease off, your legs feel full of energy and bounce and are willing you to use them properly. You have to keep reminding yourself to run slowly and to stick to the length of run that's been scheduled, and not get carried away, regardless of how good you feel. It's also a strange sensation psychologicaly. You feel that a gentle twenty minute run will make you slower come race day. Your head seems to think a hard 45 minutes or some hill reps will make you fitter and stronger come race day. To do that would give you confidence that you're running well, so when you toe the start line you know you're in good shape, but to give your body an extra few days to recover from the months of training is ultimatley the better option. Well I hope so anyway!

I always do the same session the day before a race. An easy 25 minute run which includes three thirty second fast strides with thirty seconds recovery. I like my legs to get a fast turn over the day before. But at only thirty seconds in length and only three reps it won't tire me out at all.

My new non chocolate diet is going ok, I decided not to go cold turkey, I've had enough cold turkey this Christmas! But I made sure other than my occasional bit of chocolate I ate lots of fruit and veg this week as well as the distance runner's trusty friend carbohydrates. Along with stretching and sitting in ice baths it was all I could do to ensure I was ready to do myself and my training justice.

22nd - 31st December

2008-01-03T08:54:00.000-08:00

Training Report:

Christmas is always quite a strange period in athletics. For me it's a key period halfway through the cross country season, with all the major championships ready to come thick and fast in the New Year, yet things seem to shut down. My track is closed for two weeks over the Christmas period, and races seem non existent unless is some kind of inter club race that's more about having a laugh than running seriously. Don't get me wrong, I'm the first person in line to have fun, it's just a little frustrating when it all comes at a crucial phase of the season.

My one weakness at Christmas is chocolate; alcohol I can quite easily say no to, but chocolate is a different matter. It's an addiction that I may need to seek help for. If it's in the house, it must be eaten. It calls me over, taunting me, goading me into consuming one, two, eight bars at a time. Thanks to kind friends and relatives we had four tins of 'Roses' and 'Quality Street' in the house, they won't make the New Year! The guilt I suffer every morning is terrible, as I wake up surrounded by shiny rappers and melted chocolate stains on my duvet! For sure I know what my New Year's resolution will be! But I may need to join 'Chocoholics Anonymous' to help me through the dark lonely times.

As far as training is concerned, touch wood, I still seem to be running well. It is a little harder to push myself out of the door at this time of the year, especially when 'Jurassic Park 2' and 'Home alone 3' are on the TV! With a week to go until the Surrey County Championships I did my last hard speed session on the 30th. With my track closed I was forced to run my 6 x mile reps on the road. I actually find this session a lot more enjoyable out on the road. You can push and relax during the rep without the constant lap times being read out, plus running on an undulating course is more representative of what I'll face in races, rather than the flat surface of the track. I managed to average a fraction over 5 minutes for each mile, and felt strong and in control. It was one of those runs where you're so focused and relaxed that you feel you could go on forever. And with a last mile of well under 5 minutes I was happy that all the chocolate eating hadn't taken its toll too much!
I'm going to spend New Year's eve being a good/sad git athlete. I'll be at home watching TV with my last chocolate bar in my hand! I may even get an early night to get ready for a new year of training!

10th - 16th December

2007-12-19T08:36:00.000-08:00

Training Report:

This week has been very quiet, I'm well into my winters training, and (touch wood) I still seem to be making good progress.
The cold spell we've been having makes my morning runs a lot more enjoyable, but tends to make my evening sessions a little harder. Running first thing, with the morning sun, and faint fog of my breath steaming out ahead of me, seems to make me feel more aware of who I am and what I'm doing and at this time of year makes you really feel that Christmas spirit. On the other hand, once darkness descends and you're forced to pound the pavements things don't seem so fun.

From a running point of view most of my harder sessions are in the evening and great lung fulls of cold air don't tend to make the whole oxygen intake thing a pleasure. Add to this the feel good Christmas spirit manifesting itself in neon signs of bells swinging and inflatable snowmen perched precariously on roof tops, and it all seems hard work, especially when I could be at home in front of the fire eating mince pies!

Like the Glassworks clan I to went away for the weekend. Unlike the hedonistic adventures that awaited them in Amsterdam I headed for a chocolate box cottage on the Isle of Wight! A change of scene is always good, and as much as I love my tried and tested loops from home it does tend to get a little repetitive, so new roads and trails are always an exciting change.
I reckon on my weekend I gave the Glassworks lot a run for their money on who could eat the most, I'm a hundred percent sure they drank the most, and as for what went on into the wee small hours, I was glad to be in bed with a cuppa tea! That's my full time athlete head talking, my party boy head gets me into way to much trouble!

Sunday 9th December: Hogg's Back Road Race

2007-12-19T08:30:00.000-08:00

Result - 3rd

Race Report:

The Hogg's Back road race was my next challenge. An eight mile race that includes a climb well over a mile in length half way into the race. My race didn't start well. For the first mile I felt tired and heavy legged and slightly uninterested in racing hard. But after an undulating second mile I began to feel stronger and got myself into a rhythm and began working hard. I worked my way through to third place by the time I reached the summit of the Hogg's Back. I could see second place ahead but the guy out front was in a class of his own on the day, and was out of sight. For the next two miles I slowly inched my way closer to second, and I really felt that I could catch him in the last two miles. Unfortunately I hadn't accounted for the leader tiring slightly and coming back into view. That was the carrot my opponent needed, and he pulled away from me a little in the last two miles instead. I was happy to finish third and felt it was a strong performance. I had passed six miles in close to a personal best for the 10k which is 6.2 miles in old money on a course not compliant with fast times. So I headed into Guildford town centre happy with my weekend's work, but I'll be well prepared for the the truly hard battle that is Christmas shopping!

Saturday 8th December: Bansted Woods

2007-12-19T08:27:00.000-08:00

Result - 1st

Race Report:

I decided to turn up to one of my favourite race series: the UK Time trials, and headed for my most local run held in Bansted Woods. With an eight mile race on Sunday I was looking for more of a tempo run rather than an all out race, but my competitive side easily got the better of me when I spotted a face on the start line I recognised from my junior days and I knew if I wanted to win and gain something of a scalp I was going to have to run hard.

Sure enough it was a fast race, I decided to fall back slightly in the hope that he might relax a little and the pace would slow but it wasn't to be. On the second of the two laps I worked hard up a tricky hill to draw level, then waited till we hit the long slope back to the finish to make my move. Thankfully I had enough leg speed down the hill to move clear and held onto the finish to win by five seconds. Having wanted an easy run I managed to produce my fastest time trial time on the most difficult of all the courses and in wet slippery conditions. I even manage to dip under the course record.

Monday 3rd - Friday 7th December

2007-12-19T08:17:00.000-08:00

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.

Monday 26th Nov - Sunday 2nd Dec

2007-12-04T03:58:00.000-08:00

Training Report:

After my strange week of feeling lethargic but running well - when I actually made it out the house, that is! - things only got slightly better. I was getting up and it was still technically the morning, which was a big plus(!), but I was still feeling a little lacklustre and to be honest I didn't really want to be out running. I managed all my planned sessions I just wasn't running as well as I had done. My Tuesday night's speed work didn't flow as it had done before. I struggled a little to hit my targets and it was all way too much huff and puff. Wednesday was a little better, I didn't run that fast but I did enjoy it and felt fine before and after both runs.

That evening I had a sports massage and my masseuse came up with a possible explanation for what i'd been experiencing. Having got back from LA the night before he had a captive audience for all his holiday gossip, especially as he managed to find a real sore spot on my calf and it was all I could do to breathe let alone tell him any of my goss! Once he'd finished divulging his holiday news and had made me green with envy (maybe that was due my lack of oxygen intake!) he finished with, '..and the weather was magnificent 20 plus degrees and bright sunshine, I hear the weather here has been...', being the polite guy I am lets just say his choice of adjective was not to complementary of our very British weather!!

After discussing this weather issue he hit upon the idea that I could have been suffering from 'seasonal affective disorder', and the daily ritual of heading out in damp dull conditions was making me feel less enthusiastic than normal for my training. Which brings us to Thursday, and it was as if someone had been listening! The sun was shining, the sky was blue and I did three sessions in one day and felt fantastic. My energy and enthusiasm were back with a bang. Whether the sun actually cured any 'disorder' I may have had, or whether I'd been able to trick my mind into believing I'd found a reason my poor training and been given the cure the very next morning I'm not sure, I could take a guess but I really don't want to offend my masseuse and his diagnosis, he can quite easily cause me a lot of pain!

Friday I ran well again in glorious sunshine, Saturday was a little dull but I still felt good, but the less said about Sunday's wind, rain and what ever else felt like falling from the sky the better!

Monday 19th - Sunday 25th November

2007-11-27T06:38:00.000-08:00

Training Report:

This week's training has been a little odd for me. All week I've felt quite tired and lethargic. I haven't really been rushing to put my trainers on and race out of the door like normal. It has been a real struggle to get the motivation and energy to actually do any training. Due to this I only did one session each day, I wasn't a completely lazy so and so, and did a lot of stretching and mobility exercises as well as some core work, but in terms of the really good stuff I only did the minimum each day.

As I left each day to go running I had the feeling that each session was going to hurt, that I was going to struggle to complete my speed sessions, run at a decent pace on my long runs and that I wasn't really going to have too much fun. Happily, however the contrary was true of every session. Despite feeling very sluggish before and after each session, whilst I was actually running I felt great. Two loops of Richmond Park felt easy in well under and hour and a half. Tuesday's speed session of 15 x 300 metres, which mentally I was dreading because of my lack of enthusiasm as well as the monotony of a high rep number session, I was fine. I was three seconds quicker than planned each go, which does add up! And I managed to hit my increased target pace for my final three with ease.

I did another track session on Thursday, 4 x 2000 metres and again felt strong, relaxed and very comfortable with what I was doing. Which all made the lacklustre way I felt just an hour after the session very confusing. I was expecting the way I felt all week to result in a dip in form, not an increase!

On Friday I went away to Birmingham to visit a friend, and the couple of days away seems to have refreshed me. Running in a new area is always quite fun, you head out the door and have no clue as to where you're going to go, you make it up as you go along, which makes each run feel a bit like an adventure! And as long as you manage to avoid the dodgy end of town you're fine!

Perhaps I was finding the routes I take at home were making me feel a bit stale mentally, and a quick breaks left me with a new freshness for my training. But what ever it was - touch wood - it seems to have gone. I feel a lot more like the Will I was seven days ago. Whether that is actually a good or bad thing only my friends and family can say!

South of the Thames 5 Miles

2007-11-20T08:27:00.000-08:00

Result - 2nd

Race Report:

I was keen to do well in this race which holds some prestige and has a long history in the cross country calendar. It was first held in 1888 so has seen many runners come and go over the years, including Gary Staines, 1988 Olympic 5000m finalist and silver medallist at the 1990 European Championships and Steve Ovett, 1980 Olympic 800m Gold medallist and world record holder at both the mile and 1500 metres.

Perhaps the race doesn't have the depth of quality in the field as in athletics 'hay days' but it's still a race deserving respect. It started off at a very quick pace thanks to a long downhill stretch. I was eager to get into contention from the start and got into the lead group of five from the gun. The pace eased a little but we were still working quite hard as we made the climb back up to start the second lap.

The group was down to three, and I was still feeling good. I had decided to wait until we got to the long downhill section to make a break for it. Unfortunately one of the group had the same idea and hit the front harder and sooner than I had planned. I felt like I was sprinting at full pelt as I pursued him down the hill. The change of pace had taken me away from the opponent in third but had left me detached from the leader. My legs were coping with the race ten times better than they had the last time I trained hard into a race. But there was little they could do to get me back up to the front and I finished more than pleased with my second place. To finish second to an athlete that was racing in Holland the previous weekend, where he was representing the south of England really shows me that I'm reaching new levels of competitiveness, and I know I'm running better than ever before.

Sunday 11th - Friday 16th November

2007-11-20T08:15:00.000-08:00

Training Report:

Having run so well in the race on Saturday, I woke up Sunday morning feeling washed out and exhausted. I had to flake out of my planned long run and went back to bed. I'd learnt my lesson from my summers fatigue syndrome and was content to take the day off, I was due one on Monday anyway so I just decided to switch the days around. I also managed to not feel the strange guilt that hits you if you miss a session and was happy to sleep it off until late in the afternoon!

I knew I'd done the right thing as I was back to my old self on Monday. My hour and forty minute run came and went. I was pleased with the continued improvement of my concentration levels. I was focused purely on my running for the majority of that time, instead of going into dream world fantasising about Olympic glory and chocolate cake!

For Tuesday's track session I was interested to see how my legs would deal with a speed session only twenty four hours after running sixteen plus miles on them. I was pleasantly surprised. We were set 5 x 1000 metres and again we set faster lap times for the first and last reps to recreate a race tempo. Having hit the faster first rep splits I slowly sped up during the session until I was running close to the times of my supposed faster rep. I'd made a rod for my own back as my coach took delight in demanding that I was at least 2 seconds a lap quicker for the final go. I was pleased to run 2 and a half seconds quicker for him!

Although I had a race on Saturday I decided to keep my training load high. I wanted to see if I could deal with running on tired legs any better than I'd done three weeks ago. So I kept the quality and quantity high. Two ten mile runs on Wednesday, one with a twenty minute fast tempo run shoved in the middle. I did three sessions on Thursday, two relaxed forty minute runs and a hill session. Friday was a very easy thirty minutes and a ten minute jog with some strides. And I was ready to see how my legs would cope...

Saturday 10th Nov: Epsom Downs Surrey League Cross Country

2007-11-14T03:30:00.000-08:00

Result - 1st

Race Report:

I was really looking forward to the race, my legs felt fresh and ready to go and I was really mentally focussed on running hard and performing well. Living a stone's throw from Epsom Downs I knew the course like the back of my hand and knew exactly where I was going to make surges in order to test my opposition, where I could ease back, and where all the tight twists and humps were so I could attack them and gain an advantage. I got a good start for once and hit the front after a hundred metres. After about three hundred metres there was a tight turn followed by a long down hill stretch through long grass and into the wind. I made my first attack going into the corner and down the hill. Whether the opposition weren't expecting it so soon into the race I don't know, but I managed to gap the field straight away.

I was running fast but felt comfortable and grew in confidence having broken away so quickly and so soon. I extended my lead throughout the rest of the first lap. Surging and easing back where I had planned. On the second lap I pulled slightly further ahead but it became more of a tempo run than a race. I didn't have anyone to push me hard so I got a little lazy as the hard work was already done. I finished just under a minute ahead of the second placed runner who had beaten me at the Silverstone Half Marathon which had been one of my best races. I was really pleased with how it all went, I was really focussed throughout even though I backed off a little during the second lap, and it was the strongest and most controlled I'd felt during a race for a while. It will be interesting to compare how I felt in this race to how I'll feel during next week's race, which I'll run after a full hard weeks training.

Monday 5th - Friday 9th November

2007-11-14T03:25:00.000-08:00

Training Report:

Having trained really hard for the last three weeks, upping both my mileage and the intensity of some of my sessions, this week's training was cut back. It's important to let my body recover from all the training I've been doing, especially as I've increased my mileage and it takes time for the body to adjust to this. The theory is that after three weeks of increased mileage you cut it back by half for a week, keeping the quality speed sessions as they had been in the previous weeks. Then next week I go back to the same mileage as before and then up it again for another two weeks and then we start the cycle all over again.

It was a really interesting week, each day my legs began to feel fresher. I noticed a real difference during my Tuesday session of 8 x 800 metres. As well as feeling strong and smooth throughout my leg speed was really good. My coach decided to make me run my first and last reps four seconds a lap faster than the rest. This was in order to simulate race conditions in which you go off hard at the start to gain your position, then slip back into your race pace, then quickening the speed to ensure a strong finish. The rest of the week was a breeze and by Thursday I had to keep telling myself to ease back on my easy runs as my legs just really wanted to run fast!

Sunday 4th November: Hell Runner

2007-11-06T02:48:00.000-08:00

Result - 2nd

Race Report:

Hell Runner is a race that takes a lot of its inspiration from fell races, but rather than one long climb and descent it hits you with what must have been well over twenty short sharp hills on varying terrain, including sand, mud and large rocks. And just to spice things up there are three water sections, one invitingly called the bog of doom! Having never competed in a race like this I was a little anxious as to how I would fare.

The first three to four miles were relatively easy going, not unlike many cross country races I've done before. But for the remaining seven miles the terrain worsened. With climbs that you had to use your hands to scramble up and rocky descents that I would normally look at and run away from! I ran really well and enjoyed the whole painful experience. I was running with the winner until the four mile point. He was an experienced professional fell runner from the Lake District, well used to this sort of race. It was the descents where his experience over me really told. I could keep with him on the flat and up the climbs but he was a lot braver or should it be foolish at running down hill at speed over uneven, near vertical descents. The water sections really sapped the energy right out of my legs. I hit the first water section feeling relatively bouncy and twenty metres later I wondered if my legs had the power to climb the hill that grated you on your exit!

I finished a minute down on the winner in second place, and was well pleased to be so close after eleven miles of running against a more experienced and better prepared runner. However I have promised my legs that I won't go near a hill for a while!

Saturday 3rd November: Reigate Priory Cross Country Relays

2007-11-06T02:43:00.000-08:00

Race Report:

A fast 2.5 mile 6 legged relay, on an interesting course consisting of a couple of steep climbs and one long downhill section. I chose to go off on the second leg, hoping to be in contact with the leaders, with the intention of using them as targets and avoiding the scrum of flying elbows that occurs on the first leg. I set off in eleventh place twenty metres down on a guy I had some hard races against in the previous cross country season. We both moved through the finish well but frustratingly the gap remained the same throughout. I had moved the team up to third and ran the fifth fastest leg of the day. I was slightly disappointed but I was only sixteen seconds off the fastest leg, and I was aware that I was lacking a little bit of speed as my training has been aimed at races of twice the distance and more, but it was a good work out and I hoped it had warmed me up for Sundays race.

Monday 29th October - Friday 2nd November

2007-11-06T02:32:00.000-08:00

Training Report:

Training went well again this week, I got some good milage in my legs on Monday and Wednesday averaging about 16 miles each day. My Tuesday speed session didn't go as well as they have done in the past. The session was 3 x 2000 metres on the track. The first rep went well and I was hitting my 400 metre lap times dead on, the second set started to get hard at the halfway point and I averaged one second off my set lap times, the last rep was really hard and I was four seconds down for each split, which doesn't sound much but it adds up and meant that I was twenty seconds off the pace. It could have been down to the increased mileage I've been doing, but I felt the real culprit was the temperature. I could almost feel it getting colder throughout the session. It also started to cause my right hip flexor to seize up which wasn't going to help matters.

I was speaking with my coach and we were thinking of a few ideas to help me. We felt that a face mask, like the ones bike riders wear to protect them from car fumes may help as the main problem is taking in big gulps of cold air, the colder it gets the less I'm able to take in with each breath. And as getting as much oxygen as possible into the body, particularly the legs, is the key to running well, taking in less is a problem. Whether I go through with it remains to be seen. After wearing a ladies vest last week I don't know if wearing some strange face mask would exactly make me the coolest guy in town! But I guess if it helps... Thursday's speed session was eased back for my two races over the weekend, and Friday was just a couple of easy runs with some relaxed strides at the end to get my legs feeling a bit fresher than they did last weekend.

East Surrey League Cross Country

2007-10-30T09:18:00.000-07:00

Result - 2nd

Race Report:

With the race being held in Lloyd Park in Croydon - my favourite cross country course and home to the Surrey Championships in January - I was looking forward to tackling the mud for the first time this season. Unfortunately I didn't have a very professional build up to the race. I'd ordered new cross country spikes in the week, but they hadn't arrived, so I was forced to use my track spikes which wasn't ideal. And I also managed to forget to pack my club vest. Fortunately one of my team mates had a spare, unfortunatley it was a lady and a petite lady at that! Let's just say it was something of a snug fit! I'm quite often the butt of a lot of jokes at my club, but I now know my fate is sealed, probably for the rest of my life, as the fastest cross dresser in the land! The race went ok. I finished second less than thirty metres adrift. My legs had felt very tired, especially on the hills, a result of a hard weeks training and for sure my Box Hill session. But my time over the course shows some progress which is encouraging. I promise one of these days I'll do a race where everything's perfect. Maybe not next week as I'm planning on training hard all week again, but fingers crossed for the week after!

Tuesday 23rd October

2007-10-30T09:12:00.000-07:00

Training Report:

Another great week's training. Even though I had a race on Saturday I decided to keep my training load high, with the race being of a lesser importance to other races coming up. If I was to ease back for every race I've got on in the next few months I'd be doing no training at all! My enjoyment for my steady state runs is really growing at the moment. They use to be more of an ordeal, a means to an end, I know it's a bit corny but I'm enjoying watching the changes in the seasons, especially in the crisp bright mornings we've been having.

Right, enough of the sissy stuff back to the hard graft! I found Tuesday's track session a little harder than I expected. I think it was manly due to it being the first really cold evening I've done speed work on. I find the cold air effects my breathing quite a lot, as well as it causing the muscles to be slightly tighter than normal. Having kept my mileage high during the weeks my legs were already a little tired by Thursday, so in my wisdom I decided to tackle what was to be one of the hardest sessions I've ever done. I drove over to Box Hill on the South Downs to do a hill repetition session. An old coach had recommended it to me as it was much longer and steeper than the hills I had been using. By long I mean it took close to two minutes to reach the summit, when normally I'm going up hill for forty five seconds, and by steep I mean I watch walkers struggling to walk down the hill let alone up it. I loved the session; I have done nothing like it before. I was on my knees after only two runs. I kept going and got so exhausted that I've no idea how many times I actually ran up the damn thing. Five? Six? Seven? Your guess is as good as mine. After my final run I must have looked like a drunk. My legs struggled to keep me upright and I was so fatigued and light headed I was staggering from left to right. I managed a warm down but was still in such a state that I didn't want to drive home, and I knew I had to eat something. The only place to go was a bikers' fast food cafe at the bottom of the hill. I haven't had burger and chips for a long time and don't really enjoy them but this burger tasted like heaven! My theory for sessions like that has got to be 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger', I hope so anyway!

Tuesday 16th - Saturday 20th October

2007-10-22T08:17:00.000-07:00

Training Report:

Training for the rest of the week went really well. It was probably the best week I've had. Tuesday's track session of 4 x 1600 metres was a breeze. I felt strong and relaxed doing two ten mile runs on Wednesday. Thursday was a punishing hill session on Epsom Downs and an easy evening run. Friday's 5 and 8 mile runs went well. By this time of the week I'm normally tired making small changes to my schedule, with regards to the intensity that I would complete a run in, as well as that runs total distance and would wish away the rest of the week so I could take a rest come Monday. But I was enjoying every run, I sometimes felt tired during the sessions but once I was finished and had refuelled all I could think about was the next one. Saturday's tempo session was hard, a 1.5 mile loop followed by a 3 mile loop and to finish another 1.5 mile loop, all at a solid tempo speed of my 5k race pace for the shorter loops and my 10k pace for the longer one. My confidence in my running and fitness continues to grow almost daily, and I'll take the occasional bad race if I can get a week's training like that again, but only the very occasional one!

Monday 15th October

2007-10-22T08:12:00.000-07:00

Training Report:

After being so disappointed by my race in Cardiff, training was the last thing I really wanted to do. My legs didn't fancy it either as they had seized up on the drive home. My quads had got very tight so I just did some light stretching and had a hot bath and I slept for most of the afternoon. I knew I had to stop feeling sorry for myself and although I'd had a bad race - and that it was ultimately my mistake that caused it - these things happen and I'd learnt a good lesson. The poor showing had nothing to do with my fitness and if anything it showed I'm in good form, producing a solid run in bad circumstances. So at nine o'clock I pulled on my shoes and headed out for a twenty minute recovery run. Every thing felt back to normal, having run for seventy one minutes in Cardiff and not really enjoyed a second of it I knew twenty minutes wasn't enough and that the pace wasn't as quick as I wanted to go, so the recovery run soon turned into a forty minute tempo session. I was enjoying running and Cardiff was long forgotten.

13th October: Race weekend

2007-10-17T08:40:00.000-07:00

Race Report:

I travelled up to Cardiff on Friday afternoon and took advantage of the gym, pool and spa at the hotel as soon as we arrived to stretch out my muscles from the journey. For once I didn't stay in a Travelodge and enjoyed the extra benefits of the facilities, feeling that they would have a positive impact on my race. Saturday was a gentle 20 minutes with some strides to get the legs turned over and some more stretching in the gym and relaxation in the pool and spa.

I felt ready for the race. My final act of Saturday was dinner for which I made a bad choice. I had macaroni cheese which sounds fair enough, but the cheese sauce was very thick and creamy. Having recently cut down on my dairy intake the rich sauce was a bit to much for my stomach. I woke up feeling sick and a bit lethargic, not a good sign. I was nearly sick as I walked over to the start, again not a good sign. My warm up was ok so I started at 69 minute pace. It felt ok and I was comfortable in a group in third place. As we went out to Cardiff Bay the wind was in our faces so I took a back seat in the group and waited until the turn where I up the pace and my legs felt good. My only problem was I still felt sick and all I could think about was this macaroni cheese which was not helping me at all. By mile 8 I began to fade as my stomach was still not feeling great and I slipped to 5th place.

The rest of the miles I ticked over drinking water in an attempt to settle my stomach and to try and up my pace to sub 5.20 minute miles, but it just wasn't happening. I finished in 71.28 which is a 2 minute personal best but I had hoped for a lot more and knowing I was in shape to do it added to my frustration of the mistake I made at dinner. It's another lesson learnt in thinking more about what you consume especially the night before a race. Don't just go on what looks good on the page especially if its quite different for the type of foods you've been consuming normally. I just thought "pasta that'll do"! I don't think I'll eat it again for a while. I'm very disappointed and a little disheartened by the last two races which have promised so much and yet delivered so very little. I cant wait for the cross country season to kick in and I can take my frustrations out over the mud and hills...

Friday 12th October

2007-10-17T08:37:00.000-07:00

Training Report:

This week's training has been very relaxed and easy in order to get me in good shape for the Half Marathon on Sunday. Other than Tuesday and Thursday I reduced my runs to just one a day and on Wednesday they were between three quarters and half my normal distances and were eased back on the intensity of each session. Tuesday's track session was slightly more intense than the week before but this was compensated by a much more relaxed final speed session on Thursday.

Sunday 7th October: 10k Race

2007-10-09T08:28:00.000-07:00

Race Report:

The weather was perfect, no wind and the air temperature was warm. I was excited as it was the national championships and there would be a stella field. I knew the top boys would be well in front but also knew the quality of the field would be good enough to pull me round to a good time. Unfortunately my race was ruined by a ridiculous situation at the start and I knew all chances of a big personal best were gone in the first kilometre...

As the field contain over 1000 runners the officials decided to move the faster runners to a different start to enable them to get away cleanly. Due to a mix up with where the faster runners had to congregate I found myself towards the back of the group, but as there were only 50 to 100 runners I was not too bothered as I knew they would get away quickly and I could get to my pace after a few seconds. However we were funnelled down from a dual carriage way to a single carriage as we started which slowed me down. Then after 20 metres the masses joined as from a 90 degree angle and all hell let loose. It was like a stampede. One of the top female runners in the country was tripped and smashed her hand and knee on a flying barrier knocked over by the joining runners. She was a couple of metres ahead and because there was suddenly a barrier with an athlete slumped on top it caused all the runners in front of me to slow. The runners to my right away from the accident streamed past as did the masses to my left. By the time I got running I was in about 400th place with a sea of runners ahead.

Between 3 and 4k I had finally cleared most of the runners, and by 5k I had reached the back of a group that were travelling at a good pace. I sat in with them and tried to recover the energy I had expended weaving in and out of the field trying to catch up to where I should be. I had tried to control my pace as I carved through the field but I knew giving everyone a 400meter headstart was not what I wanted. I stayed with the group till the finish and felt strong and controlled during the second half of the race. I finished 10 seconds off my pb time and was left with mixed emotions. On one hand I had run well and close to my best after such a bad start, but was left wondering what might have been if I hadn't been held up, if I'd not had to expend extra energy weaving through the field and if I'd been further up the field working with a faster group who would have helped pull me round to a big pb. Its really stoked a fire in my belly to show what I can do in the half marathon next weekend which is my main goal, but its always nice to break your pb. But there is always next time!!

Thursday 4th October

2007-10-09T08:26:00.000-07:00

Training Report:

My runs this week have been 75% shorter than a normal week and the intensity has been dropped too. This was my last real speed based tune up before Sunday, other than a few strides I'll do on Saturday to freshen the legs. An easy run with reps of 1,2,3,3,2,1 minutes in length with half the rep time recovery. I just relaxed, concentrated on my form and got my head into the right sort of mind set ready for the race. Every thing seems ready, no niggles, I feel fit and my legs are full of bounce, and my mind is really focused on getting well inside 32 minutes on Sunday.

Tuesday 2nd October

2007-10-09T08:22:00.000-07:00

Training Report:

An easy track session. I'm starting to ease back for my half marathon in Cardiff on the 14th as well as as a 10k on Sunday 7th, so this session was aimed at getting my 10k pacing wright and turning the legs over. 6 x 600, which is 2k less than normal run at my predicted pace for 10k. It was quite hard to get the pacing right as I'm used to going a lot quicker over 600 metres but by the end I had it pretty much nailed. This was followed by 4 x 100 metre accelerations, where you slowly move through the gears upping the pace every 20 metres, so by the end of the straight you are close to flat out. I enjoyed the session a lot as I felt really comfortable and its a rare feeling coming away from a session without feeling fatigued at all.

Saturday 29th September: Bushy Park 5K Time trial

2007-10-01T07:33:00.000-07:00

Result - 1st

Race Report:

Having trained quite hard during the week I used this race as a bit of a blow out before my bigger races that come in the next two weeks. The conditions weren't ideal due to heavy ran during the night which left the grass sections very waterlogged. I ran a solid race beating my personal best for the course but I was disappointed not to have gone under 16 minutes. Unfortunately after 1k I was out on my own and I think I got a little lazy as the race was not a big priority for me. But I won and feel there's a lot more to come in the 10k im racing in Chichester next week and the Half marathon in Cardiff the week after.

Thursday 27th September

2007-10-01T07:29:00.000-07:00

Training Report:

A morning tempo session. The idea is to run at your 10k pace in order to get your body used to that tempo and to make the run hard but not at its absolute max for the distance. A 3 and a half mile loop with a five minute jog recovery in between laps. The first lap was completed comfortably in 17.06 but the second lap was a little harder. The cold air temp and strong breeze was causing my sinuses real problems. Half the lap was run with one of the worst ice cream headaches I've ever had. I was only 30
seconds slower which was good but it took a couple of hours for my head to recover. As a result of my headache I think I neglected my food and drink intake, and paid the price during my easy pm run in which I found myself falling off the back of the group and feeling weak and lightheaded. Fortunately one of my training partners always seems to have an abundance of
food at his disposal so a quick cheese sandwich and a Lucozade had me recovered quickly.

Tuesday 25th September

2007-10-01T07:24:00.000-07:00

Training Report:

Having rested up to fully recover from the effects of my cold I started back on the track. A twenty minute run in the morning blew away most of the cobwebs and I felt no worse than when I started, so was confident for the main session of the day. 4 x 1 mile on the track with a quick 60 second turn around. I knocked out 5 minute miles for each rep, wary of not going too fast due to my illness. I finished feeling strong, my sinuses were giving me some pain because of the cold but it was manageable.

Thursday 20th September

2007-09-24T07:49:00.003-07:00

Training Report:

Wednesdays sessions went well again, two 45 minute runs and a gym session. I was buzzing with the way the training was going and how fast and strong I was feeling. However Thursday was a different matter, my gentle 20 - 30 minute morning run was a real struggle but I felt fine within myself so set off to do my pm session of 3 x 2 miles on the road. I felt tired on my warm up which was a bad sign, but kept going and a mile into my first rep my back began to stiffen up so I stopped to stretch it out. My body was glad to stop; it felt tired and I had lost all motivation to run. I jogged back to the track feeling quite sorry for myself! As the evening progressed I started to develop a sore throat and woke up Friday morning with a full blown cold. In many ways it was a relief it was just a sniffle that had left me tired and nothing more. Having learnt a valuable lesson earlier in the summer I again took the weekend off. Just doing some stretching and eating and drinking to get the cold out of my system. A second weekend off is very frustrating but its better to miss two or three days than 1 or 2 weeks.

Thursday 20th September

2007-09-24T07:49:00.001-07:00

Training Report:

Tuesday 18th September

2007-09-24T07:45:00.000-07:00

Training Report:

Having done an hour and a half run on the Monday following my weekend off I was feeling back to my old self so set about my normal track session. 8 x 800 meters with a minutes recovery. Having struggled the week before with a similar session I was a little wary of my lap times. However I felt relaxed and strong throughout running 1 to 2 seconds inside my goal pace and finished the session feeling that I could have done more, which is a very good sign.

Thursday 13th September

2007-09-19T08:52:00.000-07:00

Training Report:

After a slow run in the morning I completed a tempo round Richmond park. A ten minute slow warm up run followed by twenty minutes of hard solid running at around 10k pace and a fifteen minute warm down. Unfortunately a stray deer on the path slowed me down. I wasn't feeling great, my legs felt heavy and I wasn't finishing the tempo section of the run feeling that I could have kept going. I had run well on Wednesday but my track session on Tuesday was tougher than it should have been. I took the decision to do a more gentle session on Friday and have the weekend off. Terrible I know! But I was beginning to feel a little run down (no pun intended!) and felt my mind as well as my body could do with a little break. Possibly I upped the intensity of my Monday and Wednesday gym sessions too much and paid for it the next day. Its very difficult walking that tightrope between pushing your body, which you always want to do in order to get better and better results, and pushing it that bit too much and having the training you do actually have a negative effect on your progress. Needless to say I had a very enjoyable, 'normal' weekend for once!

Monday 10th September

2007-09-19T08:46:00.000-07:00

Training Report:

Having successfully upped my mileage I felt it was important to start re-introducing better quality and more intense gym
sessions into my programme. I'm not a big fan of gym work, I can rattle off a 20 x 400 metre track session no problem but my concentration span does not run to picking up a weight 12 times and putting it back down! I try to do exercises that work the specific muscles I use whilst running and today it was the turn of the core muscles, which amongst other things are important
in helping maintain a good running posture. By the end of the day I was shattered, two steady 45 minute runs interspersed with a two hour gym session. Added to this was an hour and a half coaching session I do with my club for kids aged between 6 and 10 years old. Unsurpisingly I was in bed before 9:30!

Saturday 8th September: Surrey Road Relay Champs

2007-09-11T02:29:00.000-07:00

Result - 6th

Race Report:

A 6 legged, 3 mile loop around Wimbledon that ran past the famous lawn tennis club, tacking in a steep climb away from the courts, followed by a steep descent into Wimbledon park. Today I acted as Epsom's team manager and as such allowed my men to choose what leg they wished to run. This left me on last, unfortunately by the time I started the field was so spread out I didn't see a soul all the way round, so effectively it was a time trial against the clock. I managed the sixth fastest time of the day and was only 15 seconds away from the second quickest, which was pleasing as all the athletes ahead of me were all involved in battles with one another.

Friday 7th September

2007-09-11T02:26:00.000-07:00

Training Report:

This week has been tough. My legs have been quite tired and sore from the Dryhill 10 race. Lots of stretching and ice baths have helped, but it was a week where slower recovery runs were the order of the day rather than anything of real quality. By Thursday I was ready to give my legs a proper spin in preparation for the weekend. A session of 1-2-3-4-3-2-1 minute repetitions was set and my legs felt a lot better, but just lacked their normal bounce and zip.

Sunday 2nd September: Race Dry Hill 10 miles

2007-09-05T04:25:00.000-07:00

Result - 1st

Race Report:

With the cross country season fast approaching and a planned half marathon in early October, the Dry Hill 10 was the perfect race to incorporate both. Run mainly off road on muddy tracks and ploughed fields it was going to be a good test of my strength. Add to this a healthy number of steep climbs and an extremely testing race was assured. I decided to go off quite hard so immediately hit the front, and that was the last time I saw any of the opposition. I could hear the second placed man's footsteps till the 4 mile point but didn't turn round to look, you can't show signs of weakness! A near sprint down a steep decline and I was out of ear shot and able to relax and push on to the finish. I completed the course in 58.26 which is not that fast for 10 miles but when you take into account the under foot conditions and extremely undulating course it was a pleasing solo run, which I hope shows signs of promise for future races.

Friday 31st August

2007-09-05T04:21:00.000-07:00

Training Report:

The madness of a long distance runner is never more evident than when completing a hill session on your own. Find the steepest hill that's 200 to 300 meters long and run up it 12 times! Strange looks from dog walkers and the horse riders' favourite quip, 'Its easier on the back of one of these' told me the session must be doing me some good! When it was over all that remained was the run back to the car, which is actually the part I find most difficult! I do hate a warm down.

Tuesday 28th August

2007-09-05T04:18:00.000-07:00

Training Report:

Training 8 x 600. A strange session tonight, what was to be a nice relaxed session in which I was meant to feel strong and relaxed throughout turn into quite a hard run thanks to a killer stitch across my diaphragm that joined me after the first rep. I felt the exact opposite of how I should, weak and tight. Unable to take a full breath the lack of oxygen soon hit my legs, so a bit of a nightmare. Thankfully I hit all my target times even if my state at the end was not what I would have hoped. Did it do me any harm? I hope not! Did it do me any good? Who knows!

Thursday 23rd August

2007-08-28T04:21:00.000-07:00

Training Report:

I've raised my weekly mileage to around 100 a week and felt that I really need to test my speed endurance. So far I'd mixed steady runs with fast speed work and it was time to up the anti. I thought 6 x 1 mile should do it. During the final rep I was cursing myself for not setting it at 4 or 5 reps, but I hit all my time targets largely due to the help of my training partner Tom who paced me through the first 400 and last 800 of each rep. Things are looking good as long as I continue to walk the tightrope of doing enough and doing too much.

Sunday 19th August

2007-08-28T04:16:00.000-07:00

Training Report:

I decided to really test my endurance and pushed my long run up to 2 hours which was a big leap from the hour and a half runs I had been doing. I was happy with how my body coped with it and i was even able to put in a hard last mile, but what pleased me more was how I coped with it mentally. I left my ipod at home to see how I'd cope, and I remained focussed throughout and only occasionally did I think about chocolate cake and sleeping in front of the telly!

Wed 15th August: Rosenheim final Kingston 3k

2007-08-28T03:57:00.000-07:00

Result - 2nd

Race Report:

My final track race of the season. I was looking forward to this race as it brought to an end a slightly frustrating track season in which I had hoped for much but was let down by my body and my own stubbornness. The race was run in a downpour which I really enjoyed, it made me more focussed and relaxed. It was faster than I had anticipated, and with 3 laps to go I was regretting the hour's run I'd done in the morning. I had no answer to the fast last 400 of my competitor but was really pleased to come away with a 5 second personal best. It's frustrating I that I finally show some form in my last track race but it bodes well for the coming months' road races.