long time no post

well here i am on a public computer in a library due to an act of complete stupidity that has rendered my lap top unusable although hopefully only for a while. not much has gone on training wise sine we last spoke (well nothing actually) due to illness and also the fact that i was planning to take that time off running any way. got back to the track on thursday after a couple of weeks off and the session was as follows: 1200 (4:05) 1000 (3:05) 800 (2:35) and 600 (1:53). this was all done off a two minute recovery. there then followed a lap jog recovery period (about 5 minutes) where we did a further 4x400. i was told to do them all in 73 but after doing a 69 (running one that is) i was warned by mike that i would suffer for it...but of course i know bes and i porceeded to run 72, 72 and 70 for the next 3 reps...that showed him (only kidding). me and charlotte coffey were the only ones from the slower group to complete the entire session. it isn't a good sign to be dropping out of sessions at this early stage of the summer. millfield is the first race of the summer where i will be racing a 1500 and the initial target is to bring my pb under 4:30 this year

disaster

there i was tapering off for the final race of the season and its all gone wrong in the last few days. it started on tuesday with a bout of diarrhoea that meant i spent half the morning going to and from the toilet. this consequently meant that my energy levels were very low and after a thinking that i would be ok to race on wednesday night eg that i would recover in time i picked up a bug which has meant that i was up half the night being sick last night. after mike said to me on tuesday night that with the number of people available i probably would be just edged out of the squad, he commented on how ironic it seemed that i was now not running because i was unavailable through illness along with several members of the mens and ladies squads. two of them, gary davenport and on camp with kelly girl (the next series that is) have been diagnosed with glandular fever which is worrying. it'll just be a case of resting now and making sure that i am aerobically fit when the track seaon starts now. ;-). boston and paris this weekend. good luck to all

run forest run

only a week and a half of winter training left before we have a few weeks off and get ready for the track season in earnest. the mileage will be cut the intervals will be shorter albeit far more painful and intense. but hopefully come the end of the summer we will all be rewarded with faster times over all of the distances we compete over. my feet are getting quite itchy in anticipation as they do every year but after doing some brutally hard speedwork over the coming months i'm sure i wont feel the same way come august...

last nights session at the zoo was a funny one for me in that even though i ran faster over the respective distances for the repetitions that we do than i have ever managed, i came away with the distinctive feeling that i could have run much harder. the first two reps were the big lap and a half that was introduced to us a few weeks ago me clocking 6:52 and 6:54 respectively, followed by two of the big laps, both in 3:45 and one each of the old big lap and the old small lap, for which i clocked 2:47 and 2:08. before the session one of the guys kept on commenting on how fit i looked, some thing i really ignore completely because i'm convinced its all part of his psychological game that he plays to play tricks on other people s minds to gain an advantage. having consulted with mike about my knee he recommended that i start using ankle weights for some exercises to help strengthen the tendons, which i should perform after every time i run. he also recommended that get regular appopintments for sports massage if i can afford it as a way of aiding post session recovery and injury prevention. i tried it tonight and the results i can report are very mostly positive after sitting in a cramped position for half an hour which is when any discomfort would ordinarily come on and there has been no sign of it so far, wher two months ago i would have been really hurting.

i did an 8 mile steady paced run tonight and it was the first time in a couple of yearss that i had bothered to time my self on such a venture i was rather surprised to note that i was running at the saame speed that i would have run a two mile tempo run at two years ago. thats what hard work does for you (sr, take note)

job done at sutton park

well after all the talk notts ac won the midland road relays for the men yesterday and charnwood won the 6 stage for the womens. tipton harriers were 2nd with OWLS 3rd and bristol 4th, whilst an under strength bristol womens team got silver with telford taking a very distant bronze medal. i ran my leg in 17:25 it is a very tough course which really runs equivalent to a 5k even though the actual distance for the short leg is 2.995 miles, which equates to 4.792 kilometers. it is a very similar leg to the mens leg in the autumn six stage relays, where you go up the long drag at the start for about 2 miles do a lap of the road up to the keepers gate and come back down, but this time instead of doing the lap to the keepers gatewe turned right and when we went past the lake we did a left turn and did a short lap of the woods and came outsome where at the bottom just before we went up a hill that was the start of the finish straight. of the people who ran yesterday for the a team that was blighted by unavailabilities and injuries there were some under par performances such as those of nigel leighton (2005 brighton 10k winner) who did the 5.6 mile long leg in only 28:30, or rob whalley who recorded 27:26 compared to his best time which is close to 25:30, but he will probablyy never regain that sort of form.

as for my self well that was 14 seconds below my 5k best so given how hard the course is that would be roughly equivalent to what i would do for 5k on the course i set my pb. there was a bit of confusion over my time when it was initially published at 17:47 when my watch had said 17:25...so in to the officials tent i went and informed them of their error, which they denied any responsibility for as only officials can do...then promptly corrected the error. it did also make me smile when i caught mike richards of clevedon. his son is my sisters boyfriend and he was on the same leg as me. he was out of sight in front when i started and out of sight behind me when i finished. but the main thing is that this has given me some thing to work on for the national in two weeks time. that race has been blown wide open by the news that newham and essex beagles international superstars mo farah (european cross country champion) and michael east (commonwealth 1500 meter champion 2002, 3:32 pb) are both definitely out of the race with injuries. the main contenders look like being bristol (if we can get everyone out) notts ac, tipton (who were at full strength yesterday) aldershot farnham and district, leeds city, belgrave harriers enfield and harringey if ben noad runs, gateshead harriers and morpeth plus may be a few others that i haven't thought of. managed my 12 mile long run this morning along the portishead to clevedon coastal path which is much tougher than the road. needless to say my legs were sore...