fit but not running well

my concept2 rowing times have improved but my running hasn't. my 2000 meter time is now down to 6:52.6. there's a bit of competition going on with another guy from the gym who does similar times over 2000. he's done 6:54 but i reckon i will go much quicker given time and training. my mind though is still in a bit of a quandry about which direction to go in. doing both sure is hard work though as it means i'm doing 4 hard sessions a week plus a long run of about 13 miles on a saturday evening, meaning that i am consuming a lot of food and don't have a lot of energy for much else at the minute. i will be doing my first race on sunday when i enter the portishead 10k (or 5k)multi terrain run on sunday morning. knowing the course as well as i do there's no chance of any pbs as the terrain is just too hilly, so it will be all about position. obviously i will keep you all informed on here as to how i get on. watch this space...

looking around

i've been looking at websites for the two rowing clubs in the bristol area and they're both as informative as sports club websites usually are-not very. i've done some hard erg sessions since then, 5x500 meters yesterday and some steady running and rowing. nothing spectacular but i still don't feel like i'm training for any thing at the moment even though the first race is only a few weeks away. i've really got to try hard to break this mindset. maybe i do need some form of a fresh challenge to keep me on my toes a little bit?

back down to earth with a bang

after thinking my winter training programme had got off to a reasonable start guess what? i've had my first bug of the year already and we've hardly got started. but this time i've been in work due to the new manager we have at portishead delivery office who to be honest truthful and straight is a cunt. he has already docked several colleagues pay for calling in sick and put them on statutory sick pay even for just one day. i can't really afford to lose a days pay even if i will get it back some time a bit further down the line. several people are also owed money for thins like door to doors, and overtime and people are being put on conduct code like my self (3rd time already) for honest mistakes or refusing to do over time as we're not being paid for it, rather than what it shuould be used for which is deliberate acts of dishonesty, eg stealing mail or bringing mail back to the office without informing management prior to commencing delivery. we've all been emailed a copy of the letter that the union sent to him and his manager following a crisis meeting where people could air their grievances that the manager didn't turn up for, although one suspects it was more to do with him not wanting to face the music over the scandalous way he treats people. any one who wants to have a read of this is welcome to as i still have it on email, i will send it on to you. thats my work rant over

i think i picked this bug up after training on tuesday on the downs, i felt rough afterwards, whic is nothing untoward, but the evening afterwards alarm bells started to ring when it took me 60 mins to complete a course i would usually do in 55 and it got progressively worse from there on in until i had a sore throat etc and all the other classic cold symptoms. i'm still giving consideration to my future as a runner though by the way, especially the course i will take through the summer season as i wont be running track this yearonly training on it. i've been doing a fair bit on the concept2 rowers, which has helped to keep a bit of variety in the training though and as i get more competent i may enter some competitions, it just depends on how things pan out. but the first priority is to get this bug out of my system before racing begoins in earnest, which for me will either be the portishead 10k or the clevedon road relays btoh on the 28th of september, just depends which one takes my fancy. take care, bye

winter is back with a vengeance...

or should that be winter is still here? the weather is terrible as it has been all summer, running un the downs we have been slipping and sliding about all over the place-can't really wear cross country spikes up there because of the dogs and the members of the public who don't seem to understand what "excuse me" means til you're right upon them. we've been running some long efforts, just vaguely measured out circuits in a bid to get ourselves up and running for the season. we're not working too hard at the moment as it is very hard to maintain high levels of fitness for 9 months of the year. i was supposed to run the cardiff 10k on sunday as my first race, but i woke up and my back was hurting and i ran a 13 miler the night before so the legs were a little bit sore. but mike pointed out to me that training at this time of year is more important than races you have plenty of time to race get fit first as it wont do your confidence much good if you run slow times.