Saturday, Week 3
Run: "13 Miles, Slow"

Total Mileage This week: 40 miles

Total Mileage So Far: 101 miles

On my mp3 player:

Sum 41 - Does This Look Infected
Good Charlotte - Good Charlotte
Bowling For Soup - Drunk Enough To Dance

After an hour and a half of teenage pop punk, suddenly I stopped thinking how I couldn't possibly relate to it, and started thinking "Hey, I think I'll get down to the Mall and tell my friends I'm never going to work 9 to 5 for The Man. In fact let's all learn the guitar and form a band, then my girlfriend's dad will stop hating me"

A great run out in winter sunshine again, up the hill to Cookridge and then a long drop down to the centre of Leeds; running past the Town Hall on a empty Saturday morning, and back up the Kirkstall Road to make it back home for 10am. Felt really easy doing sub 8 minute miles, except for another set of stomach cramps at 11 miles. Sure I'll grow out of those.

A fortnight to the next LSR, just when I was starting to enjoy them as it's race time next week - the Dewsbury 10K.

Monday, Week 3
Run: "4 miles, Slow"

Tuesday, Week 3
Run: "1M jog, then 4 x 1M fast, with 400m jog recoveries, then 1M jog"

Wednesday, Week 3
Run: "7 miles, Slow"

Thursday, Week 3
Run: "4 Miles, Easy"

Friday, Week 3
Run: "4 miles, Steady"

Another tough week, although the sore throat has gone now.

Two great runs on Tuesday and Weds - both done from home in the evening, and both in the snow.

On Tuesday my mile intervals may have been slightly slowed down by the settling snow on the pavements, and were slower than the last couple of years, but it's hard to compare year on year now because of the new route. The hill up past the cricket ground feels really long though, and I'm hoping that's putting a bit of stress into the runs even if the times are slower.

On Wednesday the snow started in the first mile, and by the time I'd reached the top of the big hill by the TV tower it was heavy and Christmassy (a few weeks too late).

Friday's run was on course to be my fastest ever over the shorter of my runs from work, but a bout of stomach cramps at 3.5 miles stopped my following through with it.

Despite my complaints of last week, I still hit all the runs anyway; with the long run tomorrow it makes it another 6 day week.

Friday, Week 2
Run: "5 miles, easy"

Lunchtime run from work and after the last week it felt far from easy.

Most of the way round I was debating with myself whether to drop this run from my schedule from next week and maybe start it again when I get a bit stronger.

Sunday, Week 2
Run: "11 miles, Slow"

Total Mileage This week: 38 miles

Total Mileage So Far: 61 miles

On my mp3 player:

Amy Winehouse - Back to Black -
A dark haired, mouthy, funny, abusive when drunk Londoner. Not sure why she would strike a chord with me.

Woke up really not wanting to go out.

It was cold. I was feeling full and slightly sick from over eating curry and lemon cheese cake last night. (Why can I not leave Naan bread alone even once it has made its way back to the kitchen?). I had a blocked up nose and my left ankle was stiff.

But as usual, a mile into the run, I reached the crest of a hill, the sun was shining on the Aire valley and I hit my stride. All was well with the world again.

After moving in the middle of 2006, I have had to create a whole load of new routes. rather than actually think, for this one I just ran down to my old 8 mile hilly circuit, which created a nice 11 mile long run. It all felt nice and familiar.

What I had forgotten was that I would come to the killer 2 mile hill after 50 minutes instead of 10 minutes. I made it up OK though for the first time in a while, and looped round and downhill for a nice couple of miles as it clouded over and the freezing rain came down.

Back home in a sedate 1hr 33 minutes (I've done quicker half marathons).

It's been a hard week, but should have set me up for the next month or so of slowish runs.

Thursday, Week 1
Run: "1M jog, then 2M brisk, then 1M jog"

An unexpected run at home. After getting stuck in a jam only only going 3 miles in 90 minutes (30 minute miling - imagine that), I decided to take a half day and cam home and run my tempo session before lunch.

Felt pretty stiff all the way round; this is the 4th day running in a row, and was out pretty late last night doing the 6.5 miler. Just got through it in the end, running into the mad wind, and staying sub marathon pace, which is what the run is supposed to be.

Easy 5 miler tomorrow, and then my LSR at the weekend, and I'll have completed a good week.

Monday, Week 2
Run: "4 miles, Slow"

Tuesday, Week 2
Run: "1M jog, then 3 x 1.5M fast, with 800m jog recoveries, then 1M jog"

First speed session and I was spurred on by the words of a friend who said on Friday night that I probably didn't push myself hard enough of these runs.

I therefore was feeling slightly sick at the mile mark on each repeat (at the top of the climb) and slowly got slower with each interval. Finished feeling good though and grinned my way euphorically through the 1 and a half mile warm down in pouring rain, thinking how lucky I was to be fit enough to even be starting marathon training for the 4th year in a row.

Wednesday, Week 1
Run: "6 miles, slow"

Obviously my subconscious didn't want to do this. Got to the changing rooms at work to find I had forgotten my shorts. When I got home I also found I had taken one of my elder son's shirts to wear - it would have been a squeeze.

Therefore went out from home and had a brilliant slow run round my 6 and a half mile circuit in great clear cool conditions.

On my mp3 player:
Led Zeppelin II -

Had forgotten how good this was, having not listened to it for 25 years. Think I might be too old to like this AND Panic! At The Disco

Running Podcasts -

Experimenting with non-music improvement and started off with 2 running based ones. The ones from Realbuzz.com was Ok, but the Greg MacMillan one was a real eyeopener. He is a hero, as he has a great website giving pace info for every workout and all kinds of numbers and advice. However, he is very, very dull. And half the recording was him thanking a load of tedious people. Unsubscribe.

Wednesday, Week 1
Run: "5 miles, slow"

Thursday, Week 1
Run: "3 miles, steady"

Friday, Week 1
Run: "5 miles, easy"

Sunday, Week 1
Run: "9 miles, Slow"

Total Mileage So Far: 22 miles

On my mp3 player:
Semisonic - Chemistry
+44 - When Your Heart Stops Beating (Yes, the irony isn't lost on me)

Finally got out on Wednesday to start my 2007 London training. It was only a gentle jog from work I've done 100 times before, but it takes on new meaning when it's the first of a 500 mile odyssey.

Took it easy for the rest of the week, and got out nice and fresh and fully over the sore throat at 8am on a bright, sunny Sunday morning for the first long run. Had the usual 15 minute twilight period when I wasn't really awake, and came too at the highest point in Leeds looking out across a series of crimson, orange and black cutouts of blocks of flats, trees, power stations and hills stretching towards the south.

Turned at 3 miles and was hit by the wind. 5 short, mostly uphill miles later I turned back for home and could finally get my breath back. A sprint for home, and it was 1 LSR down, 13 to go.

Gentle ease in - the proper training (intervals and all) starts next week.

Monday, Week1
Run: "4 miles, easy"

Tuesday, Week 1
Run: "4 miles, slow"

Total Mileage So Far: 0 miles

Meanwhile, 9 short months after my last entry and I'm back to the beginning again.

My training should have started yesterday, but a fantastically timed sore throat has thrown a spanner in the works. tempted though I was to try to shift it by going out on a dark rainy night, I've therefore missed yesterday's easy 4 mile run, and will probably miss today's 4 mile easy run (What is the difference? I'm not sure although the Runners World suggests the easy is slower than slow).

To help me towards this year's aim of beating 3 hr 15 mins, i.e. the same aim as last year, I have a couple of secret weapons to be used over the coming months. I'm also doing a few more miles if my cold ever goes away.

Back tomorrow to see if I can manage a 5 mile slow run (don't think I'd be stretching myself too much anyway).