Friday, Week 7

5 miles, Easy

Wet and windy

Thursday, Week 7

7 Miles, Steady

Had the afternoon off, and did a quick circuit from home. Have got a good mix of speed and stamina at the moment, and this was the fastest I have done the route.


Wednesday, Week 7

8 Miles, Slow

The day of the earthquake. Was woken up by what I thought was an aircraft crashing into the roof, but which turned out to be a minor tremor 50 miles away.

By the evening I'd pulled myself together enough to run home from work again. Nice easy jog back through the rush hour, feeling very superior to the people trapped in their cars.

A real Nighthawks vignette as I came up Low Lane a mile or so from home. In a lit up kebab house I ran past, I saw a teenager sitting at the single formica table opposite a girl, with a big nervous happy smile on his face. How great to be so incomplicatedly happy.

Tuesday, Week 7

1M jog, then 12 x 200m hill with slow jog/walk down, then 1M jog

One of those days that is so windy that it bangs your legs together, and sucks the dribble out of your mouth and spreads it across your face - lovely.

Fortunately, it was directly behind me on my repeats up Crows Nest Lane and I went up like a rocket.

Sunday, Week 6

Race, Snake Lane 10

Leisurely breakfast, then a long drive over to the East Riding to Pocklington.

Weather was 1,000 times better than 2 years ago when I did this before, although the wind, along with a sore throat and a dodgy stomach made me slightly wary about hitting any of my targets.

The usual chaos at the start, and I was left too far from where I thought I should be. Last time here, my first mile took 7:34, and as I threaded through the usual waddlers and puffers who had lined up with the elite I thought the same would be happening again.

When I hit the first mile marker at 6:31 I was therefore pretty positive, which grew as I hit the next two markers at under 6:30 each time. I was still thinking in terms of building up a cushion to slow down into, and when the 4th mile seemed to take 7:04 I started panicking.

Hit the 5 mile marker just through a pretty East Yorkshire town, and my split was 6:22 - guess that 4th mile was a little long.

Reassured that I wasn't slowing down I pushed on and passed 6 miles wel under my 40 minute target.

The Snake Lane bit was around here somewhere - a zig zag through some ancient field structure, and following a chat with an American, I got my head don for the diffcult last few undulating windy miles.

Hit the 9 mile marker in 20 seconds under the hour - the first one of my 2008 goals scored, and then cruised towards Pocklington knowing my time would be good.

Was overtaken by an aged looking person at 800m, so stepped up to a sprint for the last 400m and overtook him and 4 more (afterwards finding two odf them were the 1st and 2nd in the over 70 category).

Over the line in 1:06:14 (officially three seconds slower), after my most positive race experience since last year's Leeds Half.

That time equates to a 3:03 marathon - I won't get too excited, but I'm feeling good anyway going into the long mileage stage.

Friday, Week 6

4.5 Miles, Easy

Thursday, Week 6

1 mile jog, then 4 miles brisk, then 1 mile jog.

Circuits round the Beeston mile, which felt hard work but were at a nice clip and were nice and consistent - between 6:44 and 6:55. Hope for just a little faster on Sunday

Wednesday, Week 6

7 Miles, Slow

Tough feeling slow run from home and down the A65.

Was just past the Emmott Arms when suddnely all was dark.

A power cut in a prong of Rawdon made it difficult to see where my feet were landing for 20 minutes or so. By the time I was running back down the Rawdon Road, the only lights were solar garden torches and flickering candles in dark house windows. Passed the crematorium and back into light.

Tuesday, Week 6

1M jog, then 10 x 400m fast with 200m jog recoveries, then 1M jog

Really cold. Freezing fog on a day it never got above zero.

Decided on a run round the streets of Beeston rather than a trip to the track. Did 10 very consistent repeats around a surprisingly grippy pavement circuit - slowest 1:28, fastest 1:26. Very comfortable and getting mentally prepared for the race on Sunday.

Monday, Week 6

4 Miles, Easy

Last evening of my week off work and a jog into a diffuse dusk. Running on the road between Horsforth and Rawdon looking out over the Aire Valley it looked like one of Turner's experimental whirls of Black, Orange, Yellow and Green.

Easy lope back through the rush hour, not really ready to return to work.

Sunday, Week 5

15 Miles, Easy

Skipped Friday's recovery run due to the slightly traumatic week (especially for Matthew), involving late night trips to emergency doctor's, night terrors and finally a pet death.

Checked the thermometer clock as I woke up to bright sunlight. It was -6. Got suitably kitted up and was out of the door at 8.

Great day to be alive; like the world was new. Ran down into the city centre, and then back out of town and home along the frozen canal.

I don't think there's ever been a morning when I've said more hellos to other runners and bikers.I think anyone out in that cold will have been hardcore.

Arrived home after (just) sub 8 minute miling to prepare for a sad pet burial.

On my mp3 player

Avril Lavigne
Under My Skin

U2
Under A Blood Red Sky

The Enemy
We'll Live And Die In These Towns

Great set of feel good albums


Thursday, Week 5

5 Miles, Brisk

Wednesday, Week 5

6 miles, Slow

Done from home on a fantastic frosty early morning

Tuesday, Week 5

Warm-up, then 6 X 800m, with 200m recoveries, then warm down

First trip of the year to South Leeds Stadium, now the John Charles Sports Centre.

Another fantastic steel blue day, cold but with no wind, so there were no excuses.

Fortunately managed reasonably speedy, consistent Yasso repeats all between 3:07 and 3:12. I think I'd take that range in hours and minutes at the end of April.

A week or so off work now, coinciding with a week of cut back mileage.

Monday, Week 5

4 Miles, Easy

Dreamy run from work through a backlit frozen fog.

Sunday, Week 4

13 Miles, Slow

Fantastic morning to wake up and run out into. Not a cloud in the sky, and everything coated in white rime.

Jogged slowly up the hill to Cookridge, and then out into what felt like countryside alongside an emerald green golf course. The sun shone low through the trees sending beams across the roads like a gratuitous cut scene in a video game.

Soon it was back to reality, running along the route from Headingley down to the university through Saturday night's detritus of cider bottles, abandoned fast food and worse.

The bottom of Otley Road looks like Shanghai now with cranes and skyscapers around Leeds Met. Should be interesting when it's all complete.

At the hour point I reached the Yorkshire Post building and headed back up Kirkstall Road, feeling pretty sluggish after a hard week of running and got home looking forward to a less tough week.

Friday, Week 4

4.5 Miles, Easy

Thursday, Week 4

1 mile jog, then 3 miles brisk, then 1 mile jog

This was a hard run after the mileage over the last few days, bu the fact I actually had a full kit to run in after yesterday's little "Chicken, fox and dog crossing a river" scenario was the most amazing part of it.

Three nice consistent miles either side of 7 minute miling in bright spring-like weather made it all worthwhile.

Wednesday, Week 4

8 miles, Easy

It's started to get to the point where it's harder to fit in all my runs, so in a flash of near genius I decided to run home from work.

First step was measuring the most direct route (through dodgy motorway tunnels, industrial estate footpaths and canalside staircases). It came to 8.1 miles door to door. Brilliant.

Next was the logistics of getting all the rigth equipment in the right place, bearing in mind I wanted to carry nothing with me while running, and as little as possible on the train the next morning.

Kept having sudden thoughts "But, what about my trousers?", "Where will my car keys end up?", "What if I need my phone?".

It all worked out fine - home in 1 hour 1 minutes, whihc is quicker than many of my drives home, and think I may well have set a green precedent.


Tuesday, Week 4

1 mile jog, then 5 miles Fartleks, then 1 mile jog

Monday, Week 4

4 miles, Easy

Sunday, Week 3

Dewsbury 10k

Spent the whole 48 hours before the race checking the weather, praying for no snow, no ice and a drop in the wind. 2 out of 3 ain't bad I suppose, especially after the view out of the window when I woke on Saturday.
Sunday, however, dawned much less white, and I drove southwards with a spring in my step.

Felt good warming up, and despite my usual habit of starting too far back, had a dream run for the first 3K, striding past people who had started too far forward, or maybe just people who would overtake me back later.

Was prepared for the climb up to the turn, and thought at that point that I could push myself to get a pb or even better.

Unfortunately, as I turned, I realsie why I had felt so smooth early on. The headwind.

To be honest, I would probaly not have noticed it on a long run, but trying to go flat out with an not yet fully developed stamina, I struggled, culminating in a 4:21 minute kilometre at 8k.

Finished with a bit of a sprint (official time 41:11) and walked straight back to the car, not sure whether to be disappointed, but giving myself the get-out of the wind and the fact I am only 3 weeks in.

The forums have all been about the wind too, and the average race time is 1 and a half minutes down on the last two years, so feeling positive again and ready for the next few weeks before the Snake Lane 10.

Friday, Week 3

4.5 Miles, Easy