Team Wesham's special day!

The final Saturday in November each year is a special day for anyone involved with Wesham Road Runners. 

This is arguably the biggest day on the club's calendar, with both the Wesham 10k - our home race - and also the Dinner Dance and presentation evening, where all the members and their partners are able to get all glammed up to celebrate individual and team successes through the course of the previous 12 months.

The previous week had seen me train as normal and increase my mileage back up to 77 for the week - including a blustery 10x800 metre speed session, a 5 mile tempo and also a 17 mile long run. I have to admit to having felt both disappointed and frustrated throughout the week in response to my own perceived poor showing at the Leeds Abbey Dash.

This week, my attention turned to trying to just go out and race at Wesham 10k, without the added pressure of aiming for a time. I just wanted to try and win the race, as it was one of the ones that I have always wanted to claim, with it being my home race.

I tailored my training this week accordingly and reduced my mileage and intensity of my effort down as the week went on. This week I have recorded 61 miles. This is a low amount for me now and almost amounts to a rest week- which in itself is crazy considering I trained off the same amount each week in the 18 weeks running up to London earlier on this year!

Tuesday saw me complete a slightly reduced track session - I cut it short due to the shocking downpour and winds during the latter stages of the session - with 3.5 miles of effort, rather than my planned 4. This consisted of 1x1 mile, 4x800m and 2x400m. 

Through the rest of the week I settled for gentle and steady 5-6 mile runs, rather than any strenuous tempo sessions or pace work.

On my long run the weekend previous, I had incorporated the Wesham 10k course into my route to do a recce of the course - and came across a massive 30 metre long puddle at approximately where the 1 mile marker would be due to be. Therefore I knew that if there was much rain put down this week, I would have to be prepared for more of the same on race day...

...and on Friday, boy did it rain!!

As I didn't want to put pressure on myself running for a time, I took the decision to ditch my watch for this race. As the 480 or so runners funnelled into the narrow start I took a decision to try and take the race by the scruff of the neck and set the pace from the start.

The first few hundred metres see you climb into the town of Salwick from the back country lanes, before taking a fairly sharp right turn past the Smiths Arms pub. Here there was the first group of marshals and spectators. From their shouts I was able to guess that Rob Affleck was, as expected, the runner that came with me and started to pull clear from the chasing pack. 

The next section saw a quarter of a mile or so of straight, flat road, before taking another corner and plummeting down a sharp downhill at Darkinson Lane. This was the point at which we hit the pool of water and the race turned into a mini-steeplechase!

As I was prepared for it, I was able to accelerate slightly into the water and kick away into an extra couple of yards advantage from Rob. I was confident that I would be strong through the water due to my crosscountry experiences.

The course didn't get much easier too soon, as the following half a mile saw two bridges to contend with, before the course then finally levelled out and became fairly flat from about 1.5 miles in.

I tried to maintain the same pace and momentum, and was aware all the time that Affleck was very much still breathing down my neck and I was unable to pull away despite my best efforts. After 5k we actually overtook the lead car, after it got blocked in down a narrow lane by a car coming the opposite way!

When Alan went back past us in the car, Rob seemed to make a move too and overtook me to take the lead for the first time in the race. Two weeks ago, when the same happened at Leeds, I was unable to find anything to stick with him and allowed him to get away. This time round, I dug in and managed to find something extra to edge back infront as we headed towards the Hand and Dagger pub and into the strong headwind in the fourth mile.

Once again, from there-on-in I was unable to pull away, but just found enough to ensure I kept infront and approached the final section in the lead, with the knowledge that so long as I could summon up a sprint finish then the race was there for the taking now.

Thankfully I did, and despite being pushed all the way and to my limit in difficult conditions by Coach, I was able to claim the victory this time around in my home race in 32:34, just two seconds short of my pb time too.

Then in the evening, it was time to get suited up, and have a ball with the rest of team Wesham at the Dinner Dance. It was held at the Clifton Arms Hotel in Lytham, which is a superb venue. A 3 course meal (well FIVE courses for me actually as I pinched Molly's starter and desert!! 😂😂😂) followed by the awards, and then dancing (and drinking...) the night away. It was fantastic to get to enjoy the company of all my friends and family in fancy suits and dresses, instead of our usual shorts and vests!

I was honoured to be awarded with the Club Person of the Year award, and it was special to be presented with a framed picture from the marathon that will take pride of place with my trophies and medals. I am fortunate to be surrounded by people that I buzz off running alongside. I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate David Taylor on winning the Runner's Runner Trophy, as he has had a phenomenal year - as too did Lee Barlow, with his own special marathon performance. Along with a rejuvenated Jason Barlow, the addition of Simon Denye and also many other solid and consistent performers, I think our men's team is well placed to have a great 2016.

A final note, that having provided me with a new light-weight sublimation Wesham vest, which is a massive improvement on the previous heavy bulky top, Terry Lonergan has offered to sponsor me and provide me with training kit as I look to push on further and kick on again next year.

It is a very generous show of belief from someone who is vastly experienced and proven in the sport. For him to pay such attention to my development and invite me to be a part of his Fastrax team, which includes some very talented and top class athletes, is a huge honour for me. It shows a great amount of trust and belief in me and I will work hard to prove it correct.

Feeling flat.

So having waited a full year for a proper go at a fast, flat 10k with highly competitive field, today I got the chance at last. However by the end of the race, the flattest thing about the morning was my mood...

It's difficult to explain exactly what happened. I suppose in short, it was just one of "those" days. I really can't complain too much - I've had far more good days than bad this year, however the feeling of disappointment is still there when you do have a poor run.

I had worried all week about the conditions, and the forecasts weren't looking good, with 45mph winds and heavy rain given for Leeds that morning. I have to be honest though and say that this absolutely was not the reason for my bad run - sure it was windy, but nothing like as bad as the forecast. 

No, today was simply a bad day at the office, and one that proved mentally quite challenging as well as the physical exertion. Once it became apparent that my legs weren't going to allow me to do what I felt capable of, it became a mental battle to keep going and to at least try and grind out some sort of time of note, rather than just giving up.

To that end, the race wasn't a complete write off, in that I did at least somehow set a new pb, albeit not the time I was looking for. I don't have the official confirmation yet, but I ran somewhere in the region of 32:26, which would be a new best by 10 seconds. So at least we have still moved in the right direction...

I had targeted closer to 31:30 if truth be told. The way I have been performing in training, and the increase in mileage over the last 12 weeks led me to believe I was capable of such a time - especially when the field was of such a vast quality as this one.

The first couple of miles did actually see me "on pace", I had aimed to run 5:05 pace throughout and so my first target had been to arrive at the 2 mile stage in and around 10:10. As it was, the first mile was a tad quick, as I had expected it would be, as I went through that in 4:58. Mile 2 was bang on target at 5:05, meaning I went through the first two miles in 10:03. 

It was at this stage that it started to become clear that I wouldn't be able to maintain this pace however, as my legs started to feel heavy and my rhythm became sluggish. Mile 3 saw the pace drop to 5:18 and I found myself starting to run in surges rather than a steady rhythm. Whether this was a mental thing because I had become aware that I was dropping off the pace I don't know, but by now I really wasn't happy with how the run was panning out.

After the turn around at halfway, I had hoped things would pick up again, as the course started to slope back downhill gradually. The pace did come back down slightly, but nowhere near as much as I needed it to. Mile 4 was clocked at 5:13 and mile 5 at 5:15. I had hoped that I would at least find something in reserve for a final push in the last mile, but unfortunately mile 6 was actually my slowest at 5:20 as I just had nothing left. 

As I say, it wasn't a complete disaster and a pb was at least recorded. I won't be beating myself up about it, or licking my wounds for too long, it will be a case of straight back on the bike as they say - with Wesham 10k in a fortnight's time. I might actually run that one without the pressure of the watch and just run on feel to try and get the rhythm back. Then I might have a full month off from the racing in which to evaluate everything and train up towards one last crack at the distance for this year at Ribble Valley post-Christmas.

On a positive note, I did at least make the most of my first visit to the city of Leeds and made a nice weekend of it away with Molly, and we spent Sunday afternoon grabbing some lunch and doing some early Christmas shopping!

Going for a swim

After racing last night, today was down as my long run day. I decided to leave it a little bit later than usual in order to allow my legs to recover that bit more, and I had hoped that the weather might have cleared up a bit. Oh how wrong I was...

I had planned on 16 miles, however due to the torrential downpour that came down whilst I was out there I decided to cut the distance down to 14 miles, which is the amount I needed to do to round myself up to 75 miles for the week.

I have honestly never seen the roads as flooded as they were this afternoon - down Blackpool Road and through Newton in particular the entire streets were flowing with minimum ankle deep water! 

The weather kind of summed up the conditions that we have had throughout the week on the fylde coast. From the mist and fog on Monday and Tuesday, to the wind and rain on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. It is fair to say that the weather has started to turn and winter is coming fast. I'm already getting sick of the sight of the local bypass as possible routes become few and far between in the dark nights.

The Abbey Dash is fast approaching and this week provided the final full training week in which to build towards getting myself in the best possible shape for the start line.

From here on in it will be reduced mileage and slightly reduced intensity on the faster sessions that I am doing as I kind of taper down ahead of the race.

I was delighted with how this weeks main sessions went, with a quality track session on Tuesday, in which I pushed myself harder than I expected on a solo effort. I completed my 5 miles of work at on average 7 seconds per mile faster than the previous week. 

Despite the increased effort on the track, I maintained a pace on the Thursday tempo equal to that of the previous week, which was very pleasing too.

Saturday saw me head off to Barrowford for the latest of the Podium 5k races. This race hopefully provided me with an ideal sharpener before next weeks big race. The weather conditions were pretty poor, as a strong headwind down the final straight and rain falling made for difficult racing. 

Early on in the race, it wasn't so bad as I managed to tuck into the middle of a large front pack, which protected me from the worst of the weather. However unfortunately at didn't last for too long as the field got drawn out through the second kilometre. From there on in it became much more difficult to maintain a good pace. 

One noticeable aspect of the race was just how many of the top end runners dropped out as the race went on. At least 3 athletes in front of me ducked out early for whatever reason, whether it was through injuries, too quick a pace, or disappointment at being off the time they were looking for I don't know, but I was very surprised to see so many fail to finish.

In the end I managed to come in home in around about 15:27, which although is 13 seconds off PB pace, I was satisfied with in the conditions and gives me some confidence for next weekend. My mile splits for the race were 4:47, 5:00 and 4:55, so perhaps I set off a little fast, but I felt I needed to to try and get into a nice pack.

Finally, I would like to congratulate my mum and dad on their own pb's at Catforth 5k this morning in what I hear were tough conditions. And whilst they were there they took delivery of my new sublimation vest courtesy of Terry Lonergan and his Fastrax team. Hopefully I give it a worthy debut in Leeds in a weeks time.

Here's a sneak peek...

Bring on the mud!

Last weekend saw the return of crosscountry to my racing calendar, after I missed the first mid-lancs fixture of the season at Chorley last month.

It still seemed a little early on in the autumn for crosscountry in my opinion, and Burnley's Townley Park provided very little in the way of any traditional XC mud, but it did at least prove to be a decent enough course for easing into the winter season.

There will be far tougher courses and conditions to come of course, but it was nice to be back out there and seeing just where I am at early doors in the XC season.

Overall I was satisfied with my effort last Saturday, although I soon regretted leading out for the first mile or so of the race, as I dropped down to 7th momentarily in the second mile before recovering to finish in 4th place after a constant battle for position with Blackburn's Karl Billington throughout.

Training-wise the last two weeks have been satisfying too, as last week I managed to put in 70 miles, and after a good 17 miler today I am on track to record 75+ again this week too.

Tuesday night saw me return to track training, after 4 weeks away for one reason or another. It was hard going getting back to running sub 5 minute miles after such a long break from it, but I was really pleased with my session seen as I was running on my own.

The last two Thursday's have seen me putting in solid 5 mile tempo runs at 5:12 and 5:10 pace respectively, and I am happy with how my training is going ahead of a few big 10k's to come before the end of the year.

This week also saw the 3 year anniversary of my first ever marathon attempt. Looking back on it, it is hard to imagine that it has been that long - it seems to have gone so quickly. That said, three years on and I have now completed 5 of them, so I have been busy!

In another way, I kind of can't believe it has only been 3 years, I have come a long way since the days of training off 30 miles a week, playing football 3 days a week and only putting in one 20 mile long run as preparation!

Needless to say that on my next attempt I will be a little bit more prepared...speaking of which, I am still sticking to the plan of avoiding the marathon in 2016, despite a little wobble during the week which nearly saw me enter Berlin for next autumn! Possibly an idea to revisit for 2017 though, we'll see :)

Team Wesham on tour!

The recent weeks of higher volume and intensity of training have been geared towards this trip to Palma De Mallorca, for the Spanish island's Capital city road races.

The original plan had been to fly out with Moll and to enjoy a long weekend away together, along with the rest of the running clubs participants. Unfortunately this time my lucky mascot was unable to join me due to commitments at University.

The only positive about this fact is that it meant my mind was fully focuses on he main event and the race at hand, but needless to say I would obviously have much preferred her alongside me - a fantastic weekend would have been made absolutely perfect if Moll had been able to join in the party. There is always next year though I hope...

This was week six of my increased training mileage, however on the back of last weeks Half marathon win at the Valiants race, I decided to reduce my training down slightly before a second crack at the distance in a short 8 day spell.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday saw me complete early morning easy sessions of 4-5 miles jogging at 7:00 pace. It is something that I have tried to add to my programme as a way of topping up the mileage and also helping my body become used to running on tired legs on the back of tougher evening sessions. I have tried these type of mornin runs in the past, but have never been able to motivate myself to get up at that 5:40 am alarm regularly on previous occasions. Hopefully this time around it can become a real fixture in my training programme for the future. After 4 weeks I seem to be getting settled into the routine ok.

Monday's evening session saw my usual progression run at the club night for Wesham Road Runners. We did 9 miles, starting at 7:00 pace and working down to finish at 5:35's. I felt surprisingly fresh after the previous weekend's exploits, although I did take a spectacular tumble after 7.5 miles and despite a nasty knock on the hip I got off relatively lightly having failed to spot a divot in the pavement.

Due to work commitments and a late finish, I was unable to make my group track session on the Tuesday, so instead had to make do with a makeshift short tempo session by myself. I did this down Kirkham bypass and it consisted of a 2.5 mile warm up, 4 miles tempo at 5:20 pace, followed by a 2.5 mile cool down. It was hard work motivating myself to try and run fast on he back of a 12 hour working day and knowing it would be gone 9pm before I got home to make my tea! So I was really happy with the effort I put in to this session all things considered.

On Wednesday, another late finish at work saw me decide to give myself the evening off to rest up for the following night's group tempo run and with the following weekends race also in mind.

Thursday's session with Affleck, Buttler and Joe Monk was pleasing, as in comparison to how hard it had been to maintain 5:20 pace on my own the other night, this time around with company it seemed so much easier. We are getting a good little group together now and everyone seems to be benefitting from these sessions and enjoying them too, which is pleasing to be a part of.

Friday evening saw me packing and making final preparations for my journey - my first ever flight on my own(!) - and so I was unable to find time to squeeze in any last minute training. Saturday too was a long morning of travelling and taxi-ing around Palma in order to pick up my race number and pack from the registration and expo. I felt shattered from all the hectic travelling the day before the race and so had an early night and avoided the bar!

Sunday was race day, and despite concerns earlier in the week about the weather (though I was secretly hoping it WOULD rain as forecast!) the sun was in fact shining bright and the early morning temperatures were already hitting 20'C as I completed my warm up and stretches.

On the startline I managed to manoeuvre my way through to the front of pen A, although there were still some elite athletes in another seperate one in front of that (Pen AA!). These runners were the sub 70 minute athletes and also the elites that were competing in the full marathon, which started at the same time as the half.

I didn't really know what to expect prior to setting off, as I had never competed against any of the front runners before and so was unsure what their pace would be from the offset. But I had made my mind up that having travelled all this way I would have a real go at sticking with the pace, whatever it may be, and going all out for a place on the Podium.

As I have already stated, the way the race was organised, the Half and the Full marathon's were both started together én mass, with the 10k runners starting separately, on a second wave twenty minutes later. Finally, the walking race started 5-10 minutes after that. In total, some 9,500 athletes participated in the various events and distances in total. Some 5,000 people competed in the Half marathon.

On the starting pistol, a German athlete from the sub 70 pen went flying out of the blocks and I immediately made the decision to go with his pace and to take him on from the offset. Within a few hundred yards we had already opened up quite a lead over the other competitors, and exchanging some words (thankfully he spoke English - I wouldn't stand a chance with German!) it became apparent that our target times were somewhat similar, so I hoped to give him a good battle!

The first mile was relatively fast, but not beyond my ability at 5:10 pace, so I gained some early confidence that this could be a fast race if we continued to go toe-to-toe. Passing the spectating George Kennedy at around the mile mark was good motivation as he gave me words of encouragement and advice as I went by.

After a pan flat first mile, the second one saw a very gradual incline and the pace settled down to around the 5:20 mark. Then the third mile saw a bigger climb up the race's first proper hill, as you climbed up beyond the far end of he harbour. It was at this point when I opened up a slight gap for the first time and began to run away from the German competitor. Just before the 3 mile mark, you turned around a set of cones and carried on back towards the Cathedral, which was the setting for the start and finish of each of the races. Coming back in the opposite direction I was able to steal a quick glance across to see what sort of a lead I had built up early on, and a stron hill section had opened up a 6-7 second advantage I would estimate.

I pushed on further on return back down the hill and increased that lead further through miles 3-6, as I made an early push for a big lead. Coming back down the harbour in the opposite direction to the other athletes was actually a rather moving experience. The amount of vocal encouragement and cheering and applauding that I was offered by this 9,000-plus wall of runners was unbelievable. The noise was fantastic, and the thought that it was all aimed at me was quite mind-blowing really. Between that and the crowds closer to the Cathedral, and the convoy of lead car and about 4 police motorbikes and cameramen on bikes etc, it was like running at the London marathon all over again!

It was also good to be able to spot some of our other runners, as Wesham had turned out in force, with some 31 of the clubs members in the city for the race, with many running too. Including my mum and dad, competing in the 10k race. To be able to spot them go by was brilliant encouragement too.

As we passed by the far side of the Cathedral we climbed up the second of the courses hills and into the old town section of the race. By now the temperatures had risen to definitely mid-high twenty degrees and I was beginning to sweat lots by now! So it was welcome respite whenever the course weaved into the shade of the big tall buildings. For those of you that have never been to Palma, these streets are very narrow, very twisty and bendy and many of the corners that we were navigating were quite sharp. Many of the roads and paths we were running on were also either cobbled or slicked surface flagging. It became quite impossible to build any real momentum through the second half of the race and through these sections the pace dipped to 5:40-5:45 pace. 

Fortunately, I had built up enough of a lead to stay relaxed as the pace dropped, and as my legs began to tighten I knew that this one would not be about the times, but about securing that place at the top of the Podium. I managed to do just that and was fortunate enough to be able to ease up down the final straight and soak up the atmosphere as I crossed the line victorious in 72:23, 59 seconds ahead of my nearest rival on an international Podium, with second and third place coming from Germany and Poland respectively.

The winner of the ladies half marathon race was also British, and the national flag appeared from somewhere and that made for a special photo opportunity on the podium during the prize giving ceremony later on!

It was bizarre afterwards, having microphones and tape recorders etc thrown I front of me immediately having crossed the line, it caught me on the hop and good luck to any Spanish people in trying to understand my Lancashire accent! 

Sadly for our members participating in the 10k, for the second year in succession, the course was well too long - despite being measured accurate, it came in at over 6.5 miles! Steve Waterhouse did superbly to finish first in his age category in that race though, so a big congrats to him.

Also to Jason Barlow, who stuffed his brother Lee in the sunshine over the half marathon to come home as King Barlow!

Well done too to Nigel Shepherd and Simon Eaton on completing the full marathon in heats that rose above 30C whilst they were on the course. A monumental effort by both.

All of team Wesham can be proud of our own individual achievements across the weekend, as well as having enjoyed a fantastic time away with a brilliant group of friends and family. I am flying home content in the knowledge that I am blessed to be surrounded by such a positive, friendly, amazing group of people. There truly is no other team quite like Wesham, and long may that continue.

The gamble on doing back to back Half marathons in the week paid off, with both a massive new PB and also two pleasing race wins to boot. Now my attentions can turn to finally nailing that 10k time st Leeds Abbey Dash in four weeks time...

Would I like to come back and defend the Palma title? You'll have to ask Molly!

An Ultra Boost ahead of my Valiant effort...

Those of you that are regular readers of this blog will have noticed that my weekly mileage has steadily risen this year, and that there has been a spike in my training over the last 5 weeks in particular.

This has been a conscious effort to get myself fitter and faster in general, but the main catalyst has been the targetting of a couple of big upcoming races on my calendar.

The most important goal that I am working towards is Leeds Abbey Dash in mid-November, however I am also due to participate in the Palma Half Marathon too. By upping my mileage and the intensity of my training I had hoped to be able to have a good crack at my half-marathon PB in the Spanish sun.

That race is now just eight days away, and the closer it has gotten, the stronger I have felt...which is where the doubts about my target began to creep in. Over the last couple of weeks in particular I have felt stronger and stronger, and believed that I was all set to run a fast time. I didn't want the heat to put paid to my potential new personal best. 

So during the course of this week I began to consider a change of plan. There was a relatively new half marathon race, set in rural country lanes just a twenty minute drive from my house. Last year, the race was won in a low 68, and it has quickly gained a good reputation as being a fast, flat course. The problem? It was this weekend, and just 8 days before the Palma Half I was really unsure whether of not to do it, as it seemed just too close to be able to double up and race well at both events.

Having asked Alan Taylor whether he would be open to entries on the day and being given a positive response however, I was leaning towards the idea of going for it. I still wasn't entirely sold on it though, and took advice off some trusted friends and experienced runners too. 

In the end I decided to leave the decision as late as possible, and it wasn't until I woke up this morning, opened the curtains and saw the perfect conditions that I actually made my mind up to go out and race.

I continued with my current training programme as normal throughout the week (and an easy 7 miles tomorrow evening should take me up to 77 miles for the week), although my usual track session on Tuesday had been cancelled, so I had to substitute that for the Wesham 4 mile winter handicap race on Monday night as an alternative. I ran it as a hard tempo run and was pleased to record 20:44 for quite an undulating two lap route. 

Then on Thursday, I met up with Rob Affleck (back after Berlin), Gethin Butler (on the back of his National duathlon championships) and Joe Monk (who ran his Preston Park run PB last week). We had agreed on a pace of about 5:30s, with the other three doing 5 miles, and me adding an extra lap of Preston docks to take my distance up to 6.5 miles. I felt incredibly strong and the pace easy as I actually found myself running 5:20s throughout. It was during this session that I think I knew I really wanted to do the Valiant's Half whilst I was in such form.

Also this week, I had a shock when it suddenly crossed my mind just how many miles my trainers and racers that I was currently using had actually done. I had two pairs of racers, both of which I have been using since January. Seen as I use them for track, tempo's and even the odd long run, as well as races, it is fair to estimate that they have banged out some 800 miles each since I purchased them!! I always like to get my money's worth out of them, but upon inspection, they were both completely gone and ready for the bin. 

So I made the most of an early finish from work on Thursday and went to buy myself a new pair. I ended up getting the new Adidas Ultra Boost model. They are predominantly more of a long distance shoe, with extra cushioning and 'bounce', but I felt that they were as light as any racer, and so took the decision that these are the pair for me. I have always worn adidas for the last 3 years, and have to say that these are definitely the most comfortable and responsive that I have had yet. They get a big thumbs up from me so far, even if they are ridiculously expensive at £130 rrp! 

After breaking them in with an early morning run before work on Friday, I gave them a race debut at Valiant's, and they have started to pay for themselves already with a good race win bonus!

I had to run the race completely on my own from the start, so I knew it would be a hard task to better my PB time of 71:54 set at Wilmslow Half earlier on in the year. To do so, I would need to average better than 5:29 pace throughout on my own.

I did so though. Comfortably. The hardest part of the race was actually settling in to a rhythm at the start, as it was difficult judging the pace on my own early doors. I had set a target of getting to 10 miles at 5:25s and then assessing whether or not I was in any position to push on in the last 5k. 

As I was on my own though, it turned into more of a mile by mile race against the clock as I kept doing the maths in my head trying to figure out where I was at compared to where I needed/wanted to be. My pace was fairly consistent throughout and overall I would go so far as to say that this is by far my most pleasing, complete and controlled race I have ever put together. I smashed my PB, taking 95 seconds off the old one and finishing in 1st place in 70:29, a clear 6 and a half minutes ahead of second placed Wesham team mate James Mulvany.

The best thing is, I honestly believe that if I had company around me, I think I would have comfortably broken seventy and maybe even gone a little quicker still...but that just bodes well for the future. Now is a time for recovery, with a massage booked in for this afternoon and maybe even another one on Monday night if I can squeeze it in before Palma next week.

Today's splits were: 5:19, 5:23, 5:21, 5:24, 5:22, 5:20, 5:25, 5:19, 5:23, 5:25, 5:19, 5:22, 5:14 and a 47 second dart to the line.

Taking inspiration

If there is one thing that I have realised since I started taking my running and training seriously a couple of years ago, it is that we are never truly happy with ourselves, our achievements and our performances.

No matter how quick we go, or if we run a massive PB, or whatever else we manage to do in a race. We might be content for a week or two, but then our brains starts churning and wondering 'what if', our attention soon turns to the next target, the next race, the next challenge. We are always trying to be better than ourselves.

This was the case last week after Lancaster 5k. I took ten seconds off my previous best time, which is a big chunk in one go on what is a short distance, but almost immediately believed that I was capable of more. My target for 2016 will be to break the 15 minute barrier.

It isn't a new feeling though, as I say it happens quite often after a race. In fact after London, despite knowing I had given it everything and performed to probably the maximum of my ability, within a week I had already started to think about the next one and what could be possible. This despite my promise to myself to take a break from the long stuff for a while!

Therefore it is impossible not to take inspiration and be immensely impressed with the performances of two of our best local runners over the marathon across the continent over the past week.

Firstly, Rob Affleck finally hitting his sub 2:30 target, with a fantastic 2:27 in Berlin - going within a minute of the Preston Harriers record for the distance.

In the same race, Jason Cherriman ran an incredible new personal best of 2:21, a simply amazing feat - to think that by the time I crossed the line in April he would have already finished a good quarter of an hour before is mind blowing!

Then to top it off, David Rigby stole the show with a record breaking 2:24 to win the Chester Marathon today. The Preston Harriers record had stood for some 20 years I believe, so for him to smash it by two minutes is incredible. A massive congrats to him!

All of these performances just go to show how much I need to still do before I can start compare myself to the top road runners around here. It is inspiring and makes me determined to train harder and keep plugging away to try and close the gap from the times these guys are capable of to the ones that I am running now. I am improving, and hopefully will continue to do so, but it is a process and I know I am still some way off right now.

This week has been a solid week of training for me. After a doubleheader of races last weekend I did a slightly shorter track session on Tuesday, followed by a tough solo tempo run on Thursday with 10k in 33:30. Yesterday I did a 17 mile long run, my longest since London. I did it at 6:22 pace and felt strong throughout. Today I finished my weeks work off with a progressive 10 mile tempo at 6:05 pace. In total I ticked over with 76 miles for the week - meaning that for the last 4 weeks I have now maintained 75 miles plus for the first time ever, with my previous highest 4 week block being 68.