Highest mileage week

After a bit of a reduced week in terms of volume of training, this week I have been able to jump back on it with an increased workload - and I have managed to push myself to a personal high week for mileage. 

It has been a fairly consistent and gradual process over the course of the last 4 and a half years to increase my training from what was initially a very low amount, towards the amount that I need to get to if I want to make myself a serious runner of a high standard.

Four years ago, that mileage stood round 25-30 miles per week - with a few football matches and training sessions a week, plus gym work keeping my general fitness levels up, but nowhere near enough to be a runner capable of fast times.

Gradually, year on year, that mileage has increased as I have become stronger, both physically and mentally. I have developed a better understanding of the requirements and dedication that you need to put into your training if you want to continue to improve what you are capable of.

This time last year, I had managed to increase that mileage to an average of 62 miles per week in my training for London. That was the game changer. The buzz of adrenaline and momentum that the London experience afforded me encouraged me to push on further and increase the workload once more.

Since then, I upped it to firstly 65, then 70 miles per week, and then above 75 miles a week from around October onwards.

I have tried to make sure that this process has been a consistent, but gradual one. I have always been concious of trying to remain injury-free - and (touch wood) apart from the odd twinge and the bad back over Christmas, that is something I have largely managed to do.

This week for the first time ever I have managed to step that volume of training up to beyond 80 miles for the week. This is the standard and level of training that I have aspired to for the last few years - and now that I have finally managed it I will aim to maintain it as much as I can through the year.

The most important thing about any training regime is consistency. There is no point just doing it once and then reducing back down again - I might not manage the 80+ every week, but the more I can do it, the better. It is important for my legs to get used to the amount of work they need to get through to continue to get stronger.

As well as volume, the intensity and specificity of the training is just as crucial too. This week I was able to get back in amongst it with the speed group on the track. That was important, as it is so much easier to push yourself out of your comfort zone when you are around other runners. This week we did a session of 600 metre reps.

On Thursday, on my tempo session with Rob Affleck, we managed to run 25:58 for the 5 miles, 10 seconds faster than the previous session. 

Total mileage for the week: 81

Average pace for the week (m/pm): 6:20

Total mileage for the month so far (February): 217

Total mileage so far 2016: 532

Average miles per day 2016: 10.23

Birthdays and getaways

A bit of a mixed bag on the training front this week.

After winning Blackburn's Winter Warmer, in an ideal training world I would have banged on with another high mileage week to continue my efforts towards getting fitter and stronger through the winter season.

However, sometimes in life there are other more important things to consider and the right balance between work, home life and training needs to be found. Therefore, since Monday was Molly's birthday I took the day off and spent my spare time out of work celebrating her big twenty with her. My morning run was swapped for opening presents, and my evening one for stuffing my face with pizza and cake. Not a bad trade then haha!

But seriously, there are 365 days in which you can run in the year, and it is worth remembering that a day off does no harm once in a while. And I wouldn't have swapped Moll's celebrations for the world.

That said, Tuesday evening I expected to be back on it and working away down at he track. A disastrous afternoon at work put paid to that idea though, and a slightly later than anticipated finish meant that I was unable to make the planned group session at Cottam.

Instead, I decided to do a steady longer run and attempt to claw back some of the lost miles. So I did 12 miles in total, with a 3 mile warm up, 6 mile tempo and 3 miles cool down. I found it difficult to get up to speed on the tempo, but managed to run 5:50s for the tempo and finish with an average pace of 6:20 for the full session.

Wednesday brought some easier running and by doubling up with a morning and evening run I was able to catch up some more of my mileage.

Thursday's tempo run around the docks went pretty much perfectly to plan, and I managed to complete my 5 mile session in 26:08, for 5:14 pace throughout, 5 seconds per mile quicker than the previous week. This might have something to do with the rest from the track on Tuesday meaning that my legs were more rested, but it is a pleasing sign none-the-less.

Friday brought another double run and ten more easy miles in total, meaning that I finished the working week with my usual 50 miles done by this point.

The weekend though brought a respite from the bigger mileage I usually do over the two day break from work. 

As has become tradition, myself and Molly went away for a weekend break to celebrate her birthday and valentines, so a log run was well and truly out of the equation!

I did take my trainers with me though, and managed to squeeze in a morning run on both the Saturday and the Sunday. Both times I went 6.5 miles, and I tell you what, but despite doing half the mileage of my usual weekend runs I can tell I got a good workout anyway. My glutes are on fire, after tackling the hills and undulations of the tops of Great Langdale! I hadn't realised, but the loop I ran was actually part of the Langdale half marathon route, and consisted of possibly the biggest hill I have ever tackled in my life - and I thought Buncer Lane was bad enough! I have come away knowing for certain that I want to do the half marathon for proper when it is on later in the year.

So Langdale and the weekend getaway provided something of a bonus training camp in the end, as well as the perfect escape from the hectic day to day activities of daily life, away with the girl I love. It was a pretty much perfect weekend - so good suggestion Moll!

Since we had to be checked out of our camping pod (yes we went glamping - posh camping(!) ) by lunch time, I made the most of my afternoon by trading in my old knackered pairs of trainers for some new ones from my local shop on Ribby Hall. Activate has replaced the old Sweatshop, and provides a great service - with 10% discount for Wesham Road Runners members. Plus the pair I went in for was on offer so I landed a bargain too! A good end to a great weekend, and a decent training week too in the end.

Total mileage for the week: 63

Average pace for the week (m/pm): 6:31

Total mileage for the month so far (February): 136

Total mileage so far 2016: 451

Average miles per day 2016: 10.02

Those race day butterflies

Ten weeks have passed since my last road race, which was the Wesham 10k back in November. During the weeks between, I have seen four intended races cancelled and two injury-interrupted weeks of training. It is just about the longest gap between races I can remember having since I became a club runner more than 4 years ago!

Initially, I didn't worry too much about this lack of racing, and I have of course managed a couple of crosscountry races in the period in between. However, I class crosscountry separately to road racing, as it is a different style of racing. I began to become increasingly concerned about missing out on races after the cancellation of Inskip Half marathon a few weeks ago.

It wasn't so much that I was worried that I was getting out of shape - I have been training consistently and putting in the miles - but I mean more in the way that it is easy to lose your rhythm and forget your instincts about tactical racing and pacing at the front end and out on the roads. I felt that it was important to get back out there and race sooner, rather than later, in order to try and build a bit of momentum and confidence up again before my big targeted races that are looming on the horizon.

So this weekend I made the trip over to Witton Park, Blackburn (once again!) I don't think I travelled out that way more than twice all last year, and have found myself racing there 3 times in 5 weeks since the turn of the year! 

The Blackburn Harrier's winter warmer 10k isn't a race that I had done before, and being placed on a busy racing weekend - up against the likes of Alsager 5 and Dewsbury 10k - it did really well to draw in the numbers, with a sell out 500 participants. I have to say that I loved every minute of my experience. He hospitality of the organisers and marshals was first class, and the course was every bit as challenging and tough as I had been expecting! It was everything that I could have asked for for my first road race of the calendar year, and represents a solid platform from which I hope I can now build on from.

The race itself took in a lap of the Harrier's track, before climbing out of the park and out on to Buncer Lane. The assent began from about 800 metres in, and continued to rise steadily up to about the 2k mark. At this point, there was a break from the uphill, as the course took in a local housing estate for roughly 500-600 metres, before continuing out and climbing steeply back up the rest of Buncer Lane. The assent ceased at around the 4K mark and a long downhill section then followed through to 6k, before levelling off, and then another shorter climb through 6-7k. From then on in, there was another steep downhill section, before the course levelled off through the park grounds, finishing with another lap of the track.

After sitting in behind Danny Collinge of Clayton-Le-Moors for the first lap of the track, I then led pretty much all of the race, holding off a bit of a challenge from a Blackburn Harrier on the downhill section between 4-6k. I was delighted with my performance, in terms of it being a solid controlled run, and felt as though I had a nice rhythm throughout, without ever really eye-balling it. The time wasn't he quickest - but I had expected as much with such an undulating and challenging course, but I was very happy to take the win in approx 33:45.

I gave my new Team Fastrax kit its first outing too, and so hopefully I have done Terry and the vest proud!

This weeks training saw a solid week of mileage, consistent with what I have been doin so far in the year. My track session was done alone and so was slightly slower and shorter - with 8 x 800s ran in 2:28s. My tempo run was 5 miles ran at 5:19s, and my long run was moved over to the Saturday and cut shorter to accommodate my race - with a 13 miler at 6:23 pace.

Total mileage for the week: 73

Average weekly pace (m/pm): 6:28

This months mileage (February): 73

Total mileage so far in 2016: 388

Average miles per day 2016: 10.2

Northern Crosscountry Championships 2016

This year's Northern's were held at Witton Park, Blackburn. This is the same venue that held the Lancashire Championships earlier on in the month, but with the distance being ran covering 12 kilometres rather than the 10k which the Lancs Championships was, the course was lengthened and as a result made far more challenging. Like the Lancashire's, the race took in four laps of the course.

I would go so far as to say that this race was by far the most brutal that I have encountered so far in my 4 crosscountry seasons. The extra 2 kilometres was made up by a hill that was not only steep, but on an uneven terrain, making finding your footing difficult right from the outset. By the time you reached it for the 4th time, it had become a challenge of staying on your feet, rather than how quickly you could get up it, as the surface had been churned up so much that the section of course was almost un-runnable. I have never encountered a course that has made me debate stopping to walk sections before, but this one had me damn close last time around it!

In total, over the four laps, each runner had to contend with a total of 8 hill sections. A combination of those hills, a driving cold wind and a hailstone storm led to the race being incredibly challenging and energy sapping. On the other hand, the down hill sections were so steep that at points coming down them I didn't think I was going to be able to stop as my arms and legs flailed all over the show! For anyone who says crosscountry courses aren't what they used to be, I would urge them to consider this one next time it is put on! It really was a 'proper ' crosscountry slog.

A slog is exactly what it was, as my time reflected. Despite starting conservatively, I grew into the race quite nicely and overall was very pleased with my performance. However a quick look at the time recorded, and a comparison to last year's performance on a flattish track at Pontefract, shows that I was some 7 minutes slower this time out than on that course, over the same distance, last year - so that goes to show how tough it was! Also comparing the two performances, this time out I just missed out on a top 50 placing, coming through in 53rd. Last time around I came 45th, so perhaps the more runnable course last year suited me? Or maybe it was a better field this time out.

As I say I am happy with my showing this time around, and am looking forwards to the next tests now at the National Championships at the end of February, and the Intercounties in March at the end of the crosscountry season.

Thanks to Greg Oulton and David Wood for the photographs from the race.

This week's training was shaped by a few factors, the race being one of them, and a bout of (man) flu at the start of the week being another. As such, the weekly mileage was slightly down on the previous week, but still in the ballpark for what I was targetting anyway. I missed my Monday Club run, as I was unwell - but also as I was having a meal cooked by Molly to celebrate the fact she has managed to date a runner for 3 years without being tempted to kill him! 

On Tuesday, I stayed away from the group speed session at the track and did my own little session on the docks instead, so as not to give anybody my cold. I did a session of 20 x 30 second sprints and 30  seconds recovery jog, which worked quite well as a solo session, considering the fact I wasn't really feeling like doing it I was happy with how it went once I got started.

I finished the week off with a 17 mile long run with Rob Affleck for company, and I was glad of it too in the constant rain that we had to put up with! I found it easier having someone to run it with and as a result went faster than I would have done otherwise, on my own the day after a race. I finished with an average of 6:20 for the first 16, with a slow mile jog cool down bringing the overall average to 6:25.

Total miles for the week: 73

Average pace for the week (m/pm): 6:48

Total mileage for the month of January: 315

Average daily mileage so far this year: 10.15

Training towards targets

This week has been another one of hard work pounding out the training miles away from the local racing circuit.

Looking back on last weekend's cancelled race, I think it has been something of a blessing in disguise, as it has allowed me to press on with my training and working towards my longer term goals. 

Yes I had wanted to race at Inskip, but it is not a disaster in the long run that this one got called off. In reality, considering the conditions and the fact I was not long back from a lay-off, I probably would have been hard pushed to achieve what I would have liked to from that one anyway.

The short term set back may well prove to be a longer term blessing, as I have had a very satisfying week of training in the week gone by. I managed to increase my mileage back to the levels which I was at before Christmas. I also got pushed extremely hard on the track on Tuesday, with a big session of 20x400. 

Along with the usual Thursday night tempo, I was also delighted with how my long run went on Saturday morning. I did a 17 mile out to St Anne's and back, and had a great consistent pace throughout - I would go so far as to say it was probably the best I have felt on a long run since Palma last year.

The longer term goals which I speak about include the Intercounties in March, which I will now be working extremely hard towards, after being given the nod that I will be part of the Lancashire set up for the event. This in particular has been a massive boost for me, as it gives me huge motivation to continue my efforts in training. Representing my county last year was an absolute honour, and to have the opportunity to do so again for a second time around is amazing. I hope to build on from last year's effort and perform to a higher level this time around.

Furthermore, I am also building towards the Cardiff Half Marathon, which takes place two weeks later. It is a race that is incorporating the World Championships, so is sure to provide a fast course and highest quality field. I will be looking to try and improve on my pb at this race.

Finally, another two weeks on from that I will hopefully get a good crack at the 10k distance at Cheshire, as my Lancashire call up will clash with Trafford unfortunately.

So there we have it, the next few weeks will be all about building momentum, fitness and form to try and peak for these 3 races in March and April.

Considering I lost two weeks of training over the festive season, I feel very good about myself and how I am running in training. With a few more weeks of pressing ahead with more hard work, I am hopeful of achieving these goals and continuing to improve.

In the shorter term, I will still be keeping my eye in with races of course, and I look forward to the Northern Championships crosscountry at Witton Park next weekend.

Weekly Mileage: 78

Average pace for the week (m/pm): 6:29

Total mileage for the month (January): 242

Average daily mileage this year: 10.1

Into the cold

Unfortunately this week's main event was called off once again due to poor weather conditions. This time the reasons being the cold snap that hit the north over Saturday night.

I had been due to run the Inskip half marathon, however after heavy snow through Saturday evening and freezing conditions overnight, the race organisers were left with no option but to call the race off in the early hours of Sunday morning.

As I've stated previously in the blog, I really do feel sorry for organisers of races at times like this, it must be incredibly difficult and stressful to come to the decision as to whether conditions are safe for running or not. The safety of the runners has to be paramount and so I can definitely see why the decision was taken.

I had seen the disruption of the snow first hand myself on the Saturday night actually, as the drive back to Kirkham from Newcastle (thanks Moll for the treat! - she got us tickets to the match, being the brilliant girlfriend that she is!), as the drive back turned into a crawl around Penrith and Kendall. So in truth I was already anticipating the decision to be taken.

Instead, I ended up slushing and slipping my way around the local school fields - and by the time I had churned out 10 miles worth of tracks, the roads had been re-gritted once more and I was able to top up my long run to a fairly respectable 14 miles. Considering the conditions and the fact I had banked on doing 17 miles at Inskip, I am quite happy with this Sunday session. I hope that the extra grass session might come in handy when I get to the Northern's in two weeks time...

Through the week my training had been tailored towards the possibility of the race at the weekend. The track session on Tuesday was a hard slog, as it was a solo effort in driving rain. The back straight of the track actually flooded quite badly across the first two lanes. I completed 5 miles of effort work, in line with the target times that had been set for me by the training group, but I had to cut out a final half a mile of effort that had been set, due to my legs still feeling heavy from the cross country the previous Saturday.

Thursday's tempo session saw me complete 4 miles at sub 5:20 pace, in line with my race pace target for the half marathon. I was very happy with how this session went, as the pace felt both comfortable and controlled throughout. I hope to keep building on this in the coming weeks.

My week's training ended up falling short of my intended target mileage due to the race being cancelled and the difficult conditions on Sunday, but overall it's been another solid training week as I continue to build to my next race. It's been quite a while since my last road race now, and after a 7 week absence, I can't wait to get back out there racing. That said, with nothing booked in just yet it will be another couple of weeks of hard training miles and building a platform first though.

Weekly mileage: 68

Average pace for the week (m/pm): 6:39

Total mileage for the month (January): 164

Average daily mileage this year: 9.65

Lancashire championships crosscountry 2016

The best news to report this week is that I am over my back muscle injury and training again as normal. After a series of massages and treatments, as well as getting through plenty of heat packs, I was able to begin training properly from Monday.

Tuesday was the real acid test, as to whether I would be fit enough to make a return to racing this weekend though, and I came through what felt like a very tough track session unscathed. This gave me a massive confidence boost as my back held up running at race pace.

Having come through that - as well as a tempo session on the docks on Thursday - without any reactions, I made the decision that I was fit enough to participate in the Lancashire championships crosscountry race at Witton Park. My plan B had been to run the Garstang 10k as a tempo on the Sunday instead, but my first choice was always to run the championships, as I wanted to try for selection to the County team again ahead of the Intercounties.

The last two times out at these championships, I had placed 14th and 7th, so had initially hoped to try and continue to improve my position this year - as a top 6 placing would have sealed automatic selection.

As it was, the field was stacked with quality runners, and I knew before the race had even started that I would have to run out of my skin to be in with a shout of that sort of a finish.

Molly came to spectate at the crosscountry for the first time, and got her first experience of the mud, watching alongside Simon Monk who was a fantastic gentleman for keeping her company out in the cold!

We got to the park in plenty of time, and I had all my warm up done in plenty of time for the start, however I still managed to almost get caught out as the race official got us underway with the "bang" of the gun without so much as an "on your marks", never mind a "get set"!

The pace on the first lap felt extremely quick considering the hills and mud that are on the course to contend with. Looking at my splits on my garmin suggests that that was the case too, as I went through the first mile in 5:55, before dropping off to 6:15 and then 6:23 in the following miles.

The fast start had probably taken a bit of a toll on me as the race progressed, as I began to drop off from the two Isle of Man athletes that I had been in a good battle with up until the final lap. Instead I found myself consolidating the position I was already in and holding out for a tenth place finish. Considering the quality of the field I was up against, and having had two hugely disrupted weeks of training, I am very pleased with my position in the race and my first performance of 2016.

What's more, the race will have been beneficial as a bit of a recce for the northern championships in a few weeks time too, as they too will take place at Witton Park this year. I am still in contention to possibly go to the Intercounties again, so will be trying my best to improve my chances with a solid run at that one in a few weekends time.

For those of you that haven't experienced the crosscountry course at Blackburn before, it is a tough one, with one big steady climb which peaks with a killer kick at the top, before you plummet back down through thick, shin deep sludgy, cleggy mud. Towards the top of the hill, you feel as though you are getting nowhere - it is like trying to get up a steep hill in the car in too high a gear, that's the only way I can think of explaining it - it's a real lung-buster, never mind a tester for the legs!

This morning I completed the week with a nice gentle 18 miler, to round my mileage off for the week at 70. A solid start for the training year.

Thanks to Moll for the photos! Good to catch up with these guys.

Weekly mileage: 70

Average weekly pace: 6:47 (m/pm) 

Mileage for the month so far (January 10th): 96

Average daily mileage for the year: 9.6