Representing Lancashire

This week's main event for me was the Intercounties crosscountry championships and meant that I was given the opportunity to wear the Lancashire team vest for the second time. It also gave me the chance to try and prove myself, after what I felt was a below par performance on my Count debut 12 months ago.

Last season, I was just happy to be selected at all really and enjoyed the event, but it also represented a massive learning curve and a tough experience that I took a lot away from. I had a disappointing run and felt that I hadn't come away doing myself any real justice in terms of what I was capable of at that time. I had finished 8th Lancashire counter and 174th overall.

This time, I was determined to finish the crosscountry season off with a performance that I was completely happy with and could say that I had run to the best of my ability and hold my head up. I feel that I also managed to do so.

Having set off out of the blocks and hit the first hill on the opening lap, of the 3 lap 12k total distance course, in approximately 60th position, I grew throughout the run and felt as though I had really settled into a nice consistent rhythm.

I was counted through in 48th position at the end of the opening lap, and then 44th second time around. On the last lap I managed to find myself in a real good tussle with a Middlesex runner and that battle worked out well for the both of us as we managed to gain on the group ahead of us and pick runners off throughout the final kilometres. 

In the end, I ran over the finish line as second Lancashire counter and 36th overall, beaten home only by Paddy Dever in he Lancashire team as he had an exceptional run for 21st position. This time I could say I had genuinely given everything and am proud of myself and my performance.

It was an honour to represent my County and wear the red rose vest once again, alongside these boys, and we can all be happy with our performances as the entire side performed well and gave a great account of ourselves. It is another great experience that I will look back on fondly and hopefully gain a lot from.

There had been a few changes to the course this year, compared to the one which we encountered last season. There was a few extra hills introduced to the second and third laps this time, which probably benefited me as I feel that is a strength of my running. I have always felt strong running uphill, and managed to pick people off each time round. Now I need to strengthen my downhill speed ahead of next winter's campaign!

It has been a highly successful winter crosscountry season for me, seen as it started very slowly and initially I had feared that I was weaker at the discipline compared to where I had been 12 months ago!

I have managed to grow consistently through the winter and have peaked at just the right time for the biggest and most important races. Hopefully this is a good indicator and a good starting point for me to now kick on and have a solid road season through the spring and summer.

The only regret this week is that the selection clashed with the Trafford 10k that I had a number for, I had been tempted to try and double up and race on back-to-back days, but for once decided to be sensible, as my main target is still a couple of weeks away with Cardiff Half, the 10k will just have to wait a little while longer.

My form this weekend was also a little bit of a surprise after struggling with a niggling hamstring, which I had to manage carefully after a short, sharp track session on the Tuesday.

Training wise, I have now completed a solid 4 week block of 80+ miles a week, and hopefully I am getting fitter and stronger as a result. On my Thursday tempo, I felt extremely relaxed and comfortable running at a good pace, as I recorded 32:56 for 10k on a training run. It is boding well for Cardiff as long as I can now just keep in this shape and arrive on that start line in one piece. I'm starting to get excited and nervous for it now!

Total mileage for the week: 80

Average pace for the week (m/pm): 6:30

Total mileage for month so far (March): 144

Total mileage so far 2016: 774

Average miles per day 2016: 10.60

Club records

The weekend just gone was a significant one for me, as I continued to kick off my 2016 season nicely, with a strong run at the latest Podium 5k.

Those that are regular readers of the blog will know that I have done a few of these 'Podium' races now and that I am a big fan of the format that they have put together there. Last March I ran my first Podium 5k, recording a time of 15:24, which at the time was my fastest ever, so this provided a good opportunity to see my improvement compared to this time a year ago.

This latest one was the best one yet, with a very strong field making for a fast pace and ensuring there was plenty of other runners to pull you around the field.

I had gone into the race relatively relaxed about what to expect from the race, in terms of time, and rather unsure what level of performance I would be at. This is because I was concious of the fact that, although I have been very happy with how my training has been going since the turn of the year, I haven't done much racing on the road. 

With that in mind, I set out with the mindset that regardless of the result I recorded, at least this would set me my starting point and benchmark for the year over the 5k distance.

And what a benchmark it is, having been fortunate to have found myself in and amongst a brilliant 4 strong pack for much of the race. I managed to record a new personal best of 15:07, knocking 7 seconds off my previous best, which was set at Lancaster back in September of last year.

The fact that I have set a new best time so early in the season, and in my first race over that distance in  almost 6 months, has given me a huge amount of confidence that I should now be targetting hitting sub 15 by the end of the summer season.

I was also pleasantly surprised to find out that the time is now actually Wesham's record fastest time for 5k, which is amazing to think that the club is older than me! 

Following on from my 80th place finish at the National crosscountry last week being the club's best ever finish at that particular event, it has been an unbelievable two weeks for me on a personal note within the club. Anyone who knows me, will know how proud I am to be representing my home town club, and to be able to be setting new standards of performance for it gives me an immense sense of achievement and pride.

I am determined that I will not become complacent though, and have many, many more targets that I am still striving towards, and have a hell of a long way to go before I can claim that I am near fulfilling some of them. For now, I am just taking it one step at a time, and am just happy to see my development continuing gradually.

With regards to this particular performance, much is owed to the group that I found myself in and around during the race. I was able to run the course with Chris Livesey and Andy Benson (both of Preston Harriers), this was good for me as I know them both from training on the track as part of Helen Clitheroe's training group. It helped to make me feel comfortable despite the pace that we were going at.

The training that I am doing as part of that Tuesday group is definitely benefitting my top end speed, and hopefully I will continue to improve running and training alongside these faster runners. It was just a shame that I wasn't able to stick with those guys in the last 200 metres when they turned up the speed into the sprint finish. In the end I finished the race in 9th place.

However, I can't grumble with a big pb, especially after another big week of training. On Thursday I had ran a 10k tempo session around the docks in exactly 33:30. In an ideal world perhaps I wouldn't have done quite so much 48 hours before a race, however my main target that I am working towards is Cardiff Half and it has been for some time. So the most important thing of all this week was maintaining my training targets ahead of that one, which is now less than 3 weeks away.

I finished off my week with a 19 mile long run, my longest in quite a while, at a steady pace, giving me 80+ miles for the week for the third week on the bounce.

Total mileage for the week: 81

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

Total mileage for February: 315

Total mileage for month so far (March): 64

Total mileage so far 2016: 694

Average miles per day 2016: 10.51

National Cross-country Championships 2016

The main event of the week - and the winter season overall - was the National cross-country championships, which were held this year at Donnington Park for the first time. 

It was my first run in the national in 3 years, having last competed up at a vey snowy Sunderland in 2013. That time out I ran home in 145th place, this time the main target was to try and break into he top 100 - having finished in 53rd in he Northern's three weeks ago I felt that it would be a close run thing, but a good aim to set myself.

This time out, the conditions were much kinder to the competitors, with a chill in the air courtesy of a cold breeze, but dry and mainly clear conditions overhead made for a pleasant day out and a much more comfortable experience whilst waiting for the senior men's race to get underway.

Upon the start line, each competing club has their lead runner lined up across the start line - which makes for quite a spectacle, as it means the start-line is one huge sweeping one which fills the full length of the field.

Wesham started from pen number 48, which was nearest to the left hand side of the field and meant that we were beginning from a slightly higher point than those down on the right hand side, and meant that our first few hundred yards were based on a bit more of a descent than for the runners from those clubs.

Once at the bottom end of the field, the course closed in to a bit of a bottle-neck as you joined the main section of the course, which was much narrower than the original start as the field closed in. Luckily I had managed to get off to quite a solid start and was already in and around my target position, possibly just outside the first hundred at that stage. 

The first half of the course was very much runnable, with pretty solid grassy conditions underfoot, and he only concern being the uneven terrain underfoot through what looked like a cabbage patch or something (?) in the first mile of each lap. I should probably mention at this point that the race took place over three laps, each of approximately 2.6 miles - as the overall distance came in at approximately 7.9 miles. 

Anyway, having negotiated the way through the cabbage patch (or whatever it was!), the next section of the race saw a steep downhill, followed quickly by a relatively steep incline before the course levelled back out to a pretty even grassy section, which was the most easy part of the course to run at pace, before a second steeper climb to the highest section of the course, which is where he runners were then greeted with the most testing area as the real action began - the mud at last! 

Cross-country is so much different to running on the road, and one of the most interesting things about the discipline for me, is the many different types of mud that you can encounter through the season. That is right, I just admitted to finding mud interesting, I am now officially sad! Haha. But seriously, there are so many different scenarios that you can encounter - 3 years ago at Sunderland for instance, the mud was incredibly slushy and slippy. Although this meant you were able to get your feet in and out of the mud quickly, it made it extremely difficult to maintain your balance and keep on your feet. It also meant you ended up covered in the stuff - although it did make for a good picture...

This time around, the mud was more clay-like and cleggy underfoot. This meant that your feet sunk into it more and deeper, meaning it was more difficult to get your feet in and back out at pace, meaning that it was more testing on the upper leg muscles to drive through the thick stuff.

I am not sure where exactly I was placed throughout the race, but I am fairly sure I heard a spectator counting out the runners as we came through the first lap, with myself around 94th place, which meant I knew I was there-or-thereabouts on target at that point. 

I was really pleased with how my performance came together, as I was able to pretty much maintain a consistent pace throughout - apart from the first mile, which was substantially quicker due to the downhill start and the adrenaline rush as you tried to get into a decent position. 

I was able to pick off runners through the final lap, and was astonished to find as I crossed the finish line, that I had not only fulfilled my ambition of placing in the top 100, but that I had done so comfortably, and a strong last lap had seen me finish strongly and come through in 80th position overall. 

I was delighted with my performance, and it gives me confidence going forwards ahead of the Intercounties and the curtain-closer for my cross-country season in a fortnight's time. I am really looking forward to that one now, and it will be an honour to get to run with the red-rose on my chest again.

On one of the social media groups that I follow, there has been a lot of debate and conversation over the last couple of days about the structure of the National and whether or not the slower runners should be able to participate when it reaches the stage that they are likely to be lapped by the quicker runners.

Not that my opinion matters much, but I really don't feel that restricting who can participate is the way forward. Before the race yesterday, I described the concept to a few of my non-running friends as being like the running equivalent of the FA Cup, and I stand by that - for me a large part of the glory and appeal of this prestigious race, is that all men are equal (and women in their race too of course!) and that regardless of ability, anyone that is a member of a club is able to go toe-to-toe with the best in the country. To take away that right would be to potentially disillusion sections of our running community and further anger those that feel there is an elitist mindset creeping into such events.

Instead, surely the safest and least controversial way of allowing all to participate, but also keep everyone safe would be to bring in time-limits for each lap of the course, that way if anyone is dangerously behind the rest they could be asked to step off the course - just as is the case in many road races up and down the land.

The only concern I had yesterday was for the back stragglers from the women's race, that were nearly trampled on by the stampede of men heading their way at the start of the senior men's race. Perhaps 40 minutes wasn't a long enough gap between the two races? Or again, a time-limit for completion would also solve this issue.

Away from the cross-country, I had another pleasing week of training too. I managed to tick over another high mileage week - with my second successive 80+ mile week. I am hoping that the increased effort in training can be sustained over the coming weeks, as I look to build up towards the Cardiff Half Marathon in 4 weeks time.

My track session this week consisted of 16x400m, whilst my Thursday tempo was cut shorter and at an easier pace as I held back a bit ahead of this weekend's race. After running 5 miles at 5:14 pace this week, I was amazed at how easy 3.8 miles felt at 5:19 pace.

I would also like to take a moment to congratulate my long-term coach and mentor Rob Affleck on his Half Marathon PB that he recorded at Brighton earlier on this morning, as he broke the 70 minute barrier for the first time. Hopefully I won't be far behind him in getting there!

Also, since this week marks the one year birthday of my blog, I would like to thank each and every one of you that has taken the time to read, engage and share in my journey over he last 12 months. 

Blogging and recording your training/efforts in this form isn't for everyone, but I enjoy it and it allows me to record not only the hard statistics of how many miles I have done etc, but also how I felt grout hour the week - and I think that it has helped me to learn from the experience and adapt my training on a week-to-week basis.

Total mileage for the week: 81

Average pace for the week (m/pm): 6:23

Total mileage for the month so far (February): 298

Total mileage so far 2016: 613

Average miles per day 2016: 10.38

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