Training update.

Firstly, allow me to start with a couple of apologies - for missing last week's blog(!) and also another one in advance, as I will hopefully be spamming you all with a couple more blogs this week as I finish the year and spend the Christmas break reviewing the last 12 months, reporting on the final race of 2015 at Ribble Valley 10k and finally looking ahead to what's in store for 2016.

Anyway, let's start off with a catch up about the last couple of weeks. After the abandonment of Guys 10, I had toyed with the idea of doing Longridge 7 the following weekend, however after a tough week of training - and also being fed up of slogging it out in the horrible weather(!) - I decided against that particular plan, settling instead for a long run on the Saturday and an easier ten on the Sunday. 

My long runs over the last couple of weeks have been nice and consistent, with three 17 milers in the last three weeks with an average pacing of 6:35-6:40.

Similarly my overall mileage has been consistent too. The last two weeks have seen 76 miles, followed by a 77 mile week. I have managed to maintain a steady 75 mile plus average by keeping up the early morning runs before work a couple of times a week, adding miles that I would otherwise have found pretty much impossible to fit in to my week at our busiest period of the working year.

I have also managed to push on with a new phase in my progression with my speed training on the track. In the last couple of weeks I have done my first ever 400 metre session and following that with a 800 metre session the week after. 

This week will see the final race of my calendar year, with Ribble Valley 10k bringing the curtain down on 2015. It will be 4 weeks since my last race at Wesham 10k, which is my longest break between events for quite some time. I am hoping that this break, whilst maintaining a high volume and intensity of training might see me approach the start line in fresh shape and able to give everything to finish the year on a high and hopefully with a new 10k pb.

We will see...

When it rains...

When was our last fully dry day in the North West?

I ask because I honestly can't remember a day without it tipping it down at some point in what seems like forever.

On the last few week's long runs through the countryside I have had to contend with at least one flooded road, where the fields have been unable to retain any more water. Living in Kirkham, we are at one of the highest points in the fylde region, so normally are not too affected by any flooding.

Yesterday however was ridiculous. I counted 6 different roads on my route where the water was at least shin deep for stretches on end - I don't mind the odd puddle, but this was something else, and not so fun when you're on a 17 miler! And then here is the wind...

This isn't a 'poor me' post, more a genuine point that the weather recently has been as bad as I can remember it since I've been a runner, it has been weeks on end of shocking pouring rain and high winds. How many different storms have hit in the last month?! And there have been many, many people who have been affected way more in other areas of the local region.

It has actually got to the point where I would rather it freeze and be still, and I hate the cold!!

It is the first time that I can recall races being called off for flooding and rainfall - sure, I have heard of them being cancelled for ice, but for rain is a new one on me. It just goes to show how bad the recent conditions have been.

Looking at the TV and Internet coverage of the floods in Cumbria, Lancaster and the surrounding areas, I feel really sorry for the people who's livelihood's and homes have been affected. I just hope that the damage is not too bad and that everyone has stayed safe out there.

I also feel sorry for the race organisers at Guys 10, who have twice had to cancel their race due to icy conditions in recent years and have now been forced to abandon this year's race due to the flooding in the local area. It is difficult enough organising these events anyway, without these added problems. It is a real shame, as Guys is a very good 10 mile road race, it was the course where I made my first attempt at the distance 4 years ago and I have great memories of it. Hopefully it will be back next year, or even rearranged for later on this winter.

I would also like to pass on my condolences to the family of the runner that died in a road traffic accident in Bamber Bridge this week. Again, make sure you stay safe out there everyone, especially if you have to move into the road to avoid flooded areas, make sure you are well seen.

This week's training went ok overall, I decided against doing a track session on Tuesday, as I was still feeling the effects of the weekend's race. Thursday however I got out for a fairly quick session, doing 2x2 mile repeats. My overall mileage for the week came in at 77 miles.

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!