***ck!

14th April, 2005   I have been running 6 years and two days and will be doing the London Marathon for the third time in a couple of days. I have changed from teaching to working in a running shop and am now seated at a large pub table with one other woman and eleven athletic men, old enough to be the mother of most of them and possible the grandmother of a few. I am slightly out of my comfort zone but aware of some benefits of the career-change. Primary school staff-rooms were never like this.

They all make me feel welcome and I realise that I should make the most of the expertise and experience that they have. I can happily plod round 26.2 miles (well, the first time was screaming agony but the second was fine) but would like to get a bit faster so I ask Jamie, who is sitting next to me, the best way to do it. His reply is brief and to the point: track. Panic sets in. Me, on a track? I’m too slow. Too old. I haven’t done it before. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know where the track is.

16th June, 2005   My club, Thornbury, has started track sessions at the WISE track in Filton. I have no excuse so I pluck up courage and go. Jog warm-up then “slow-motion” drills. Our coach tells us about track discipline and we’re off on a session of 300 metre reps. It hurts but I realise a great advantage in track training: I actually have someone to follow! In races I’m usually so far behind that I often don’t have anyone in sight. Sometimes I get a word of encouragement from runners as they pass me and from a couple of others I know who are also training there. I do try and chase; not for long but at least it’s someone to look at.

1st September, 2009   After a few stop-start phases with track training I decide to get serious when I set my “train for a sub 2-hour half” target so it’s back to track and by coincidence it’s 300m reps again. There are a couple of regulars who turn up and who are at about my pace so there’s even chance for a bit of friendly competition.

That’s what I need to do next: work on my competitive instinct.

If I’ve got one.

Happy running!

What no racing this weekend!!!!

Before I get into my running I would like to pay my respects to Sir Bobby Robson who sadly died this morning, I am as I will always be a great follower of football, and the first England Manager that I can remember to leave this mortal coil is a very sad. What a gent, an ambassador of football or should I say say British sport, all I can say is Good luck Sir Bobby, you will be sadly missed, one of my sporting heroes, one that will help me through my training, easy compared to 16 years battling cancer.

Anyway back to running, my word I am knackered today. I had a nice easy 4 mile yesterday, this was planned as I knew what I had planned for today, my next uplift of my major weekly training session, the plan should have been 6k + 7 x 800m efforts + 6k, turned out slightly different.

As I work in Filton/Patchway, I contacted Wise Filton College to see if I could use their track during the day, they agreed, so my plan today was to as I said earlier “6k + 7 x 800m efforts + 6k”, my only problem was to work out the 6k, which I didn’t I did 7k. Once I got to Wise the staff were very helpful, and knew that I was booked in. So after 7k of running, I turned up at the reception dripping with sweat thankfully not rain for a change, paid my dues and went round to the track.

My legs were hurting before I started my reps, but I was still urging to to the reps, I start my first rep with the plan 800m in 2 mins 40 with 2 mins recovery in mind, well after the first corner I realised that this would not be the case as the wind was blasting down the finish straight, so I settled with reps of 2 mins 43, and I had to push for that time. The last 2 reps were very hard but still managed to keep that time up.

I must admit that my thoughts whilst under taking the rep section of the days training was to forget the 7k back home, I dragged myself on back along the reverse leg, which although my legs were tired was ok until I got to the hill alongside Filton College, and yes I put my hands up this week this was one of the most challenging things I have done, but I kept focussed on Bristol Half and pushed myself up the hill.

So to tomorrow, I am thinking of 6 miles tomorrow, followed my an easy 10 miles on Sunday, then I will be resting until Bitton 5k on Wednesday…   Yes can you believe it more than a week after my last.