Onwards and upwards

Finally it seems to be coming together a little with a return to something like the level of running I was achieving at this time last year. Yesterday was a cracking run (all references to Nick Park and Easter are void) completing a route I've run many times before in a best time by some margin. I was trying to do some "speedwork" (and for speed read slightly faster than snail) by running at 5 mins steady and then 5 mins quick (being an almost imperceptible increase in speed). The first twenty minutes with two "speed ups" was fine, but the third was a real drag, legs hurting, lungs hurting, head drifting. But it has to be said that it worked, putting in all five miles under 8:30 and an average pace akin to my best half marathon time. All very encouraging and a good way to take me over the 100 mile mark since I started to record the training in early February. In preparation for next Sunday's Peopleton Scenic Six I've also been doing a few cross country runs - heading out and up the banks of the River Severn near Ombersley last Wednesday and over the fields and along the canal on Thursday. My problem is that I get bored with running the same routes all the time, and although that is best for tracking progress, and they can always be reversed for a bit of variety, I'm always looking for somewhere new to run - which almost inevitably involves a short drive somewhere. Which is fine. It's all good, the weather is picking up, the mileage is picking up, and the races are about to roll. Total Mileage to date: 104.24. Weight: And see.

Tick tock

Becoming conscious of time ticking on towards October with limited progress being made. With nearly two months of "training" complete the mileage level is creeping snail-like towards the 100 mark but I need to shift it up a gear, both in terms of distance covered and also mixing it up with some speed work, hill work, fahtleks, yogalates and the like. Although I've got to the stage where I can run an undulating 5 miles at an average of about 8:35, but that is less than the half-marathon pace I was running last year and well out of the 10k range I'm aiming for. Its now less than two weeks until my first event of the year - the Peopleton Scenic Six, so definitely time to step up to the plate. The Scenic Six is a lovely run in the Worcestershire countryside starting off on the main road through the village but quickly heading along trails and footpaths into the fields and along streams, and as its one I did last year, I've got a clear target to aim for. So it'll be off running along trails whenever possible to get some practice in, trying to keep the back loose and the joints lubricated. All the time wondering why. All the time knowing. Total mileage: 81.59 miles. Weight: all too static.

Its been a while....

...and a lot can happen. So where are we now? Well, for the first time last night I completed a run which made me think I may be finally getting back to a reasonable level of fitnes. Only about 5k, but over an undulating course and mileage splits all under 8:30, taking over half a minute off the best time for that run this year. All in all pretty encouraging and although there's a heck of a long way to go, it makes me feel that I'm heading in the right direction and the Peopleton Scenic Six in early April is a realistic target for my first race. More threatening to the positive mood is the fact that the Mavern Half Marathon is rapidly approaching, giving me a nudge in the ribs and reminding me that I need to be upping the mileage on a regular basis, getting out there over 5 and 6 miles next week instead of the 3's and 4's I have been doing. Against this positive backdrop the health is on an upward stroke too. After the Asthma diagnosis things just seemed to get worse with the cough, back pain and tension being even more of an issue (although the two were clearly linked), forcing me from Osteopath's table straight back to the GP's office. That last visit resulted in a brown, Steroid inhaler being prescribed and although I'm still a bit rattly, the wheeze has improved and......... wait for it....... after a full four months I've finally stopped waking up with a raking cough every morning. Hurrah! What a relief that is, I can tell you. Okay, so I still have my moments, and the back is still sore and stiff, but I'm working on that with a Yogalates DVD and regular stretching to compliment the osteopathic treatment so I'm still hopeful it's not going to keep me off my feet. Just to add to the problems though I've rubbed up a tremendous blister on the instep of my left foot, which I think was mainly down to gathering mud on the bottom of my shoes when running along the canal, making them heavy and more prone to movement against the foot. Painful, yes. But it'll go eventually. So that's all the prosaic news, oh, that and the fact that on last Wednesday I was laid off by my erstwhile employer. A predictable meeting in Little Chef prompted a run across the Malverns - madness - talk about continuous hills! Truly exhausting but what I needed to clear the head in spite of the aching muscles on Thursday and Friday. So it looks like over the next few weeks the running will take on added importance to keep me on track as I look for a new job. It's an opportunity I intend to take advantage of and on the plus side I've got three months notice and a strong possibility that my former employer will take me back (if I bend my kness and tug my forelock sufficiently). Its all good. Total Mileage: 49.19. Getting better.