Training Run 67

I haven't been running since last Wednesday's session, but tonight's session more than made up for that in my opinion!  Cristian led this evening and we were practicing running uphill.  We ran up the shallower side path of Primrose Hilll, where Cristian had laid out markers denoting 200m and 250m up the hill.  He said that if we wanted to run to the very top, that would be about 270m.  The aim was to run up as fast as possible and then use the run back down the hill as active recovery.  I did 5 reps of this - I ran to the top of the hill on the first one, up to 250m for the next two and only up to 200m for the fourth one.  It got harder each time - I really pushed myself running up the hill, I could feel the charge in my sprint, but also the burning in my lungs as I willed myself to run as hard as possible up the hill.  On the final rep Cristian encouraged me to run all the way to the top again and that was very tough, but I felt great when I reached the top.  This was definitely one of the tougher sessions I have done in a while but I know that hill work is always beneficial, especially at the moment during cross country season!

Training Run 66

Tonight's training session with the London Frontrunners involved sprint training with Chris McMahon.  We did 15 reps of 100m sprints, with short pauses between, followed by 10 reps of 150m sprints, also with short pauses between.  Although I can sprint quite quickly for very short periods, I can't maintain that level of speed for long and I felt as though I needed more time to recover between each rep as time went on and I became more breathless.  I know that I used muscles in this session that I don't usually use because I could really feel the aching sensation in both legs for the next couple of days afterwards.

Training Run 65 - 5.6 miles / 9.01 km, 44'19''

This was one of those runs where I felt highly energised.  I noticed on setting off that it felt much easier running on the hard surface than the mud and soft ground of the cross country run on Saturday.  I felt as though I was running really fast, although I noticed towards the end of the run that the sides of my feet were aching.  I am speculating that they were not used to the difference in surface from cross country to hard pavement.  It was another dry evening but it had rained earlier so the ground was a bit damp.  I felt nowhere near as cold as I had done during the cross country run.  I was pleased that I was able to run really fast at the end, saving that burst of energy to ensure that nobody passed me, which is always good practice for future cross country runs.  I ran to the pagoda and back as opposed to the usual seven miles I do, because I was tired and really wanted to finish a bit earlier and get to the pub in good time!

London Cross Country Championships - 6.21 miles / 10 km, 51'06''

At last week's cross country meet I honestly didn't think that it would be possible to have worse weather than we had there.  It turns out that I was wrong!

John Keenan had organised for us to enter some teams into the London Cross Country Championships at Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath.  He lured me in by saying that it was a good course and that it would be an enjoyable experience.  It certainly was an experience!  On leaving the warmth of the Overground train I was immediately assaulted by persistent drizzly rain and a cold wind.  The rain would not let up all afternoon and rather than feeling warm and wet like the previous week I felt cold and wet because of the wind.

Nineteen of us turned up to run and I think we all thought that it would have been nicer to stay in bed!  There were a lot of other running clubs standing near us beside their flags and under their awnings and tents (London Heathside were obviously hard as nails as they didn't have any cover at all!).  Our gazebo did not do very well at keeping us or our possessions warm or dry but it did keep the rain off a bit as we got ready to start.  I saw how muddy some of the women were as they returned from their race and knew that this was going to be messy!

After the starting gun went off, we climbed a steep hill (possibly Parliament Hill) and then ran into the first circuit.  There was a steep downward slope and the course bent to the left at the end of this; it was already very muddy here and I skidded slightly near the bottom but was able to stop myself from falling.  Then it was up another very steep hill and through the trees, which every time I ascended felt like really hard work.  I enjoyed the first lap, the second was a repeat of the first but by the time I reached the second steep ascent I was feeling really tired.  I kept thinking that these two were only the shorter ones and that there were still two long loops to come!

The rain did not abate and my hands felt freezing cold (I had worn gloves before the start but taken them off as my hands usually get really hot when I'm running), as we started around the first of the two longer loops.  These were the first loops with two rabbit-ear shaped extensions included, which were both relatively flat.  By now I was finding the conditions really tough, as I trudged through deep swamps and wet boggy bits of the course, I had mud splattered all up my ankles, shin and back.  Luckily my fellow Frontrunner Ciarán joined me and we kept each other going for the last part of the run.  I have never been so relieved to see a finish line as I was that day!

I was very pleased with my time of 51 minutes 6 seconds, finishing 319th out of 353 runners, which, as it was my first ever 10km cross country, would be a personal best.  Despite the atrocious conditions and the toughness of the course and distance I nonetheless really enjoyed the experience - it's always fun running a race with my Frontrunner buddies!

Training Run 64

Tonight was the first Wednesday training session that I had been to in some time and I really enjoyed it.  Karl led the session and after warming up we did six 500 metre laps at a fast pace.  I ran with Cristian for most of these laps which was great, as we run at a similar pace so we are able to keep each other going.  I'm still not great at maintaining my focus, I was day dreaming at one point and clattered into Cristian on a corner because I forgot we were turning there!  He didn't mind though and we got round all six laps in the end.  I worked very hard and I felt exhausted at the end but I think that's usually a sign that the training was sufficiently challenging.  Bring on Saturday's cross country!  The weather forecast is not good...

Training Run 63 - 5.6 miles / 9.01 km, 51'31''

It was another mild and damp evening, with very strong winds blowing off the river.  Leaves and dust blew into my eyes which made it difficult to see at times.  I talked with Alistair as we ran along the South Bank, down to Battersea Park, round the pagoda and back again.  We chatted casually about all sorts of things, mainly the International Trip, but also how beneficial Frontrunners has been for me and how much I have enjoyed being part of such a friendly group of people.  We passed by some canoeists on the river, illuminated by tiny lights that each person was wearing.  As we passed the MI6 building by Vauxhall Bridge I thought of how it had been represented in Spectre, which Chris and had gone to see on Saturday.  I didn't run as hard as I know I could have done, but that was because I was enjoying talking with Alistair and didn't want to leave him behind; I know that in future I will need to train harder if I want to continue to improve.

Met Cross Country League 2015/16 Fixture 2 Stevenage - 4.97 miles / 8 km, 44'57''

This was my first attempt at cross country running since the last Met league meet with the London Frontrunners, which was at least two years ago.  At that time I had intended to run these more regularly but after doing the first one I got injured and then never got around to signing up again.  I couldn't come to the first fixture this season at Claybury but, despite the problems with the trains, I made it to Fairlands Valley Park in Stevenage, where the run was to take place.

From what I saw of it, Stevenage looked pretty grim.  It was a new town with lots of concrete modernist buildings and grey canyons running around these.  The rain and wind did not improve my perceptions; the place seemed cold, unwelcoming and unfriendly.  Fairlands Valley Park would be a lovely place to walk or run around in good weather, but by the time I arrived the rain was pouring and there was a very strong wind blowing; I did not want to take my coat off when the time came to run, it was so cold!

The start of the race was fairly haphazard but I got going and not long afterwards the rain stopped and the sun came out.  I was glad I had brought my spikes as conditions underfoot were muddy in places, though it wasn't too wet.  The course itself was not very interesting.  In previous years it had apparently taken in some woodland next to the park, but on this occasion we did three loops around the playing fields, with a couple of minor humps to run up and down.  It was tough going on the soft ground and my feet were wet before the race even started, so it wasn't especially comfortable.  Apart from these grumbles though I felt fine throughout the race, my legs kept me going and my tiredness was more mental than physical.  It was hard not knowing exactly how many laps I would be running, and other people I asked there didn't seem to be sure either.  I was very pleased to finish, feeling cold, wet and tired!

It is tradition on the cross country runs to make and bring cake for group consumption.  I had made a lemon syrup loaf cake and brought it with me to share, it was very moist and tasted very good, even I do say so myself!  There were a lot of other good cakes on offer too, and I may have had a small nip of the cognac that Christos brought with him - it really helped to warm me up!

This was a good reintroduction to cross country running and I thoroughly enjoyed the run and the company, in spite of the weather.

Training Run 62

I hadn't run on a Thursday evening with the London Frontrunners for quite some time and as I missed training yesterday I thought I would run tonight instead, given that I will be doing cross country on Saturday for the first time in two years.  As a club we are temporarily homeless on Thursday evenings due to our previous changing gym letting us go, so our Saturday venue (St. Mary's in Paddington) have let us use their changing rooms for now.

Tonight was mild, with damp conditions underfoot although it wasn't actually raining.  It was a relatively small group of us, with Simon doing the starting circle.  We ran around Hyde Park and I ran with Paul pretty much all of the way, who helped me to run faster than I normally would do as his pace is quicker than mine.  We ran one full lap of the park, incorporating two laps of the Serpentine before returning to our start point.

As I ran around the Serpentine I saw it in a whole different light to how it is during the day.  The area was deserted and quiet, with a strong breeze whipping up droplets of water from the lake; there was water in the wind.  I felt a strong impression of freshness blowing in on the wind and an inexplicable sense of change on the horizon.  Maybe I think too much!  I could also hear distant drums, which may have been from the Million Mask protest taking place nearby.

I didn't time or measure the run but I think it was about a 10km distance, which was slightly longer than I'd been intending to do.  I felt pleased that I had come along and confident about Saturday.  We went for a meal together afterwards in KuPP, a Scandinavian restaurant that did excellent food (I had a delectable trout salad) but which had terribly slow service.  All in all it was a very pleasant evening.

Training Run 61 - 7 miles / 11.27 km, 1 hr 1'16''

Today's run took place entirely in the dark, with the clocks having gone back and the true end of British Summer time.  There was a chilly wind blowing off the river this evening and there had been lingering fog that had not really cleared all day, which lent the riverside a mysterious quality, like a Victorian detective novel.  I felt tired going into it and the time reflects the fact that I didn't run as hard as I could have done.  I spent the early part of the run talking to Michael, who runs slightly slower than I do anyway, but I ran the latter part alone.  I felt slow and sluggish running around the entire route and was glad to reach the end when I did.  I know that I am going to need to change my habits, making sure that I go to bed earlier during the week and drink less alcohol over the weekends.  I did go to the pub tonight and it was really nice to have a sociable chat with some of the Monday runners, who I don't usually get to see socially.