"Return to the Wilmslow Half"

It's now a month since the end of the cross country and as the track season has yet to kick in I had decided after last years successful race to make a return visit yesterday to the fast and flat Wilmslow Half, which this year was the host for the England Athletics Championships. Although I had a couple of steady weeks of training behind me, my lack of quality speed work and longer runs really found me out. I was cruising (or so it felt) for the first 10 miles, covered in 71 minutes, but the last three really exposed my lack of training as I quickly dropped right off the pace and came in with very little left in the tank in 1.35.49 .

Mile splits were also all over the place, literally!
6.45/7.09/6.49/7.17/6.51/7.14/7.06/7.16/7.41/7.41/7.28/7.36/7.51!/0.58.

The real problem was I didn't know if I was running or racing so the effort was inconsistent. However it was a minute quicker last year and shows I can go sub 1.33 minutes at the Swift Half in May if I put my mind to it. The other good thing about this race is the runners bag at the end which this year contained a fantastic tech t-shirt which will be great when the weather picks up, but not today when after an hour and a half out on the bike my hands were frozen to the handlebars as the temperature drops again by 11c compared to race day. So much for Spring!

It's now just two weeks to the first track meeting where I will be most definitely having to race!

Weekly mileage 34. Annual mileage 329 (week 12)

"Welcome Back, Old Friend"

So read the headline in this week's Athletics Weekly, when for the first time in twelve years the National Cross Country Championships made its return to Roundhay Park in Leeds. This is probably one of if not my favourite race of the year where I get the chance to literally be on the start line with some of the best athletes in Europe.

This famous race (now in its 123rd running) draws everyone from road, track and fell to see who really are the best runners and it was a chance for me to try to score for my team.

Roundhay Park is famous for one thing, "Hill 60" and I think that AW really captures what this race is all about -

"The rain of recent weeks made the going heavy but the speedsters were still able to turn it on. The steep downhill descent was negotiated either bashfully or maniacally depending on who you were (I was bashful!) and then, six minutes later, the piper had to be paid in the form of Hill 60, which is what it is: 45 seconds of leg sapping lactic. It makes for a superb amphitheatre and the huge crowds scurrying across the course from the top of the descent to the top of Hill 60 reminded one of blood-thirsty onlookers from Tudor times, flocking to the gallows to see who was up for the noose"

I survived the swing of the noose on all three 3 laps as part of the 7 mile race, but only just and there were times when I wanted to die! Although the previous week had been reasonable training wise I was still suffering with the hangover from a cold so was more than happy to "get round" in a time well down on previous national efforts (62.33) but was priveledged (if that is the word) to see the front end of the race as the leaders floated past me when I still had over a lap to go. Their style and running economy has to be seen to be believed.

Another highlight for me was the chance to meet up with and chat to Tom Williams co-host of the great new(ish) podcast http://www.marathontalk.com/about/ . Tom is a great athlete himself but was there to support some of his club and students and he exemplified the attitude of "the national" by really cheering everyone on for what is always a very tough race, including the start which for me is always too quick, as 1500 runners aim for the first corner only 400 metres away! Oxygen debt guarenteed!

The last week has seen me get in five good sessions including a tough track session on Tuesday including a 12 minute timed run (2850 metres but well down on where I should be at this time of the year) and a two hour 12 miler over the hills on the "Gritstone Trail" yesterday where there is still plenty of deep lying snow.

Weekly mileage 32. Annual mileage 249 (week 9)