"To Sunderland For The Northern's .."

The back end of January means that the big cross country championships can't be far away. Yesterday was the first of the big two with a seven hour round trip to run the North of England XC Champs at Herrington Park near Sunderland. As always this tough undulating course was a mud bath pretty much all the way round and I never really got to grip with its seven miles, finishing in a very disappointing 61.39! The photo shows a Macclesfield Harriers team relieved to finish!.

The track session earlier in the week was a more satisfying affair with 8x800 (2 minutes recovery), holding form quite well with 3.06/07/13/13/14/14/15/09. These are the sessions i need to hit a sub 2.30 in the summer.

The rest of the week was a succession of easy running and an excellent four mile threshold run, again I need to focus more on this type of quality work.

Weekly mileage 28. Annual mileage 137. Races 3.

"Stoneyfold Lane - The Perfect Hill"

The best training week of the year so far with five runs and a bike ride for a total of 41 miles. A mixture of speed, distance (14 miles along the Macclesfield Canal and Middlewood Way) hills, bike and recovery runs.

The track session was a killer of 6 x 400/800 with a minute recovery between reps and three between sets. With a group of nineteen athletes including a couple of international fell runners it was tough to keep up on the 4's but impossible on the 800's. The weather on a slippery track again dropped to freezing but really added to what was a great workout.

The other highlight of the week was the first real hill session of the year up what I regard as the "perfect hill". Stoneyfold Lane, just off the Buxton Road on the way out of Macclesfield is a gradual climb of around 75 seconds to complete at a good tempo. Five repeats with a jog recovery were followed by five short but faster climbs to the half way point aptly named "Middlehills". With a one mile warm up and cool down, the last ascent at the end of the session was run in a lung bursting 60 seconds flat, with the consequent results of dizziness and lactic pain in equal measure! What this session showed was that I really need a lot more hills before the track session gets into full swing.

Weekly mileage 41.

Annual mileage 109 (week three).

Races 2.

"The Big Thaw, My Running Style And The County Cross Country Championships"

On the whole its been a pretty good two weeks of training. With the end of the deep freeze it has been easier to get out and in particular to actually be able to get on to the track for the first time in weeks.

I have been sticking to my new target of a mixed running diet of hills, speed, threshold, distance and recovery. I had been really looking forward to some speed work but half through the session of 6 x 1200 the coach had everyone in stitches by proclaiming that once again Santa hadn't been to my house. When I enquired why the answer was, because my running style was as bad as ever!

Undeterred I turned up for the annual county xc champs this year being held at Birch Park in Warrington. A tight and undulating 5 x 2k laps of calf deep gloop and standing water really took its toll and I was absolutely knackered & well down the field by the finish although i did manage to lap a couple of runners who were suffering worse than me. there is just the final Manchester League XC fixture left plus the two big ones, the Northern's in Sunderland (end of Jan) and English National at Alton Towers (early Feb).

Non running highlight of the week was my son's rock band "zapzapzap" getting a full page spread in the Manchester Evening News City Life magazine as "ones to watch in 2011" plus a couple of great gigs they have recently played in Crewe and Manchester which are starting to get them really noticed in the business.
See the review at -
http://www.citylife.co.uk/news_and_reviews/news/10018985_interview__zap_zap_zap
Catch the gig at -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4BPuNNqHHE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccIN8kG3dhI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVtfqPMqqeM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJQ3C3XGFQE

Annual mileage - 68. races - 2.

"Targets for 2011"

This year it's going to be a mix of qualitative and quantitative targets. Those measured by the clock and those either measured by the experience or their contribution to it, so here goes -

1. A sub 2.30 800m clocking for the first time in many years

2. A sub 1.35 half marathon (sub 1.33 target)

3. To get back to racing some of the Staffs Moorlands Summer Series

4. A "run first" policy where work and meetings are concerned (this one WILL be interesting!)

5. To stretch and warm down after training and racing

6. A more structured week of up to five sessions (minmum four) including speed/hills/long/cross train/easy

7. More miles & more races - including a better time at the Shutlingsloe Fell Race (pictured) after 30 years of racing it!

8. To compete in the county championships at cross country , fell and track and field

9. To get out on a few more club runs

10 .To enjoy my running!!

"Look Back To 2010 (Part 2) - The Racing Calendar"

January
2 - Manchester XC 4 - Woodbank Park - 45.32
23 - Northern XC Champs - Blackburn - 63.57
30 - Manchester XC 5 - Wythenshawe Park - 43.42

February
7 - Alsager 5 - 33.10 (30 secs up on 2009 @ 6.38 miling)
13 - Cheshire XC Champs - Reaseheath College - 50.30
27 - National XC - Roundhey Park - 62.33

March
28 - Wilmslow Half Marathon - 1.35.49

April
11 - Cheshire T&F (1) - Crewe -100m 14.4 (sb)/ 3k 12.15
28 - Track Open Meet- Macclesfield - 800m 2.37

May
8 - Bollington Festival Race - 56.02 (10 seconds faster than 2009)
12 - Rainow 5 - 45.30 (16 seconds faster than 2009)
22 - Swift half Marathon - 1.45.31 - 26c!
31 - Shutlingsloe Fell Race - 26.49 (3 seconds slower than 2009)

June
5 - Wincle Trout Race - 50.45
22 - Club T&F Champs (1) - 400m 67.00 (sb) / 1500 5.42 / 3k 12.15
24 - Club T&F Champs (2) - 800m 2.36.4 (sb)

July
8 - Wizard 5 - 38.28
18 - Kerridge Climb - 13.03

August
15 - Great warford 10 - 79.29!

September
5 - Cheshire T&F Ellesmerer port - 3k 11.58 (sb) / 200m 27.5 (sb) / 4x100

October
2 - North Staffs XC (1) - Knights Grange - 49.11
10 - World Wide Festival Of Races - Riverside Park
17 - Sandbach 10k - 44.23 (multi terrain!)

November
6 - Langley 7 -52.25 - 7.29 miling (6.20 fastest)
13 - North Staffs XC (3) - Stafford Common - 54.53
21 - Manchester XC (2) - Sherdley Park - 47.28
27 - Cheddleton pudding Race 10k - 45.15 ( 3 laps 14.33/15.24/15.17)

December
4 - Manchester XC (3) - Boggart Hole Clough - 48.06
11 - North Staffs XC (4) Westwood Leek
26 - Club Boxing day handicap - 28.13 (28.04 in 2009) Target 29.14!

Total races 35

(photo - lap 1 of the Cheddleton Christmas Pudding 10k)

"Look Back To 2010 (Part 1) - My Top Ten Targets"

It's time to look back to last year, take stock and review the targets I set myself back in January -

1. A strong finish to the end of the 2009/11 cross country season and beat Jack!
Achieved -with great finish and best run of the season at Wythenshawe Park.

2. To run enough races to qualify in the club's road championships
Top ten finish (ninth) out of 34 in the champs, but I still hate road running!

3. Run a sub 2.30 at 800m
Never got anywhere near at 2.36. Didn't compete enough in track fixtures or push enough in track sessions.

4. Run a V50 half marathon best of below 1.35 (target 1.33)
1.35.49 at Wilmslow - good first ten miles but poor finish.

5. To build in cross training once a week
Some limited mountain biking but not enough.

6. Race as often as possible.
Raced 35 times in 2010 (27 in 2009) including some not run for many years such as the Kerridge Climb

7. Get out with the "run net community"
Only once at the Swift Half in May

8.Return to the Dovedale Dash to get a good time
Clashed with Langley 7

9. Run more than in 2009 (1252 miles) and average 25 miles a week
Total 1324 and average of 26 miles a week

10.Enjoy running whatever the weather.
Definitely yes!

Overall thoughts - More miles / more races /great first half of the year / consistent of all surfaces / faster than 2009 at Rainow 5, Alsager and Wilmslow. Still ok in second half of the year but suffered from lack of consistent track sessions and work getting in the way!

Other highlights - found lots of new paths off old routes and running in Central Park

(The photo shows "White Nancy" on Kerridge Ridge which was a feature I ran past on many of my longer outings during the year)

"Let Them Eat Cake!"

It's day two of 2011, my first race of the year, and the fourth fixture of the Manchester & District XC League at the tough Woodbank Park course in Stockport.

Traditionally run straight after new year, this three lap 10k race was the first one this season to be run in a temperature above freezing! This gave rise to very soft and slippery conditions compared to last year, and although I had a good run was three minutes down on 2009 finishing in 48.32. Although being slower I was much happier with my three ascents of the tough climb that comes midway through each lap. I was also chuffed to hold off my rival Jack by one place.

The other motivating factor was being cheered on the ladies team as they jogged round on a cool down after their race and as I entered my final lap shouted that there was birthday cake (Happy birthday Sarah!) for all the men's team at the finish. That and the thought of my Wincle Brewery "Christmas Special" Ale really drove me on!

Races 1