A real mixture this week including a great session at dusk around Astbury Mere including 10 x 2 mins fast, one minute recovery. In addition to having a slight right knee niggle for the rest of the week of steady running it could have been much worse. Finishing a cool off jog across the car park at Astbury in failing light meant I ran straight into a large metal chain, result a massive bruise on the front of each leg!
After seven days of virus and chest infection the last week has been one of easing back into training. All in all it's gone pretty well with a mixture of fartlek - pushing the uphills on a six mile rolling course, long run - eleven miles over the Gritstone Trail with heavy ground and full rivers, as witnessed by the thundering noise made by Waulkmill Weir in Rainow (pictured), and a first proper hill session of the year up and down Longden & Stoneyfold Lanes which was murder!
After a great January the last two weeks have been a real rollercoaster. The first week saw, despite freezing temperatures, five good training sessions including a 5 x 1 mile track workout. however the last seven days have been ones where I have suffered from a flu type virus which has made it hard to breath let alone run and has meant that a four mile jog yesterday left me totally washed out. I have also missed two important races, the Alsager 5 and the last Manchester XC fixture at Clayton Vale. Fortunately it is a couple of weeks to the next round of racing including the Cloud 9.