"More Bloody Snow!"

February half term and with a few days off I was hoping to get in some good solid training, but with yet another cold earlier in the week (two in two weeks!) and snow for several days running at the tail end its ended up a real old mixture.

Once again I returned to Macclesfield Forest and although the snow wasn't as deep as the other week and there was a clear blue sky it was still a real challenge.

Whilst yesterday I managed a good solid eleven miler along the canal as preparation for the upcoming half marathons, the highlights of the week were an ice skating session with the kids at Trentham Gardens (even managing to stay upright!) and an hour on the bike today, again in the snow over the local hills with the legs having to work really hard to keep the bike moving at times.

Next week sees the climax of the cross country season with the English National in Leeds. Lets hope that colds and bad weather don't get in the way!

Weekly mileage 26 (week 7). Annual mileage 202.

"Reaseheath & The County Cross Country Championships"

It's been a real mixed last seven days. After a great road race at Alsager last week I ran a couple of great speed sessions early in the week and my reward was a head cold! I don't do colds normally so I was really dischuffed. After a couple of days off, Friday was my coaching session with colleagues from work, and whilst getting them and me through it ok I knew that I wasn't fully up to racing. But this was the Cheshire County Cross Country Championships postponed from five weeks ago because of the snow and I wasn't going to miss it.

Based for the first time in many years at Reaseheath agricultural college in Nantwich, in Cheshire's deep farming south, this was going to be a seven miler of gently rolling hills and ploughed fields, and so it turned out. I set off at a good pace but the lingering cold soon found me out and over a three lapper I gradually started to drop off the pace finishing in the lower third of the field in 50.30. It's good to see the young person behind me in the picture looking as if he is trying to hang on! All in all it was as good as could be expected and a fast finishing burst over the last 200m to the finish certainly got my team mates cheering!

It's now a fortnight to my next race, the last cross country of the season and the Saucony English Cross Country Championships at Roundhey Park in Leeds where I will be running with a strong Macclesfield team, and as it's half term this week I am going to make the most of some early morning long runs to try and add some endurance to the speed that I am obviously starting to build again from the track sessions.

Weekly mileage 31 (week 6). Annual mileage 176.

"33.10 Yes!"

During yesterday's easy run through Rainow (my ancestral home & favourite Cheshire village) I realised that even after only a few recent track sessions I was ready to run well at the Alsager 5 road race today. What I didn't realise was that I would manage to take off 30 seconds from last years time and run my fastest "5" for thirteen years!

After a week that again included a mix of easy runs held together with a tough track session (4 x 1200 +400 fast in between reps) I am thrilled by this performance as I ran exactly to plan. I needed to run 6.40 miles and having missed the first mile marker went through mile 2 at 13.10. Mile three at 19.51 and 4 in 26.29. The mile splits were good at 6.35/6.35/6.41/6.38/6.41. I met an aquaintance of mine Neil from Manchester University at the start and he went out really quick but by mile 4 I had pulled him back and used him over the last mile to put in a good strong finish putting 5 places and 8 seconds between us.

Another highlight of the week was the first session I coached with several runners at my new office base at Sandbach. I have committed to working them at least once a week and look forward to the group growing in both number and confidence as they begin to enjoy what running has to offer.

Next week it's back to the cross country with the county championships, but today has really boosted my confidence for the coming spring season with races planned on road, track and fell.

Weekly mileage 30. Annual mileage 145. (Week 5)

"Wythenshawe Park"

As the saying goes "what a difference a day makes". This time yesterday I was racing in glorious sunshine in the final round of the Manchester Cross Country League on the fastest and flattest course around, whilst today it was a seven mile recovery run around Macclesfield with four inches of snow on the ground!

Yes winter has returned but it won't dampen my satisfaction of running my best xc race of the season and taking 1m 44 seconds out of my friend and big rival Jack to see my finish three places above him in the individual standings. After a steady start over a very different course to the week before in Blackburn I really pushed it and increased my pace on each lap of the race. At times the pain in my legs and lungs was intense but the thoughts of winning my personal race (with glimpses of my increasing lead at the end of each lap) kept me going to complete the 6.5 mile race in 43.42. The photo shows how relaxed I was! Probably not one to put into the coaching manual when looking for a good running style.

All in all a good week including both a positive track session and a great race that together will really set me up for the spring and its first road race, the Alsager 5 next weekend.

Weekly mileage 31. Annual mileage 115 (week 4)

"10 in 2010"

With the end of January fast approaching I thought it about time to put into words my running commitments and targets for the year ahead. So hear goes!

1. A strong finish to the 09/10 cross country season, that is, to be one place ahead of my running rival Jack!

2. For the first time in many years to compete in enough races to qualify as a counter in the club's annual road race championships.

3. To run a sub 2.30 800m (with a pacemaker if necessary!)

4. Run a V50 half marathon best of below 1.35. Target sub 1.33

5. Build in some cross training with at least one session a week (bike/swim/gym)

6. Race as often as possible including some of the Staffordshire moorlands series and the local mid week fell races

7. Run and race with members of the "run net" community as often as possible throughout the year.

8. Return to the Dovedale dash and get a decent time

9.Run more miles than 2009 (1252) and average more than 25 miles a week

10. Enjoy my running whatever the weather!

"The Saucer and the Teaspoon"

"Hi Callum, how was your race? It was horrible, tough and you're going to die out there!" These were the encouraging words from one of the clubs talented under 17's to me last weekend just an hour before the start of the senior men's race at the 2010 Northern XC Championship's at Blackburn's Witton Park.

Undaunted I set off for a jog around the course (4 laps totalling 12k). Championship courses wherever they be; Roundhay Park Leeds (Hill 60) or London's Parliament Hill Fields are all famous for one thing, a big hill that really sorts out the large mens field. At Witton Park its the horrendous long climb of "The Saucer" that I was expecting to find on my reccy lap, only then to discover immediately before it another even steeper climb now called "The Teaspoon". Needless to say this was quite a shock for all our team and the thoughts of four times up both hills certainly made for quiet athletes.

With the mist descending and a really cold wind getting up I rethought my strategy of a fast start and instead went off steady and was pleasaed to be able to cover every climb throughout the race without resorting to the "hands on knees" style adopted by many right through the field. it was still blurry vision going up each climb though as the descent between each hill gave no chance of recovery. I was really glad to finish in one peice and in a position two thirds down the field. I was looking for my rival Jack whose name was in the start programme but he doesn't appear to have competed. He's obviously resting up for our showdown in the last Manchester League XC tomorrow!

The rest of the week was a couple of easy runs hung around the Tuesday track session which was really encouraging for my speed as I managed to consistently knock five seconds off the previous week's 800m rep times whilst also moving some intervals up to 1K. All in all eight miles of enjoyable pain!

Weekly mileage 30. Annual mileage 84 (week 3)

"Iceworld"

It's now been two weeks since my fall at Woodbank Park and although I have returned to running this week my ribs are still extremely sore. I took it easier through the week as the snow and ice still lay on the roads and pavements but by yesterday the rain has come and most of the snow diasappeared. Time I thought for a long run in the hills. Big Mistake!

After thirty years of running the trails around and above Macclesfield Forest you would think I would have known that up there during winter it is a very different world. Parking up in Langley (I couldn't get to Teggs Nose the usual start of the run as the road was still closed by snow. Clue there somewhere! ) within five minutes I realised that it wasn't going to be my usual run. The paths were a mixture of slush, ice and snow with no continuity at all in underfoot conditions. Still I ploughed on (!) up towards Shutlingsloe but the drifts started to reach five feet up the walls (see photo) and only half way round I decided to bail out and return back to lower ground. This wasn't as easy as I thought as a few times I ended up losing the trail and on one occasion looked back to see I had unwittingly run straight over a patch of ice and snow that usually has the words "Danger Deep water" on a stake next to a water pool!

All in all an hour's run that reminded me of the need to think ahead about where you are running however well you think you know an area. In an hour I saw no other person, walker or runner, and at one stage couldn't actually find the gate from the forest back onto the road because it was covered totally in snow. Remember, safety first!

The next week will be a mixture of steady runs and hopefully a return to the track which has been out of action for a couple of weeks, finally culminating next Saturday in the Northern XC Championships in Blackburn over a really tough course at Witton Park but hopefully without the white stuff!

Annual mileage 54 (week 2)