Beer run

Thursday 18th December
Speed session, 2k warm-up, then 8 * 3 minutes @ 14kph. 2 k cool down.

Friday 19th December
Was off work today and my car was in the garage having its MOT and a long-overdue service. So I decided to run to the gym from home and do Ali's 45 minute lunchtime body pump class, then run back again.

Really glad I did this as it turned out it takes me about 20 minutes to run from home to the gym. It really doesn't save me any time at all to drive, especially if I have to get the car from the garage (the one I rent for storage, not Cross Street Garage). So I think I'll just run from home to the gym for Saturday morning body pump from now on. Another bonus is that it will burn extra calories without tiring out my legs for my long run on Sunday, which will be handy when I start training in earnest for London in the New Year.

My car sailed through its MOT and service with no problems thank God. My last task for the day was to finish the last few chapters of my novel...

Saturday 20th December
I knew that Ali wasn't going to be teaching body pump this morning so I didn't feel it mattered too much to miss it. I was a bit disappointed when I later found out that Rachel was covering pump and Shaun was doing Rich's RPM class and that my friends Emma, Kathryn, Juliette et al were all in attendance and I missed the last opportunity to see them before Christmas.

The reality is, however, that there was no way I was going to be in any fit state to go the gym today. It was an incredible feeling to finally type 'THE END' and I was overcome with emotion and an irresistible urge to celebrate with champagne and any other alcoholic beverage I could lay my hands on.

And why not. Whatever happens, it was an incredible achievement, if I say so myself. To have knocked the idea around in my head for a couple of years, to have plotted and planned and dreamt up characters, and, more than anything, to have been disciplined enough to sit at my computer night in, night out, and knock out over 80,000 words and finally achieve something most people only talk about, well that is special.

My tutor likened the project to 'Fever Pitch'. Am I the new Hornby? Probably not, but even if that honour was bestowed upon me, I couldn't be more proud of what I've achieved.

Sunday 21st December
Finally managed a run in the evening at the gym. 9 miles on the treadmill. (3.2k, then a toilet break, then another hour - 11.4k). It was noticeable how much easier the session was than before I started doing all the speedwork. My dodgy hamstring was aching, but I wasn't even out of breath coming off the treadmill at the end.

Monday 22nd December
The running club had proposed a "beer run" for this evening. Basically a four or five mile route, stopping at four pubs on the way for a pint and then carrying on.

I wasn't too keen at first, because of a) the cost of it (the credit crunch has stopped even me from spending recklessly) and b) the logistics - I would have to leave my car at the gym and make my way home and pick it up in the morning.

When I was offered a lift home I threw caution to the wind and told myself that I needed a bit of fun. And that was exactly what I got.

Disappointingly, there were only four of us (myself, Kev, Terry and Gerry) but it worked well as we had to buy a round each and we stopped and had a good chat and a catch up at each of the pubs on the route. I'm really glad I went, and wonder why we don't do this sort of thing more often. Maybe I'll suggest it on my birthday, or when I get offered a publishing deal?

Tuesday 23rd December
Speed session. 1.6k warm up, 10 * 2 minutes @ 14.5kph, then 1.6k cool down. Probably my last hard session before Christmas.

Will hopefully be allowed to leave work early enough tomorrow to go to Christmas Eve body pump and definitely plan to run Christmas Day morning before going to lunch with the family. Other than that, will probably just do classes and easy runs over the break before training for London starts when I go back to work on 5th Jan '09.

Right now, there's a Rihanna concert on the telly and a vodka tonic screaming "come and make me."

That's enough hard work for one year.

Back to back speed sessions

Sunday 14th December
Complete rest. Just feeling lazy I guess.

Monday 15th December
Speedwork. 2k warm-up, then 10 * 2 minutes @ 14.5kph, 2k cool down. All the reps were nice and consistent. Went to the gym about lunch time as I had a day off and seeing as the water tank had blown up, I needed a shower anyway.

Tuesday 16th December
Got to the gym later than usual as I did a half day, 2-6pm. Wasn't sure what to do but didn't want to be leaving too late, so did another speed session, this time 1.6k warm-up, then 8 * 3 minutes @ 14kph, 1.6k cool down.

I chose this as I've got pump tomorrow and on Thursday it's our Christmas lunch in the canteen so a long, steady run will be more the order of the day. I think I must be getting a lot more confident about these speed sessions to be doing two in as many days.

Mileage

Wednesday 10th December
Body pump tonight, 1k on the treadmill to warm up, then another 7k after the class, so another 5 miles to the week's mileage in other words.

Found the abs track particularly difficult tonight, perhaps a useful reminder that I need to start doing more core work. I'm certainly going to need it come April 2009.

Thursday 11th December
Speedwork. 1.6k warm up, then 8 * 3 minutes @ 14kph. May have increased the speed to 14.5kph on some of the middle reps, I can't really remember. In any case that speed is becoming more comfortable and the session feels easier. Good stuff.

Managed to go to the cinema tonight to watch "The Children", a low-budget British horror film which was actually very good, certainly as far as horror films go these days. Was also amused when I managed to add Hannah Tointon, the lead actress, as a friend on facebook when I got home. It may sound a bit sad, but it made my day!

Friday 12th December
Long-ish run tonight, up Kingshill, through Old Town, along Marlborough Road and then down Queens Drive, through town and back to the gym. Really needed to clear my head after a busy day at work and some fresh air. Didn't worry too much about the pace but was out for about 90 minutes which seems about right.

Was a bit disturbed on the last section of the run when I ran past a large bunch of youths and one of them made a comment in my direction. I couldn't hear what it was becuase I had my earphones in, but it certainly wasn't complimentary. Fortunately nothing happened, which could well have been because I ignored them and didn't show any fear. I wondered what might have happened had I reacted. Not a nice thought, and it would definitely be a good idea to have some company on longer runs, especially on dark evenings.

Saturday 13th December
Body pump this morning. Had intended to try body attack as well, but it starts at 9.45 and I slept in a bit longer than intended, having been up late doing some editing. Managed 4k on the treadmill before the class however, and would have run after the class as well had Andy and Steph not invited me to a pub lunch.

It turned out to be a really good day, we had lunch in the Steam Railway and then moved on to the Wheatsheaf where we played darts and pool. It meant of course, I didn't get anything else done, and I could have done without the expense, but to be fair I needed a day like this, not having been out much recently. It was a bit of fun, which was overdue.

Christmas Party

Friday 5th December
Decided to do my long run after work tonight as I had a feeling I'd be unable to run on Sunday as it was my office Christmas party on Saturday. This turned out to be prescient.

So, 7 miles on the treadmill followed by 6-7 miles outside (Cheney Manor route - the long version). Felt quite tired in the last few miles but that's to be expected I think.

Saturday 6th December
Just did the classes this morning, RPM followed by body pump. Both were good, except I put on a bit too much weight on the chest track expecting the current, easier track. Ali changed the track and I couldn't even make it to the break with the weight I had on (3 reds on each end). I erred on the side of caution after that.

Sunday 7th December
I woke up at about 11.30, semi-clothed, and with one contact lens still in. Ouch. I had managed to catch the coach back to MAN, and had shared a taxi home with Andy and Steph. They had kindly paid my fare and told the driver the address to drop me off at. So yes, it was a good party.

Did consider doing some hill reps but it was particularly icy outside, so I decided not to risk it in the end. It wouldn't have been a quality session in any event.

Monday 8th December
Went for a run outside with Becky, Steph and Andy. Without wishing to be unkind, this was probably a mistake. The reason being, at about half way I stopped at the Marriott to use the toilet, while Andy waited and the girls went on. From thereon in, Andy seemed unable to push himself and keep running without stopping for any decent length of time. I tried to push him, but more because I was getting cold than anything else.

In the end, what should have taken just over an hour took about an hour and a half. I know Andy has hung back for me often enough in the past, but this was a "nothing" session and I can't afford any of these with the London marathon just over 4 months away.

Tuesday 9th December
Speedwork. Better session tonight. 2km warm-up, then 10 * 2 minutes @14.5 - 15kph with one minute recoveries. 2km warm down, so 10k covered in total. Am now getting in touch with some friends from the Swindon Harriers to find out who is going to the track these days.

Downton Half Marathon

Friday 28th November
Complete rest.

Saturday 29th November
Body pump. No cardio. Missed out the squats and lunges track; not because I was hoping to get a fast time at the race tomorrow, but I didn't want my enjoyment of the race to be spoilt by sore legs.

Went to the cinema in the early evening and saw Ghost Town, which almost to my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed. I'm not a big fan of Ricky Gervais, but this role seemed to suit him to a tee, and it was a heartwarming, if a little predictable story.

Sunday 30th November
Competed in the Downton half marathon. This is comfortably my favourite half marathon of the year, purely because it boasts some of the most wonderful scenery I have ever seen in a race, and has some nice touches, notably a cup of tea and a bun at the end for all competitors.

I travelled down with Terry and Gerry, but was determined to just enjoy the race as much as possible rather than put myself under any pressure to get a good time. After all, this is an event to be savoured and I'd much rather take in the views and enjoy running past New Forest ponies than go flat out for a PB.

I checked my watch only a few times during the race, namely at mile one (as is my wont, I went off far too fast, clocking seven and a half minutes), at half way to make sure I was on course for sub two hours, at mile eight and mile twelve. I finished with a time of 1:53-something, which I was very happy with given that I hadn't really pushed myself.

Normally at the end of a half marathon I am relieved to have finished and that the suffering has ended, but part of me was sad to finish this one, knowing it will be at least a year until I get to run it again. It's a reminder of the real reason I do these events and how much there is to enjoy out there.

Speaking of enjoyment, having a day off the next day meant I could enjoy my post-race beers a little more than usual...

Monday 1st December
Complete rest. Wasn't sure what to do with my day off, so in the end I just decided to treat it as just a day off. Which meant I did nothing all day except sit in my armchair, watch movies and enjoy a glass or two of cider. God knows, I've worked hard enough this year to have deserved it.

Tuesday 2nd December
Speedwork. 1.6k warm up, then 10 * 2 minutes @ 14.5kph, with one-minute recoveries. 1.6k cool down. Didn't feel up to it at all, so proud to have finished it.

Wednesday 3rd December
Body pump. No cardio. Ali used mostly old tracks, which threw me a little. Still, good heavy weights including four reds on each end of the bar for the squats track. My body has definitely got stronger this year.

Thursday 4th December
Speedwork. 1.6k warm up, then 8 * 3 minutes @ 14kph, with one-minute recoveries. 1.6k cool down. Found it a bit of a struggle tonight; I must be tired. Cheated on the last rep and paused to change my music, but what the hell. It is holiday season after all.

New training schedule

Thursday 20th November
Had a phone call from Anthony today offering me advice on training. From my entries here, he said, it was clear that my enthusiasm is waning, I'm struggling to juggle training with work and my writing, and generally my training isn't right for someone running the biggest and best race in the world in less than six months.

What he suggested was basically to concentrate on speed work for the next 3-4 works. Roughly 4 sessions per week, plus one long run of about 15 miles at the weekends. This way I could also fit in my RPM and body pump sessions, and as the sessions are essentially short and sharp, they should leave me feeling invigorated and with plenty of time for the editing process, which, for the time being at least, has to take precedence over everything else.

No time like the present to start a new schedule so tonight's session was a speed interval session on the treadmill, except it involved three minute intervals instead of two minutes.

2k to warm up, then 8*3 minutes @ 14kph. It was just like Anthony said it would be, ie the first one was hard work, the second was a bit better, by the fifth and sixth one I was working hard, and the last two took care of themselves. 1.6k to warm down, stretch and home. I can't recall the last time I sweated so much during a workout. Plus, I was buzzing after the session, so knew I was onto a good thing.

Friday 21st November
Complete rest. This is becoming my day for going to the supermarket.

Saturday 22nd November
RPM. I couldn't have done body pump as I had to go to Melksham for a contact lens appointment, but as it turned out Ali had his weekend off and there was no cover.

I thought RPM would be ok as it would just be a gentle session with Rich Jones. As it turned out, Shaun from Eldene was taking the class and he decided to do a full hour. I was careful not to overdo it on the resistance, but possibly not ideal the day before a 10k..

Sunday 23rd November
Competed in the inaugural Swindon 10k today. It was out at the go-karting centre near Wroughton, and organised by grass roots events (Steve Goulding). The weather in the morning was horrible, and when I arrived I seriously thought about turning the car round and heading to the warmth and dry of the gym.

As it turned out, the rain stopped, but it was very chilly and I hastily kept my jacket on. I wasn't aiming or hoping for a fast time, and although I started my watch at the start of the race I didn't look at it until the end and just concentrated on enjoying the run, which was a fairly flat, 2 lap course through the local villages. There were potholes and a strong wind to contend with, plus my legs were tired, so a PB was never on the cards. In the end I was pleasantly surprised with a time of 48:45 (48:55 the official time) given my form of late. Plus I won a spot prize which meant it was well worth the trip - a useful beanie hat, water bottle, a gel, pen, lip gloss and the usual flyers.

After the presentations I headed to the gym and managed to knock out 7 miles on the treadmill. It was at a much slower pace, especially as by this time I was starving so my body was having to use fat as a fuel. To be fair, I need to do a lot of that over the coming months. All in all, I had covered over 13 miles and got a much faster 10k time than I would have managed a year ago, so I had reason to settle back, crack open a beer and enjoy the shortened one-day cricket match on TV in the afternoon.

Monday 24th November
Feeling a bit tired today but still managed a speed session (indoors). 2 miles warm-up, followed by 8 * 2 minutes, speed 14-16kph (I think). No cool down, the session had played havoc with my stomach, so stretched and went home.

Tuesday 25th November
Hill reps tonight, wasn't sure whether to go to the ridge or jog out to Kingshill and do them there. Opted for the former in the end and did 20, which was a change in as much as I normally do 2 sets of 10 but tonight did all 20 on the bounce. That hill is definitely not challenging enough for me now, I even found at the end of the session I didn't need as long to recover before jogging back to the gym. Still, roughly 50 minutes on my feet and I am a lot faster going up that slope than I used to be, and it was a lot easier than the last time I did that session.

Took a night off from writing and went to the cinema to see "Zach and Miri make a Porno", a very enjoyable comedy which successfully mixes some gross-out scenes with a sweet and enduring love story.

Wednesday 26th November
Body pump tonight, no cardio. Good session however, used good heavy weights on all of the tracks including 2 reds (10k) on each end of the bar on the triceps track. And I must have done it right, because Ali didn't say anything.

Thursday 27th November
Speed session. 2 miles warm up, then 8*3 minutes @ 14-14.5kph, followed by 1 mile cool down. 7 miles total, so a good "all in one" session. Need to get those 3 minute intervals up to 14.5kph minimum. Still, this session already feels easier than it did a week ago.

A few more days

Friday 14th November
Complete rest. Went shopping after work, bought a bottle of whisky, sugar and lemon juice and dosed myself up on hot toddies.

Saturday 15th November
Feeling a bit better, so went to body pump and then went for a run outside. Up the railway path and back through old town / town centre. About 7 miles. Made a nice change to go outside and run at a nice steady pace. Felt better for it.

Sunday 16th November
Wasn't really feeling up to it, but decided I needed to do a long run today. So I went to the gym, did 7 miles on the treadmill and then the same(-ish) distance outside. Stuggled with the last bit, but still, I wasn't that well and at least it was miles under my belt.

Monday 17th November
Really didn't feel too clever at work today so went home and relaxed in the evening, ie complete rest. Sometimes your body just needs it.

Tuesday 18th November
Feeling a bit better, so decided to do a speed session on the treadmill. 2 miles warm up, then 10 * 2 mins with 1 minute recoveries. Run speed was 14.5 - 16kph on the first eight, cranking it up in the last 30-60 seconds. Took the last two a bit easier at 14kph. That didn't feel too bad, which is encouraging as I need to be running about that pace to get a 40 minute 10k.

Wednesday 19th November
Just body pump tonight, as I wanted to get home and do some editing.

Sodbury Slog and more..

Wow. Almost two weeks have gone by with no update. The truth is, I've been so pre-occupied with editing my novel, this blog (and my training, to an extent) has suffered. If there's one thing I've learnt this year, there's only so much I can take on before something has to give.

Sunday 2nd November
I took on board what Anthony had told me about keeping up my long runs, and decided to do the Swindon half route, starting from my house. It wasn't the best of runs, and probably not the best of days to do it. For some reason I decided to do it wearing my glasses, which was pretty silly - it was raining hard and I had to keep stopping and wiping them.

There were too many walk breaks in this run and as it went on I just ran out of energy. I had obviously done too much yesterday and tired myself out. Oh well, at least I got out there.

Monday 3rd November
A nice surprise for me today when my friend Lisa at the gym approached me and asked me if I wanted to go for a run outside. She hasn't run for about a year with a hip injury, so it was great to hear she is able to go out again. She only wanted to do about 3 or 4 miles, which was fine with me tonight. So we just jogged out to the lake, did a lap, jogged back, and had a good catch-up. Result.

I had no inclination to do any more on the treadmill when I got back. Time to ease off a bit, if only for one day.

Tuesday 4th November
Speed session with Martin on the treadmill. 3.2k warm up, then 8 x 2 minute efforts, 1 minute recoveries. 2k to cool down, so 10k total. Lowest speed was 14 kph, highest 15.5kph. Quality session.

Wednesday 5th November
Double classes tonight, body pump and RPM. Upped my weights in pump a bit, successfully. Ali commented that I had taken Steph's comments about his weights putting everyone else to shame to heart. Yes I had, but sometimes you have to push yourself don't you.

RPM seemed a bit flat tonight though. A run of some kind would probably have been better.

Thursday 6th November
Complete rest tonight. Went to Bath for a well-earned night out with Pete and a much overdue catch up. We haven't been out on our own since his wife had a baby in Megan so we had both been looking forward to it. Nothing heavy, just a couple of beers and a curry. And maybe a wee dram on the train home..

Friday 7th November
Just ran on the treadmill tonight as I had no energy to do anything else. Wanted to do 7 miles but ended up knocking out 10k. I had had a really shitty, stressful day at work and just felt drained. No wonder I'm burning the midnight oil in pursuit of a career change..

Saturday 8th November
Body pump, but missed out squats and lunges. Went fairly light on most of the tracks, resisting the temptation to try and impress anyone.

Sunday 9th November
Competed in the Sodbury Slog. I think this will be a regular event for me, as I really can't think of anything better to do on Remembrance Sunday (well, I can..)

Drove down with Andy and Steph, two "Slog virgins". Not sure they knew what they had let themselves in for. Anthony was also there, with his club the Brackla Harriers.

I had a good run, just staying with Andy for the duration of the course. I think he struggled a bit, his core strength perhaps not being as good as my own. Steph ran her own race and finished a few minutes before us. Fair enough - she went face first into the trench at the end and had to run to keep warm. Andy also had a nasty fall, going flat on his back, which knocked the wind out of him. I had a few close shaves but managed to stay upright (for once).

Not sure those two went home as happy as they should have, but I guess it's not everyone's cup of tea. As I say, I would do this event every year, by dint of the fact that it is excellent value and great fun and you go home with a fantastic long sleeved t-shirt for the winter and a more than decent goodie bag. I do hope though, that however good I get, I will only ever treat this as a fun event, and not worry about my time or position.

Monday 10th November
2 miles on the treadmill, then I did a really silly thing and went out with the running club. 7 miles and I struggled to keep up - I was more tired than I thought. To be fair, the rest of the gang admitted they wouldn't have been able to run the day after Sodbury. Maybe my recovery periods are getting shorted, which augurs well for London next year.

Tuesday 11th November
Speed session again, same as last week except I cranked up the speed to a low of 14.5kph and a high of 16kph. Must aim for 2 minute reps at 16kph, if not faster.

Wednesday 12th November
Just body pump tonight, then I went home and did some editing.

Thursday 13th November
Ran on the treadmill, 7 miles. Not feeling too good, have a sore throat. May be an incipient cold. I hope not; I've got enough problems without that.

Meeting up with friends, old and new..

Friday 24th October
Complete rest. I was due to visit Anthony in Bridgend tomorrow, and wanted my legs to be fresh as I knew he'd want to see what I'm made of these days.

Settled down to a night in front of the TV, and particularly enjoyed Friday Night With Jonathan Ross. I had no idea at the time that it was quite possibly for the last time..

Saturday 25th / Sunday 26th October
I'd been hoping to meet up with Anthony for quite a long time by now. Apart from wanting to catch up with a good friend, I'd lost count of the number of times I'd said to my various running buddies how much I wish he could see the improvement in my running, and the weight loss that has been a major contribution, since he left Swindon over two years ago.

I had a fairly pleasant train journey to Bridgend, but started to feel nervous as the train pulled in. Would he be chuffed to bits with the change in me, merely satisfied, or even a tad disappointed?

He soon put me at ease, however, and drove me to his home in one of the villages on the outskirts of the town. We had a coffee and a brief catch up, and then got ready for our run before it got too dark. Then we jumped in the car and made our way to the infamous "big dipper" - Europe's largest sand dune, and the start of the Merthyr Mawr Christmas Pudding 10k (which I have signed up for).

We did a 10-minute warm-up, and then it was time for a real test of my physical and mental toughness. About two-thirds of the way up, I didn't feel too bad at all. A bit further however, and things were different; my legs were feeling the effects of running on sand and my lungs were on fire from the stress of the uphill struggle. I was reduced to walking more than a few steps, but feel I can be proud of making it to the top without stopping.

We carried on for about another fifty minutes, across more sand dunes, and out to the beach before heading back to the car. As always, I struggled on the downhill stretches, and I could tell Anthony was pushing me along - I was sweating profusely by the time we finished. He described me later on as "a massively different" runner from the one he had coached a couple of years ago, so I must have done something right.

Later, we had a very pleasant evening, sharing a bottle of wine and having a lovely chicken salad dinner before heading to one of the local pubs for a good catch-up and a couple of beers. Well, that was the intention - we ended up having about five or six pints each, playing on the fruit machines and at pool (I lost 2-0 - I never was any good).

It was a cracking evening and I think both of us were sad when it had to come to an end. The next day, before I caught my train home after lunch, we talked more in depth about training and my race schedule in the build up to the London marathon. He made it very clear that the only thing stopping me getting very good times now is my weight, and if I can get my body fat down to a minimum then a 1:30 half marathon and a 3:30 marathon should be well within my capabilities.

I didn't manage to get out for a run when I got home however, I was rather tired and felt a bit listless and depressed, mainly due to the realisation that my weekend had come to an end and it was back to reality. The clocks going back and the onset of winter nights didn't help much either.

Monday 27th October
Running club tonight. 7 miles approx with Terry, Kev and Marie. They picked up the pace after the first couple of miles and I struggled to be honest. It may be that I was tired from the weekend, it could also be that I struggle with the change in temperature until my body gets used to it. It's not as if I've no insulation..

Tuesday 28th October
Complete rest and time to meet up with another friend, only this time it was one I had never met before! Mike Gayle, one of my favourite authors and a facebook friend, was doing a reading in Reading which I found about from his myspace blog, and I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity of meeting him, getting some books signed, and maybe picking up some useful advice.

As it turned out, it was an almost surreal experience. When he entered the room he recognised me immediately (impressive when you consider my profile picture on facebook is normally one of Daniel Craig in his speedos) and even came over to say hello and shake my hand! I was too pre-occupied to notice at the time, but I wonder what some of the other attendees made of that?!

He proceeded to give a reading from one of his books, Mr Commitment (I'm hard pressed to pick a favourite - but if I'm pushed I would have to say this would probably be top of the pile), then talked in some detail about his career and how he came to be a novelist - which I obviously found particularly interesting - before finishing with an excellent short story and a question and answer session.

I hung around to get his latest book signed (which I will probably save for my holiday after the London marathon) and ask a few questions. He had a few questions of his own, about my novel, which was a bit mind-boggling; not long ago the idea of writing a novel was little more than a pipe dream, but here I was, chatting to a best-selling author, who almost spoke to me as if I was a fellow novelist, and a member of a fairly elite club.

But then to be fair, in a way I think it's fair to say that while I've got an awfully long way to go before I'm published, in a way I've already earned that sort of kudos. Mike mentioned in his piece on becoming a writer that most people either talk a lot about writing a novel and do nothing about it, or they start writing with great enthusiasm, manage about 15,000 words and then run out of steam. Little and often, he said, is key and that's exactly what I've done.

It's been awfully hard over the last six months or so, holding down a responsible job, doing my training, and then coming home in the evenings and having to sit down and try to knock out 500 words of a novel. But that's what I've done, and if there's one thing I'm bloody good at, it is the ancient art of not giving up. It occured to me later, as I enjoyed a few beers in a pub in Reading before making my way through the snow to catch the train home, that people like Mike Gayle and Matt Dunn must get a plethora of people asking for advice on writing a book, but they probably come across precious few who actually go away and get the first draft written.

It's precisely for that reason that I feel I can look forward to the future with a fair amount of cautious optimism.

Wednesday 29th October
Time to start burning calories, and it doesn't particularly matter how I do it. Body pump tonight, followed by 5 miles (8k) on the treadmill, steady. Managed to up my weights on a couple of the tracks which was good.

Thursday 30th October
I kind of feel obliged to go out with the running club on Mondays and Thursdays, but I need to be aware exactly where my priorities lie and protect my own interests. It doesn't make sense to work late needlessly or hang around the gym for ages waiting for 6.30 to arrive and the others to show up. So I got to the gym, had a coffee and a quick read, and got on the treadmill before 6pm. I know running outside would be better, but like I say, it doesn't matter how I burn calories as long as I do.

Knocked out 7 miles (11.2k), again at a steady pace, so plenty of calories burned, and got home at a decent hour which enabled me to get on with some editing. I've realised that this part of the writing process is not something I can do late at night when I'm tired, I need to have my wits about me when I'm doing it.

Friday 31st October
Complete rest. Had my kit with me, but I was itching to see the new James Bond flick, Quantum of Solace, and there was a showing at 5.30, giving me an ideal opportunity to see it straight after work.

I certainly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who likes an action flick, but a follow up to the outstanding Casino Royale was always going to be fraught with danger. It was very entertaining, but seemed to lack any depth, both in terms of the plot and character development, and just felt too short for a proper Bond yarn. Or maybe I just need to see it a second time..

Saturday 1st November
Had a good lie-in this morning, and nearly didn't make it to the gym for 10am, but I had made a pact with Andy and Steph to do both classes, RPM and body pump. I was glad I did - no disrespect to Rich Jones, but Shaun from the Eldene gym was covering for him and he makes the class a lot harder. I guess some people are just naturally better at motivating others.

Enjoyed body pump, still using good heavy weights, and after a brief chat I also managed to get on the treadmill and knock out 5 miles (8k) even after both classes. Was tempted to make it 10k, but my dodgy hamstring was starting to hurt so I played it safe. Even so, good session and a massive amount of calories burnt - by the time I got home I should have made some inroads into those fat stores.

An abandoned race

Friday 17th October
Complete rest. I had a race number for the Hogweed Major Muggle 15 the following morning, a 15 mile cross country race near Chipping Norton, and the first time the race was being held. When I entered I thought it would make a good, cheap training run and would give me the rest of the weekend to chill out and do other things.

As it turned out I couldn't find any motivation to go (I was too tired to even get my kit ready) and worst of all, the blister on my heel started peeling. By the time I had got rid of all the loose skin it was quite raw and needed a plaster. Several, in fact.

Saturday 18th October
Didn't go to the race. It was painful walking to the shop to get my paper, so God knows what effect 15 miles cross country would have had.

Went to the gym instead, did both classes, spinning and body pump. Spinning was better than expected, I pushed myself and opted out of Rich's excessive recoveries and got quite a sweat on. Body pump was interesting, Ali did the new release for the first time, which I actually quite liked. The squats track is hard, but the chest track is a bit easier than the last one, and the lunges track is a bit different. Found the abs track really hard, but I need to build up my strength in that area to be fair.

Sunday 19th October
Off to visit family in Melksham today for Sunday lunch so no time for a long run. Went to James' hour long spinning class at 10am which was really good. Unusually for a class at that time on a Sunday, it was full, which shows how good it is.

Had a really good day with the family, lunch with my sister Fiona, her husband Rich, their little girl Holly and my Dad. I also visited my sister Amanda and met my great nephew, Taylor "Dink" for the first time. I've never met such a happy baby, but he did cry when he was left alone with me for a little while. Oh dear.

Monday 20th October
Went out with the running club tonight which proved a bad move. Basically my legs were sore from the classes, and if I'm honest had enjoyed the weekend a little too much. Gerry was out and bossing the pace as usual, and I was struggling to keep up. In the end Andy and I did a different route, which was still about 6 or 7 miles. At least this was a wake up call to tell me how much my form has dropped and how I need to get back into some sort of structured training.

Tuesday 21st October
Speed work. Arranged to meet Martin Davis at the gym to do some speedwork on the treadmill. 1 mile to warm up, then I did 8 * 2 minutes at 14kph with 1 minute jog recoveries. Martin did seven reps, but at 18kph! Still, I think we managed to motivate each other. I managed to push the speed up to 15kp on the last few reps but to be honest hadn't done 2 minute efforts on the treadmill so didn't know how I was going to cope. 1 mile jog to cool down, then home for some tea before going to see the excellent Taken at the cinema. Why did I wait so long before seeing this?

Wednesday 22nd October
1.6k on the treadmill, body pump, then 3.4k on the treadmill. Would have run for longer after the class but had some trapped wind that made it uncomfortable, so I stopped. Still, not a bad session.

Thursday 23rd October
Hill reps tonight. Thought this would be good training for the Downton half marathon on 30th November, which will be my next major focus. Jog out to the ridge, one set of 10 reps, jog to Lydiard, another set of 10, hen jog back to the gym. Good session, but I need to find a longer and steeper hill - the obvious one would be Kingshill, but the problem with that is, there is a lot of traffic and I'd be breathing in all the fumes?

Anyway, still an effective session. Rest tomorrow so I am fresh for my run with Anthony on Saturday afternoon - the first in two years!

Trying to get back into it (and struggling)

Monday 13th October
Very sore and stiff today. Fortunately it was only me, Andy and Steph going out running so we did the Cheney Manor route (6-7 miles) at a very steady pace.

Tuesday 14th October
Was meant to be doing a speed session on the treadmill with Martin Davis tonight, but neither of us were really ready for it so soon after the race. I just did 8k (5 miles) in the treadmill, nice and slow - I think my top speed was about 11.2kph!

Wednesday 15th October
Had a day (or rather an afternoon) in London today, sports and social club to see Jersey Boys. Managed a run in the morning, only about 20-30 mins round the block. I thought I'd get a good session in but I had too many other things to do, even though I was on the 1:30 train.

Had a good time at the show, spent a couple of hours sitting in a pub editing my book, which is not conducive to getting back into shape but needs to be done time.

Does a fifty minute walk from Blagrove to Old Town constitute training??

Thursday 16th October
Very tired today, by the time I had walked home I couldn't get to sleep and stayed up far too late. Went out with the running club anyway, there were four of us and no one wanted to go crazy, so we did the Kingshill route - about 5.5 miles at a steady pace (approximately 9-minute miles). Perfect for how I was feeling.

Swindon Half Marathon 2009

Friday 10th & Saturday 11th October
Complete rest. No going to body pump or anything silly like that. Not that I was expecting to do all that well on Sunday, but I wanted my legs to be fresh and my enthusiasm level to be high (ok, high-ish) for the race.

Usual Saturday pre-race routine consisted of a trip to the cinema, the film this weekend was the excellent How To Lose Friends and Alienate People. I'd been looking forward to it for some time, and obviously any film with Kirsten Dunst and Megan Fox is going to get my vote, but it was very good indeed, very funny and a nice story line. Simon Pegg goes from strength to strength in my view, and I'm thinking if my book were to be made into a film, it would have to be a choice between him and James McAvoy to play the main protagonist. Tough one that.

Sunday 12th October

Anyway, back to the present day. I really wasn't expecting to get anything out of the race, especially with it being just a few days after coming back from holiday. I agreed to run it with Terry, which would make it more enjoyable and stop me going off too quickly.

It was certainly enjoyable running with Terry, but sadly it didn't stop either of us going off too fast. We were going at roughly 8-minute miles until we got to the hills at about 4 miles. Slowing down then was inevitable, and it was getting increasingly hot that day.

We did, however, stop and walk at most of the drink stations - I usualy try to keep running, but Terry finds it hard to run and drink at the same time. The short recoveries definitely helped, and we didn't lose too much time doing it.

The target time was under 1:50 but as it got hotter and hotter that became increasingly unrealistic. In the end all I cared about was finishing the run. I managed to stay with Terry almost the whole way, but I knew how hard the last mile was going to be and wasn't going to take any chances.

As it turned out, we were only about twenty seconds apart, and I was happy with my time of 1:51:35 given the conditions. It was disappointing not to have improved my time at the event in the last few years, but it did occur to me later that on each occasion I have always just come back from holiday and not been on top form.

Next year, could be different; most likely I'll go on holiday after the London marathon and be in better shape come the Swindon half in October. But I'm not going to think too far ahead yet; there are plenty of challenges over the next twelve months.

Jon runs London 2009!

Good news on my return to Blighty, I have been very fortunate to receive a place in the Flora London Marathon 2009!

Apparently there were 120,000 people applying for just 20,000 places so that shows how lucky I was! Maybe poetic justice for the trauma and disappointment of having to pull out of Berlin...

I don't intend to start training in earnest until Jan '09, and most of the races I will do in preparation will be ones I can use as hard training runs (Rough 'n Tumble, Slaughterford, Tough Ten or Terminator, Hogweed Hilly Half etc).

I have already spoken to Samaritans and will be on their team, I anticipate that the money raised for Berlin 2008 will be moved to the new appeal in some way, shape or form.

As I have now more or less finished the first draft of my first novel I will be juggling my training routine with the editing/re-writing process as well as approaching agents and publishers so it should be a very interesting time to say the least!

More details to follow as and when..

Pre-and post Holiday training

Saturday 27th September
Just body pump today. Felt really rough and struggled. Definitely need to give my body a break.

Sunday 28th September
Bit of a blur to be honest, think I did about 9 miles but very slow. Went to a party the night before and had to crash in an armchair as not prepared to pay a fortune for a taxi. Ouch.

Monday 29th September
Went out with Terry and Kev for a long run before driving to Gatwick. We did about 11.25 miles a reasonable pace (can't remember what exactly) but I never thought I'd see the day when those two had to ask me to slow down. Good way to go off on holiday.

Tuesday 30th September - Tuesday 7th October inclusive
Absolutely f*ck all. Unless you count a few gentle strolls and a dip in the Med as "training". Did nothing at all except sleep (a lot), eat a full English breakfast every day, read three books (and started the editing process of my own!), drink beer, sit on my balcony with a bottle of wine, have a couple of beers at the pool bar every night, go out to dinner, and maybe go on to a bar for a nightcap.

It was a good holiday, but nowhere near long enough. I definitely needed an extra week. I felt shagged out for the first 3 or 4 days, then felt a bit more relaxed by the fifth day, then the holiday was over and I had to pack my bags and come home. Big sigh.

Wednesday 8th October
Body pump. Dropped my weights to break myself back into it gently. No cardio for the same reason.

Thursday 9th October
Steady run with Becky, she reckoned the route was six miles, but I reckon it was about 7 or 8. We were out on our feet for about 1hr 10 so it must have been.

Anyway, a good way to blow out some cobwebs and get back into it. Swindon half on Sunday so nothing more until then.

Last week of training..

Monday 22nd September
Running club tonight, just the three of us; me, Terry and Gerry. The last time we went out together I couldn't keep up and had to let them go after 4 or 5 miles.

Tonight was a very different story; we ran about 10.5 miles at an average pace of about 8:29 per mile, and at no point did I feel uncomfortable. In fact, we managed to keep the conversation going all the way, even on a fairly hilly course.

Went home very happy with my efforts. My fitness seems to have improved (can only put it down to the long runs) and I am becoming more confident. Even a couple of months ago I would have baulked at the idea of running with those two.

Tuesday 23rd September
Speed session on the treadmill, two sets of one minute efforts with one minute recoveries. 14.5kph on the first set which was a bit too comfortable, so 15kph on the second. To be fair, after the day I'd had at work, I wasn't in the mood for anything too stressful.

I can't remember ever feeling this exhausted and run down and needing a holiday as badly as the one coming up. I stopped at Sainsburys on the way home to do a big shop, and when I finally slumped in my chair at 9pm to watch Ghost Whisperer I had no energy to get up and finish cooking the pasta bake I had started. In the end, my lodger came home at 11pm to find me asleep in my chair with a bottle of beer in my hand.

That, I think, says it all.

Wednesday 24th September
Feeling a bit better today, so did double classes, body pump and spinning. Enjoyed them both. It occured to me that this will be the last time I do pump with Ali, hopefully I'll be a bit stronger after my break.

Thursday 25th September
Running club again, 7 miles. Didn't feel as good as I did on Monday, my lower legs especially felt quite tight. I tried my best to keep up with Terry and Gerry but they lost me in the last half mile. Fair enough; I've agreed to run the Swindon half with Terry so maybe I can do the same to him in the last few miles :)

Friday 26th September
Hurrah! My last day at work! Didn't manage to leave the office until 7pm because I wanted to get as much done as possible before I leave, being the conscientious chap I am.

Got to the gym feeling absolutely battered and exhausted, but managed to drag myself on the treadmill and knock out 11.2k in an hour. Good effort under the circumstances. I just wanted to burn some calories and relieve some stress.

Had a nice relaxing evening with some wine and an excellent edition of Friday Night With Jonathan Ross. I knew I deserved it. In the last year, on top of a fairly punishing training routine I have held down a responsible job and forced a large pay rise, successfully rented out the rooms in my house, and written the first draft of a novel (well, save the last few chapters perhaps). I think I've done alright and can consider this holiday well-earned and much deserved.

Still going (just)

Thursday 18th September
Six days later, I struggle to remember what I did this day. Normally I jot down in my diary at work whatever I did the previous evening. It's been so busy recently I haven't had time to do even that. Honestly.

But I do remember now, 11.2k on the treadmill, in 3 sections (I think) to allow for toilet / shirt change breaks. Just needed a stress reliever tonight.

Friday 19th September
Complete rest. Night out with the running club tonight (yay!), really, really nice meal at La Carbonara in Swindon. I had the antipasti for starter, Steak, and ice cream for dessert. Not cheap, but really good food, fast and efficient service and very friendly staff. Highly recommended.

Needless to say I had a fair bit to drink but didn't make a fool of myself (for once) and actually made it to body pump the next morning..

Saturday 20th September
Body pump. No cardio. Feeling a bit delicate and struggled a bit, felt I should have dropped my weights. Ali picked up on my technique, saying I was moving my body on the biceps track. I think a lot of my training is suffering due to the stress at work at the moment.

No cardio because I went to the post office to pick up a parcel which I hoped was a free book from a group on facebook. It wasn't, it was free light bulbs from British Gas. Great.

Sunday 21st September
Bit of a change today, went to the 10am spinning class then did a short (6-7 miles - is that really short?) outside. Enjoyed both, legs feeling a bit tired now though.

Just soldiering on...

Monday 15th September
Really stiff and sore today, so much so that getting up and down the stairs at work was a problem. I gave in and took the lift a couple of times..

Went to the gym not harbouring any great ambitions of doing anything special, maybe just a coffee and a steam? Ended up doing 5k on the treadmill, very slow (top speed 10.8kph) but it seemed to loosen the legs up a bit.

Tuesday 16th September
Again, wasn't sure what to do today. Ended up doing hill reps at the ridge, two sets of 10 reps with a 5 minute jog between sets. Definitely felt I was going through the motions a bit, not really able to put my heart and soul into it, physically or mentally.

Highlight of my day was probably having a five minute chin-wag with my friend and colleague Tamara Howard (we did the three peaks challenge together two years ago) at lunch, impressing her with my time on Sunday, and talking about our favourite events. She recommended the Slaughterford race in January which might make a good training run for London.

Wednesday 17th September
Running club tonight, a switch from Thursday. Would normally have gone to pump but the thought occured to me that when I get back from holiday we're going to be running in the dark and cold together, so make best use of the sunlight. Not sure everyone in the group is cold-weather runners.

Anyway, 8 miles at a good pace (about 8.30ish per mile). Impressed at my recovery from the weekend and my breathing seems to have got better lately. Maybe I've dropped a few pounds, it must be stress-related because my alchohol consumption has been far too high for a supposed dedicated athlete.

Did hit 66,000 words of the novel mind you.

Something to smile about..

Wednesday 10th September
After the tears had dried up did double classes tonight, body pump and RPM. Not so much pressure on me to run now, at least I can relax and enjoy my training.

Thursday 11th September
Didn't plan to go out with the running club tonight but as it was just me and Terry I didn't mind - I knew we'd run at a sensible pace and have a good chat, which we did. I stressed that I have yet another half marathon on Sunday and didn't want to mess my legs up and he respected that.

6.11 miles according to his Garmin, 53 mins, average pace 8:43 per mile. It occurred to me later that a year or two ago that would have been flat out 10k pace, not conversation pace.

Friday 12th September
Complete rest.

Saturday 13th September
Ditto. Unless you count gardening as exercise, which a lot of people do. It was back to the old school as well, going to the cinema the day before a race. The film today was Rocknrolla which was good, but I struggled to follow it in places. I have had a lot on my mind, to be fair.

Sunday 14th September
Competed in the inaugural Chippenham half marathon today. This was meant to be my last hard run before Berlin (sigh).

Still, I knew that it was a flat course so there was potential for a PB if I went into it fresh (hence two days' rest). At the same time, I wanted to enjoy the run as well.

I started off at a good pace (7:40-ish per mile) but never expected to keep it up. Amazingly I was still going strong by mile 5 and the miles seemed to be flying by! Today could be my day, I thought, and for a while I was harbouring the ambition of a 1:40 finish. It was at about mile 10 that the tiredness hit me, and I started to slow down. My breathing was fine; it was my legs that had had enough.

Quite a few times in those last few miles I really wanted to stop and walk, but I kept telling myself to push as hard as I could, I had done all the hard work and that PB was there for the taking. It helped that I wore my London marathon vest with my name on, so people were shouting encouragement.

1:40 wasn't to be, but if you'd offered me my stopwatch time of 1:42:59 or the official time of 1:43:20 (I'm not normally more than a few seconds out?!) I would have happily taken it. I knew I had given it my best shot and could be proud of it. Sadly my father couldn't be there to watch (that would have been the icing on the cake) but at least my sister Fiona, her husband Rich (who finished in 2:07) and their daughter Holly were there at the end so I had someone to share it with.

Back to Swindon for a stretch and a shower at the gym before heading home for, you guessed it, quite a few celebratory drinks. As soon as I sat down in my chair, poured my first beer and tuned in to the cricket, I told myself "Enjoy this afternoon, mate, you deserve it."

I'd like to say a special thank you to everyone who has supported me in a difficult week, especially Anthony who highlighted today's PB as being a special achievement under the circumstances. All of you rock.

End of the dream..

Wednesday 10th September
I haven't been too unhappy with my build-up, training-wise, for the Berlin marathon. I haven't been on the scales for a while but the weight seems to be staying under control, which is good considering the trips to Germany etc.

What has been a worry, however, has been raising a substantial amount of money for Samaritans and the personal expense of attending the event. I was hoping that my company would assist with the latter, but given that I have only raised £605 so far, this can hardly be justified. Nor can I really afford to fork out the cost of a return flight, accomodation etc myself.

There have been other mitigating circumstances too; I've had a torrid time at work lately and don't feel that I've been properly focused in my training most evenings. The stress has taken its toll physically, with my red wine consumption being notably higher than it should be in the build up to a marathon. I'm sorry but there has to be some way of "venting" as I like to call it.

Another major concern has been that none of my friends will be coming to Berlin with me for the weekend, and quite frankly, if there's no one to share it with, what's the point?

I therefore made the decision today to call the Samaritans and tell them I wouldn't be taking part in the Berlin Marathon 2008. It just didn't sit well with me at all.

They took it well, and I have offered to run for them in the London marathon in 2009 should I get a place through the ballot. If not, I will probably pick another marathon before the end of this year (probably Luton in December) and run that to honour the sponsorship I have received.

I thought, having made the call, this would be a weight off my mind. It is now, but not at the time. As soon as it hit home that the dream was officially over, the chin started to wobble and the tears started to flow.

It's a bastard when that happens. Especially for a grown man in an office full of people. Bang goes the hard man image (if, indeed, it ever existed). Fortunately Louise (Mumfy) and Kim (Kimmi) were on hand to comfort me, which I am very grateful for. It took a good twenty minutes before I could carry on with the job at hand.

It was a horrible decision to make, but I genuinely feel it is the right one. Everyone I have spoken to has been very understanding and supportive. It just seems terribly ironic, that with the injury problems I have had in the last year, I now have to pull out of an event for completely different reasons.

In any case, Luton does seem like a good option (accessible, good value and will keep me focused when I get back from holiday). Other than that, just keep up the good work and look forward to seeing what happens next.

Last long run

Sunday 7th September
Last really long run today before the big day, with the Chippenham half marathon next Sunday and then a two week taper (that was the thinking anyway).

Decided to mix it up a bit, so did 7 miles (11.2k) on the treadmill, then set off on my old half marathon training run (12-13 approx). Things were going fine until the point when, out on the Lethbridge section of the route, I found the bridge across the motorway was closed..so I had to turn back which meant shortening the route.

As it turned out, I was really struggling in the last few miles and was walking parts of the route. The problem was my legs were just stiffening up - I like to think this is because they have done a lot of miles lately and just need a rest.

Still, nearly three hours on my feet so hopefully good enough at this stage.

Monday 8th September
5 miles (8k) on the treadmill, easy. Not feeling as bad as I might have expected after yesterday, but not up to going out with the running club or anything strenuous like speed work.

Tuesday 9th September
Wasn't really sure what to do today, but it was dry (for once) so ended up doing a hills and sprints session at the ridge. In the first rep my legs felt sore so decided to make it a short session (2 sets of 3 hills + 3 sprints). After that though I still felt like I had some energy left, so I did 2 more sets of 2+2, so 10 hills and 10 sprints. Knocked it out in comfortably less than an hour so happy with that.

Too stressed to train properly..

Friday 29th August
5 miles (8k) on the treadmill, nice and steady. Should have probably given my legs a rest but wanted to do something to wind down after the week at work.

Saturday 30th August
Body pump in the morning. Rachel was covering for Ali today. Took it nice and easy.

Long run in the evening, did the Swindon half route but started from my house which probably made the run about 15 miles. Despite training earlier in the day, still managed to do it in 2hrs 20 mins, so the pace must have been reasonable. Good weather for it as well (for a change) and was able to run without a top on most of the way. Can't help thinking that might have been for the last time this year, certainly when I get back from my holiday after the marathon it'll be back to long-sleeved tops.

Sunday 31st August
At Lords for the one day international so complete rest. Sadly the weather was nothing like yesterday and the match was a stop-start affair, which was frustrating to say the very least. In fact, I left before the game was concluded because at that point there didn't appear to be any prospect of further play.

I learnt a couple of things today though, namely that I am now officially a two pint piss-queen who can't take his alcohol (certainly not like I used to) and I am very, very tired - evinced by the fact that I nodded off as soon as I sat down on a park bench in Leicester Square. Clearly the stress of holding down a responsible job, running the house, writing a novel and training for a marathon has caught up with me and I badly need a break from all of it.

Monday 1st September
Complete rest. SAP went live at work today and I had very little training, so the stress of that, combined with being tired from yesterday, meant I had no energy to train.

Tuesday 2nd September
2 miles on the treadmill, easy. This was because I had to work late (didn't leave until 6.30pm) and as a reward my boss invited me to dinner with some of the guys over from Germany, which was very nice. We went to the Dolce Vita in the town centre which is always good, but service was a bit slow tonight. Took full advantage of the invitation and had antipasti for starter, pizza for main course and ice cream for dessert. Be honest, wouldn't you?

Wednesday 3rd September
Took part in the inaugural "Back in a Flash 5k" at Coate Water. The only thing I can say is that apart from the social side of it (Andy, Steph and Mike Sas all took part as well and we had a drink together afterwards) it was an unmitigated disaster.

I had probably the most stressful day at work ever as everyone was calling me with queries and complaints, none of which I was able to resolve as I still hadn't had any decent training on SAP. By the time I left all I wanted to do was go home and cry. But I didn't want to let the others down so went to the race instead.

I knew I wouldn't be able to focus properly after such an awful day and I was right. Plus at the 2k marker I was in dire need of a "pit stop" and of course there was no such facility. This didn't settle and at 4k I was really suffering with a stitch. I had no idea a mere 5k could be so painful. My time was disappointing, over 25 minutes - you'd have to go back quite a while to find a 10k where the first half had taken me that long.

But then, after the day I'd had, what could I reasonably expect?

Thursday 4th September
Ran from home before breakfast, about 4-5 miles, through the town centre and up the railway path. Not at all easy, horrible weather, plus I couldn't help thinking about what lay ahead at work. Had to run in the morning though, because I had been invited to dinner again with work in the evening to say Goodbye to our German guests who go home tomorrow. It was at the Ganges in Wootton Bassett - thoroughly recommended.

Friday 5th September
Work has got better now but is still very busy and stressful and there are teething problems with the new system.

Set out to do an interval session at the lake, but was struggling as both legs got bitten by something nasty on Wednesday and have swollen up. Managed two good laps but that was all I could manage as one of my calves was starting to hurt quite a bit, probably to do with the insect bite.

After the week I've had, that was still not a bad effort.

Saturday 6th September
Body pump in the morning. Wasn't sure if I would be able to make it as the man from Virgin Media was coming to install a new box for me, but fortunately he was done and dusted before ten, so I was free to go.

Struggled a bit today, but to be fair I used good heavy weights, plus Ali is a great motivator. Wanted to go for a run afterwards but my calves are still swollen, so did some core work instead (which was overdue to be fair).

Plan for tomorrow is to do a decent long run, probably my last 20-miler before Berlin. The Chippenham half is next weekend, and after that it'll be time to start tapering down. I've learnt I need to be fresh if I'm to perform when it matters most.

Frustrated

Monday 25th August

Not feeling too bad today, which tells me I probably didn't run hard enough during the race yesterday. Even so, I planned to do the RPM class scheduled for 6pm to loosen my legs up, but what with Fitness First being the last bastion of efficiency and quality customer service, nobody turned up to teach it.



Ended up going out with the running club which was a big mistake, as well as being tired I had chest pains and a really bad stitch. Fortunately Andy was there and stayed with me, otherwise I would probably have gone back. Managed to knock out the five or six miles of the Cheney route, but much slower than expected.

The main group did the route at about 8 mins 22 per mile, which is faster than I managed at the race, and far too quick for me the day after a race.

Tuesday 26th August
Speed interval session on the treadmill tonight, 2 sets of 1 minute efforts with 1 minute recovery, 2 minutes between sets. Did the first set at 14kph and the second at 15kph. The former wasn't really challenging enough, so must do all the efforts at the better pace next time and possibly with shorter recoveries.

Good session though, and I like the fact that I can do this sort of thing indoors when I don't feel up to going to the track.

Wednesday 27th August
Meant to do body pump tonight, but it was cancelled with no warning or explanation. What did I say about fitness first earlier? Found out later it was because Ali refused to teach the class because the music system still hasn't been fixed, and had got fed up with having to shout instructions while teaching the class. I don't blame him one iota.

Went for a long-ish run tonight, up the railway path, through Old Town, along Marlborough road and back along Queens Drive. 1 hour 20 mins approx. Not the best of runs, not helped by the face I only had my cheap trainers (I planned to do RPM after pump) and I felt very tired mentally as much as anything - got far too much on my plate at the moment and my holiday after the marathon really can't come quickly enough.

Thursday 28th August
Interval session at the lake tonight, managed five laps this time. Quality session, my t-shirt was absolutely soaked with sweat when I got back to the gym. I need to make this my regular Thursday or Friday session if I'm going to get that half marathon time down.

Plan now is to rest or have a very easy session tomorrow, body pump Saturday morning followed by a long run (probably the Swindon half route from home) in the evening. Reason being I am at Lords on Sunday for the one day international so I won't be able to get my long run in then. Let's just hope it doesn't f**king rain this time and I finally get a well-earned day at the cricket!!

Pewsey Half Marathon

Thursday 21st August
Interval session at the lake. Was aiming to do three laps, but only managed two in the end as I needed a "pit stop" after the second and was feeling tired after seven consecutive days of training. Steph joined me for this session as I had given her a lift from work to the gym and she didn't feel inclined to wait around for the running club either. I think she found it hard, which proves how good I am at pushing myself.

Really need to do this session more regularly.

Friday 22nd August
Complete rest. Full body massage with Ali in the evening. Ouch.

Saturday 23rd August
Body pump in the morning. No cardio. Went lighter with most of my weights on most of the tracks. Decided to give squats a go but with a much lighter weight to see how my knee held up.
Was about to do the same on lunges but was promptly reprimanded by Ali, reminding me I have a half marathon tomorrow. I know he is only trying to help, but I wasn't expecting to get a great time at Pewsey as it isn't really a PB course and with my recent trip to Germany I wasn't able to taper down for the race so would be running with tired legs anyway. Oh well. At least everyone who goes to body pump now knows I run half marathons.

Sunday 24th August
Pewsey Half Marathon, my third time at the event. Managed what was then a PB two years ago of 1 hour 51 mins and got roughly the same time last year. I knew I would have to settle for a similar time this year, and I was right.

The event had a lonely feel to it this year, in the last two years both Andy and my brother-in-law Richard have run with me but neither were able to attend this year. The only people there I knew, and said hello to, were Steve and Julie Goulding, the race organisers.

As usual, started at a good pace, knocking out the first five miles in just over forty minutes. But I was already starting to slow down, so I turned my watch off and tried to just run at a challenging but comfortable pace. Despite drinking plenty of water and in the week and no alcohol since I came back from Germany I felt quite dehydrated in the second half of the race. Fortunately there were four water stations in the race and while I just took a sip at the first two, I stopped and downed the whole cup at the last two.

Worryingly my dodgy hamstring felt a bit sore during the race as well, so I am going to have to be careful with it leading up to the Berlin marathon.

In the end was a bit disappointed not to get under 1 hour 50 minutes, but at least I had managed a better time than the last two years. On the day I think that was probably the best I could hope for. It was worth doing the race for the excellent race t-shirt with crop circles and aliens on the front and a claim that PVRC run the best races in Wiltshire on the back - well justified in my view. At just ten pounds to enter, I would expect local, friendly races to do better out of the credit crunch.

Thought briefly about going out for another training run later in the day but soon decided that was a stupid idea and my legs would be better served by me going home and putting my feet up, which I did.

Long run that wasn't so long

Sunday 17th August
Long run today. Decided to add several of my routes together to make a long one. Starting from the gym, take the Blagrove route backwards, and then pick up the Lethbridge route. Up the railway path to the top, through Old Town, along Marlborough Road and then back along Queens Drive. Back through the town centre, but picking up the Cheney Manor route via the church.

I imagined this would take a good three hours and was surprised when it only took 2 3/4 hours. I wasn't sure if I was going along at a good pace, had missed a bit somewhere, or it just wasn't as long as I thought. Very confusing - without the Blagrove and Cheney routes the run would normally take the best part of two hours so how come I only had to run another 45 minutes?

Maybe my legs were fresh from a few days off, I don't know. Still, it's another long run in the bank.

Monday 18th August
Running club tonight, 6-7 miles approx. Up the railway path and took a slightly confusing way back through the town centre. Ran with Andy and tried to motivate him, was glad to see he wasn't struggling as much as he has been of late.

Tuesday 19th August
Speedwork with Andy on the treadmill tonight. Was going to do an interval session at the lake but was curious to find out how he does speedwork on the treadmill. This was worth doing in the end as he uses a speed interval function where you programme your running and jogging speed, but you have to time your efforts yourself.

We did 10 * 2 minutes @ 14 kph with one minute recovery. Andy struggled a bit and we had to have a couple of two minute recoveries. He actually wanted to give up after 7 reps but I told him not to, better to do the last 3 reps at a slower pace and finish the session.

Could have done with a longer session but the good thing is I know how to use that function on the treadmill now, so can regularly do speedwork indoors when it's raining.

Did some carb-loading at the cinema later, went to see "You don't mess with the Zohan" with Andy and Steph, which was very funny indeed - recommended.

Wednesday 20th August
Just body pump tonight, no cardio as I had a prospective lodger coming round.

Struggled a bit, but not as bad as I did at the weekend. Ali did some older tracks which made a welcome change, interesting that on the tricep push-ups he shouted at me to do deeper push-ups - he knows how important it is to me to get the most out of the class.

The lad coming round to see the room decided to take it, which is very good news - with my new salary and two lodgers I should be able to improve my financial position substantially and can afford the Nike Pegasus on offer on dorunning.com after all :)

Getting back into it

Monday 11th August
Ran from home before breakfast, about 7 miles approx. Down the railway path, then decided to do the Lethbridge route backwards (for the first time) and ran back up Kingshill. My legs felt very tired during this run and I thought to myself it might not be a bad thing to give myself 3 complete days off in Germany and allow my body to recover.

Tuesday 12th - Thursday 14th August - Complete rest
Arrived in Munich Monday night, flew back Thursday afternoon. Had a very pleasant few days, the training in the daytime was draining as I not only had to learn the system but also had to do a lot of translating and interpreting. The evenings were great, went out to eat at the local restaurants and spent a very nice evening drinking beer with some German colleagues from the office in Salzgitter.

Couldn't help but feel that this is the kind of life I was born for, and would really like another extended period living in Germany. Relocating at 40 won't be as easy as it was at 23, but apart from deciding what to do about the house, there isn't an awful lot holding me back. Watch this space.

Friday 15th August
11.4 km on the treadmill in just under an hour. Wasn't sure whether to do this or run outside - it was a nice evening - but opted for a calorie burning session instead. Was nice to bump into an old friend from work, Graham Kirk, who has just joined the gym. He commented that I was looking well from running marathons, which was nice.

Legs felt a bit tired afterwards however. They must have enjoyed a rest.

Saturday 16th August
Double classes, RPM and body pump. RPM was not so good today, got a sweat on but there were too many recoveries for my liking. Anthony told me not to bother with spinning for the time being, and I know he's right, I just didn't want to tire my legs out before my long run tomorrow.

Body pump on the other hand was a real struggle, and my body seemed to be saying to me "I thought we'd stopped doing this?". It didn't help that Ali rushed through the tracks like a mad thing because he wanted to watch the cycling after the class. At least Kathryn said she found it hard the first time after a couple of weeks off, so it isn't just me. Hopefully Wednesday will be better.

Friday Night Long Run

Friday 8th August
I decided to do my long run after work tonight as I am off the Oval for the cricket tomorrow and know I won't be able to run hard on Sunday.

Did 11.4k on the treadmill in an hour followed by the Elcombe route (10 miles). As I headed out that since Sunday I will have notched up over 50 miles. Not bad considering I had a race mid-week.

The run outside was tough going and took longer than it should have, my legs and feet did feel very tired but I kept telling myself I have to get used to spending this sort of time on my feet. Didn't get home until nearly 10pm and was absolutely shattered - very time consuming this marathon training.

Saturday 9th August
Complete rest. Very disappointing day at the cricket as we only had the morning session, and even that was cut short. Still, I managed to visit my Uncle for the first time in over a year, and headed to central London for dinner and a few more drinks before heading home.

Sunday 10th August
Managed a run in the evening, 6-7 miles steady - railway path and back through the town centre.

I fly out to Germany for SAP training tomorrow so this week will be a write-off as far as training is concerned. Will take my trainers just in case but there isn't a gym at my hotel and I doubt there will be time in any case. Plan to run 7-8 miles hard tomorrow, may be home in time for a run Thursday. Think I will have to forget a PB for the half marathon until after Berlin as I will need a hard training week leading up to the Pewsey half on 24th August and have offered to run the Chippenham half with my brother-in-law to help get him round in under 2 hours.

Pewsey 5 mile race

Monday 4th August
Complete rest. Felt very tired after my long run so just went home and relaxed. The increase in mileage is starting to take its toll. Race number for Wednesday arrived though.

Tuesday 5th August
Was thinking about the track today but it was pissing down with rain so I couldn't face it. Went to the gym, did just 5k on the treadmill, very steady. Just wanted to get the legs working again before tomorrow, and break in a pair of Nike Air Perseus trainers I got for £20!

Wednesday 6th August
Pewsey 5 mile race. Enjoyed it last year and always support PVRC's events so was keen to have another go at it. Not really sure what to write about it - I like this distance because it's over quickly but it was hard work tonight. Managed a reasonable pace all the way but don't think my heart and lungs could have worked much harder, plus I always think evening races are harder than Sunday morning ones.

Disappointed that I only knocked off 1 minute off my time from last year but at least the hills didn't feel as bad. To be fair I haven't done so much speed work lately, concentrating instead on longer distances.

I usually try not to drink mid-week but had a few hard-earned beers when I got home.

Thursday 7th August
Cheney Manor route via the church, 6-7 miles, very steady. Recovered from yesterday and got my legs moving again. Plan to do a long run Friday as I will be at the Oval Saturday so will struggle to do any decent distance on Sunday.

Increasing the mileage

Thursday 31st July
Running club tonight, ran with Terry and Steph. According to Terry we did 7 miles in just over an hour, but I may have sneaked under one hour as I put in a sprint finish. Struggled a bit tonight, think I may still not have recovered from Sunday.

Friday 1st August
Complete rest. Bit of a calorie fest today as the boss paid for us all to have a cooked breakfast (wouldn't have had my porridge if I'd know) plus I went out for a meal in the evening at the Cosmo in the town centre which is basically an all you can eat buffet. Overdid it a bit and had a touch of indigestion. I think my body liked it though, at the risk of supplying too much information, it is getting increasingly good at taking all the nutrients and getting rid of everything else.

Saturday 2nd August
I really can't take my beer these days and didn't manage to run until the evening. Went out from home, 7-8 miles approx, down the railway path, lethbridge route, back up the railway path and through Old Town. Nearly got run down by a mini crossing a road - how embarrassing would that have been?

Sunday 3rd August
Long run, 20 miles approx. Usual route from the gym, up the railway path and picked up the half route, came back via the railway path as well. Managed it in just over 3 hours but struggled a bit and had to have a few walk breaks. Think I was still dehydrated. Note to self: always have a bottle of powerade with breakfast on long run days!

Not in the best frame of mind today either, was obviously disappointed at the cricket but was also saddened to hear of Michael Vaughan's resignation today. May have to write a special piece on my other blog in tribute.

Finally got round to seeing The Dark Knight after my run, which is absolutely brilliant but possibly not a film to watch when you're feeling a tad depressed.

Couple of easy days now as I am doing the Pewsey 5 mile race on Wednesday. Or at least I hope I am - I still haven't had my race number?!

Too hot for a half marathon PB.

Wednesday 23rd July
Body Pump. No cardio. The fact that I had no inclination to do anything else told me I was tired and obviously in need of a couple of days off.

Thursday 24th/Friday 25th July
Complete rest, full body massage with Ali on Friday evening.

Saturday 26th July
Body pump in the morning, missed out the squats track. Last session with Ali for a couple of weeks, as he goes on holiday this week.

Sunday 27th July
Gloucester Half Marathon. Went to the race feeling rested and confident that this would be the day I set myself a new half marathon PB. However I had failed to take into account two major factors; I knew it wasn't an easy course but was confident I am better at hills than I used to be. However I had no idea how much the weather would affect me.

I set off at a good pace, round about 8-minute miles for the first five. But after 3 miles I was already dripping with sweat and after 5 miles I was already feeling the heat and slowing down.

None of the hills on the course were particularly vicious, but there were enough of them to take it out of you. Which is probably why the race only scores 55% for PB potential on the runners' world website.

I can't remember exactly where it went wrong, but I do remember walking at the water stations at miles 7 and 10, and felt close to passing out. I abandoned all hope of a good time, deciding just to treat it as a training run and try to get round.

Get round I did, and despite everything finished in 1 hour 55 minutes. I decided later that was easily worth 1:45 on a flat course in good weather. If there was any doubt the next few days told me I couldn't have done a lot better on the day.

Monday 28th July
6 miles very steady, ran the Lethbridge route on my own. My legs were pretty sore today, so even if I did walk bits of the race, I must have run hard yesterday. Or is there something in Neil England's belief that training every day is better than tapering so you don't fool your body into thinking regular training has ceased?

Tuesday 29th July
Just couldn't motivate myself to go to the track tonight, my legs were still sore and I was exhausted after spending the day training on the new system and not getting enough sleep. Was meant to run with Steph but she had to cancel. Wasn't sure what to do so started jogging out to the lake, in the end did an interval session. However, I only did 3 laps instead of 5 or 6, and wasn't able to push myself as hard as I should. Still a good session though.

Wednesday 30th July
Body Pump and RPM. Steve was covering for Ali in pump, and while he is a very good RPM instructor, he is new to teaching pump and actually had to miss out shoulders and lunges as he doesn't know the choreography. Not his fault, he was obviously thrown in at the deep end. Did RPM afterwards as I didn't really feel like I'd had a workout but didn't want to run either. Will save that for running club tomorrow.

Tapering

Have decided to treat myself to a low-mileage week as I taper down for the Gloucester half marathon on 27th July. Am thinking a PB could be on the cards now my stamina is up.

Monday 21st July
8km (5 miles) on the treadmill, very steady. Felt like I could do more but told myself not to. Did 20 minutes of core exercises instead.

Tuesday 22nd July
Decided to give the track a miss and do a shorter speed session on my own, hills and sprints.

1.6k treadmill, jog out to the ridge, 2 sets of 3 hill reps and 3 sprints, jog back, 1.6k treadmill. Followed by 20 minutes of core work (this seems a good way of fitting it in as opposed to a whole hour of it).

Plan for the rest of the week: body pump tomorrow, rest Thursday, sports massage Friday, light pump Saturday (no squats or lunges). Hopefully this will leave me with nice fresh legs and itching to run Sunday.

Feeling tired

Thursday 17th July
Went out with the running club tonight, did 7-8 miles at a good pace with Becky and her brother Mark (a trio of Weedons!)

Felt tired initially and was struggling in the early stages but was spurred on when Andy made a comment implying it was a lack of fitness, not tiredness, that was causing me to struggle, so I set out to prove him wrong. Yet again we had to leave him and Steph behind and it is sad to see him unable to keep up with the main group when he used to be bossing the pace.

In the same period where I have lost weight, he has gained it, and our roles have been reversed. I wish I knew what I could do to get him to address the issue, and I now fully understand why Anthony and Ali have been so frustrated by my weight issues in the past.

Friday 18th July
Hill reps, 2 sets of 10 with a five minute jog in between. Really feeling tired now, and couldn't help feeling I was going through the motions and not pushing as hard as I should have.

If I'm completely honest the only reason I trained tonight was because it's been another tough, stressful week at work and if I'd gone straight home I'd have started on the wine as soon as I'd got in the door.

Saturday 19th July
Double classes, RPM and body pump. Shaun was teaching RPM again and it was a good, tough class, but I didn't go crazy with the resistance to save my legs for tomorrow's long run.

Sunday 20th July
Long run. 11.4k (just over 7 miles) on the treadmill in an hour followed by the Elcombe route which is 10 miles. Pace not so good, but still reasonable, it took roughly 95 mins (so approximtely 9 minute miles allowing for stoppages).

I definitely feel that my legs are coping well with the increase in mileage, it certainly helps that they don't have so much weight to carry and again I noticed on the tough hills I could run all the way to the top whereas in the past I'd have given up and walked.

Weigh-in
The Tanita scales were broken yet again so I used a different set and worked out my weight in stones and pounds: 15 stone 3lbs. Very disappointed not to have lost anything, felt like I'd done enough to deserve it. My diet hasn't been that bad either. I guess this will happen from time to time. I'm just keen to get under 15 stone sooner than later.

Another horrid track session

Monday 14th July
Recovery run tonight, couldn't face doing it on the treadmill so went outside, but ran on my own as I wasn't up to going out with the running club. As it turned out, I would probably have been alright doing that; I ran the Cheney Manor route (long version) and felt alright. Didn't time the run, but it felt like a good pace.

Good news this, it tells me my body is already getting used to long runs and is recovering quickly. Hopefully my stamina will tell in my next couple of half marathons.

Tuesday 15th July
Another Tuesday, another track session. 5 sets of 2*400m, with one minute between efforts and five minutes between sets. Managed all the reps, did 5 laps to warm up and 2 to cool down.

I've given up worrying about keeping up with the main group, if other people don't come because it's too much like hard work that's up to them. But these sessions never seem to get easier, and I'm wondering if losing a stone has made a difference. Maybe I should time myself and keep a log to reassure myself I'm getting quicker.

It's also getting harder to get to these sessions, traffic across Swindon was terrible tonight and I would save time by going to the gym and doing my own speed work. The problem is, would I push myself as hard if I'm not training in a group?

Wednesday 16th July
Body Pump and RPM tonight. Needed to give my legs a rest from running, but at the same time I really want to push my weight under that 15 stone landmark, because when I do I will make damn sure it never goes above 15 stone again, just as I will never let it go above 16 stone. I doubt I'll ever get it under 14 stone, which makes this landmark particularly special.

Funnily enough, I didn't find either of the classes too bad tonight, which seems odd when you consider I had a stressful day at work and stuggled more on Saturday when I had had a good night's sleep. Strange.

Another long run

Wednesday 9th July
Just body pump today, no cardio work before or after. Was very tempted to do spinning class afterwards, but I knew my legs needed a rest. Found the new release a little (but not a lot) easier second time round.

Thursday 10th July
Running club tonight, just four of us out. Steph and Andy did a shorter route in the end while myself and Terry pushed on and did about 6.5 miles. I really enjoy running with Terry, we run at a challenging pace, but not so much that we can't have a good conversation. I shall miss him while he's on holiday for the next two and a bit weeks.

Friday 11th July
Wasn't sure at all what to do tonight, considered hill reps but the weather wasn't great so I just ran indoors in the end. Managed an hour on the treadmill (I think - it's been a long week and I pretty much collapsed by the time I got home).

Saturday 12th July
Double classes this morning, RPM and body pump. Have taken the view that spinning is probably a better option than running on a Saturday if I plan to do a really long run on the Sunday. As it turned out, the RPM class was taken by a chap called Shaun from the Eldene gym instead of Rich Jones, and it was a good, tough class. So much so I shook his hand and thanked him at the end, and may well find out what time his classes are at Eldene. I was very impressed.

Struggled in body pump and Ali knew it. I think he wanted to get the class out of the way as soon as possible which is fair enough, but when I can't take a sip of my sports drink during a two-hour training session maybe he is taking it a bit too far.

Also did 30 minutes of my core work afterwards. I struggle to fit this in sometimes but I do enjoy doing it and the benefits are obvious.

Had a really nice surprise later in the day when Anthony rang me for a catch-up. He had obviously been impressed by my progress on this blog and the weight loss in particular, he has urged me to get my weight down to 14 - 14.5 stone and thinks a 40-minute 10k should be on the cards if I can do that. He has also asked me to join him in doing the Marathon des Sables in 2010, which is a huge challenge and a massive compliment if he thinks I can rise to it. Extreme sports would be the logical progression for me, and if my literary career takes off as my tutor seems to think it could, I should be able to devote more time to training by then. What was it someone said about life beginning at 40?

Sunday 13th July
Another long run today. My intention is to do a shorter long run next week (maybe about 15 miles) and then taper for the Gloucester half marathon on 27th July where I shall be targeting a PB.

Wasn't sure what route to do, but as it was a sunny day I was wary about being outside for too long as I didn't want to get burnt. Ended up doing 7 miles on the treadmill in just under an hour, then went out and did my old half-marathon training run. This is a pastiche if you like of the lethbridge route, the railway path, marlborough road, queens drive and back to the gym via town centre. Don't know exactly how far it is but I imagine comfortably 12 miles, maybe 13. Despite having to walk parts as I felt a bit faint at times, and stopping for traffic, I still did it in less than two hours which I was very pleased with - in total 19-20 miles at a good pace. And my legs stood up to it better than they did a week ago.

Weighed myself afterwards, am now 15st 3lb. Disappointed I haven't got under 15 stone yet, but at least it is still going in the right direction. If I keep this mileage up and lay off the sauce, 14 and a half stone should be easily achievable well before I get to the start line in Berlin.

First Long Run

Sunday 6th July
Did my first long run for a little while today, 20 miles approx. Starting at the gym, up the railway path, picking up the Swindon half route, then back through the town centre. Got a little lost in Wanborough as I decided to do the half route backwards, probably added on an extra mile. Not good weather today and got caught in a downpour. Interestingly I was passed by Tamsin Simmonds from the Swindon Harriers who asked how far I was going and what I was training for. When I told her she remarked it might be a bit early for me to be doing 20+ miles. My reply was that the more long, long runs (as I call them) I can do before then, the better. She did not demur.

In any case, struggled in the last few miles and had to walk some stretches, so there is work to do.

Monday 7th July
Very sore today, so just 5 miles slow on the treadmill. Clearly my body is not used to these long distances, so I was vindicated in starting them sooner than later.

Tuesday 8th July
Probably shouldn't have gone to the track tonight, but I hate missing these sessions because I feel such a wimp.

4 laps to warm-up, then 5 sets of 500m + 300m, 1.5 mins between efforts, 4 minutes between sets. So 4k of speedwork altogether. Despite being still very sore, managed all the reps. Thought I would have to just do the 5 * 500m so quite pleased. 2 laps to cool down.

Numbers at the track seem to be falling every week, I can't remember the last time there were so few people there. Maybe it is holiday season, but I struggle to understand why fewer people come in summer when the weather is better and recoveries are longer. Strange.

Active Recovery

Tuesday 1st July
Still a bit sore so not prepared to risk a track session. Nice steady run instead, did the Lethbridge route (5-6 miles). Felt ok actually and managed to pick the pace up in the last couple of miles. Maybe the injury isn't as bad as I first thought.

Wednesday 2nd July
Body pump as usual. New release tonight and it is a tough one! Press-ups at the end of the chest track which is always hard, plus dips on the triceps track. Found the shoulders track difficult to follow as well. Hopefully my body will adapt to this new release.

Also managed 10k on the treadmill afterwards so the leg is obviously not that serious.

Thursday 3rd July
Nice steady run up the railway path and through town, 1 hour approx. I'm guessing about 7 miles.

Friday 4th July
Complete rest. Lee-Anne's leaving do, starting with a curry at 6.30 so no time for training.

Saturday 5th July
Double classes, RPM and body pump. Struggled in both. Fortunately it was Ali's weekend off and Rachel did old stuff in pump. It probably wasn't a good idea training after a big night out.

Bourton Hilly Half

Tuesday 24th June
Track session, 6*500m, 3 minutes off the lead runner. Did 5 laps to warm up, 2 to cool down. Really struggled this evening, felt very tired after my exertions at the weekend. Felt I needed a bit of a rest.

Again, these sessions are becoming increasingly elitist, Clare was the only other person from group 3 and there weren't many people from group 2 either. I know I should compare myself to the people that don't do this type of training and wonder why they don't get any faster, but it can be demoralising when you are busting a gut and still coming last on every rep.

Wednesday 25th June
Body pump as usual, 2 miles on the treadmill beforehand, another 3 afterwards. Time for a rest now as I want to be fresh on Saturday.

Thursday 26th June & Friday 27th June
Complete rest on both days.

Saturday 28th June
Went to body pump in the morning but gave squats a miss. Went light on most other tracks as well.

Meant to relax in the afternoon before the race but had an upset stomach. Knew I should probably give the race a miss but went along anyway.

The Bourton Hilly Half is definitely one of my favourites despite the hills. Took the view again this year just to use it as a hard training run. The hill in the first mile was a killer, but still did it in 9mins 15 secs which is not a bad effort. Felt strong most of the way round and despite stomach pains kept up a good-ish pace.

Really bad news at mile 9, just as I had got over the last big hill I suffered a stabbing pain in my troublesome right hamstring. Managed to carry on but eased off the pace a little, and the pain did seem to subside a little.

In the end I was very happy with my time of 1:52:57 as this was about 6-7 minutes faster than last year and much faster than I was expecting. Had it not been for the upset stomach and hamstring injury sub 1:50 would have been a distinct possibility, and a very respectable time for the course.

Availed myself of a free sports massage (just a rub down really) and had a little walk. The hamstring was still sore but not as bad as it has been in the past. Still, it's a worry and I will need to manage the injury carefully.

Sunday 29th June
No running today, just 30-45 minutes of core work and stretching.

Monday 30th June
Again decided not to risk running, went to RPM instead. Used the foam roller on my legs afterwards which definitely seemed to help. Must do this more from now on.