Rough n' Tumble 10

Thursday 8th January

Speed session tonight, with shorter intervals. 2k warm up, then 10 x 2 mins @14kph. Yes I know they used to be at 14.5kph but I'm struggling to get back into these sessions. The speed work constituted 5.8k so did a 2.2k cool down to make it 10k in total.

Met Andy later for a birthday beer - he turned thirty on Tuesday bless him.

Very good news today, had some very positive feedback from my sister reference my novel. Quite a bit to work on still, but it reads well by all accounts, and I have succeeded in doing what I set out to do - a lad-lit romance with a cricketing backdrop, and I have created well-drawn and likeable characters.

The inital feedback was always going to be make or break - the big question was always, can I write a novel that people will enjoy reading? The answer seems to be a resounding "Yes".

Friday 9th January

Complete rest. Wanted to give my legs a chance to recover before Sunday.

Saturday 10th January

Body pump in the morning. Bit of a disaster in as much as Ali was having real problems with the CD player and had to abandon certain tracks, such as the warm-up. I didn't mind as I wanted a light work-out and missed the lunges out in any case.

When I was catching up on some reading he asked me if I didn't have a home to go to. I replied that I did, but Saturday mornings at the gym have been about not only going to pump but also seeing friends and catching up on some reading. With the events in the English cricket set-up over the last week, I have had a fair bit of reading and analysis to catch up on.

My gut feeling on the latter is that it should all be for the best. I wanted Andrew Strauss to captain the England team a couple of years ago on the ill-fated tour to Australia, and it seems poetic justice that he finally gets the chance to prove his mettle. Moores simply didn't pass muster and as hard as it may be to fill the shoes left by Duncan Fletcher, the team need someone better if they are to move forward.

Sunday 11th January
Woke up to find that while it was still cold outside, it was by no means as frosty as it has been in the week and a lot of the frost was already clearing up. So I decided to go for it and make my way to Milton Lilbourne.

The Rough n' Tumble has become a de rigueur training run for me being immediately after Christmas and kicked off my training for London in 2007. I wanted it to do the same this year, but at the same time knew I probably wouldn't be able to run it flat out due to the icy conditions. The weather on the day itself was fine - cold but not enough for me to wear a hat, and if anything, the sun was quite bright.

Started off along the road at a steady jog, preparing myself for the huge hill in the first mile. Most of us were reduced to a walk which is nothing to be ashamed of. In the next few miles, I noticed that one path was completely frozen over, and a stretch that was muddy last year was relatively dry this time round.

The parts where I really lost time were the downhill stretches at about 4 and 6 miles. It was just so slippy I couldn't get any sort of grip, and so took it very steady, walking large parts and even sliding down on my backside.

What I did notice was that a lot of the uphill parts weren't as bad as I remember them. The hill at mile 6 still required use of all four limbs to get up, but I seemed to get up there a lot quicker than I managed in the past.

I managed to fall over twice, the second time being through the woods in the last mile. This could have been nasty as I lost my footing and fell over sideways. Luckily I landed on soft ground and was only slightly grazed. I was helped to my feet by two of my fellow competitors and it was palpable how relaxed and friendly everyone was at this event.

I distinctly remember being absolutely knackered at the end of this run last year and the year before but this time I just felt like I had done a fairly run of the mill training run, even though my time, whilst not great, was an improvement. I don't know if that is down to there being less mud on the course, but it could also be down to my being lighter and having better core stability.

In any case it was a good way to kick off my build up to London in (and I say this with a fair amount of trepidation) three and a half month's time.

Unable to have quite as many post-race beers as I would have liked due to showing prospective lodgers round the house. I've done a deal with myself to cut out alcohol wherever possible, but a few drinks after a race is perfectly fine - PB or not they will all be hard runs and I need some treats to keep me motivated. I can't be on a diet all the time.

Monday 12th January
8k (5 miles) on the treadmill at a very steady pace, followed by a nice stretch. Legs not feeling all that tight, but bad enough not to do a hard run or interval session. Plan for the rest of the week is 6-7 with Becky and Steph tomorrow, classes Weds, speed session Thursday, massage Friday, rest Saturday and then the Highworth half marathon Sunday. I think I'm on the right track.