Northern 12 Stage Relay, Birkenhead 24th March

Having experienced the Northern and National 6 stage relays in 2018 I was keen to get involved in the 12 stage relays in 2019 for the first time, especially given I was forced to miss them last year due to my groin injury.

Such is the strength in depth at the senior mens division at my club Tyne Bridge Harriers I wasn’t assured to get an automatic spot in the starting 12.

The club did plan on entering two teams but as it transpired that didn’t happen and I was pleased to get the nod from captain Alasdair Blain to run a short Leg in 6th position.

That sounded ideal for me and I had hoped for a short leg and in the back of my mind I felt like I could use it as a chance to test my fitness over a distsnce I could attack hard – approx 2.5 miles.

My target remains a sub 16 5k which is around 5:08 miling and I’d want to be in that ballpark although admittedly I wasn’t familiar with the course and who knew whether conditions would be favourable.

Training had been going well in terms of mileage as I have now locked in a good routine of regularly run commuting which is ensuring approx 40 miles Monday to Friday. I completed a strong 15 mile long run in awful conditions the week before the race and also got an excellent 5k session in on the Tuesday in the week of the race.

That said I struggled for the rest of the week and had to pull the foot right off the gas to feel fresh for the race. Unfortunately even as late as the Saturday I felt as tired and rough as a dog. I’d taken a rest day on the Friday and had to force myself out on the Saturday for a 30 minute jog plus strides. I’m glad I did as if I hadn’t I think it would have played on my mind somewhat and led to an even further increased feeling of lethargy.

I’ve been having an issue with my left ear with tinnitus type symptoms but recently its worsened and made me feel aggravated if not a little dizzy at times. I’ve finally booked a doctors appointment to get it looked at.

So the alarm of 6:30am on a Sunday morning was pretty unwelcome for the long bus trip from Newcastle to Birkenhead. Indeed the bus journey involved no comfort break at the usual Wetherby services (meaning no much needed coffee was had) but luckily there was a toilet onboard!!!

Arriving at Birkenhead the course looked great although a bit of a wind seemed to be picking up. The race was off at midday prompt and Finn Brodie ran a great first long leg putting our team in 13th position overall.

I’d roughly worked out that I should be starting around 13:30 so I had time for a double espresso and started my warm up at 12:50. I just did a very easy 15 minute jog. I felt like everything was in order despite the previous worries about feeling bleurgh in the previous days build up. The sun had shown itself and it felt warm. The wind was definitely against in the 2nd half of the short leg so I felt on balance that it was best to bank as much time as possible in the fast first mile and then just dig in and hang on to the finish.

Legs 2, 3, 4 and 5 were completed strongly by Marc Fenwick, Terry Scott, Kieran Reay and Michael Hedley. A little nervously I’d gotten myself to the starting pen far too soon and I waited around 15 minutes for Michael to finish his long leg. In that time I had got a little anxious but just tried to not waste too much energy worrying.

As a team we had improved to 10th place as I got underway and I could see 9th place (Rotherham Harriers) ahead but had probably more than 100m to catch up.

I felt like I was moving well as the course gently descended and arrived at a small climb before a more pronounced descent and gentle left hander.

It was at this point I could feel the wind in my face and I just focused on getting to the wooded section which a few lads had said was a bit slower. I’d only been passing lapped runners and runners from the womens race and I was no longer aware of the Rotherham lad ahead. So my focus was to not be overtaken and to just keep plugging away.

Coming out of the wooded area there was a hard left hand turn and I tried to keep the feet quick to get the momentum going up the long gradual climb to the finish.

It was here that I tried to go as close to all out as possible and I was reeling in a lapped runner finishing leg 5. So I just kept my focus squarely on him with the aim of getting in front. I was consciously driving the arms and just trying to keep the form solid.

Unfortunately the runner looked round and responded with a sprint finish and just pipped me on the line but it served the purpose of getting something out of me.

Driving hard for home…

Ryan Holt then set off for the 7th leg.

Looking at the Garmin data later it was odd as it had given me a mile record of 4:52 for the first mile but then Strava had it registered as 4:57 and a slow down to 5:34 for the 2nd mile. I was disappointed with the 2nd mile and felt like there was maybe 5 seconds in there if I’d handled the head wind a bit better and also ran a bit more confidently through the wooded area. That said, overall I think 12:36 for around 2.3 or 2.4 miles is solid and looking at the results I’m in excellent shape for this time of year, especially when compared to previous years. So I need to bank the positives.

I really enjoyed the day and the run and the lads were able to maintain 10th position which is a great result that qualifies us strongly for the Nationals in a few weeks time. So hats off to Ryan, Paul Turnbull, James Dunce, Tom Charlton, Davey Wright and Captain Alasdair Blain who brought us home in spectacular fashion!

And to top it all off the bus trip back involved four cans of Kronenburg and a stop off at the aforementioned Wetherby services for a Greggs steak bake and coffee!!!

Next up for me is a little cheeky 1 mile race on the track next Saturday and I’m excited to see what I can do compared to my road mile PB of 4:49.

After that its back on the bus to Birmingham for the National 12 stage.

Thanks for reading.

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North East Harrier League – Alnwick – Race Report

For one reason or another I decided not to race the fifth NEHL XC fixture at Thornley Hall which meant my goal of achieving my highest ever placing in the Individual Grand Prix was no longer achieveable, having only completed two previous fixtures in the 2018/19 season so far at Gosforth Park and Aykley Heads.

So I was in two minds whether to attend Alnwick even though it is probably one of the most enjoyable courses on the circuit.

Overall my key aims at present are to achieve a new 5k PB and then tune up for the Northern 12 stage relays at the end of March. After that I’m aiming to run some quick times on the track at a range of distances from 400m up to maybe 3000m.

I feel my strength as a runner could be on the track over maybe a mile and I also feel like I’ve proven some decent potential in training by recently running 2:42.3 for 1km on the road which predicts a 4:33 mile and 15:39 5km equivalent performance. That said I know I need to progress in stages as my current PBs are well shy (4:49 and 16:44 respectively). I meant it when I recently posted a comment on one of my Strava runs that “I hate all of my PBs” as I know I am better than my Power of 10 suggests but running is a journey and patience is key.

Overall training has been going well despite a few minor blips in January due to a couple of illnesses and some usual shin issues caused more by over excuberence in training than anything else.

Just after New Year I picked up a heavy head cold and then at the end of January I had a strange stomach bug. The shin issues were caused by me starting a new run work commute routine which suddenly had me doubling up Monday to Friday with a total of 8 miles per day. That flared up some shin pain which is more neural than boney and is a common issue for me when I run too much too quickly.

Training load has been much improved in February and I’d hazard a guess that it was a record mileage month (233.5 miles in total) despite it being only 28 calendar days. That included a 66 mile week which is a weekly record although I try hard to avoid focussing on a fixed 7 day block and prefer to monitor training load trends on Training Peaks.

I feel like I’ve matured somewhat in my overall approach to running and training. I’ve adopted a simpler approach whereby approx 90% of my training is easy with the new work commute forming the basis of those miles. Having a backpack to carry forces a slowing down of those bread and butter miles but it also establishes a good routine and ensures I get a good 30-35mins run in before eating breakfast which I have found to be key in achieving and maintaining a consistent and healthy race weight. Having a backpack and running slow (avg. 7:45-8min miles) also provides a good cardio workout. Running twice a day teaches the body that running is fundamental and the benefits of this are clear – I believe if done correctly the body learns to adapt and repair more quickly. Running tired and sometimes hungry builds strength and endurance and the body responds well.

The remaining 10% of weekly training volume is spent running at goal race pace. I mix this up quite a bit. Sometimes I’ll run say 2k at target 5k pace or 3k at current 10km pace. I’ve also ran some longer runs at more like HM pace (I recently ran 10 miles in 60mins which is faster than my current HM PB and felt comfortable overall). I’ve also ran some trials like the aforementioned 1k in 2:42.3 which are very much confidence boosters and confirm my potential.

I must state this program is inspired by Ernst van Aaken, the real father of Long Slow Distance (LSD).

All of this means I feel I’m in the best shape I have ever been in and I believe I could pretty much PB at any distance at the moment. So the key is to keep my feet firmly on the ground and carefully put together a race plan over spring and up to June.

It was against this backdrop that myself and Michael Hedley arrived at Alnwick castle to do battle in the last fixture of the NEHL. In the back of my mind I wondered if I could try to tag onto the back of Michael in this race although I knew he had ran well the previous week in the National XC and would probably come on for that.

As usual I didn’t feel that great in warm up and the wind had gotten up and the temperature had dropped somewhat. I have gotten used to feeling a bit “dead” before a race and just stuck to the routine of 15 minutes of gentle jogging and trying to focus on positive self talk.

Before we knew it we were lined up on the start line with an ever increasing Fast pack eagerly waiting to chase the slow and medium packs that had already got underway.

The first 5 minutes is always fast and furious and although I was keen not to burn matches I was also determined to get a good early position. My original plan of tagging to Michael was quickly put to one side although I felt like I could do worse than tracking fellow TBHer Cees van der Land. I could also pick out the likes of Matthew Alderson and Daniel Alexander who I’d battled it out with at Aykley Heads albeit some months ago now.

The 1st lap felt strong with my only issue being on the long stretch on the far side of the course which had been overlayed with large stones which were difficult to run on in spikes and it would have been very easy to roll an ankle. So I found myself alternating between that and the softer uneven ground on the left hand side. This was far from ideal and I quickly noticed I lost some ground on Cees and also a couple of fast packers I knew I was stronger than went by. So I had to tackle that section better on the next few laps. On balance I felt I’d have to carefully negotiate the stones.

The key feature of the Alnwick course is the steep downhill section which can be tricky and again I found myself not taking it as smoothly as Cees but to be fair on myself he is an experienced fell runner! Overall I felt I was travelling quite strongly entering the second lap.

The long draggy uphill section which is more a series of inclines felt naturally harder second time round and frustratingly I still didn’t feel like I had gotten through the stoney section as effectively as I needed to. I was still weaving about between the stones and the edge. I think it was at this point that I badly stubbed my right second toe. Fortunately it didn’t really adversely affect my race but I did feel like it was broken immediately after the race! As I write this on Monday the toe is still very sore as is the arch of my foot. This could mean missing the TBH winter grand prix 5k PB attempt tomorrow which would be a real shame.

I threw myself as fast as possible down the steep hill for a second time and started trying to mentally prepare myself for the last lap. I know from experience that the last lap is all important. The majority of the field will be slowing and just by maintaining a good pace exponential place gains can be made. I wasn’t really aware where I was in the field but my target was a top 62 placing to maintain my Fast pack status next season.

Photo credit: Stuart Whitman

The easy pickings have been had by this stage and the key really is to keep a steady tempo and pick the right racing line. Its important to not get lazy and allow yourself to settle in with a slower group of runners. The challenge is to continue to overtake and not to be overtaken.

I felt like I was sticking to task well and I could also still see Cees and Matthew ahead, maybe I was reeling them in?

Getting to the stoney section for a third time I felt a hint of a side stitch coming on but mentally I felt very strong. My legs also felt very strong and the only concern was my right foot, especially the toe which was sore. Spikes on the large, hard stones were far from ideal.

Coming off the stones and onto the nice slight incline I felt very, very strong and I made my move for a powerful finish. On the lead up to the last downhill I made some key place gains and arguably my last descent down the steep hill was my best yet.

On the final straight I mustered a sprint finish and remarkably I was thinking I would have preferred another half a mile to make up more placings!

On reviewing the results this is definitely my strongest ever XC result, finishing 58th overall in the field and 26th fastest on the day.

I feel like my current approach and improved consistency in training is paying off and I now turn my attention to the roads and track. Fingers crossed my right foot will resolve itself quickly although the TBH WGP probably comes too soon.

Thanks for reading.

North East Harrier League – Aykley Heads – Race Report

I was on somewhat of a high coming into my second XC fixture of the season at Aykley Heads having run a big 10km PB of 34:49 the week previous.

To ensure a good placing in the Senior Mens NEHL XC Individual Grand Prix I need to race in all of the remaining fixtures as the top 4 results out of 6 count.

So I was full of confidence and also knew I’d put in a nice week of training up in Edinburgh, running 40 miles Monday to Thursday including a decent threshold workout on Tuesday.

I completed a bread and butter 20 minute threshold around the Meadows in Edinburgh averaging 5:45/mile pace and bottom end of my heart rate zone at 170bpm. A good marker. It didn’t feel comfortable as I’d foolishly eaten too soon to the run but that was a bigger positive as I felt I would have run even smoother if I’d prepared properly.

I’m noticing a feeling of aerobic fitness and I am especially benefitting from regular morning runs before breakfast and also a second run on some days before dusk.

Although the Aykley Heads fixture was important the real target and “A” race is the Northern Counties XC on 8th December. So the plan was for a good hard effort here and then move into a final 2-3wks of training to fully tune up for the “A” race.

The trip to Durham is one of the longer drives on the schedule and I ended up getting to the course a little early. The weather was perfect and the course was expected to be pretty firm which suits my style of running.

As has become my routine I went for a 15 minute jog at around 13:20 with the senior mens Slow pack due to start at 13:50. Being in the Fast pack I was planning to get on the start line around 13:55.

As I have become used to I didn’t feel too good during the warm up. I felt a little tired and lethargic and my legs a bit dead. You have to sort of stop the mind drifting to thinking “how am I going to tough out 10k” today.

Aykley Heads is a testing course with a few decent inclines and hills each lap. It’s quite easy to go off too hard and then pay a little for it on the second and third laps. In addition I personally felt that the course had been narrowed unneccessarily in certain key sections. I feel this made the course slower than previous years as I was unable to get passed slower runners at critical moments on the second and third laps.

I decided to continue my strategy of not wearing my Garmin, it’s definitely not worth the temptation of looking at it in a XC race.

The race got underway on time and I was able to settle in quite nicely. The first lap was spent trading places with Matthew Alderson of Blaydon and we started passing a steady flow of Slow pack runners.

I felt controlled and just tried to focus on keeping an eye on my footing. A lot of the ground is uneven and it’s easy to completely lose momentum with one badly placed foot fall.

Overall I felt like the pace was good and as we got into the second lap the congestion of runners increased. I still felt like I was negotiating the inclines efficiently. I was gliding over the ground nicely until we got to the key hills at the end of the lap. I felt noticeably slower here and Matthew Alderson got away.

I tried to gee myself up for a strong last lap. At this point I noticed I’d gone passed a Gateshead Harrier who beat me convincingly at Gosforth. That gave me comfort that I was going quite well and it gave me a second wind.

That said I found the last lap even more frustrating than the second due to some antics by one or two slow pack runners who took it upon themselves to deliberately block me coming up a narrow hill. It annoyed me but also added a bit of determination to get by and gave me the desire to finish the thing off.

I was hanging onto another Fast pack lad from Gateshead (later confirmed as Daniel Alexander who went on to run 2:44 at the Town Moor marathon the following day) who had also beaten me at the last fixture. I also noticed I’d made some ground back on Matthew Alderson and fellow Tyne Bridge Harrier (and Fell runner extraordinaire) Cees Van Der Land.

I reminded myself of my strong finish up the final hill in the 2017 race. Although I was unable to muster up anything near that turn of pace I was gearing up for a good final straight finish (Aykley Heads has a lovely long slightly favourable run in) and there was a number of runners to aim for.

Thanks to a runner from Ashington Hirst who I felt was veering in front and blocking me out deliberately I was able to put in a final kick and I managed to get passed about 3 or 4 others in the final 150m and finished just behind the aforementioned Matthew Alderson, Cees Van Der Land and Daniel Alexander from Gateshead who I’d ran much of the final third with.

Looking at the provisional results I was 31st fastest on the day and 7th male 35-39. My time of 38:02 was slightly slower than last year. Its difficult to analyse in detail due to me not having any Garmin data but on balance I felt this was a stronger performance overall. It may be that the course ran slightly longer and I feel the narrowing of the course next to the railway definitely played its part as I recall flying on that section last year whereas this year I was slowed considerably on both the second and third laps.

That all said I am still some way from my target of breaking into the top 20 fastest in the field and more work is needed on my application of effort in the second third of the race.

I now turn my attention to final preparations for the Northern Counties at Wrekenton on 8th December.

Thanks for reading.

Town Moor Memorial 10km – Race Report

When it comes to watching races the annual Town Moor Memorial is up there for me. Living just up the road I’ve made a habit of jogging down to the Town Moor to watch the race and its always a poignant occasion.

Its a race I’ve always wanted to do personally but for whatever reason its never felt right and I’ve always thought to myself – next year.

Leading up to this years race I’d also hummed and harred about whether to enter. But I simply had to this time.

Following a good showing at the 3rd North East Harrier XC fixture training has been going well and I’ve been able to get some decent miles in the legs.

The only issue has been a sore left calf muscle which was entirely my own fault as I overdid it coming down a steep hill in Ilkley, Yorkshire. I had no intention of running fast down a 10-15% gradient but gravity did its thing and I found myself having to apply brakes. Unfortunately the left calf took a battering and got worse Tuesday and Wednesday.

I felt on balance I was ok to continue easy running which I did but the calf was staying the same with no improvement. So I took a rest day on Friday and went for a 30 minute massage on Saturday morning.

I then had a 35 minute shake out jog with some strides on Saturday and felt good to go.

In terms of plans for the race I wanted to use it as a training race and planned to go through the first 5km around PB pace. My PB is 35:23 from a race in February. That said it went down as “Not Official Distance” thanks to Run Nations usual antics of advertising a fast PB course and failing to deliver.

So officially my PB is 35:37.

At the moment I believe I’m in 35 minute shape conditions permitting so I’d be looking to go through the first 5km in 5:40-5:45 pace and then push on the second 5km with a view to averaging around 5:38ish.

The question was whether to use the Garmin or not.

I had the option of trying to run with Aly Dixon and Davey Wright as they planned a similar pace and as of Saturday lunch time I was still undecided.

Part of me wanted to go without watch and focus and another wanted to go full watch and heart rate monitor.

I feel like I can run around 5:38 in my lactate threshold zone of 170-175bpm and part of me felt it would be beneficial to use this race to confirm my condition and therefore use it as a good solid workout with a PB a bonus.

I also felt like if I could go through 5km on plan and feel controlled in my threshold zone it would give me the confidence to push on into more like 176-185bpm to guarantee a positive split.

In the end I decided to go without the watch and avoid distraction. I’m really glad I did.

I didn’t get as much sleep as I’d like and also wasn’t able to carry through my usual pre race eating routine whereby I try to eat my last food at least 4hrs before the race. I therefore kept the breakfast light to a slice of toast, banana and cup of strong coffee.

I was pretty nervous. In some ways “getting the miles” in can create a new pressure. Maybe you’ve used a lack of miles as an excuse in the past. Now that is gone. But deep down there is a sense of confidence. I felt different. I feel fit and healthy and full of endurance.

I cycled down to Town Moor and left my bike next to the start/finish to walk across to the race HQ in Jesmond to pick up my number. Critically I put my chip timer on my shoe so as to avoid the DNS/DNF debacle at the Clive Cookson in 2016!

I was feeling nervous and lost count of the toilet trips but I’m experienced enough now to take that as a good sign that I was keen to perform.

Once back at the start I did a very easy 15 minute jog warm up around the nearby lake. I like to warm up alone with music. I like quite angry, angular music. I want to feel a bit angry overall. I want to feel raring to go.

The sense of occasion was palpable with it being the 100th anniversary of the ending of the Great War in 1918. The two minutes silence was impeccably observed and it was time to go.

I got a nice clear start and the first half a mile was extremely comfortable. I couldn’t feel a breath of wind and I thought to myself “this is perfect”.

I’d also gotten in just behind Davey and Aly Dixon and although the pace felt slowish I convinced myself that it was just because it was still early doors. I held myself back from pushing on. If I felt the same at 5k I would push on. Looking at Aly’s Strava data the first few miles were ran in 5:42ish which was as planned.

That said during the first 3 miles we were discovering that conditions weren’t completely perfect as is the way on Town Moor. The open nature of the land invariably means there is always a breeze of some description. Indeed, coming from Grandstand Road and back onto the Moor we turned directly into the wind. We also had to deal with stoney terrain and single file sections as well as a complete u-turn switch back that led to a complete loss of momentum.

All told I would say the course wasn’t fast. It would be unfair to call it slow but certainly not fast.

I would say around the 3rd mile I realised the Davey / Aly plan wasn’t working out and I pushed on a little. Later I learned that Davey had struggled with stones in his shoes and I assume Aly was very comfortable leading the womens race (doubling up as the NECAA champs) and didn’t need to do much more than maintain the initial pace.

Coming up to 5k I felt strong and I also felt like I’d improved my placings along the way. I now knew where conditions were benign or tough. I told myself I had to push on the favourable sections and be very strong on the tougher sections.

A spectator near 5k was shouting out approx times which led me to believe I’d gone through in about 17:38. That jolted me a bit as I now knew I needed a positive split to end on the plan of 35ish. Really I wanted 34:–.

Nicely though the next section was the best on the course. I know it better than many, having ran this path on hundreds of occasions on training runs. I injected some pace and got passed two competitors in the process. I was also able to get through the gate and onto Grandstand Road much more smoothly now that there was less conjestion.

The path along Grandstand Road is poor with many bumps and cracks but luckily its slightly downhill. I just focused on the ground and placing my feet as efficiently as possible. A Gosforth Harrier was keeping behind me and I just wanted to keep a good rhythm.

I also prepared myself to come back onto the Moor and face the wind again.

At this point I realised we were making ground on a good group of maybe 4. I recognised Rob Walker of Sunderland Harriers and Stephen Schubeler from Heaton. I could also see Kevin Connelly of Gateshead and fellow Tyne Bridge Harier Si Kristiansen just ahead of them. I really wanted to keep making ground. I strongly suspected I was feeling better than a few of those guys who’d obviously gone off a lot harder.

Getting the thumbs up from Sparrow Morley and Si Kristiansen as they came back from the u-turn was encouraging and reminded me that I was running for the team and not just for myself.

It was hurting here and the Gosforth Harrier was back in front and I just focussed on the back of his feet. Coming round passed Wylam brewery it was clear that Rob Walker was struggling. I was audibly breathing hard here but I was moving faster and went passed. Rob is a runner I admire and I found myself offering encouragement. I know Rob never gives up and I felt we could work together. Rob didn’t get back passed me but he was never completely out of the picture and even down the home straight I still feared a late charge.

I still had my eyes on the prize of 3 runners ahead. At this stage I would say I was all out coming through 6 miles. The finish was in sight and I’d made this run in many times at Newcastle parkrun. I found myself closing my eyes and just running as hard as possible and re-opening in the hope that the finish inflatable looked that much bigger in size each time!

What I really needed was a sprint finish which never came. So no places were made up despite a slight pick up in the last 50m.

That was the only disappointment as I finished 21st and a top 20 was definitely possible. My chip time was 34:49 for a large PB and I was very pleased to positive split with the second 5k passed in 17:15 versus 17:34 in the first.

But the icing on the cake was coming in fourth counter for Tyne Bridges winning senior mens team with James Dunce, Sparrow Morley and Si Kristiansen. This has to go down as the best race day I’ve experienced so far and yet it still feels like a beginning as I strongly feel like I have more potential to improve.

Next up is NEHL Aykely Heads on Saturday. Before that I am visiting Edinburgh for a few days. I’m staying near Holyrood Park and the Meadows and I’m looking to continue to get some good training done.

Thanks for reading.

North East Harrier League – Gosforth Park – Race Report

Cross country has been a focus of my racing diary since I started competing again back in 2012. The months between September and February/March tend to be my most consistent in terms of both training and racing.

Critically this time round, the 2018/19 season, I am aiming to have not only a good XC season but to use it as a spring board to fast times and PBs on the road (and track!) next Spring/Summer.

The last few years haven’t quite gone to plan and 2017/18 was a particularly trying time what with the cracked rib in November and the groin injury in February. So I’m extremely keen to nail the traditional strength and endurance build up through the XC season and translate it to lifetime bests in the classic road distances of 5 and 10k. I’d also like a fast mile on the track.

Unfortunately I missed the two opening NEHL fixtures this season – the first due to a head cold and deciding not to risk it with the Northern 6 stage relays coming the following week in Manchester and the second happily skipped as the fixture came the day after our trip to Birmingham for the National 6 stage relays final.

So my anticipation for the 3rd fixture was pretty high and the plan is to compete in all 4 remaining fixtures to ensure a finishing position in the Individual Grand Prix for Senior Men. I’m also hoping to help Tyne Bridge Harriers in our Division 1 endeavours although at the moment there are plenty of lads picking out the 6 counter spots from the Slow and Medium pack so I wasn’t necessarily expecting to count for the team at Gosforth Park.

Training has been going well. For personal reasons I’ll not expand upon here I’ve had some extra time to devote to increased training and I’ve been able to get the weekly mileage above 50 miles albeit only 1 week preceding this XC fixture. The key will be consistency and I’m expecting another 50+ mileage week this week as well.

I also had chance to travel back down to Doncaster to see Dave Tune. The trip was worthwhile to just get that little bit of focus to my training. As I do the majority of my training alone (personal choice) it’s always good to get a second pair of eyes on things and bounce some ideas off someone as experienced as Dave.

Luckily I survived a nasty fall off the treadmill but the skin taken off my right knee and elbow have taken some time to heel. That said it’ll take more than that to stop me now. One of the positives of the recent injuries I’ve overcome has been to instill some more basic grit and determination that maybe wasn’t there before.

I know I’m not lacking in speed but I am lacking in strength and endurance. A big feature of the training menu over the coming weeks will be simple bread and butter threshold work. And increasing the time I can work in that zone. Although my LT heart rate has come down somewhat, perhaps suggesting a stronger heart, the pace is fairly similar to my test in October 2017. So I have some focus to work on.

Arriving at Gosforth Park I was looking to get a good 15 minute warm up in good time before the start. The rain and snow(!) from earlier had given way to bright sun but the wind seemed to be picking up.

The key decision on footwear had already been made and it was spikes for me and I didn’t regret that choice. In fact, I’d decided last season at Thornley Hall that I would never wear trail shoes for XC again. Reason being I felt liked I’d carried half the course round with me on the bottom of my shoes!

Spikes just feel faster full stop.

The grounds and course setup were perfect at Gosforth Park with all facilities in place. Its important to relax and not get stressed about silly things like parking and toilets etc but all that was taken care of and I was able to pick up my race number and get a 15 minute easy jog in on a road leading up a hill to the outside perimeter of the grounds.

I felt in a good place mentally. I’ve been reading a lot and also watching as many running documentaries as I could get my hands on. I’ve really enjoyed the Team Ingebrigtsen series (even without English subtitles!) and I also found some classic 80s race footage of the Gaymers 10km series from 1985. Finally I also discovered a Joss Naylor documentary covering his 60th birthday “present” to himself of 60 peak summits in 36hrs! The latter being particular inspiration for the XC. I would tell myself to “remember Joss” whenever it got tough!

I suppose I’ve learned to not expect to feel that good physically during a warm up. The mental part is key and to resolve to give 100% of what you have on the day. That said the legs did feel good and I was up for it. Another key decision I’d made was to leave the Garmin at home. I’ve decided it’s a training tool and not a racing tool, especially for XC. Again, watching Joss Naylor “at one with nature” influenced this but also talents like Julien Wanders who always races without a watch. Let the brain and body guide you and don’t be distracted by metrics that don’t really matter.

Getting on the start line it was noticeable that the Fast pack was quite big and generally the fixture was very well attended. This was confirmed as there were over 600 runners overall.

I wanted to start strongly and get into a good rhythm early. I didn’t know the course so the first lap was a chance to learn the best racing line, find out where particularly claggy areas were to be avoided and generally get set for a tough 2nd and 3rd lap.

As always the Fast pack went hard from the off and I probably settled in just ahead of mid div. The first couple of hundreds metres were gravelly but still good to run on in spikes. The course then headed up into a wooded area which I found to be the fastest section. I felt strong here on every lap and there was space wide to get past slow packers later in the race.

There was a water logged part coming out of the woods with a sharp left hander but once the initial shock of the first foot soaking was over it didn’t present any problems other than a bit of congestion on the 2nd and 3rd laps.

The course had maybe 2 or 3 inclines per lap but nothing you could really call a hill and that suited my style. The inclines were no tougher than what I would train on around Kenton Dene. I was cautious to keep my effort steady up the inclines and I noticed this led to me losing some ground on a couple of the Fast pack lads I wanted to compete with. On the second lap I was able to make up lost ground through the woods but on the third lap they were gone. This is my only slight disappointment from the run.

What was pleasing overall was that I had very few negative thoughts running through my mind. Usually I will be combating many. As my legs started to weaken on the third lap there were moments where perhaps I was losing a bit of momentum but “the engine” felt good and there was definitely a feeling of more robust endurance.

I felt strong and competitive and it reminded me of my run at Aykley Heads last season. Given that run was in November I’m happy that I’m feeling in good shape in late October.

Its very difficult to know where you are position wise as the end draws near. The great thing about the handicap pack system is that you always have runners to aim for. I did feel like the rate at which I was overtaking runners reduced in the last half of the last lap but there was still a number of scalps to take on the finishing straight.

Unfortunately I wasn’t quite able to muster up an all out sprint this time but again I took this to be a positive as I felt like I’d applied myself much more evenly throughout the whole race.

Overall I’d finished 143rd out of 623 runners. I think I was around 33rd quickest in the field (if the race was a scratch start) and 4th Vet 35-39. As I mentioned earlier this is very comparable with my previous best performance at Aykley Heads last season.

Critically though I’m 12mths older and wiser. As I sit and type this on Sunday I remember well that after my best ever performance at Aykley Heads I went out on Town Moor and tripped on the metal spike that led to the cracked rib.

So as I embark on my Long Run today I’ll definitely be sticking to the roads and keeping my concentration on my footing high!

Thanks for reading!

Pic credit – taken from a video by George Routledge

National 6 Stage Relay, Birmingham 6th October

The Tyne Bridge Harriers men qualified 2 teams to the National 6 Stage Relays for the first time in it’s history at the Northern Relays in Manchester. It was a great achievement and I was keen to take my place in the B team in Birmingham.

And so it was back on the bus for an early morning drive to Sutton Park.

This was going to be my first time running in a top quality national field. In many ways out of my depth but certainly guaranteed to be an excellent experience.

We arrived at the park in good time and luckily the worst of the rain had passed and the wind also didn’t seem too bad.

The club tents were set up cross country style on the grass and before we knew it the race was getting underway at 2pm.

I was due to run 3rd leg for the B team and I figured that I would be setting off around 14:40. So I made sure to get my warm up done around 14:00-14:05. Like Wednesday at the mile race I didn’t feel great. I’ve gotten into the habit of doing my warm ups in a lot of layers which is probably unneccesary and leads to excessive sweating.

My warm up was just a jog and I decided to leave strides until nearer the off.

Getting to the start it was fairly crowded with both men and women and I didn’t get a proper set of strides done. As I approached the pen I saw our mens A team coming through with Carl Smith handing over to Mark Fenwick.

With the benefit of hindsight I should have done a more thorough recce of the course and as it was I only had info from chats with a few of the guys who had already ran the course. The main message I took on board was to not go too hard on the early downhill section as this would be promptly followed by a decent drag. I had been told that this could be made up later in the course with a decent downhill section. However, I wasn’t sure how close that downhill section would leave you to the finish which was a slight drag. That said, when you can see the finish line it’s always possible to pull something out of the bag.

The officials told the men to separate from the women to help smooth the handovers and no sooner had I got across the other side of the road I saw Paul Turnbull who was running 2nd leg coming up the final stretch to the finish.

I got into race position and waited until I was given the good to go.

Rather surreally, as I looked up to settle into my rhythm I recognised Rotherham Harrier Hayley Carruthers who has made the headlines in running circles for her excellent recent performances – most notably finishing first British lady at the Great North Run.

I decided to settle in behind her down the opening straight but then, after a left hander onto an even steeper downhill, my natural momentum took me passed her and to the sharp right hander which had to be very carefully negotiated due to the wet leaves on the course.

I felt like I was getting into my stride and then came the main uphill climb. I was pretty conservative up that knowing I didn’t want to burn too many matches.

I could still hear Hayley following and at this point I’d forgotten that the ladies don’t run the same course as I was thinking to myself she could be a good person to work with. Having recently run a time at least 5 minutes faster than my HM PB I would not be disgraced running with Hayley. Before we knew it we had reeled in Elle Baker who seemed to struggling somewhat.

Part of me wondered where the men were until I was taken by one (Sale Harriers I think?) who promptly cut in sharply in front and seemed to be surprised when I clipped his heel.

That broke my momentum a little. I tried to stay on his heels but he picked up. I heard the Rotherham coach barking encouragement to Hayley behind and it was shortly after this that the men went onto the out and back section and the ladies back downhill for home.

I was able to take a struggling male on the downhill section of the out and back but truth be told I was starting to feel the effort even on the downhill. I couldn’t help but notice the men coming back the other way, working hard up the hill with pained expressions. This was clearly a tough part of the course.

I started to wonder how long this downhill section would go on. The further it went down the further we had to come back up!

Approaching the traffic cone turnaround I hadn’t made that much ground on the struggling runner I’d passed at the top of the hill! He’d obviously dug in on my heels. However, he was gone not soon after as he failed to match me going back up.

I was quite pleased with how I dealt with this section. I gritted my teeth and got it done. I had reached the downhill section and now I know the course this is the section where you simply have to try to “bury yourself”. Apart from a short “false flat” it is all downhill taking you to the final straight.

I was working hard but I was struggling to keep the cadence consistently high. I needed to get the cadence up and the stride length opened up in unison. But I just couldn’t seem to do it. Although I was passing a number of slower female runners I wasn’t making ground on any men.

I’d checked my watch just after the turnaround and I’d only been running for about 11 minutes. This panicked me. Not only because I felt like I’d been running longer but also because it made me think that there could be more uphill stretches that I needed to conserve energy on.

I was grateful to receive some support at this point from the TBH ladies and also Coach Dave Tune. I was looking for signs of the finishing straight and I finally got there with a sharp right hander.

Coming round the bend I spotted a male runner about 5-10 metres ahead and I tried to summon something to get passed him. At first I felt like there was a strong chance of doing so but then he picked up somewhat and I felt like I was wading through treacle. I tried to put every last bit of energy into it and finally got across the line in 20:23.

I was instantly disappointed with the time and felt quite angry at myself. I felt like I hadn’t ran a smart race and certainly hadn’t capitalised on the fast downhill sections. Overall the very undulating nature of the course didn’t suit my style of running although I do feel like I could improve next time on the course simply by knowing it better.

My disappointment was compounded by the initial results showing an incorrect time for my leg of 20:30. Although only 7 seconds difference I was annoyed at that but fortunately it was corrected to the 20:23 as per my watch timing.

In terms of the team results the A team finished an excellent 23rd and the B team 63rd out of 76 teams. This was a great result for the club and with the benefit of hindsight I was able to reconcile my own performance as being decent enough to take heart for the future. I certainly cherish the experience and put it in the bank for future races. It was a tough race both physically and mentally. And if someone had told me back in May that I’d be running the National 6 stage relays in Birmingham in October I would have laughed out loud! So I have to stay strong and patient.

Next up for me will be the first XC fixture of my season which is the third of the NEHL 2018/19 campaign. Indeed I need to complete all 4 of the final fixtures to count in the Individual Grand Prix.

The race is in a couple of weeks at Gosforth Park which gives me some time to focus on a couple of good training weeks. I will be keen to complete some quality threshold running and also some 10k/5k pace interval sessions as well as getting a regular long run of around 90 minutes done.

Thanks for reading.

Life is about seeing what you can do…

Tonight I raced the classic mile distance for the first time.

My goal was to tuck in behind the leaders and then go as hard as I possibly could the last 600-800m.

With about 35mins until the off I had a recce of the course.

Although there wasn’t much breeze the first 400m was a little draggy and into a slight headwind after all.

The backstraight was into a slight headwind as well. The pavement was also pretty uneven and with the dark nights descending that would require some concentration.

But then hallelujah. With about 600m to go there was a sharpish right hand turn to a downhill ramp maybe 100-150 metres and then leading onto the finishing straight. I was convinced that should be with a tailwind but I couldn’t feel it.

So the plan was set – to follow the leaders and then give it everything down the ramp and into the finish.

I was keen to post a good time to build on the recent Northern relays and also as a tune up to the Nationals in Birmingham. I was disappointed to withdraw from the first XC fixture of the NEHL season on Saturday but I felt it was the right decision. And I still felt a bit throaty from the head cold.

Indeed, during my 2 mile warm up I was sweating up somewhat and overall didn’t feel great. I persuaded myself that was normal and I always feel groggy before a race. I knew what the effort would feel like but overall I think the shorter the distance the better for me.

Getting underway I found myself in 4th with two Tyne Bridge clubmates in the top 3. We negotiated the early ramp and headwind. Sparrow Morley (who knew the course well) took up the lead and injected a bit of pace leaving me and Leodhais Macpherson trailing. Jevan Robertson was just behind.

I was keen to not let Sparrow get away too far and so put in a 50m effort to keep him within a decent gap. That had me running at a pace that felt more honest for the mile. I refrained from checking the watch for another minute or so and felt like I was keeping the gap in check.

I finally glanced at the watch approaching the right hander to the downhill ramp where I planned to go as hard as possible. I didn’t really register what I saw and so definitely it was counterproductive.

Coming down the ramp I felt I was closing somewhat on Sparrow (but not going eyeballs out yet) and coming into the last 400m or so maybe I could at least breathe down his neck a little.

I think he sensed that and was able to pick up quite rapidly. At this point I had noticeable heaviness in both arms as the lactic had built up and I would say I started to panic somewhat. This manifested itself in me looking at my watch on at least two occasions and, perhaps worse, looking round to see not one but two runners finishing stronger.

Unfortunately I would describe myself as tying up and looking for the line. I didn’t have another gear or the will power to grit and pull something out of the bag. As a result I gave up two places finishing 4th in 4.49. Sparrow won in 4.41.

On reflection I am pleased overall and my time represents a 61.9 VDOT (VO2 Max) rating and predicts perhaps 16:35-6 shape for 5k.

So in my mind this is a good first line in the sand for the mile, especially given that I haven’t really completed any specific mile workouts. That’s something I plan to work on as I want to nail a mile in 4:37 which is an excellent proof point for my ultimate target of a sub 16 minute 5k.

But first up onto the bus to Birmingham for what will be an excellent experience running in the National 6 Stage Relays for Tyne Bridge Harriers.

In the meantime I’m pleased I just got out to see what I could do…

Thanks for reading.

Northern 6 Stage Relay, Manchester 23rd September

One of the main reasons for joining Tyne Bridge Harriers earlier this year was to compete for the senior men in some more challenging team events such as the 6 and 12 stage relays.

So finally after joining TBH in Jan/Feb I was on the team bus down to Manchester for the Northern 6 Stage Relays.

I was to run Leg 5 for the B Team which meant a decent wait once we arrived at Sports City in Manchester. Each leg was around 4 miles taking in laps of Manchester City’s football stadium and also a nice start/finish on the neighbouring athletics track.

TBH had assembled a strong A, B and C team (18 men total) and certainly the A team was expected to qualify comfortably for the Nationals. Also the B Team had a chance of a Top 25 placing and potential entry to the Nationals.

The weather was good – bright with a little breeze. The men’s race was underway at 14:00. I knew I wouldn’t be starting until 15:20ish at the earliest so I tried to keep relaxed. I planned a warm up at 14:40ish which came around quicker than expected.

Shout out to Coach David Tune from Blizard Physiotherapy for the catch up and words of encouragement just before the off.

It was great to finally get in the starting pen and wait eagerly for Ryan Holt who was running a stormer in Leg 4.

My plan was to run strong and relaxed early on and try to build as I ticked off the KMs. I knew the track start can be deceptive and lead to a faster opening than optimal. I’d also been told by a few people that it was windy out on the course but you can only control the controllable and really there is nothing you can do in preparation for that.

I had taken the decision to not refer to my Garmin during the run as I did not want to be influenced by any pace readings. I wanted to run on feel and use my race brain to judge effort.

That said approx 4 miles is a strange distance and not one I’d ran before. I knew I didn’t want to be running out and out 5k pace but I didn’t want to get a little lazy running 10k pace either.

Ryan handed over in 32nd place overall which meant there was a challenge on to move into the top 25.

Moving round the first corner of the track I could only see one runner ahead (a Chorlton Harrier I think) and generally I felt like I wasn’t really gaining ground on him. That created a theme whereby I felt like I was isolated with nobody ahead and nobody behind. I basically assumed anyone I was passing was being lapped or obviously in the women’s race. I’d find out later that I was making up a few places overall. In essence it became a time trial and I just focussed on taking lapped runners as quickly as possible.

I felt pretty strong and like I was moving well on the first lap. It was good to get the course clearly in mind so I could start thinking about how I would attack it on the 2nd lap. Also, the hill that people had mentioned was more a ramp and nothing to be concerned with.

The main concern was in fact the aforementioned wind on the 2nd lap as tiredness became a factor. I’d gone through the first 2 miles in 10:53 which was just a little slower than 5k PB pace (approx 10:46 based on avg. PB pace 5:23/mile) but the 3rd mile slowed to 5:40. I passed the 5k mark in 17:09 versus PB of 16:44.

It was around this point that I started developing a stitch on my right hand side. I remembered how I used to strangely enjoy a stitch as a youngster running cross country at school. Maybe it’s because it gives you something to focus on! I tried to remember how to get rid of it. Deep breaths I thought. Unfortunately it was there for the remainder of the run.

The section just before the second passing of the extra gravel circuit for the senior men was probably the toughest part of the race as I battled the slow down due to both the wind and my persistent stitch.

Some support out on the course from my fellow Tyne Bridge team mates was a welcome reminder to keep plugging away. I still had the ramp to negotiate for the second time and I knew once I’d crested that I’d have the run into the athletics track and I felt like I’d be able to pick up towards the finish.

I was pleased with my work up the ramp although the section back into the running track felt into the wind and I was almost upended by a few spectators who weren’t looking where they were going as I tried to glide back down the ramp onto the track.

The atmosphere back onto the running track was great and I was able to pick up to the finish. Pleasingly I’d maintained pace quite well for a 5:31 4th mile and then finished strongly to handover to Paul Turnbull who was running the final leg.

Unbeknownst to me at the time, I’d managed to pick up 3 places and taking the team into 29th overall.

Paul managed to maintain that position to the end. The A team finished an excellent 8th and qualified easily for the Nationals. The B team missed out but overall showed the strength in depth at the club. *Late update – it seems the B team has in fact qualified for the National relay in Birmingham in a couple of weeks!

So this being only my second race proper on the roads in 2018, I’m very pleased with the performance and certainly something to build on. I was happy with how I judged the race and feel like I can come on quite a bit for the experience.

Overall I probably had a little more in the tank in the middle part of the race and mentally just need to find a way to channel more effort. I also need to get to the bottom of the stitch issue which I believe is due to poor breathing and something I need to work on in training as I tend to be a shallow breather.

Next up is the first North East Harrier League fixture of the season on Saturday 29th September at Wrekenton.

Thanks for reading.

Week 18 recover and Thornley Hall XC

I had mixed emotions about the 10km race at Dalton Park.

On the one hand I had to be happy with a PB and on the other I was sure I was in better shape.

I considered whether I had given my all. Or whether I had made a mistake in relying on my Garmin too much.

I have already learnt enough about myself to know that I race best unhindered by the computer on my wrist. I ran my 5k PB without a watch at all. I’ve also run my best cross country races without a watch.

But I tried to use it to my advantage on Sunday. Truth be told it gave me nothing but stress because I simply couldn’t get on target pace in the first 5 miles.

Was it the course or was it me in protection mode?

I’ll never know but I can try to take the positives in the PB, the fact that I finished strongly and the fact that I am determined to do better at the next opportunity.

Ultimately miles 4 and 5 put any chance of a sub 35 to bed, the issue in mile 5 being the u-turn back up into a headwind and slight incline which admittedly was a mental low point where I lost any momentum and felt like taking the foot off the gas altogether. Again, positives in the fact I dug in… UPDATE – course 10KNAD so no PB!!!

Time to move on and the goal this week was to recover from the race and try to go into the 5th North East Harrier League cross country race in better shape and mindset than the 4th which was run in early January.

I’d noticed some shin pain in my right lower leg on my warm down after the 10km and I noticed both legs were sore on my Monday recovery run.

It was only 30 minutes and I deliberately slowed it right down keeping my heart rate in the low 140s. I ran 4.1 miles in the time.

On Tuesday the shins still felt sore and the weather was very cold with snow during the day. So I decided to get in the gym and completed another 30 minute recovery run. Again I deliberately kept the heart rate low.

In other news my club transfer from Elswick Harriers to Tyne Bridge Harriers has gone much more quickly than I expected. Having resigned on 24th January the move was approved meaning I can’t run for Elswick from now on. So the plan will be to try to run for TBH at Thornley Hall. It looks like I’ll run in the TBH vest as a non-counter with a view to competing from the 1st March. This was as per plan except I expected to run for Elswick at Thornley.

On Wednesday I felt quite good both mentally and physically. I’d decided on a lie in and get an extra 1.5hrs in bed which I think I needed and did me good. So instead of the planned 40mins recovery I pushed into steady with my HR in the range 160-166bpm. I imagine this would be around marathon intensity if I was to ever try one (not convinced I ever will!).

I felt strong. Having started to read “The Talent Code” by Daniel Coyle (recommended by Coach Tune) and also taken note of Elite running Instagram accounts such as Jake Robertson, Julien Wanders and Hudson Elite (Parker Stinson, Trevor Dunbar & Sid Vaughn Jnr) I’ve come to the realisation that I am probably going through the motions a little in my training. I am not focussing on “deep practice” and I’m not trying to consciously improve what I am doing. Increasing mileage will only lead to so much progress. I will need to focus deeply on what I am doing and how to do it better – to improve my skill.

Through this I feel like I’m not using my arms enough. I’m not focussing on posture. And I’m not getting my stride rate where it needs to be.

So I went out and focussed on those 3 key things and got into a steady pace. It felt great! I was working the arms, I was running tall, I felt like the feet were flicking close to my bottom, the cadence was improved. I felt like a runner. This I believe is more like what Coyle is talking about with the term Deep Practice. This will be critical for me now.

And so I was able to run 5.6 miles in 35 minutes which is around 6:10/mile pace. And my cadence was much better at 175spm although still more room for improvement!

On Thursday the plan was a 30min recovery with strides. I decided to run off-road and just kept it very easy. I also completed the strides on the grass. Felt fine, the right leg was still a bit sore though.

On Friday the plan was a 20 minute recovery in preparation for Saturdays race. But I wasn’t happy with my legs so I had a full rest day instead. I think it was the right call.

Arriving at Thornley Hall it seemed the course was in better condition than the previous year. It’s a tough course and the organisers had decided to run it in the opposite direction. I had mixed feelings about it but ultimately, being the exact same course, the net elevation gain would be the same in theory.

I met with some of my new TBH teammates and picked up a vest. I decided to complete my warm up on the nearby road. It felt quite chilly on arrival but I quickly warmed up and the jog down to the start line was greeted with some sun and it actually felt very mild.

I noticed on the jog down that the mud quickly clagged on my trail shoes and I knew it was a day for spikes.

This was definitely a factor but I think the stickiness of the mud was such that everyone had to deal with it. But it has made me realise that I need to buy some spikes so that I can make a decision on best option based on the conditions.

I was keen to have a better run than at Herrington last month but in the final analysis I’m not sure I did.

The first mile was OK and I was probably there or thereabouts with where I expect to be but I struggled for the next few miles. On coming up the steep hill on lap two I developed a stitch that I couldn’t shift until the last mile.

Indeed I felt like I got some rthyhm and flow back only towards the end of the race. There were some particularly tough parts of the course but also some decent downhill stretches.

I think it was another tough day at the XC office and the only victory was in completing the course. I’ve now completed all 5 races so far and aim to make it a full suite at Alnwick early March.

I haven’t had chance to review the details of the results but I’m hopeful my Grand Prix points are improved versus Herrington and I can now focus on a final effort at Alnwick to better my 4th race qualifying points total and finish as high as possible.

In honesty I’m thinking more now about the spring road season and trying to keep faith that, despite not performing as well on the country since returning from injury, I can better my key PBs.

On Sunday I got out early. The plan was a 75 minute long run. I ended up running 60 minutes around 6:30ish miling and finished with a slow jog back up to home.

So overall this week I completed around 45 miles in just over 5 and a half hours of training. I suppose at the moment I feel a little tired and also a little unsure of where I’m at. I was probably wishing for more clarity from the 10k and XC race but I need to focus on the present and keep things in perspective.

I think the key now is to get some more quality training in. I don’t have any races planned until Alnwick. This week is school half term in the UK so I am going to have a few days up in Scotland. I plan to take the running shoes so hopefully get a few runs in new surroundings and reflect on things from a higher level and out of the weeds.

Thanks for reading.

Week 17 another sesh and the Dalton Park 10km

The threshold run at Newcastle parkrun was a confidence boost and I looked forward to my first road race of 2018 at the Dalton Park 10km on Sunday 4th February.

It would be my 4th 10km race and my PB still stood at 35:37 from Blyth in April 2015. So my main goal was to beat that.

On Monday I got in the gym for a simple 40 minute easy run on the Treadmill. I’d felt a little twinge in my right hip which was a little like an old injury I’d picked up back end of 2016.

I’d noticed it on the 2x 8mins on Saturday (after parkrun) and also on the Sunday long run. So I was keen not to aggravate that further. I did some strengthening work on the appropriate gym machines as well.

I was happier on Tuesday as it had settled and the plan was to attend another Tyne Bridge Harriers session.

The advertised plan was 10x long hills but the Group 1 lads had another session in mind so I joined in with them. There was about 8 of us getting stuck into 4x1min, 1x10min twice and 3 of the faster lads were doing an extra 4x1min to finish.

Conditions were very similar to a week previous with a strong wind against heading out along the Tyne river.

I handled the first set of 4x1min quite well and the key challenge was the 10 minutes into a strong breeze. I decided not to wear my heart rate monitor expecting a hill sesh so the effort had to be judged carefully.

Three or four of the lads were away and three of us worked together in a group probably around 6 minute miling or slightly quicker.

It felt like longer than ten minutes but we were able to reel one of the lads back in who hadn’t stayed with the front pack.

It was a bit of a relief turning back with the wind favouring and I was able to run the second set of 4×1 at low 5 minute miling.

There was a little bit of confusion on the last 10 minutes as I was left with the fast lads knowing I wouldn’t be able to stay with them as their threshold was probably 20s per mile faster than mine. I also had one eye on Sunday’s race and didn’t want to kill myself.

I felt I could run around target 10k pace with the wind at my back but again I didn’t have the heart rate monitor to validate whether I was staying around lactate threshold. I also hadn’t timed the session so I had to guesstimate the ten minutes of effort.

I’d say the first half was fairly controlled but as I passed the millennium bridge and the pitcher & piano I was having to work.

Looking at the Garmin I was able to see I was approaching around 7 miles total and felt that that was enough for the session. I’d been running for around 45mins.

I completed a recovery run back up to the club meeting point.

Truth be told my runs on Wednesday and Thursday were pretty tired and my legs were sore.

Both were 40 minutes easy.

On Friday my run reduced to 30 minutes and overall felt a bit more spritely. I was starting to think a lot more about the race on Sunday…

Having run parkrun at no harder an effort than threshold made me feel confident that I could run well but as the week went on the usual doubts re-surfaced.

The key point is I want a PB. Having ran things by Coach Tune the key is to be realistic and execute a good race and not blowing up too early.

My PB at Blyth was a case in point as I recall going through the first mile in a low 5:20 mile which was close to suicidal and I spent the rest of the race holding on.

At the Clive Cookson 10k in May 2016 I felt like I paced the first mile much better (5:37) but then ran the second in 5:23ish and struggled badly in humid conditions in the 2nd half.

So the key will be to play a bit of patience. I’d like to go through the first half around PB pace and then build to around 35 minute pace until the last mile where I just need to give everything I have left in the tank.

I would be pleased with anything 34:**.

On Saturday I got out in the damp and wet conditions. The plan was just an easy 20 minutes. My main concern was to let the legs recover so I decided on a very light jog on the grass. Everything felt fine.

I spent some time reading some instructional running books to ensure I could go into the race with a good mindset and get things planned out. I find Alberto Salazar’s very good for this.

The race was due to start at 10am and I had a 30-40 minute drive to get across.

Everything went to plan on the morning of the race except I ruined the porridge in the microwave. I was up at 6am for that and then back on the sofa for an extra hours nap.

The drive from Newcastle to Seaham was enjoyable as the roads were quiet and the race HQ being in a shopping centre car park meant everything was nice and relaxed with loads of parking available and portaloo facilities etc. I got some stretching done at 9.15 and then a 15min jog warm up and a few strides. I wanted to feel what target pace felt like (approx 5:37ish).

Before long it was time to get on the start line which was a short walk. A little annoyingly the race organisers decided to narrow the start funnel to about 3 or 4 wide. So it was impossible to get on the front. I thought about a Craig Mottram documentary I’d watched the night before – everyone gets anxious at the start, a necessary evil.

Having said that my deliberate plan was to run very easy the first 400m at least. Indeed the usual stampede was off and I was looking down at 5:30 miling feeling like a jog so I was content to let them go. I was probably top 20 at best.

The front pack was already away. I was determined to stay with my game plan of focussing on a PB.

About 1km in we had a decent incline of a 1/2km to tackle and I was able to go passed a group of maybe 5 who had gone off too hard and couldn’t maintain pace. One lad had peeled off the front and I focussed on his heels as we went right handed onto a trail type path with a fair amount of standing water and mud. Initially it was downhill and I was able to get onto the lads shoulder. I could tell he was making efforts to not let me by and I noticed he was breathing heavily. I was able to go by. At this stage I was probably 10th with another lad a little further ahead and then a large gap to the top 8.

This path was now proving difficult to maintain a rhythm. It was very much off-road mud and puddles and I was struggling to maintain sub 6 minute miling. This wasn’t the plan.

We then went left handed onto a rocky uphill section and back onto the pavement. I was able to close the gap on 8th and pass by on the way down to a roundabout. I didn’t get round the island very well and then came onto a slight incline into the breeze. I was to be alone for the rest of the race – detached from 8th place by 50-100m.

Checking the watch through 5km it looked like 17:30 but I couldn’t believe it and I knew I was sitting on more like 5:44 pace. I was struggling to settle into 5:37 pace as the course became a long road section which was ideal but into a slight headwind.

Completely alone I tried to dig in. I started to realise what “the road to nowhere” meant…

A slight incline brought me to a complete u-turn and a run back all the way and this was where I had to capitalise on favourable wind and gradient.

I was finally able to get on target pace but it wasn’t enough to get me ahead of PB schedule. And another u-turn took us back up the same road into the headwind and slight incline again.

This was a low point in the race for me. The u-turn had meant I’d completely lost my rhythm and trying to pick up again was all the more difficult as fatigue was setting in.

Part of me wanted to take the foot off the gas and another was determined to keep going. I wondered if anyone was behind who might take me.

I was glad that my determined side was the dominant and I felt like I wasn’t necessarily losing any time.

I tried to look ahead and envisage the last couple of kms. I could see the leaders bearing left onto the downhill which was the incline we had gone up between 1 and 1.5km.

That gave me hope that I could make up some time. It gave me fresh impetus to dig in harder. I let a young boy annoy me by standing in the middle of the path. Although stupid it made me concentrate and push on. Afterwards I had to relax.

On getting onto the downhill I focussed on both increasing stride length and cadence. I was able to pick up decent pace here and I was pleased to get through 9k.

I knew it was well under 4 minutes of running to go.

I was running quite strong here and was actually enjoying the race for the first time. I was back into the shopping centre area and despite some tight cornering I’d manage to pull back into a PB position.

Coming into the last straight the clock was counting past 35 mins and I was able to get over the line in around 35:23.

It was a tough race and I was well shy of a sub 35 clocking. That said I was pleased overall as for this stage in the season I feel in good shape with a good platform to build from here.

I know I’ve got more in me and I need more race experience. Attention now turns to the next Harrier League fixture at Thornley Hall next Saturday.

Onwards and upwards.

Thanks for reading.