For the last 4 days I have been in bed with the flu, this was no ordinary flu, this was man flu!
I read about an American runner called Le May - when he was at the peak of his training he would avoid taking public transport and sometimes even his family. Is this extreme? If you are not into running you might think so but after spending 4 days in bed feeling like death I am coming around to his way of thinking.
Due to the recent change in weather in the UK everyone gets ill; it’s only a matter of time before it hits you. After a particularly gruelling track session on Tuesday evening I went around to visit my girlfriend who had not been feeling too well, instead of me looking after her she had to look after me. I was totally exhausted and that night my immune system must have been hugely weakened as I woke feeling awful.
Waking in the middle of the night to find your sheets drenched in sweat that smells like TCP due to all the medication you have been taking is particularly unpleasant, coughing until your lungs are red raw is excruciatingly painful especially as due to my asthma they are highly sensitive. I remember going into a pub once before the ban and coming out feeling like I had smoked a packet. The only thing that you can do is take you medicine, rest and wait.
It has put my training back a bit but I have decided to look at this minor setback as a positive thing. I am prone to training too hard at times and maybe jumped back into hard training too soon after the Amsterdam half marathon while my calf muscles were still very sore. The way I am viewing it is that if I had not picked up the flu I would have probably picked up another injury, so the forced break although frustrating is not the end of the world. To look at it another way my legs are feeling amazingly pain free this evening.
Sunday, 18 November 2007
Sunday, 11 November 2007
CONFIDE IN YOUR DIARY
Since starting the project almost 22 months ago I have used various methods of keeping track of my training through the use of a diary or training log. The success and length of these logs has varied hugely with some entries lasting a matter of days due to the complexity of the information. Before long you miss a few days, forget what you did and lose interest.
When I started training again back in July this year I decided that to keep my focus, attempt to identity the early signs of over training and most importantly what works I kept a diary for 90 days leading up to the Amsterdam half marathon in which I ran a big PB of 1:13:46.
In the past I have laughed at people who kept diaries, why worry about the past when you can look forward to the future. However to understand where you are going you need to know where you have been. I kept things simple with five entries;
1) Resting heart rate
2) Weight
3) Food
4) Exercise - including distance
5) Over all comment
By the end of the first month I read back all the entries and started to see a pattern emerging. I could see instantly where I had performed well in my training, what I had eaten before hand and what areas needed work on.
A friend down at the track told me a story of when David Bedford was at the peak of his training. One evening he was relaxing in the bath after a hard week. Tallying up the number of miles he had run for the week he suddenly realised that he might be a couple short of his target, instead of just accepting that he might have made a mistake he jumped out of the bath and ran another 6 miles just to make sure, before getting back in the bath.
Using a diary can be a great motivational tool, however beware as you can become a slave to your diaries desire for the distance box to tally up.
When I started training again back in July this year I decided that to keep my focus, attempt to identity the early signs of over training and most importantly what works I kept a diary for 90 days leading up to the Amsterdam half marathon in which I ran a big PB of 1:13:46.
In the past I have laughed at people who kept diaries, why worry about the past when you can look forward to the future. However to understand where you are going you need to know where you have been. I kept things simple with five entries;
1) Resting heart rate
2) Weight
3) Food
4) Exercise - including distance
5) Over all comment
By the end of the first month I read back all the entries and started to see a pattern emerging. I could see instantly where I had performed well in my training, what I had eaten before hand and what areas needed work on.
A friend down at the track told me a story of when David Bedford was at the peak of his training. One evening he was relaxing in the bath after a hard week. Tallying up the number of miles he had run for the week he suddenly realised that he might be a couple short of his target, instead of just accepting that he might have made a mistake he jumped out of the bath and ran another 6 miles just to make sure, before getting back in the bath.
Using a diary can be a great motivational tool, however beware as you can become a slave to your diaries desire for the distance box to tally up.
Wednesday, 31 October 2007
AMSTERDAM HALF MARATHON
14 weeks after restarting my training I stood impatiently at the start line waiting for the gun to go off signalling the start of the ING Amsterdam half marathon. A huge amount rested on this race - it was a life line for the project - one last time to prove myself. If I every needed to get a result this was it.
The training in the last 8 weeks building up to the race had been a huge success. There were only two sessions which I should not have done when fatigue started to raise its ugly head, but for once I had not been so stubborn and taken the advice of coaches and fellow runners with the advice to “train hard but train smart.”
In the weeks leading up to the race I had been in contact with race director Jan Willem Mijderwijk about the possibility of filming from the back of a motor bike. Behind the UK and Japan there are a huge amount of hits on the Road to Beijing website from viewers in Holland and fortunately he agreed to the request.
Now all I needed was to finalise the arrangements, stay injury free and in good health.
I managed only one of the above! On the Thursday before the race I picked up a cold, (after not having any problems for the last 4 months) waking up on race days I did contemplate dropping out of the race. The same had happened for the Reading half marathon back in March when after 3 miles I effectively had to drop out. Accommodation, flight, filming etc from my own funds dictated that I would race but that I would run with how my body felt not what the watch said.
My other concern was the fact that 4 days before the race my cameraman’s passport was still in the post... 4 hours before the start of the flight was due to depart it had still not arrived and frantic measures were put in place to find a cameraman in Amsterdam.
Distance running and stress are not a good combination and even 20 minutes before the start I was still finalising the filming arrangements. In some ways this maybe helped because I forgot about my cold, how I was feeling and used the time I had left to really focus and get in the zone.
I can't remember the race that well but I started off at a slow controlled pace and decided to get to 15k before racing. I went through 5km in 16:20 which was way to fast but according to fellow Serpentine runner Darren McNeely who posted a very impressive sub 1:12 the marker was about 15-20 seconds out.
I felt pretty relaxed, running just inside the comfort zone and eased through 10km in 34:20 which was another personal best. By this stage I was starting to pass some of the slower marathon runners which in some ways gave me a big confidence booster but at times it was rather frustrating weaving in and out of the runners.
At 15 km I knew that I would start to struggle a bit due to not doing enough tempo runs but by this stage I was running with two other runners. I tried to relax and started to count... When I start to struggle my right hand twists inward and everything become tighter. This does not help with the stride, efficiency etc. so I have come up with a way of dealing with this problem, taking my mind of the discomfort by counting to 50 seconds every now and then when the pain hits worst and you think about slowing down and your body tells you to stop.
My basic philosophy behind it is that in the closing stages of a race when you are thinking about the finish line and starting to hurt, by counting to 50 seconds it is a long enough time to be distracting, it eats up another 250 metres but it is not so long that it becomes and effort to count to.
I know lots of other runners have different ideas of getting the best out of themselves mentally by playing tricks, using positive messaging etc. I can assure you that have tried them all, plus a number of other unconventional ones... whatever works for you.
The race finished in the Olympic stadium around 3/4 of the track - I had a good battle with another runner but by now the bile in my stomach was churning and made a desperate bid to escape.
I collapsed into the arms of Runners World Holland write Ramiro Ameneiro who I had only had contact through e-mail. I think I was just happy to finish and seeing a friendly face was great relief. I was delighted with the result of 1:13:46 which was a huge PB by 1:30.
The result was hugely significant as it shows me what is possible for next year. I am sure that I can run for this pace for the full Marathon in London next year with the right training, rest, taper etc. The question is how much further can I progress my half marathon time?
I was told about a book called the dip - it explains when you start a project, business, training etc it is fun, full of optimism and exciting but it soon gets to a point when it gets so hard that you want to give up. I was in that place at the start of the summer, I questioned if it was worth the pain, effort, disappointment - the answer was yes. I am very glad that I was mature enough to realise that then.
I would like to thank the race organisers at the ING Amsterdam half marathon for the generosity and help on the day. I can't stress enough that the project could not happen with people like Mr Mijderwijk help.
Thank you very much also to everyone who has taken the time to write wishing me the best of luck with the project, it is hugely appreciated.
Finally this is when the project can get really interesting. It give a good base for the documentary to really start exploring the reasons behind the decline in British marathon running. As far as my own running goals, I am under no illusions as to how hard the next 22 weeks of training are going to be but I can wait! Watch this space...
The training in the last 8 weeks building up to the race had been a huge success. There were only two sessions which I should not have done when fatigue started to raise its ugly head, but for once I had not been so stubborn and taken the advice of coaches and fellow runners with the advice to “train hard but train smart.”
In the weeks leading up to the race I had been in contact with race director Jan Willem Mijderwijk about the possibility of filming from the back of a motor bike. Behind the UK and Japan there are a huge amount of hits on the Road to Beijing website from viewers in Holland and fortunately he agreed to the request.
Now all I needed was to finalise the arrangements, stay injury free and in good health.
I managed only one of the above! On the Thursday before the race I picked up a cold, (after not having any problems for the last 4 months) waking up on race days I did contemplate dropping out of the race. The same had happened for the Reading half marathon back in March when after 3 miles I effectively had to drop out. Accommodation, flight, filming etc from my own funds dictated that I would race but that I would run with how my body felt not what the watch said.
My other concern was the fact that 4 days before the race my cameraman’s passport was still in the post... 4 hours before the start of the flight was due to depart it had still not arrived and frantic measures were put in place to find a cameraman in Amsterdam.
Distance running and stress are not a good combination and even 20 minutes before the start I was still finalising the filming arrangements. In some ways this maybe helped because I forgot about my cold, how I was feeling and used the time I had left to really focus and get in the zone.
I can't remember the race that well but I started off at a slow controlled pace and decided to get to 15k before racing. I went through 5km in 16:20 which was way to fast but according to fellow Serpentine runner Darren McNeely who posted a very impressive sub 1:12 the marker was about 15-20 seconds out.
I felt pretty relaxed, running just inside the comfort zone and eased through 10km in 34:20 which was another personal best. By this stage I was starting to pass some of the slower marathon runners which in some ways gave me a big confidence booster but at times it was rather frustrating weaving in and out of the runners.
At 15 km I knew that I would start to struggle a bit due to not doing enough tempo runs but by this stage I was running with two other runners. I tried to relax and started to count... When I start to struggle my right hand twists inward and everything become tighter. This does not help with the stride, efficiency etc. so I have come up with a way of dealing with this problem, taking my mind of the discomfort by counting to 50 seconds every now and then when the pain hits worst and you think about slowing down and your body tells you to stop.
My basic philosophy behind it is that in the closing stages of a race when you are thinking about the finish line and starting to hurt, by counting to 50 seconds it is a long enough time to be distracting, it eats up another 250 metres but it is not so long that it becomes and effort to count to.
I know lots of other runners have different ideas of getting the best out of themselves mentally by playing tricks, using positive messaging etc. I can assure you that have tried them all, plus a number of other unconventional ones... whatever works for you.
The race finished in the Olympic stadium around 3/4 of the track - I had a good battle with another runner but by now the bile in my stomach was churning and made a desperate bid to escape.
I collapsed into the arms of Runners World Holland write Ramiro Ameneiro who I had only had contact through e-mail. I think I was just happy to finish and seeing a friendly face was great relief. I was delighted with the result of 1:13:46 which was a huge PB by 1:30.
The result was hugely significant as it shows me what is possible for next year. I am sure that I can run for this pace for the full Marathon in London next year with the right training, rest, taper etc. The question is how much further can I progress my half marathon time?
I was told about a book called the dip - it explains when you start a project, business, training etc it is fun, full of optimism and exciting but it soon gets to a point when it gets so hard that you want to give up. I was in that place at the start of the summer, I questioned if it was worth the pain, effort, disappointment - the answer was yes. I am very glad that I was mature enough to realise that then.
I would like to thank the race organisers at the ING Amsterdam half marathon for the generosity and help on the day. I can't stress enough that the project could not happen with people like Mr Mijderwijk help.
Thank you very much also to everyone who has taken the time to write wishing me the best of luck with the project, it is hugely appreciated.
Finally this is when the project can get really interesting. It give a good base for the documentary to really start exploring the reasons behind the decline in British marathon running. As far as my own running goals, I am under no illusions as to how hard the next 22 weeks of training are going to be but I can wait! Watch this space...
Sunday, 7 October 2007
THANKFULLY THERE ARE NO HILLS IN AMSTERDAM.
In two weeks time I am running in the Amsterdam half marathon which has been my primary focus over the last 12 weeks of training. After this week of really hard training I felt tired and lethargic after the track session on Thursday evening and decided to have two easy days before attempting the Wimbledon 10 miler on the weekend. I did not want to run flat out but fast enough to get the benefits of a quality tempo run in a race environment.
No one told me that there were 6 steep hills however. After some rather confusing instruction at the start of the race at the athletic club, instead of the advertised one lap of the track we did two and consequently I was rather bemused when passing through 1 mile the time on my watch read 7:20 – I might have been tired but this was ridiculous slow. It transpired that it should have been only the one lap so consequently each marker was 400 metres out as was the finish line 10 metres around the corner of the park entrance.
I don’t like hills much and today was my idea of a nightmare when it comes to running fast. Being a big guy 6’2’’ 80kg going up can be quite hard work but even going down had no advantage as my leg turn over relative to other runners of a similar standard is rather slow. On the flat I was over taking runners but on the downhill the gap was always closed.
I was running the race with my friend and polar explore Ben Saunders (www.bensaunders.com) who decided he was going to stay with me for as long as he could and by 4 miles he was still there nipping at my heals. While I now have far more experience and was running well within myself I think that experience can sometimes be a hindrance. In the past I used to run every race with reckless abandonment, of course with varying degrees of success. Just because you are fitter does not mean that you should not push yourself to your limits, but what I have learnt is that there is a time and a place for this type of mentality. I picked up the speed in the last 3 miles to come in just over an hour, with all things being equal I was pretty pleased with.
Before the race I was chatting to Ben about running and how I had got into it. I do have moment when I think what the hell am I doing running another race on a Sunday morning? I used to love being in the Pub swigging beer with my mates, smoking like a chimney, eating fast food and screaming at the Rugby on the TV. There are times when I miss that part of my life, but there is an inner satisfaction that I have experience through this running project that ranks far above anything else I have ever done before.
No one told me that there were 6 steep hills however. After some rather confusing instruction at the start of the race at the athletic club, instead of the advertised one lap of the track we did two and consequently I was rather bemused when passing through 1 mile the time on my watch read 7:20 – I might have been tired but this was ridiculous slow. It transpired that it should have been only the one lap so consequently each marker was 400 metres out as was the finish line 10 metres around the corner of the park entrance.
I don’t like hills much and today was my idea of a nightmare when it comes to running fast. Being a big guy 6’2’’ 80kg going up can be quite hard work but even going down had no advantage as my leg turn over relative to other runners of a similar standard is rather slow. On the flat I was over taking runners but on the downhill the gap was always closed.
I was running the race with my friend and polar explore Ben Saunders (www.bensaunders.com) who decided he was going to stay with me for as long as he could and by 4 miles he was still there nipping at my heals. While I now have far more experience and was running well within myself I think that experience can sometimes be a hindrance. In the past I used to run every race with reckless abandonment, of course with varying degrees of success. Just because you are fitter does not mean that you should not push yourself to your limits, but what I have learnt is that there is a time and a place for this type of mentality. I picked up the speed in the last 3 miles to come in just over an hour, with all things being equal I was pretty pleased with.
Before the race I was chatting to Ben about running and how I had got into it. I do have moment when I think what the hell am I doing running another race on a Sunday morning? I used to love being in the Pub swigging beer with my mates, smoking like a chimney, eating fast food and screaming at the Rugby on the TV. There are times when I miss that part of my life, but there is an inner satisfaction that I have experience through this running project that ranks far above anything else I have ever done before.
Friday, 28 September 2007
PIPPED AT THE POST!
“If you want to run faster, you need to run slower” read the quote from an old edition of Runners World as I lay in the bath trying to relax my aching muscle this morning. The idea behind the quote is that instead of charging off like a headless chicken over the first km then dieing an ignominious death 500 metres later you start off controlled, picking up the pace during the race for a faster overall finish time.
Looking out the window of my editing studio at the blustery, wet and cold conditions I did for a minute think that running the 5km race today could be missed. Besides I had had a great track session on Tuesday and a good 16 mile steady tempo run on Wednesday but unfortunately it’s not really in my nature to turn down a race.
The field was not as strong as usual due to a number of runners taking place in a national relay competition on Saturday, but there were still a number of good runners that would push me today.
My legs felt pretty heavy as the gun went off and thankfully the first 1km into a strong head wind up along the side of Hyde Park was relatively slow at 3:30. Tucked in behind the lead pack of 6 or 7 runners I felt relaxed and enjoyed the feeling of being in control. Past 2km the pack had been whittled down to 3 and I started to sense that I might get my second win in as many weeks. By the 3rd km it was down to me and a fellow Serpentine runner called Eric Phillips. The previous month he had run past me at this point, finishing more then 20 seconds in front and would not have been unduly concerned about my presence.
My advantage would be that he had no idea how much training I had done over the last month and passing under the bridge at 3.5km I wanted to see how he was feeling and surged up the hill creating a 3 second gap. I was feeling great, feeling like a real runner, I was in the unfamiliar position of leading this race and loving it, looking back now to my first outing over the course I finished down in 78th in over 20 minutes. Back then it would have been almost unimaginable to be in this position.
Eric was still there however and breathing down my neck with 400 metres to go, I knew and he knew that if it came down to a sprint finish he would win so I tried to up the tempo again, but with just over 200 metres to go he came passed me. I tired to respond but it was too late, my vision started to blur and darken due to the lack of oxygen to my brain (or it might have had something to do with shutting my eyes). My efforts had been in vain, disappointingly I finished only 1 second behind him.
The time 16:57 was not that quick and 17 seconds slow then I had hoped for, but through 4km it felt like I was on a fast paced tempo run. What the race taught me was the need for good pace judgement from the start; certainly for the longer races pacing will be everything.
Looking out the window of my editing studio at the blustery, wet and cold conditions I did for a minute think that running the 5km race today could be missed. Besides I had had a great track session on Tuesday and a good 16 mile steady tempo run on Wednesday but unfortunately it’s not really in my nature to turn down a race.
The field was not as strong as usual due to a number of runners taking place in a national relay competition on Saturday, but there were still a number of good runners that would push me today.
My legs felt pretty heavy as the gun went off and thankfully the first 1km into a strong head wind up along the side of Hyde Park was relatively slow at 3:30. Tucked in behind the lead pack of 6 or 7 runners I felt relaxed and enjoyed the feeling of being in control. Past 2km the pack had been whittled down to 3 and I started to sense that I might get my second win in as many weeks. By the 3rd km it was down to me and a fellow Serpentine runner called Eric Phillips. The previous month he had run past me at this point, finishing more then 20 seconds in front and would not have been unduly concerned about my presence.
My advantage would be that he had no idea how much training I had done over the last month and passing under the bridge at 3.5km I wanted to see how he was feeling and surged up the hill creating a 3 second gap. I was feeling great, feeling like a real runner, I was in the unfamiliar position of leading this race and loving it, looking back now to my first outing over the course I finished down in 78th in over 20 minutes. Back then it would have been almost unimaginable to be in this position.
Eric was still there however and breathing down my neck with 400 metres to go, I knew and he knew that if it came down to a sprint finish he would win so I tried to up the tempo again, but with just over 200 metres to go he came passed me. I tired to respond but it was too late, my vision started to blur and darken due to the lack of oxygen to my brain (or it might have had something to do with shutting my eyes). My efforts had been in vain, disappointingly I finished only 1 second behind him.
The time 16:57 was not that quick and 17 seconds slow then I had hoped for, but through 4km it felt like I was on a fast paced tempo run. What the race taught me was the need for good pace judgement from the start; certainly for the longer races pacing will be everything.
OVERTRAINING SYNDROME
Last week I dropped out of the first race that I have every entered. It was a 10 mile race staring at 7:45am in Battersea Park which I was treating as a tempo run. Through 5 miles I felt alright, not moving great, tight hamstrings but matching stride for stride with a good runner from Belgrave Harriers. A mile and a half later I just stopped… I had had enough…
Was it the early start, lack of breakfast and warm up time, heavy training load over the last few weeks, or was it the idea of running another 2 and a half laps around a park circuit that I have done a hundred times and suffered so much in the process.
Earlier in the week I stopped during another tempo run – I had had a very tough few days training and realised that I was working too hard for the pace so just jogged in the final few miles. Is this experience coming into play or am I getting mentally weaker?
Overtraining syndrome has been researched extensively in runners – increase in quantity, quality, stress not enough sleep are all to blame. It affects every runner in a different way and can play havoc to a training programme and race results.
Chronic fatigue is the general side effect of over training, the effect on the body are clear but to me it’s the mind that can be just as easily effected by this. Due to the nature of the Road to Beijing project I feel that I have been on the precipice of overtraining since I started running in January 2006.
Looking through my old training logs in the 18 week build up to the Paris Marathon it amazed me that I could handle the work load then. Some weeks I was running 2 track, 2 tempo, 1 hill session and a 25 mile long run. What’s interesting is that my minds motivation to reach the target for the Marathon blocked out the body’s fatigue.
One of my best results the Wokingham half marathon (1:15:23) came after a period of overtraining. On the Thursday evening down the track I ran 3 x 1 mile – 5:30, 5:42, 6:10 collapsing exhausted afterwards. This should not have been that tough a session but on the 3km jog back home I noted in my log that I cried due to being so tired.
What I have learnt from looking back through the old log is that you can get away with overtraining for a short period of time but over a sustained period it will come back and hit you hard.
A few days of easy running/rest should do it… I hope…
Was it the early start, lack of breakfast and warm up time, heavy training load over the last few weeks, or was it the idea of running another 2 and a half laps around a park circuit that I have done a hundred times and suffered so much in the process.
Earlier in the week I stopped during another tempo run – I had had a very tough few days training and realised that I was working too hard for the pace so just jogged in the final few miles. Is this experience coming into play or am I getting mentally weaker?
Overtraining syndrome has been researched extensively in runners – increase in quantity, quality, stress not enough sleep are all to blame. It affects every runner in a different way and can play havoc to a training programme and race results.
Chronic fatigue is the general side effect of over training, the effect on the body are clear but to me it’s the mind that can be just as easily effected by this. Due to the nature of the Road to Beijing project I feel that I have been on the precipice of overtraining since I started running in January 2006.
Looking through my old training logs in the 18 week build up to the Paris Marathon it amazed me that I could handle the work load then. Some weeks I was running 2 track, 2 tempo, 1 hill session and a 25 mile long run. What’s interesting is that my minds motivation to reach the target for the Marathon blocked out the body’s fatigue.
One of my best results the Wokingham half marathon (1:15:23) came after a period of overtraining. On the Thursday evening down the track I ran 3 x 1 mile – 5:30, 5:42, 6:10 collapsing exhausted afterwards. This should not have been that tough a session but on the 3km jog back home I noted in my log that I cried due to being so tired.
What I have learnt from looking back through the old log is that you can get away with overtraining for a short period of time but over a sustained period it will come back and hit you hard.
A few days of easy running/rest should do it… I hope…
Sunday, 16 September 2007
First Race Win!
It had been a long time coming, but for the first time since the start of The Road to Beijing project I managed to win a 10km race. I entered the race in Clapham Common as a last minute re think as I had confused the date of next months Henley Half Marathon. Having read reports by last years entrants complaining that the race was in fact 12.3 km might have had something to do with a rather weaker field, with the more competitive minded runners worrying about the chances of getting a PB. Races that are 100 metres or so long are short are annoying but 2.3km long is just ridiculous.
I had one aim in mind and that was to stick with the leaders for as long as possible and finish as high up as I could, a time would be pointless so I decided to leave my watch at home. 400 or so runners toed the line and after a fast start over 500 meters I snuck in behind the lead pair trying to ascertain how good they really were. One guy was breathing way to hard for this earlier on but the other guy although older looked strong and experienced. After the first 2km or so I decided to put in a 30 second surge to see if he could stay with me. The gap opened at once and remained for the remainder of the the first of three laps, but the second place runner had changed, I did not recognise him from the start and he was beginning to close the gap.
I felt very relaxed, but decided that now was the time to step it up a gear, I felt like I was reaping the benefits of the hard work in training over the last two months. I still could not quite believe that I was winning, I was in the lead of a race and by quite some way. Towards the end of the second lap I started to lap some of the slower runners and decided that as I was still feeling very fresh I would pick it up another notch. By now the challenge from behind was fading and even though I knew the gap must have been more then a minute I could not quite bring myself to believe that I was going to win a race. With 1km to go I was passing the bulk of the field. I passed one group of guys who cried out as I passed them "you've got to be joking, that's so unfair" another commented "Its alright for some" as I steamed passed. It did make be think however that this guy trundling along was me 18 months earlier, I don't have a genetic advantage over him, it's just that I have been prepared to train harder then him, and Yes I am afraid it is fair that I am lapping you.
I cruised the final km and crossed the line, awesome, love it, I've won a race! I was presented with champagne and gave a quick speech about how well all the runners were doing, the merits of the charity "Starfish" and also had time to congratulate the 2nd and 3rd place runners before jumping in the car and headed home. Job done.
The Serpentine 5km at the end of the month won't be quite this easy.
I had one aim in mind and that was to stick with the leaders for as long as possible and finish as high up as I could, a time would be pointless so I decided to leave my watch at home. 400 or so runners toed the line and after a fast start over 500 meters I snuck in behind the lead pair trying to ascertain how good they really were. One guy was breathing way to hard for this earlier on but the other guy although older looked strong and experienced. After the first 2km or so I decided to put in a 30 second surge to see if he could stay with me. The gap opened at once and remained for the remainder of the the first of three laps, but the second place runner had changed, I did not recognise him from the start and he was beginning to close the gap.
I felt very relaxed, but decided that now was the time to step it up a gear, I felt like I was reaping the benefits of the hard work in training over the last two months. I still could not quite believe that I was winning, I was in the lead of a race and by quite some way. Towards the end of the second lap I started to lap some of the slower runners and decided that as I was still feeling very fresh I would pick it up another notch. By now the challenge from behind was fading and even though I knew the gap must have been more then a minute I could not quite bring myself to believe that I was going to win a race. With 1km to go I was passing the bulk of the field. I passed one group of guys who cried out as I passed them "you've got to be joking, that's so unfair" another commented "Its alright for some" as I steamed passed. It did make be think however that this guy trundling along was me 18 months earlier, I don't have a genetic advantage over him, it's just that I have been prepared to train harder then him, and Yes I am afraid it is fair that I am lapping you.
I cruised the final km and crossed the line, awesome, love it, I've won a race! I was presented with champagne and gave a quick speech about how well all the runners were doing, the merits of the charity "Starfish" and also had time to congratulate the 2nd and 3rd place runners before jumping in the car and headed home. Job done.
The Serpentine 5km at the end of the month won't be quite this easy.
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