A new PB on Tuesday. It took several days to recover properly.
Monday: 10km easy (10)
Tuesday: AM 8km easy / PM Tipton Open 5000m – 1st in 15:09.6 (18)
Wednesday: 20km easy (20)
Thursday: 16km easy (16)
Friday: AM 11km easy / PM 16km easy (27)
Saturday: rest (0)
Sunday: AM 16km progression run in 60:16 – 31:55/28:21, 10 min jog / PM 10km easy (28)
Week total: 119km
Taken from my training log.
No sooner had I hauled myself to my feet than I was back on the track again. Unable to stand up, I lay on the warm tartan once more and took in a welcome lungful of sweet oxygen. The second attempt was more successful. Assisted by one of my competitors, I got to my feet for just long enough to stagger off the floodlit track and to a nearby railing. Mark had crossed the line by this point and patted me on the back, congratulating me on a hard-earned win. These moments are always best shared with friends.
Three minutes earlier I could smell blood. Increasing the pace every lap, I had picked my way through the field from 12th after one lap to second after ten. The leader was in sight and with a kilometer to go I realised I had a strong chance of catching him too. I was already on the limit though. Dan had just called my 4k split and it was faster than I had ever reached that point in a race before. A personal best was in the bag; now I wanted to win the race. With 800 to go I was within striking distance, by 600 I was on his shoulder. I went straight past and made one last push for the finish. In the last three weeks I had led at the bell on two separate occasions but been beaten. I was determined not to let it happen again.
Richard and some of the others from the club were at the finish line, roaring me on as the bell sounded. The announcer was now saying my name, not someone else’s. It was a big boost.
My winning time was 15:09, an 8 second improvement on my PB. This is the biggest chunk I have taken off my 5k time for a while and it now puts sub-15 within my reach. I need Tuesday’s conditions as well as the nerve to commit to the pace from the gun rather than giving away seconds in the first few laps. I’m delighted with my improvement; it is hugely satisfying on the rare occasion when everything clicks.
How great it would be if the next post here contained the number 14.
Happy with winning a medal at the Midlands Championships. Out-kicked on the last lap having led at the bell.
Monday: 10km easy, hurdle drills (10)
Tuesday: AM 9km easy / PM grass session – 4 sets of lap/400 off 90/2:00 (25)
Wednesday: 10km easy (10)
Thursday: AM 10km easy / PM 9km easy (19)
Friday: 10km easy (10)
Saturday: rest (0)
Sunday: AM 6km easy / PM Midlands Championships, 2nd in 15:24, ran home (24)
Week total: 98km
Taken from my training log.
Good session on Tuesday, and Saturday’s pace making for Tim was tough given the training I had done leading up to it. The best thing this week was celebrating our 4th wedding anniversary.
Monday: 18km easy (18)
Tuesday: AM 10km easy / PM Metchley session: 3 sets of (4×400, 1 x lap) (28)
Wednesday: 18km easy (18)
Thursday: AM 10km easy / PM 20km moderate (30)
Friday: rest (0)
Saturday: AM 10km easy / PM 4km pacing at Coventry 5000, 75 per lap (24)
Sunday: 25km easy (25)
Week total: 143km
Taken from my training log.
On Saturday I ran my first PB in over a year in the 5000m at the Oxford BMC Grand Prix. This was satisfying for a couple of reasons. The first is that it is my first PB in 13 months, definitely the longest I’ve gone without improving any of my times. I’m not including new events like the steeplechase and the 10000 in this, by the way. The second is that I missed several months of running due to injury at the end of 2013 and this confirms that I’m finally back to where I was pre-injury.
This personal best was only 2 seconds faster than my previous one, so not a massive improvement but an improvement none the less. But, like a drug addict falling off the wagon again, I’m ready for another hit. I’ve entered the next BMC Grand Prix in 4 weeks and am hoping I can go quicker still. If I can just push myself slightly harder in the 3rd and 4th kilometres I reckon there’s another 10 seconds to be sliced off.
It’s good to be back.