This week was rather lopsided in terms of how my training runs were spread out. I only did 1 lap of my 5.4 mile loop on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday then did just under 28 miles over the final 2 days to get my miles in.

Monday was definitely the highlight of my week as I managed to “drop” someone on a bike going up Churwell hill. He wasn’t an elite cyclist by any means but was going at a reasonable pace and my HR was close to 200bpm to remain ahead of him near the top of the hill! I was also happy to sustain it above 180bpm for 5 minutes during the climb.

I felt a bit flat after this extra effort on my run the next morning but got round in a pace that wasn’t disasterous. I tried running in ¾ running tights for the first time which I was quite pleased with. These were not as thick as my other full length ones and were marginally more masculine than I had originally anticipated. The...

This week was better than previous weeks following a long training run. I did 2 loops of 5.4 miles on Monday and found the evening one considerably easier than the one in the morning. I have struggled in the past with my first run back after a big effort. All the adrenaline is gone and something that would be comfortably within my limits makes for a lot tougher outing than usual.

Once I had returned from work the motivation was back as I knew if I didn’t do the extra lap I’d struggle to get my miles in for the week.

I took a rest day on Tuesday and did a lunchtime run of my usual loop on Wednesday due to work commitments. The pace I maintained for my lunchtime run was slightly faster than usual and I managed to get within 3 mins of my PB for that route.

The plan for Thursday was to do 3 laps with my full race gear on once I returned from work. I had been listening to the audio book...

“In 2002 Hamilton crashed early in the three-week Tour of Italy, fracturing his shoulder. He kept riding, enduring such pain that he ground eleven teeth down to the roots, requiring surgery after the Tour. He finished second. “In 48 years of practicing I have never seen a man who could handle as much pain as he can,” said Hamilton’s physical therapist, Ole Kare Fol”

The above is a quote from the 2012 book The Secret Race about the cyclist Tyler Hamilton written by himself and Daniel Coyle.

I’ve always thought of myself as someone who is good at managing pain and shutting out negative thoughts when I’ve needed to. 5 years ago, I would justify this self assertion by my ability to continue playing rugby and absorb the impact of collisions both those I lost and those I won; because this would benefit my team.

Since moving into running I have found a different sort of pain management...

This week should have logically been less strenuous than the previous few weeks. I wouldn’t have excessive weather conditions to deal with and also had less work and social commitments than the previous fortnight. Whilst it would be an exaggeration to say this was one of the tougher weeks of preparing for this race. It certainly was tougher than anticipated.

I took Sunday off then did my usual 5.4 mile loop for the first 3 days. These were at a good pace and I tried wearing sunglasses for the first time this year. My evening run on Wednesday was marred by some attention of about 12 teenage girls waving and overzealously saying hi on their way home from school as I ran past. Despite this, I reluctantly still intend on wearing them during my training. The weather on Thursday didn’t allow for this as it was very overcast and the sunglasses I have, make everything gloomy enough without...

I was very lucky this week that 4 of my training runs were in Tenerife. The plan was to run for about an hour in the morning before it gets too hot and ensure I drank plenty on my return. One of the main things I enjoy about living in hilly cities (e.g. Leeds,Sheffield) is that I am never more than 2-3 miles from a decent summit. Unfortunately this means whenever I go to Manchester the hills are treadmill based as it is the sort of place people class a bridge over tram tracks as a hill!

The area we were staying in was mostly flat but I found a brilliant twisting hill about 2km long that led to a hotel aptly called Panoramica Heights. My first run including this hill was very enjoyable as there were lots of false summits before the road twisted further uphill. I then set a target of running the route in under an hour. This was achieved on the 3rd run of the week mostly due to...

This week has followed a condensed schedule partly due to work and social commitments. I took a day off following my last training run of the week before and felt the benefits of the rest.

On Monday morning I headed out on my usual 5.4 mile loop and set a reasonable pace. The weather also lulled me into a false sense of security for later in the week.

My evening run was a bit warmer but I was still fresh from my rest day so this wasn’t an issue. I seem to run faster in the evenings nowadays. This may be due to the lack of sleep I start some morning runs from or the fact my muscles have warmed up a bit from moving around during the day.

I followed the 2 a day schedule again on Tuesday. My pace was only 1 minute different over the whole distance from the morning and evening runs. It was considerably hotter than Monday’s but I knew I had to fit in both sessions to be able to get my...

This week was a severe lesson in pain management and being perseverant when you really don’t feel like it. Last week I had brought my 34 mile run forward a week due to working this weekend. The plan at the start of the week was to do 50 miles from 6 training runs. As usual my best laid plans went awry.

My 2 training runs on Tuesday went to plan and I felt relatively comfortable during both sessions. The only time I was caught by surprise was when a “mobile hairdresser” car didnt stop when I was half way across the zebra crossing. The fact she was texting at the wheel didn’t brighten my mood!

On Wednesday my hip was a bit rigid at the gym but the addition of the 400m hills in each mile helped because of the focus on different muscle groups for that time.

I decided to curtail my run on Thursday morning from 10.8 to 5.4 miles. This was because I felt my hip “locking out” for each hill...

This week was a lot better than previous weeks. I did 17 miles midweek and could afford a day off before my long run today. Following advice from my cousin Kerry, I had ordered a packet of nuun electrolyte tablets and put the last of them in my camelbak yesterday. Unfortunately when I woke up the pouch had leaked so I had very little left. This was never going to be more than am inconvenience though. It’s not like Pheidippedes had any sports nutrition in his fabled run.

I decided to do the first 10 miles in the woods before the gym opened and then complete the other 24 there. This was the more sensible option as I didn’t have the patience to try to fix my pack at 5am. I’m not a morning person at the best of times and this was my 2nd night on less than 6hrs sleep.

I had the woods to myself for the duration of the first part of my run. This was a blessing in disguise as a lot of the...

“There are only 2 tragedies in life, one is not getting what one wants, the other is getting it”- Oscar Wilde

This week has been an interesting one, I surpassed my target mileage by Friday evening and pushed a bit more this morning but it has come at a price. I have experienced a niggling pain in my left hip for the last 10 days or so, that only seems to occur after I have been running for over an hour and means I have to swing myself into the drivers seat of my car using the handle above the window!

I’m going to have to ensure I get through the next few months without this becoming a long standing issue. This may mean settling for 45-50 miles each week instead of the 60+ I was doing on occasion this time last year. This was only the 2nd time this year I’ve ran over 50 and was certainly easier than running in Bali where kerbs were knee-high (wish this was an exaggeration!).

The vast...

This week was very settled in comparison to previous “recovery” weeks following a long training run. I gave myself an extra day off on Monday and then covered 11 each day for the rest of the working week.

There is a 5.4 mile loop near my house that I have ran most days since moving there last year. Similar to how when driving routes used frequently, some people make turns and go the right way without focusing on it, this sort of familiarity seems to help when running. Especially when it comes to going up hills, knowing you’ve got up it literally hundreds of times before without having to stop/walk can be a massive confidence boost.

With the exception of one training run the other side of the city and one in the gym, this route accounted for all my training this week.

I have always tried to acknowledge other runners while out either with a wave or short positive statement of the time...