They say a week is a long time in sport, and I feel like a have had another action packed week with the highs and lows that I seem accustomed with. If I take you back to last Friday 10^th January I was still fighting off my illness bug that had hit me hard over the Christmas period. The day before I had aborted a lactate threshold test, as my heart rate was 175 at 5:20 milling when it should have been 155! I remember feeling nervous the following day realising that a week later I would be towing the line in the KPMG Bermuda Front Street Mile. "Don't panic!" is what I was telling myself, but that is easier said than done, when you know the shape needed to run well at that type of level.

Saturday saw a change in luck; I was lucky to use a sleep heart rate system to monitor my sleep and rest over the last two days. I saw my physiologist Troy Taylor who compared my rest with pervious patterns when healthy. He looked at them and gave me the green light to train that day as hard as I wished. I took on a standard for me 15 x 200m with 30sec recovery and despite a lack of rhythm ran a solid 28.9 average. I felt good enough the next day to get 12miles in along the taff trial with Steve Davies, James Nazrat, Dave Notman and Daniel Beynon. Enjoyed the run and showed the importance of running in a group, as the run flew by. Monday morning was a normal day at the office; indoor session at 10am of 6 x 300m off 3rec felt relaxed and ran 41.0 just chilling and running strong.

Tuesday was a whole day of travel with an early 9:20am flight to New York, JFK and lucky we didn't have a water landing! (Plane crashed into Hudson River same day) A nice 5-hour layover with good friend Neil Speaight (Sp8y), we tried to chill out and have a few coffees. It was then onto Bermuda and finally in the hotel by 9pm, nice to be back in one of my favourite places in the world, with the nicest people you will ever meet.

The next day 'Sp8y' and I ran a quick two miles followed by turning round into what can only be described as a wall of wind! That evening saw us put on a coaching clinic called the 'KPMG Mile Master Class', after a quick set of 6 x 200m efforts as a pre race session. We had almost 30 children turn up on a wet and windy night, it was viewed a total success and something we both really enjoyed. Thursday was a move to a different hotel and a relaxing day including a 3mile run with some drills to get ready to race.

Race day, this is what the trip is all about, so it's important not to forget that! So it was sleep and rest and an easy 2miler at 1pm, and then more relaxing. Finally 7pm came around so we went to the race HQ with an 8:45pm start time. Warm-up started an hour before and felt terrible, sick and even cut my normal 12-15min run to a measly 10mins jogging. I did start to feel better and towed the line feeling ok and wanting to get involved with the race. Race went out slow and we were 2:23 at the half, only really picking up 600m out. The real kick was at 200m and I didn't react to Sp8ys kick quick enough and chased him home for what I felt was second place. But I was robbed in my mind as I thought I crossed the line ahead of the Kenyan they had been given 2^nd place, which was frustrating considering they didn't have photo finish. Still that's the luck you get when you don't seem to be having any! And even after being ill last few weeks, I thought I had a pulled one out of a box. The money lost for second place would have gone nicely in the wedding fund, but will have to get a few more races in before the big day!

Well that's the week that was....  I wonder what next week will bring. We are here till Tuesday and then onto New York for the New Balance Games mile on the 24^th January.

Stay positive

Cheers, James