Its not too often I can say "what a great week", but this week has been a good un. Although work has been tiring its always nice to get back into the swing of things and get back to the old routine. Its sad to say but im a lover of routine... i like to know what im doing each day and how things will pan out over the week. Im working in two schools at the moment, so for the first part of the week ive been close to home, which has meant a bit longer in bed, and bit more chance to run at a sensible hour-- well 6.45am- good times! The second part of the week ive been at my usual high school bloody miles away-- bad times. Made a bad move on tuesday lunchtime-- deciding to get involved with "boxing club". Now one thing im not built for is 5 minute bursts of sparring with what can only be described as a "unit" of a guy. Jabs, hooks, and upper cuts arenht in a runners usual regime. Being a 'have a go' kind of person though i was soon thrown into skipping, press ups and bag work. Whilst the boxing part of the session only served to completely wreck my wrists and forearms, the other stuff was good and something i may look to include on the odd occasion..... missing out the odd jab to the face of course.

Last weekend I had a great couple of days in the big ol city of london. I went down to watch the marathon, and it turned out to be a nice but tiring break away. The marathon was great, and although my training buddy martin didnt run as well as he had hoped, he still ran great and I was proud of how he raced and toughed it out despite a challenging last 5 miles- plus i know he has a lot more to give. The race itself was superb. Ive never been part of such a great atmosphere at a race, and seeing so many people enjoying the sport we love is a real motivator. Running around the course on race day I got a real sense of why I choose to "do running"-- It can be so rewarding, and not just for the elite guys. Spending the weekend as a spectator was nice for a change-- on the saturday evening i went down to the hotel where the elites were staying, to meet mart and his mrs for a meal, and although i felt like someone trying to gatecrash a party-- seeing the top guys walking around, preparing and getting ready to race motivated me to train harder the next day. I thought Andi Jones ran a great race- and despite all the rubbish in the press he did the brits proud... 2 minute pb in a race- where to be honest-- he pretty much ran alone. There is so much more to come from the British lads.... and i think at the moment we need to just ignore the bashings and keep doing what we are doing.... lemon (27.57), Wicksy(62 half), Overall, Fraser, lancs (13.30's), Emmanual (3.37)----things aint that bad really!!!! I returned home after the weekend knackered but inspired. Train and subway hopping to see the race at different points made it an exciting day out.... the best bit for me though has to be seeing people at the finish.. everyone was so upbeat and chuffed with what they had achieved-- people walking, limping and crawling around london with medals around their necks, what a great sport we are part of.

Training for me has gone well recently (touch wood). Im slowly starting to drop the miles now to a consistent 95 miles a week, and this will come down to 90 through the season. Ive put a big emphasis this week on the sessions, as I find sometimes its good to really push the sessions hard. Theres nothing worse than going into a workout with "shagged" legs, running poor times then spending the week beating yourself up or chasing your tail. I tend to switch between two high mileage tough weeks to one quality week with emphasis on good quality sessions. So therefore go high/high/quality. This depends on races of course but the quality week will see a dip in the mileage and more slower/ recoverey runs. Getting the balance between training hard and training smart is crucial........

To be brutally honest though- ive let a lot of the press articles play on my mind this week. When ive been training ive been asking myself "is this enough?"...."am i running hard enough?"....."i need to do one more"..... Its amazing how as a runner you read things in the press or on websites and let them bother you- I would never normally do this-- ive always been someone who just shrugs it off and cracks on with things, but sometimes the things people say can get into your head....... Its been a positive thing in the end though, as ive started to be more structured with training, plan more, and make sure im doing enough of the right things.......like drapes said- spinning a negative and turning it into a positive.

Im getting excited now about racing. Its been a short while since the last one so im ready to get back in the mix again. Deciding when to start the track season and at what distance is always a tricky one...do you start short and fast, or go straight for a stab at setting a good season opener over your main distance? At the moment manchester 10km on the road is the next race....im looking to race more on the roads over the next 6 months in preparation for a late season half marathon, then hopefully a step up to make my marathon debut sometime in the next year--- probably london 2010. The thought of the step up really excites me.. i always love racing on the roads and feel that eventually this will be my best distance...im under no illusion though that it will take a lot of bloody hard work and weeks of miles......great!! lol.

Now with swine flu spreading its way through the UK, im hoping the next time i write i havent got a curly tail and eating out of a trough. I so hope it doesnt become a major thing here... I love a bit of bacon on a sunday morning!! Good luck to everyone starting their seasons this weekend... I cant wait to see the faces of the doubters at the end of this season when the British lads show them that progress is being made. I think this track season will see big breakthroughs for many guys (and girls) and im so  looking forward to hopefully being part of it. Remember... Audaces Fortuna Iuvat

Fortune favours the brave!!