As you do when you are supposed to be training hard my mind started to wander and think about the venue I was training in.  On Saturday I was training with my group in Heaton Park.  A park I have trained in for many many years now and not really considered much about the park at all until this weekend. 
We decided to start the XC reps this weekend which was a good call as the black ice on the mile rep loop we used would have been a nightmare.  Anyway our cross country loop is a two lap loop starting roughly where the Northern XC race starts the times it has been staged in this park.  This is also the exact same spot that Pope John Paul II conducted mass.  I knew he had held mass in the park and thought it would have a few people at it so I decided to google the event to see what went on because I would have been three years old at the time.  Anyway it turns out that during the Popes visit in May 1982 he carried out mass to 200,000 people on the cross country loop that my coach and I have trained on so many times.  Bob remembers the event well as he lives just at the back of the park.  The park as an interesting history and can be read about here.  It's the largest park in Manchester, not sure if it would be able to hold the National XC but worth considering.
Another venue we train at often is Sports City and we all know what happened here.  The home of the Commonwealth Games 2002.  It was before I was running serious.  I was a member of East Cheshire Harriers at the time and went to watch several events at the stadium and around the city.  Warming up around the City of Manchester stadium and getting to read all the winners names on the glass display outside the ground is great and rather inspirational.  I do think its a great shame they had to remove the track but understand it might not have been the best option financially to leave it as a running stadium.  At least it's seeing some great football at the moment.  Hopefully my dad who's ashes are scattered in the garden at the City of Manchester stadium is enjoying the football at the moment and maybe even watching me while I train on the track!!!!

Training has gone well this week.  I am running the Ribble Valley 10k as my next race on Tuesday 27th December.  I will be having another good week of training and then planning an easier week.  The easier week lands just as I finish school for the Christmas break.  Hopefully Donna wont have too many jobs planned for me.

Hope everyone is having a good weeks training and looking forward to Christmas.