Mon 28 Feb
1:06pm 6 miles easy. Tired from 13 mile marathon pace run yesterday.
7:06pm 10 miles steady. With Andi Jones and Gaz Raven. 65mins. Felt good tonight, think running so easy this morning helped.

Tue 1 Mar
8:20am 6 miles easy
7:09pm 9 miles easy

Wed 2 Mar
5:12pm 10 miles including road session: 2 x 1mile (2mins), 4x800m (90secs). 4:57, 4:49, 2:25, 2:19, 2:23, 2:20. Felt like this was a good session ahead of weekend Half Marathon, felt like I was moving very well tonight.

Thu 3 Mar
7:10pm 9.5 miles, average pace 6:59 per mile. Ribs a bit sore today, not sure what I've done to them.

Fri 4 Mar
REST DAY. Wasn't intending a day off but ribs were in a lot of pain so took day off.  A bit worried.

Sat 5 Mar
2:33pm 4.5 miles easy. Didn't feel rib pain today until after I ran, then it got progressively worse as the day went on. By the time I was at my hotel for the race, the pain had become a constant stabbing pain and I was becoming short of breath. At one point I was sat on the edge of my bed trying to compose myself genuinely worried about my health. Had a hot shower at about 1am and massaged my ribcage, it seemed to settle the breathing but the pain only subsided briefly.

Sun 6 Mar
10:23am 20 miles including Bath Half Marathon.  After a sleepless night and my episode last night I weighed up whether I felt safe to run. Another hot shower and self massage to ribcage, plus a small overdose on painkillers and I toed the line. Came 12th in 1:07:58. Not what I wanted at the start of the week but just pleased to get round and with my health still in tact.  

Weekly Mileage: 75

Mon 7 Mar
2:47pm 6 miles very slow. Tried running without painkillers and could only manage a woeful 8:49 per mile average pace! Rib pain still there but now getting pain under the ribcage as well where the diaphragm is.
7:12pm 10 miles with Andi, Gareth and Andy. Had a couple of painkillers just before running, slow start but moving well once going. 64mins.

Tue 8 Mar
2:54pm 5 miles easy
7:21pm 8 miles easy with Simon Horsfield. Got through ok with painkillers.

Wed 9 Mar
12:44pm 6 miles easy followed by physio session on ribcage and back.  As he was applying pressure to my ribcage he was asking me to breathe in, and I wasn't really taking anything in, a few manipulations on my back and things were functioning a lot better.  Felt much better when I came out so decided to leave off the painkillers today.
7:08pm 9 miles including track session 2x500m (40secs), 6x450m (50secs), 4x400m (60secs). Group session was 8x400m off 60secs. Norman wanted me to attempt 12x500m and start the reps with the guys but it became apparent after two reps that the recovery was too short and we adjusted the session after two reps to 450m reps. Better to respond to the situation than just carry on for the sake of it. He was proved right on the 5th and 6th 450m reps as I started to slow from 67sec 400m pace and we dropped to 400m reps for last 4 reps. 84, 84, 76, 76, 76, 76, 78, 79, 68, 67, 68, 68. No pain in ribs which is positive.

Thu 10 Mar
2:18pm  6 miles easy. Getting pain again as I started running. Beginning to worry about this now.
8:02pm  9 miles easy. Back on painkillers.

Fri 11 Mar
REST DAY.  Day 1 of Matt Barnes' stag do, decided to give the ribs a rest today.  After 5 weeks of no alcohol, had a pretty heavy night which resulted in me spending the night throwing up - nice.

Sat 12 Mar
12:22pm 18 miles including 14.2 mile race in the lake district.  Woke up in a right state after last night, Matt describes me in the kitchen that morning as "barely able to stand - I'm sure he was still drunk".  Who in their right mind suggested we all did a 14.2 mile race on the second day of a stag do?!  We all toed the line in full superhero fancy dress, see my next blog!  My outfit was a bit of a nightmare to run in with no breathability and my facepaint running into my eyes.  After what could generously be described as a sluggish start, I caught the leaders at 6 miles and made a winning move at 13 miles.  Won by seven seconds from 68min half marathoner and Edinburgh Marathon champion Steve Littler.  Averaging sub 5:30 per mile on a hilly course feeling dreadfully ill and in ridiculous attire was a strange but decent workout but it was enough to make me not want to drink for a very, very long time.  Alcohol and marathon training most definitely do not mix.  The biggest positive of the day was the rib pain disappearing completely, but that could just be the alcohol acting as a painkiller.  We'll see how I am tomorrow...

Sun 13 Mar
4:04pm 10 miles easy.  Tired after yesterday and being up early organising Trafford 10k today.  On the plus side the ribs are again pain free.

Weekly Mileage:  87


Not a good two weeks.  The rib/chest pains were genuinely worrying and Bath wasn't a good result for me given my run at the National and how fit I was feeling coming into this week.  It also meant the mileage wasn't what I had intended.  On the plus side, I seem to be ok now and I feel like I'm ahead of where I was this time last year.