Well hello again......has it been that long?
The last (and first) of my posts was back in June so I must have been too busy running to post anything new........
I have recently given up the 'carpet running' after a successful trip to John down in the south of france. I went down with wife and kids and managed to get 3 or 4 decent runs in with John and Anita (wife). The runs were a mix of off road trails and road runs around the fantatic countryside near Johns house. We were also introduced to a new gadget (garmin 205 forerunner) which I had to buy as soon as we landed back in England and this has motivated me to continue with my outdoor running. I didn't realise what I was missing - cold, wet, windy and downright miserable and we are only in November, bring on February and all the snow you can throw at me. I am now running 2 or 3 times a week outdoors with distances ranging from my short 7k run to longer 19k run which I did last week. I have run a number of different routes, however due to the time of year and the time of day I generally run (in the dark) they have all been on the roads. I am looking forward to longer days when I will be able to get on to the downs which are right on our doorstep. Anita is in training for next April's London Marathon so I need to keep up my running just to keep up with her.....not that I'm competative :)

Happy running

Nothing to report except that all is going well. Today's 17km trail was taken on as if it were part of a longer run. I walked a number of hills but had bags of energy. It was a pleasure to be out despite wind and cold.

I am going to make a decision soon about my next shoes; the extra mileage will eat shoes and budget for a mid morning snack. I stuck now between going for Inov8's Terroc 330 and getting another pair of the Sauconys. Problem is, I feel, that I've not seen enough adverse weather to test the Triumphs and I'm still not convinced there's enough protection from the trail.

Long and winding road.

Temperatures have stayed at 7° or 8° ; the cold has not had an impact yet.

Training is from this day onwards is being approached differently. Until now I have, without exception, ran when I felt like it. This has left me languishing in low mileage-ville with little clue that progress was limited! Yes, I was relatively fit but, no, I wasn't quick, committed or capable of real endurance.

To arrive at the start line in April next year something had to change. For me, I needed a schedule that I could read, anticipate and tick boxes. The chosen numbers give me a day off from running and a day of cross-training each week. The mid-week mileage will increase over the months to bolster the week's total miles run as will the weekend double. The schedule starts at just under 60 kms for the week; at the most I should attain 120 kms.

The fact that I've run somewhat below the level expected on engaging the schedule means that I'm prepared to take a 'hit' on the mileage over the weekends until I can do it without risk of injury: there isn't enough time for recovery.

Here we go!

Johnny