Saturday 28 March 2009

It's not looking good....

I'm just not getting the training in.

Last week i got out once, this week twice so far, with the skyline tomorrow. I;ve not managed to run for much more than an hour, cumulatively, this week. I'm in a very unique period in my career that will never happen again. I'm creating a new organisation from scratch with my colleagues - not just a small thing but the country's 4th largest local authority. It comes into being on Wednesday and i'm working 12 hours a day and will be hard pushed for the next few weeks, until i've recruited my team.

It just doesn;t seem a very good time to train for a round. So, i'm going to call it off.

If all goes well, i might go for August, but really, i might just leave this for another time in my life. I have enough stress and donlt need another source of pressure.

But i'm going to train as much as i can still - i'm going to use the light nights to get out and get fit for a summer of racing. I miss racing, training for target races and being part of my sport. The Skyline tomorrow marks a return to fell racing and 2009 will be a year of good racing.

I'm going to get plenty of hill runs and speedwork in. I'm going to return to the club once a week (not been for a month) and return to the track on a wednesday.

I feel releived - a round is a wonderful but all comsuming thing. Races are different, you can build up to them over a short space of time from a decent bed of fitness. That is something that will keep me fit and sane.

The PBR will be done - just not yet

Mark

Sunday 15 March 2009

15 March - Full training, half hearted...

Had a couple of weeks of good training, despite working like a dog and putting in 60 hour weeks. Not been very good on the blog though - just been frantic/knackered...

This last week has seen no long run but 8500' climbing. Got 6000' in the week before. Just shows that you can get some serious climbing in once the nights starts to get light. Darkness staying away till 1830 means Moel Famau becomes reachable after work and winter finally feels like it's coming to an end.

Despite spring's advance, the impending clock change and more chances to make fellrunning part of the normal day - i'm torn. I'm not really sure that the Paddy is a realistic proposition this year. Two reasons really - one is that the new job is going to make getting fit enough difficult, although i think some days off and getting out most evenings along with doing events like the fellsman should make it ok. The second reason is the worrying one. I'm happy to be training for a round, i love the motivation that goes with that, but there's something missing that I had when i prepared for ther BGR. It's a love of the round. I don't know snowdonia and am looking forward ro exploring it, but until i do that, I can't get worked up about the round itself like i did the BGR - which traverses an area i know and have loved since i was a kid.

I need to mull this over. I also need to get out and explore. I also need to decide because i don't want to mess people about. I'm tempted to keep training and aplly it to smething else. The Wasdale fell race perhaps? Maybe Steve Parr's lakeland 2500'ers round - a 36 hour round in my beloved Lakes. I don;t know.

For now, it's the PBR. I hate giving up and so will keep going. I'll get a 2 day recce in soon, and then decide. Trouble is...when? Work is demanding but i'll see what I can do.

I'm a funny boy at times....none more so that at the moment.

Last week's training:

Mon - Quick way up and down Moel Famau - 3M, 1000' ascent
Tues - Ditto - getting bit dark on the way down - gorgeous moon and lights below. Glad i took headtorch!
Weds - too much on at work to train
Thu - Cycled to work and back
Fri - 7M, 2300' ascent run on MF, really good run. Muddy conditions but 1hr 20min is a good time for that route
Sat - 3 railways - 1000' - quick session squeezed in between lots of chores and other things to do
Sun - 3600' - gamelin reps (2) plus some nice hillrunning from Britannia Inn. 2 hours.

Total - 8900' ascent, probbaly about 35 miles? distance not really important

Tune in head - Snow Patrol - If there's a rocket tie me to it