Summer 10Ks - the preparation begins

British 10K London participants, the Cheeky Girls

Summer is coming, which means '10K season'. Deadlines for a lot of 10Ks have been approaching so I've signed up for a few that interest me. So far the plan is to run in the Staines 10K on 17th May, one of the Regents Park Races (4th July) and the British 10K London on 12 July.

There are plenty of 10K races this summer. For anyone keen enough, there is probably at least one 10K every weekend, with many more to spare. They range from low key club races such as the Elmbridge 10K and the Epsom 10K to the more popular central London races such as the Bupa Great Capital Run. Usually, I pick a mixture of big and small and this year is no excpetion with the Staines race being one of the smaller affiars with the two London races sure to be busy races, packed with thousands of runners and great atmosphere.

That'll do for now, but I'm sure to sign up for at least one more, probably the Elmbridge race if it doesn't clash. Maybe see you there:)

Speedwalker, "Pity the fool"

What's the deal with speedwalking? It seems like an unhappy medium between walking and running. I am quite bamboozled as to why anyone would do it.

Yesterday while out running I saw one. He was, from what I could gather, speedwalking around the park. maybe I'm being a bit unfair, but it didn't look good. And, it didn't even look comfortable. I almost wished I'd stopped and asked him why he did it.

For some reason it makes me think about Snickers.

16 mile run, and more. Back on track

Albert Bridge, one of the sights on my long runs

Thank goodness! A good run, and no injuries. After two weeks of near aborted runs coupled with horrific blisters which put paid to midweek efforts, today went well.

The target was 16 miles. Having run 14 and 15 miles the previous two Sundays, the logical next step was 16. This is quite an important taget for me. I ran my first 26 miler - the Flora London Marathon - having previously only managed 16 miles in training. So, by training up to this distance I know I can at least finish. And 16 miles is just what I did, with a little bit extra just to show off. Sorted!

Now to concentrate on being ready to finish in style. Sub-4 hours is (again!) the target.

14 mile long run, and blisters

I ache like a fiend! After a 14 mile run my legs are still screaming. Even with post-run stretching I still ache all over. And the blisters don't help. Maybe I should have broken my new shoes in a bit longer before a Sunday long run.

It's 6 weeks and counting. The Georgia Marathon is getting scarily close. So, I thought it was time to stop running with the club and do my own long run. Knowing what distance I have run at any point and being able to 'chop and change' the route is a big help. 15 miles was the target. Unfortunately I had failed to properly break in my new shoes. Duh! With 14 miles done blisters started forming. And that was the end of that - homeward bound :(

I just hope the blisters heal soon...

No Running in freezing London

Jeez. What a week! Snow and ice has put paid to the best part of a week's training.

It hardly ever snows in London. Regardless, it snowed like a fiend last week. Having managed a 13 mile training last Sunday, we sat in the clubhouse relaxing as the snow began to fall. And it didn't stop until Monday morning.

Being that it hardly snows here they are invariably unprepared for such weather. Very few made it to work on Monday, schools were closed and the city almost ground to a halt. Unfortunately this included the running track. By lunchtime on Tuesday we were told the track was out of action. Often this means a road run instead. Not on ice-covered pavements! No bloomin' way!! And with no thaw until Friday, the week was effectively a right-off.

With 6 weeks of training to go before my marathon in Atlanta this is not good. I'm sooooo jealous of those running half marathons and 10Ks the same day. .....So, jealous.

New running shoes, and more

A good week for training for marathons. New running shoes, visa ok'd for America and a major improvement in training.

The week didn't start so well. The Frank Harmer Memorial 10K that I was hoping to run in early March, has been cancelled. Building work scheduled for the changing facilities that we would have used means the race is no more. I'm most disappointed. As I said before it would have been good to have a shorter race prior to my marathon on March 29. Oh well, no point in moaning.

On a more positive note, Homeland Security have given me the OK to enter the USA. Going there to run in March, this really helps. There is now a new requirement called ESTA, which you need to meet to travel to the States. By providing details like your passort number and address where you'll be staying in the US, they decide if you are worthy of entering their great nation. Some of the quiestions were, it has to be said a bit surprising, like:

C) Have you ever been or are you now involved in espionage or sabotage; or in terrorist activities; or genocide; or between 1933 and 1945 were you involved , in any way, in persecutions associated with Nazi Germany or its allies?

I answered no, which seemed to be what they wanted.

And this weekend has been most productive. I bought a nice pair of much needed running shoes. Now I can be reasonably sure my knees will be ok in the coming year. And a 13 mile training run to Battersea and back has put me on track for a decent performance in Atlanta this March. A bit more effort and I may at last break 4 hours. Here's hoping.

Cold running, London style

Jeezy peeps! The last week has been absolutely baltic! Not the ideal weather for running. But, with my Altanta Marathon application sorted out there's no time to lose.

With London suffering freezing temperatures my three training runs in the past week have all been less than comfortable. A grim venture outside at the weekend wasn't fun. This was followed by a trip to the track being aborted (in favour of runnign round the local park) because of ice and, most recently, another park circuit in a favour of the usual hill session - mist meant that visibilty was down to about 20 metres, and closer to home seemed a better option. None of it was fun.

On a happier not, I've just signed up for the Frank Harmer 10K in March. This is the running club's annual event and will take place on March 1 in Brockwell Park in Herne Hill. It should be a good 'tester' prior to Atlanta. And a bit warmer too:)