Nick's blog

Arrived in Delhi with Phoebe earlier today after a night flight from the UK. We are here to once again help Procam with TV commentary and TV presenting for their race series and this time its the Airtel Delhi Half. This time the legendary Tim Hutchings is leading the in-studio expert commentary and we are looking forward to a masterclass as part of the team.

We are also running the mass race with some charity runners chasing time targets to try and get them round inside the bonus times set by the supporters and interviewing live to he nation as we run round. Shooting from runner to runner via motorbike with radio mics, handheld mics and live feeds…..Could be chaos but will certainly be great fun for all!

We have already been out for a run this afternoon as it seemed better than catching up on sleep. 27 degrees and pretty humid in the sun here. Delhi is beautiful with so many gardens/parks to run in and the constant buzz of a massive city on the move. Nothing like hundreds of people leaning out of a bus (hanging on if honest!) and shouting “welcome to India”.

So hopefully some fast elite races on Sunday and lots of fun behind in the mass races and carnival runs.

See you all soon, Nick & Phoebe

After a few days of running in Trent Park and enjoying the wonderful colours in the forest i decided to speed things up and nail a good bike ride this morning. A couple of hours on the mountain bike a few times a week is really keeping the fitness and strength and allowing the knee to enjoy 4 – 5 pain free runs each week. Todays ride gave me time to reflect on some of the lovely results so far in October. Its been a busy month with lots of pb’s and returns to form. Good luck to our guys out in New York this weekend and to Jon O’Shea in Athens a week or two later.

Some of the highlights have been:

Chris O Hara – a huge pb at Amsterdam and 3.14!

Helen Manning – a brilliant 3.35 and pb at Amsterdam by 15 mins!

Chris Sommerfield – 3.18 at Amsterdam and another pb for this year!

Caroline Tuck – The pb machine continues to roll with a 3.14 at Amsterdam and championship start time!!

Richard Gregory – a pb with 70.40 in the Amsterdam half

Simon Hacker – a big pb with 85 mins in the Amsterdam half

3rd, 4th and 6th for in the Met XC league for Lorna Russell,Dee Allen and Hayley Munn

4th in the U17 boys Met XC league for Hassan Muse

1st & 2nd for Paulos & Petros Asgodom in the U15 boys Met League XC

A stunning 55 mins in the Cabbage Patch 10 miler and another pb for super coach Lucy McAllister. Lucy also finished on the podium at the Birmingham half this month and is now have a few easy weeks……….much deserved!

A big 5k pb for Tess Gallgaher in the Bushy Park run

Another top marathon for Penny Elliot aged 69 with 3.47 at Frankfurt.

Matt Russell returned to form with 3.18 at Frankfurt and now targets a fast Spring marathon.

Sarah Winter continues to prepare well for her half later this month with another quick 10k in just outside 40 mins.

Jo Rodriguez ran 3.01 in tough conditions at the Dublin marathon. A great run Jo and Sub 3 in the Spring is there for the taking.

Naomi Korn ran 1.57 at the Great South – another big step forward Naomi, well done.

John Gregory (chasing Richard, his son) returned from a 20 year running break to record 1.55 at Amsterdam in the half. Rest is good for you and age is no barrier John!

Simon Freeman returns to form with 76 mins at Amsterdam in the half.

Neil Barnes stormed round his first XC race of the winter and returned from injury. Well done Neil and good luck this winter.

Not to be outdone by anybody – Ben Moreau returned to racing and anchored AFD to a win the the Nation Rd relays. well done Ben and you are getting back into top shape. We look forward to some fast races in the months ahead.

I said it had been busy…………..and it certainly kept me thinking on that 2 hour bike ride. Well done to you all!

Some great race results…. A huge congratulations to Bob Groves for knocking 10 minutes off of his half marathon PB at the Royal Parks running a stonking 1.34! Belinda Chapman ran a fabulous 2.01 half marathon, a mere 37minutes off of her previous time!! Expertly paced by hubby Alan. A solid run from Patricia Harrison as she builds up to the New York marathon. Congratulations to Jon O’Shea for surviving mike Grattons ‘hospitality’ in Ireland and still finishing his marathon despite being rather dehydrated!?! Good luck to Jon for his serious marathon attempt in November. Lee Braithwate ran 3.24 at the Chester marathon… a 4 minute PB. well done Lee!

For those of you who like playing in the mud, the cross country season has started. Phoebe has mentioned many results from the Met League in her blog but also a big well done to Jo Rodders with a return to form coming top 10 in the surrey League and getting selected for the Southern Inter- Counties. Richard Gregory certainly didn’t get stuck in the mud finishing 5th in Division 1 of the Surrey League. Sarah Winter enjoyed a strong run and has just been made Team XC Runner of the Year by her club.

Well done everyone and happy racing!

Great I say as that means cross country running, hills, mud, long runs and lots of strength work. Yep that’s what winters are for and I love it. What do you reckon? Are you the type that is already nesting for the winter and collect wood for the fire ready to not leave the house for months, or are you already planning to have fun in the cold.

Does anything beat a run on a cold, frosty and clear winter morning. The feeling of being alive when most have given up and not set the alarm clock.

‘What do you want next year?’ is perhaps the biggest question right now. It’s time to review the last 12 months, review this summer and then decide on what you want from next year. If you want to run faster, longer and be stronger then the work starts now.

We definitely recommend Cross Country running so find out about the league races your club might take part in. Put the dates in the diary and make them part of the winter build. If you don’t belong to a club we still reckon some trail running over the hills, mud and parks will do you wonders.

For those looking at a big Spring marathon have you actually entered yet? Closing dates are looming and the half marathon dates are now out there as well. Don’t miss the boat and make sure you choose and then enter the right half for you.  A half marathon in February, March or April after some cross country all winter is perfect. They are also a perfect guide to your marathon form 4-8 weeks out from the big day!

So get organised guys and ask yourself what you really want next year. How will 2012 be big for you? The journey starts now and its time to get planning…………good luck!

Nick

A busy weekend of racing for many of you preparing for Autumn marathons and the Bristol half. Some very positive results guys and its certainly looking good.

A special mention to Sarah Rollins who came 13th in the World Short Course Orienteering championships on Friday! A top result Sarah, especially after all of the recent injury worries. Good luck for today in the team relay race.

Other highlights this weekend include:

Chris Sommerfield – a new 5k pb at his local Park run in 19.36

Caroline Tuck – another pb after a recent hot streak of top results. A new 10k pb and age group win in 42.37

Sue Watson – a fine return to form over 10k with 51.59

Helen Manning – just missing a new 10k pb by less than 10 seconds with 45.43

Chris O Hara – A tough day at the office with back spasms during the race but a fine 40.27 and a great days training. There is a huge pb just around the corner Chris!

Andrew Orr – a solid 35.20 and the autumn is looking good.

Stu Holliday – 44 mins on a tough undulating course in Stockport and running into fine form for Bristol.

Lorna Winter – a fine 37 second pb for 10k as she prepares for Berlin next month.

Paulos & Petros Asgodom – amazing results for these 2 brothers and they just get stronger and stronger. Both won bronze medals at the England Athletics U15 championships in Bedford this weekend. Petros was 3rd in the 1500m and Paulos a fine 3rd also in the 3,000m’s. This is their first ever track season and they are leading lights in our Haringey junior training group. Well done boys!

Martin Williams – running for Scotland in the Dublin 10 miles this weekend, Martin finished a fine 4th in 50.14 and is looking good for the Berlin marathon next month. He is currently running at least 120 miles a week – not a bad training run then.

Keep up the good work guys and we will see many of you at the Bristol half early next month.

So Julie and Simon are getting married in Switzerland in the mountains. What a great place for a wedding and a wonderful way to start a new life. However, is this the main event? Certainly not, these guys are nailing the occasion with a week in the mountains. So its a holiday in Chamonix and 10 days of running in the Alps.

If the weather is clear then Mont Blanc might be attempted this year along with some great running days along the Brevent range towards Argentiere. So Phoebe is practicing her navigating skills and the running shoes & mountain gear is packed. Game on! We all have our rave runs and for me running up the Brevent trails past the cable car stations through the tree line and to the top is magnificent. You are rewarded with the best views of Mont Blanc and the full Chamonix area at the top. But the journey has only just begun as you run along the Brevent ridge towards Argentiere and Switzerland finally dropping back into the valley to follow the river back home…………………..it certainly beats the crowded streets of North London!

So good luck to Julie & Simon and we promise to put in plenty of miles for you all.

A quick thank you to Georgette and Bud for helping us to host a brilliant 1st training workshop of the summer at Bristol last Saturday. These are now taking place once a month in the lead up to the half marathon in September and are run in partnership with the cities new park run series. So if you fancy a 5k on a Saturday morning hosted by Geoff and the team and then a fun training workshop, come and join us. Good luck to the 70 people who attended on Saturday and keep training well guys.

The sun is out and there are just a few clouds in the sky as I send this. I have read about our lads in Kenya and now it’s my turn to make a few of you jealous I guess.

It seems to have been a long winter in the UK and suddenly enjoying 20 degrees is a wonderful change. Of course we are all in shorts and flip flops… 20 degrees is summer for us right? But the locals are still sporting jumpers…..  merely the first signs of spring for them! The forecast is to get even warmer over the next 2 weeks as summer gets ever nearer here in the Algarve.

Phoebe and myself are staying at the Stella Maris in Falesia currently having just helped Mike Gratton and 209 events for a week on a brilliant camp. Nearly 70 runners all smiling and loads of miles, fun and top tips from his team. We start week 2 today and were sad to see many new friends leave this morning. The girls from Halifax were still partying into the early hours this morning and were hilarious all week. Their running was definitely better than their karaoke singing and when 2 of them won awards at the celebration meal last night, it was a bigger moment than Colin Firth grabbing an Oscar. Infact, Colin if you want to learn how to celebrate, get in touch with these ladies……….

The great thing about the Algarve is also bumping into so many friends from the running world.  Spending quality time over a coffee or by the pool …. so much more relaxing than trying to grab a chat in between chaos in the UK.

So as the happy campers arrive it’s another week of top workshops, wise words from Mike Gratton & Bruce Tulloh, pilates classes, and wait for it… ‘laughter yoga’ with 209’s top masseur Sue…. Believe me, if you can learn to laugh like her, you are in for a fun week.  Aside from the training we are forever amazed at how such a simple sport has the ability to bring such unlikely people together. Who would have thought that having a passion for donning a pair of trainers and  sporting fluorescent lycra could lead to such fun…………… Watching 70 people train and hearing their stories really does keep you in touch with how diverse and inspirational our sport is. All paces, speeds and levels of experience can train together and learn so much.

As coaches, we have certainly picked up some top tips so far this week. Richard the physio is a gem if honest. This guy is so switched regarding exercises, core stability and practices common sense. Is there anything common about sense in the running world? His wife, Jenny is out here and flying around in training, having given birth to Josh only 6 months ago.  Another top role model. We could go on and on……………….

But that’s not all, next Thursday, and after helping Mike we move onto the Alfa Mar resort just down the road to meet some of our own coached runners for 8-10 days of further banter, top training and catch ups. We can focus on the detail and plan the training for the months ahead with some goal setting/targeting completed without the day to day stresses of life back home. Bring it on, and we cant wait to see you all guys. ……. We’re not qualified to teach laughter yoga but with the legendary Bud Baldaro joining us we are all going to partake in some side-splitting moments.

Scorchio……..

So it’s February and half of the running world seems to be Ill, has been Ill or thinks they are about to get Ill. It’s definitely the month of reassuring, reminding and asking people to be patient as a coach.
Andy Vernon felt tired at the end of last week and said he needed an easy few days. A wise man and top decision, especially as his throat was becoming sore. So a weekend of relaxed runs, extra rest and NO hard Saturday session resulted in him and Jon Beattie flying round Bushy Park today covering 5 x 1 mile in 4.40′ and that’s with the first half of each rep only at tempo before picking up to 5k effort in the last 800……….
Tricia Harrison is knocked for six by a chesty cold last week and immediately takes 5 days off before stepping out for a few days of just 30 mins recovery running a day. She therefore has rested or run easy for 8 days but now feels great.

So what is my point?

Quite simple really – how many of us could have taken a step back to go forwards. There are people racing well all around you, races galore each weekend and the marathon or main goal race is looming. So the pressure is on in some of our minds and the thought of a few easy days just seems impossible. Yet how many of you will take a chance, train when feeling awful and end up tired, post viral and unwell for weeks? Definitely quite a few, and the next batch of emails I will receive from runners we directly support or questions passed on from charities and partners will often start with “I have been feeling tired for weeks and just can’t seem to hit my pace or feel good”?
After a few questions, the answer is frequently clear, no rest when Ill recently and weeks of flogging a dead horse.
So why risk it guys, a few rest days in the middle of a tough month really won’t hurt. Whether you are preparing for a spring marathon or half, the big xc races or the track season February is always a busy month, there are colds and bugs everywhere and taking a step back to remain fresh can really boost your training, health and energy.

Keep it simple and only train hard when you feel good. A quality session should be exactly that and nothing less or a compromise. If tired rest or have a few days of easy recovery runs.

Also check your are eating enough calories guys? Lots of you are running more miles and completing long runs frequently in Feb and March. Up that carbo intake and definitely eat plenty of good protein also. Remember that all important tip – “never hungry, and never over full”. As Sarah Rollins mentions in a blog post, try to eat asap after all training. A recent sport science conference we attended recommended that eating within 5 mins of finishing a session is now the key!!!!! Wow, time to get mega organized.

So have a brilliant February guys and stay healthy, fresh, full of energy, never hungry and totally focused, without becoming obsessed. The good races and results are just around the corner. Don’t force the issue, just enjoy every run and let the fitness build as planned. Don’t rush back into training hard after that cold, let the body get totally healthy and then return to the tough stuff………….you will fly.

Good luck!