Crowswood Cottages Ickworth Park Suffolk

For my Sunday long run the weather was mild and dry with a breeze.  I set off early in the morning at 8am and still wore a thermal top and a sweat shirt along with hat and gloves. Day 14 of my 11 week Runners World SMART Coach schedule called for a ten miler at 9.20 mile pace. 

The road to Horringer is about a mile from Westley Bottom.


Entering the park in Horringer with St Leonards Church to the right and the gatehouse lodge there is a wonderful park full of trees much of the design being by Capability Brown for the Hervey Family.

Passing by the redundant St Mary's church it sets the mind thinking as to what this landscape would have looked like when there was a small settlement and villagers who lived here. The depopulation of Ickworth was presumably encouraged by the Herveys over time. From census records it doesn't seem there was ever much more than 100 residents. Apparently there was approximately 15 or so properties close to St Mary's Church with a square green.

I dispensed with the hat and gloves at this point as if anything I was a little over dressed and needed to cool down. 


Just past the church at the White Houses you have a choice of heading on to Chevington Village or you can follow the old coaching track out to Westley. I chose the latter the track way follows the course of the River Linnett.

There are pathways to take you through Twist Wood and Diary Wood and here there are plenty of sheep but continuing along the coach path this takes you to another White House and beyond this the New Warren area which is a wooded area and an uphill stretch out to the main road at Crowswood Cottages.

I returned on the Little Saxham road back into Bury St Edmunds and completed a further three miles along Newmarket Road.


My splits were 8.59,9.28,9.42,9.02,8.52,9.16,8.24,8.43,9.03 and 9.30 for a total of 1.31 .05 for the 10 miles. Again slow but within the 9.20 mile pace that was called for in today's run.


It completes the 2nd week and a total of 34 miles. Next week wil get harder again

Bury St Edmunds Suffolk - 5 Mile Wet and Windy Run

Day 13 of my Runners World SMART Coach schedule called for a 5 mile run at an easy 9.20 mile pace.

The snow has gone to be replaced by wind and rain today. I don't mind a little rain but running in the wind can be disconcerting one moment giving you extra propulsion and next moment stopping you in the tracks. However wouldn't it be boring if every day  was the same.

Running is about being prepared and being able to run in all weathers. In a race you can tuck in behind other runners and get the advantage of a wind shield. However this morning I was running on my own.

With a cold wind like this morning you need to continue to wear layers as the wind chill effect will penetrate and could lead to a chill or worse still grinding to a halt several miles from home. However wearing  tighter  fitting clothes is your best option to reduce resistance.

Running in the wind can lead you to tense up and start fighting against the wind for a training session its better to remain compact, lean slightly forward to reduce the amount of drag , accept the wind and don't fight it. If you keep a running diary be sure to note it was a windy day as your times are likely to be slower.

My run was circular today, if it had been an out and back I would have given more thought to the wind direction as it is always better in the cold to run out into the wind and come home with the wind behind you. On a warm windy day best to do the opposite.

From what I have read a10 mph headwind slows you down by about 8 percent. So running into the wind is a form of resistance training and it is totally free!  Hopefully by embracing the wind rather than avoiding it any training will pay dividends giving a mental edge if and when any races are windy.

As per usual I took my Casio Exilim EX-Z70 with me on the run.These two photos show a wet and windy market stall at Bury St Edmunds market. Normally this would be a bustling hive of activity with crowds of shoppers.

The other photo is the Cullum Road Water Meadows. The ice has thawed and there is some slight flooding.

I got my 5 mile run done with splits of 8.41, 8.55,9.06,8.48, and 9.16 for a time of 44.46 which was within the target time of 9.20 miles.

The 2nd week of my Runners World SMART Coach schedule has seen an increase in mileage overall from 31 to 34 miles. It is going to get a lot harder from now on so time will tell if I can stick to the plan.

Six Mile run at Moreton Hall Suffolk

This was day 12 of my Runners World SMART Coach schedule which called for an easy 6 miles at 9.20 mile pace.

The temperature  was up to 4c and the snow is really beginning to go replaced by rain. This was a run in the rain but for larger parts of the run the pavements were clear of snow until I ran up Symonds Road which was still very slushy. This is also an uphill section and I slowed to a 9.36 mile but it couldn't have been too slippery as I came down the hill in 8.21.

Mile splits were 8.31, 8.47, 9.36, 8.21, 8.41 and 9.01 for a total of 53 mins for 6 miles.

On the podcast I listened to the the latest episode of phedippidations talking about Spring Marathons and his acceptance into the Boston Marathon.

Quotations on Running

I originally included these quotes on the Saint Edmund Pacers Website but though it worth while repeating here on this log as a source of motivation, inspiration and positive thinking.

I would have to say my favourite is the very 1st one from Confucius. By all means let me know yours and I would like to add to the list so send me others that I will add.

Quotation	Source
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."	Confucius
"When you win say nothing,When you lose say less"	Paul Brown
"While a man is racing he must hate himself and his competitors"	Paul Cerutty (Australian Athletics Coach trained John Landy and Herb Elliott to name two)..
"I love controlling a race, chewing up an opponent. Let's get down and dirty. Let's fight it out. It's raw, animalistic, with no one to rely on but yourself. There's no better feeling than that."	Adam Goucher American Cross Country & Track Athelete
"Sport is not about being wrapped up in cotton wool. Sport as about adapting to the unexpected and being able to modify plans at the last minute. Sport, like all life, is about taking risks."	Sir Roger Bannister
"If the hill has its own name, then it's probably a pretty tough hill."	Marty Stern Athletics Coach
"I always loved running...it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs."	Jesse Owens Winner of 4 gold medals at 1936 Olympics
"Hills are speedwork in disguise."	Frank Shorter 1972 Olympic Marathon Gold Medal Winner
"It's at the borders of pain and suffering that the men are separated from the boys."	Emil Zatopek 1952 Olympic Marathon Gold Medal Winner
"Run like hell and get the agony over with."	Clarence DeMar Boston Marathon Winner
"The mile has all the elements of a drama."	Sir Roger Bannister
"The woods are lovely dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep."	Robert Frost
"No one can say, 'You must not run faster than this, or jump higher than that.' The human spirit is indomitable."	Sir Roger Bannister
"I've always felt that long, slow distance produces long, slow runners."	Sebastian Coe
"You find out by trial and error what the optimal level of training is. If I found I was training too hard, I would drop it back for a day or two. I didn't run for five days before the sub-four-minute mile."	Sir Roger Bannister
"Mind is everything: muscle - pieces of rubber. All that I am, I am because of my mind."	Paavo Nurmi the flying finn winner of more olympic medals (12) than any track & field athlete in history.
"Running is a lot like life. Only 10 percent of it is exciting. 90 percent of it is slog and drudge."	David Bedford London Marathon race Director
"We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon."	Emil Zatopek 1952 Olympic Marathon Gold Medal Winner
"To describe the agony of a marathon to someone who's never run it is like trying to explain color to someone who was born blind."	Jerome Drayton Canadian Marathon Runner
"The will to win is nothing without the will to prepare"	Juma Ikangaa Tanzanian Marathon Runner
"I never put limits on myself"	Michael Johnson World Record Holder 200 & 400 metres
"Get up and walk if you have to, but finish the damned race"	Ron Hill

"My race of glory run,and race of shame, And I shall shortly       Milton
be with them that rest"

"For him (Keynes) the short run was much more significant       Keynes
than the long run - that long run in which as he used to say
'we are all dead'

"We swing unguarded hips and lightened our eyes                   Sorley
The rain is on our lips we do not run for prize"

Stowmarket Striders Half Marathon 28th March 2010

I really have a focus to base my training on now. I have gone and done it and entered a race for the first time since June 2009.

I have entered the Joe Cox Half Marathon at Stowmarket Suffolk.  This year the race course is a new one with a new venue at Buxhall near Stowmarket. I did last years race when I was feeling fairly fit and did a 1.45. 39 time I think. I doubt even with a successful 11 training programme that I will get close to this time because I don't have a solid base of regular running behind me.

The main thing for me is to finish with confidence and get familar with road racing again. Even if I run it as a training run it is the taking part and the experience of the event that counts.

Photos from last years race at Stowmarket

Hundred Push Ups Programme - Exhaustion Test

Today was a rest day from running however I did complete a core strength session of pushups. I am continuing with the 100 push ups programme and I have reached the end of week 4. At the end of each week you complete an exhaustion test basically doing as many push ups as you can without going over the top and doing harm to yourself.

I managed 45 which is a new record for me! But sadly lacks behind my son Tom who hit 60 though I think he has been doing some secret training! When I look back at the last 4 weeks my progress is as follows:-

Exhaustion tests

• week 2 16
• week 3  36
• week 4  45

 Press Up Sets every other day a session consists of 5 sets these have progressed from week 1 where I did a total of 53 to 160 in week 4

According to the Guinness Book of Records the record for non  stop push ups is 10,507 by Minoru Yoshida of Japan back in 1980.  The reason why this record has stood so long is because this record was dropped from the records books in favour of a 24 hour record where any athlete can have as many rest breaks as they like.

The new 24 hour record is held by Charles Servizio (USA) 46,001 in 1993 However this has been beaten by Jeffrey Warrick (USA), 46300 though the new record claim has not yet been verified.


The one year record is held by Paddy Doyle of Great Britain who did  1,500,230;  in 1989. If you have not heard of Paddy Doyle take a look at his records. He is said to be the world fitness endurance champion

There are loads more push ups records at recordholders.org

So what do push ups do for you ?

The push up is actually what is termed a 'total body' exercise. While it is known as an upper body exercise, it works more muscles than just the chest and the arms. You work your chest, shoulders, triceps, back and abs.

The following video is worth watching and shows just how much your form can suffer when you try and do multiple push ups. Full credit to the girl in the video  who shows great determination to do 100 push ups much more than I can do at the moment !

The Snowman's lost his carrot

The slow thaw continues in Bury St Edmunds Suffolk and snowmen all over are shrinking and losing their eyes and in the case of this one at Fornham All Saints his carrot nose.

Although the roads are clear the pavements are a variety pack you just don;t know what you are going to get ice slush snow and clear sections. All of which meant that for my tempo run today I did a warm up in search of a fairly clear section of pavement which I found out at Fornham All Saints.

This was day 10 of my Runners World SMART Coach schedule which hopefully will gear me up for a crack at a half marathon at the end of March. Yesterday was a total rest day no running or push ups and I felt strangely inactive after 4 continuous days of running. Today called for a tempo run of 7 miles including a warm up 3 miles at 7.24 mile pace with half mile jogs in between before a warm down mile home.

How did I do?  Warm up of 1.73 miles in 15.08  Tempo miles in 8.11, 8.17,8.17  . I did the half mile jogs and then ran home 1.33 miles in 11.49 A total of 7.12 miles.

Ok again I was nowhere near doing my tempo runs in the pace suggested by the schedule I am just not in that condition and it was still slippery in places. However taking the positives from this my 4 tempo miles last week were between 8.30 and 8.53 so perhaps there has been some improvement. Perhaps I am increasing my anaerobic threshold or it was just less slippery than last week

Felt good today after my rest yesterday which was needed as I had been feeling a little pain on the outside of the knee. A sure sign of Iliotibial band syndrome. It didn't affect my running and I only felt pain by pressing it. But seemingly gone today though something to watch out for in the coming weeks. I have never had this before so not sure what may have caused it but I suspect overuse brought on by the sudden regular running in this training schedule, running on ice, overpronating which I do or running on hills which I do.

More grey snowy photos on this post. The church is All Saints at Fornham All Saints village. You can only just see that the snowman has lost his carrot.

Horsecroft Suffolk

I started the 2nd week of my Runners World SMART Coach schedule with an easy 6 mile run again at 9.20 mile pace. At lunch time when I ran it snowed persistantly for the whole hour that I was out on the run to the point where I was better off without my glasses.

The road I chose was probably not sensible. It was fine in being quite with little traffic but being a minor road the snow added to the previous layer and it made for a slippery but very enjoyable run.

My time for the 6 miles was 9.09, 9.44, 9.29, 8.48, 8.18 and 9.09. The times reflect the fact that I was generally running up hill on the way out and downhill on the way back. Mile 2 being the biggest hill climb and mile 5 being the reverse running down that same hill.

I also continued with my 100 push ups programme where I am on week 4 day 3 which consisted of 5 sets of 29, 33, 29, 29 and a final 40. My son Tom reclaimed  the world record in our house when he trotted out 60 in one go beating my record of 41 by a country mile!

Risby Suffolk

The end of my 1st week of the Runners World SMART coach schedule called for a long run of 10 miles at a 9.20 mile pace.

Where to run? With the current snowy conditions  I am happy to run 5 miles up and down the same piece of road or in a park but didn't fancy doing the same for a long run.

Luckily over night there ws no more snow and there had been something of a thaw. It being a Sunday morning and very little traffic I ventured out running on the minor roads to Risby in Suffolk. As can be seen from the photo the roads were partially clear. I was able to run around two thirds of the way on the roads and switched back to the snowy paths and pavements when traffic approached.

I ran out 5 miles to my turning point just beyond the Highwayman's Vineyard.  
This is now a bed and breakfast .

My time for the 10 miles was 1 hr 29 mins 06 seconds mile splits 8.52,8.53,9.18,8.39,8.51,9.04,9.11,8.51,9.00 and 8.27

My pace was fairly consistent throughout and I was able to complete week 1 for a total of 31 miles. For the last mile I put in some extra effort and I switched from the Phedippidations podcast ( Steve Runner talking about his ambition to run a marathon in under 4 hours) to the Lillingtons The Too Late Show which always gives me a boost to run a little quicker.

Having completed Week 1 of my schedule I recognise that on paper that this is the easiest week.  I am reasonably tired so I am going to have draw on reserves of energy. Another way to look at it is that Week 1 of a running schedule is one of the hardest because it is the first step out of the door which is the most mentally difficult especially in the current weather conditions.

You'll Never Walk Alone

Day 6 of my Runners World SMART Coach schedule was a repeat of yesterday another easy 5 mile run at 9.20 mile pace. I found today harder than yesterday  though partly as I was feeling a little tired but also because overnight we have had another 5 cm of snow.

  Running this morning required a higher lift of the legs to go forward because of the depth of the new snow.This morning as I ran it again snowed heavily for a while and visability became quite poor for a time.  Sledges which for many years have really been "white elephants" only coming out for the odd day in Suffolk are actually getting a proper use this year.

On the ipod this morning I listened to the 'A Mile with Me' podcast episode 35 which had a focus on Antarctica which was very apt. What was great to hear and was inspiring when I most needed it most was the Celtic fans singing You'll Never Walk Alone.

If you are not familar with it you can find out more about the history and tradition here , these are the words  - When you walk,through a storm hold your head, up high and don't be afraid, of the dark At the end,of the storm,is a golden sky and the sweet silver song,of lark. Walk on, through the wind walk on, ... Video below

My time today for the 5 miles was 45.44. Mile splits were 9.05,8.52,8.55,9.16 and 9.32.

Fitted in my 100 push ups programme where I have reached day 2 of week 4. Today I did 25,29,25,25 and 41. My 41 was enough for me to take the lead in the push up championship at home until my son Tom has a go when I am sure he will regain the title.

Also went to see Avatar today and wore the 3D glasses over my own glasses which was ok . Verdict good film well worth watching. It has already taken 1.2 billion dollars world wide and is set to overcome Titanic. Rather than being a very alien film the storey line is very much an every day occurence of nature versus profit. You don't need to go to Pandora as the storey is happening some where in the world all the time where tropical rainforests and native people are ousted by giant corporations or desperate locals wanting the land for farming. Although a lengthy film the time passed quickly and I would be happy to watch again  I give it an 8 out of 10

Run in the Abbey Gardens Bury St Edmunds Suffolk - January 8th 2010

This lunch time between snow showers and with a little blue sky I fitted in a five mile run. This is day 5 of my 11 week Runners World SMART Coach Schedule which called for an easy 5 mile run at a 9.20 pace per mile.

Most of my training last year apart from the interval track sessions was run at the one pace that being dependent on how I felt and what I could run which varied between 8 and 9 minute miles.

There was a lot of lying snow on the ground which has been regularly added to with snowy showers. A thaw isn't due until the middle of next week according to the Met Office weather forecast so it is a case of getting used to it and running the best you can in the snow.

I can certainly feel new muscles on my inner thighs that I didn't know I had as a result of running in the snow. I find you have to work a bit harder in snowy conditions to look where you are putting your feet and when the snow is shoe depth you can tend to slow. As a workout running in snow must be equivalant to running on sand providing resistance training.

Keeping warm hasn't been a problem as long as you layer up well with clothes. The one area that inevitably tends to get damp is the feet and this could be a problem over a longer run. Perhaps double up on the socks anyone else have any ideas on avoiding damp feet in the snow?

Choosing a route to run in the snow is difficult. On the one hand choosing to run in a built up area near traffic and people is safer than running a trail in the country. I largely prefer to do the later but realise that it is all to easy to have a trip or turn an ankle and this isn't something to do in below freezing conditions. The trouble with running near roads is the potential for drivers to lose control and spin off the road , you can also get a lovely wash of slush so I tend to run as far as I can on the inside of pavements.

A good compromise is to find a park or field to run around. Here you obviously avoid the traffic and there will be people around to watch your embarrasment if you take a tumble.

I got most of my run in the Abbey Gardens and avoided one or two snowballs. My speed was slow. The snow actualy helped in this respect as I ran the 5 miles at a 9.20 pace as required. My mile laptimes showed splits of 8.52, 9.23,9.30,9.39,9.14 making for a 46.38 time overall.

One other great preparation for running in the snow is to fuel the body with porridge oats! I did this morning . 
The right breakfast can keep your energy levels high for the rest of the day, says nutritionist Natalie Savona.

The author of the Kitchen Shrink says 'My favourite winter breakfast is a bowl of porridge. It's warm, satisfying, comforting and is a great source of B vitamins, which help convert food to energy in the body, and play a role in making serotonin, the feel-good chemical, in the brain.'

Breakfast may even keep you healthy. Scientists at Cardiff University have shown that breakfast eaters are less prone to winter ills than those that grab a coffee and run. I must admit I generally do the later due to lack of time!!

One Hundred Push Ups Programme

I have just started week 4 of the hundred push ups programme.

Today  I did my 5 sets training programme which included 21, 25, 21,21 and a final set of 35 making a total of 123. I allowed a 1-2 minue  rest in between sets.

My aim is to train through week 4 before I have another assault on the world record in our house which is currently held by my son Tom (who has now admitted to doing some secret  training and has recently achieved 56 ) with 40! My best is currently 36 so we are both likely to improve our records

This is day 4 of my 11 week  Runners World Smart Coach Schedule which calls for another rest day. Just as well really as we have had a further heavy snow fall in Suffolk and the temperature is 22f or about -5C at the moment.

Tempo Run in the Snow - Bury St Edmunds Suffolk

Day 3 of my 11 week Runners World Smart Coach Schedule saw me venture out in the snow. Compared to much of the country I think we have got of lightly so far as snow fell in Suffolk today at lunch time and for a while was heavy but at the moment I think we have had around 7-8 cm so not too bad. The Met Office forecast for tomorow in Bury St Edmunds is much the same with the possibility of more heavy snow and icy roads.

Once I had layered up with hat and thick gloves two tops and tracksters my schedule called for me to do a "warm up" mile! Which I did and to be honest apart from the inevitable slipping effect the snow was ok to run in.

I then had a go at the 4 mile tempo run but to be expected I couldn't run at the suggested pace which was 7.54 miles. Instead overall I ran 8.45 miles. I did put in tempo type effort in to the run but a combination of my lack of fitness/sharpness , lack of previous tempo running and the snow conditions lead to my downfall. However I am taking the positive from this run firstly I got out there when it would have been so easy to giveit a miss, running in the snow must effect your pace so perhaps my 8.45's were worth a little more and practice makes perfect so each week I might see some improvement in my tempo running.

Times were warm up 8.56.Tempo miles 8.30,8.44,8.50,8.53. Warm down mile 9.35

So I definitely slowed on the tempo miles as I tired.

Day 2 of 77 of the Runners World Smart Coach Schedule

Day 2 of my 11 week half marathon schedule called for a rest day. I can do that and to be fair I have just completed day 3 , week 3 of the push ups programme. Tonight I did 5 sets of push ups which included sets of 22, 30 , 20, 20 followed by a final set of 30 . Grand total of 122 for the 5 sets though don't think I could do much more than what I am doing in one set at the moment.

My schedule really begins to get going tomorrow night with a tempo run weather allowing. Tempo runs were absent from my training last year so I am really looking forward to this at the moment. According to Toby Tanser tempo runs are the single most important session you can do to improve your speed for any race distance. Interesting to me is the view from Tanser that tempo runs trump track sessions for the longer distance runner as it obviously trains your body to sustain speed over distance.

I would normally attend a track session once or twice a week but will cut this back to perhaps just the one for the period of this schedule. It would seem that tempo running is more important than speedwork for the half and full marathon

What is a tempo run? From what I have read it is a comfortably hard run for 2-4 miles. It is not race pace but if you could you would slow down. A good easy warm up and cool down with the tempo run being the meat in the sandwich.

An interesting site on Toby Tanser and his work can be found here

Runners World Smart Coach

Apart from when I ran the London Marathon I have never followed a running schedule. There's an omission but I have always seen a timetable as something that will tie me down and doom me to inevitable failure.

There was one other time I tried a running schedule and that was last summer and soon afterwards I was injured with sciatica and then a broken rib. So with mixed feelings and no experience of choosing race schedules I am going to give the Runners World Smart Coach a try.

Looking at the Runners World website the forum comments on the Smart Coach are very mixed. Certainly those from the earliest days of the smart coach in around 2007 were quite dismissive and pointed out some strange paces and distances to be run just before the race you were planning to do. However more recently comments seem to be more positive and generally are moaning more about the overall look and feel of the Runners World site.  I generally have to agree with the sentiments that the previous version of the Runners World website looked better.

That aside how do you use the on line Runners World Smart Coach? You are asked to fill in some information on a recent race time, a distance you are training for , how hard you want to train and the length of the schedule. Simple and up pops a schedule to follow. I chose to down load mine into Word so I could adapt some of the training to fit around days I know I can't run.

And of course because it is always easier on paper (then doing the actual running) I chose the hard option rather than moderate. The hard option means your mileage increases by about 15% per week though pace only moderately.  The very hard option is also a 15% increase in mileage but your pace also increases dramatically. Whilst I would like my pace to increase dramatically I only really have one pace so this option was a non starter.

To be honest  the moderate option would have been the best seeing a 10% increase in mileage which probably leads to less liklihood of injury.

Any way the combination of  it being anew year, having a race schedule to work to and my renewed interest in keeping a diary on this blog should hopefuly provide the motivation to try and see this schedule through. I fully expect to have to miss some sessions after all it is winter and if injury doesn't get me a cold might.

Based on my last half marathon time which was a 1.45.37 time  much of the pace of my training schedule is set for around 9.09 to 9.20 miling. The tempo runs between 7 and 7.54 miles. The long runs increase from 10 to 14 miles and the number of days running from 5-6 leading to the peak training week being 51 miles.

Being as I haven't run this much in a few years this is going to be a challenge. An 11 week challenge - 77 days but Day 1 as you would expect was reasonable and required a 5 mile run at an easy pace.

The 11 weeks completes for me with a half marathon hopefully the Joe Cox Half Marathon at Stowmarket and I would like to also amend the schedule so as to do a 10k race.

Running Race Diary for first half of 2010

I have yet to enter anything but looking at the 1st half of 2010 I am not planning to do anything over and above a half marathon distance

Possible races will include

1. Cross Country at Nowton Park Bury St Edmunds 24th January 
2. Adnams Great East Run at Bungay 10k  - 21st February 
3. Joe Cox Half Marathon 28th March 
4. Sudbury Fun Run 5 miles 2nd April
5. Bungay Half marathon 18th April
6. Trip up to London to watch the London Marathon on 25th April - i did enter the ballot but didn't get a place
7. Breckland 10k  3rd May 
8. Woodbridge 10k 16th May 
   

I don't suppose I will do half of these events but time will tell and in particular if my confidence improves from my training. Some of these races sell out so you have to be quick with an entry form.

100 Push Ups Programme

I have just started week 3 of the push ups programme and I am little better than when I began. My initial exhaustion test ( how many good push ups you can do ) resulted in 16.

Last night I did my 5 sets training programme which included 14, 18, 14,14 and a final set of 25 making a total of 85. I allowed a 2-3 rest in between sets.

My aim is to train through week 3 before I have another assault on the world record in our house which is currently held by my son Tom (who is not doing any training ) with 40! My best is currently 36 so perhaps next week end ?

My Running Year 2009

At the beginning of 2009 I set myself a target to run 1400 miles in the year.
This works out at around 27 miles a week for every week of the year.

As I ran 1218 miles in 2008 this target didn't seem out of reach requiring me to up my mileage by 3-4 miles a week.

Looking back on 2009 I didn't make this target my total for the year was 1222 pretty much the same as 2008.Main reason why was persistant injuries from around the end of July which meant a long lay off from running. When I returned I had lost all my stamina and felt as if I was starting from scratch with my mile times being down by anything up to a minute on many runs.

My 2009 statistics show the following

January 2009           143 miles  22 runs

February 2009         132 miles  18 runs
March 2009              129 miles  18 runs
April 2009                 133 miles  18 runs
May 2009                  139 miles  19 runs
June 2009                 139 miles   21 runs
July 2009                    82 miles   14 runs
August 2009               10 miles    2 runs
September 2009       31 miles    8 runs
October 2009             92 miles    17 runs
November 2009        98 miles     17 runs
December 2009        88 miles    16 runs

The week of the 25th May when I ran 40.7 miles was my top mileage week. I had six blank weeks where no running was achieved due to injury or heavy colds.



Total Runs for 2009 - 190 out of 365 days.

My average distance that I ran in 2009 was 6.43 miles.

My longest run in 2009 was 13.1 miles on 13th March at the Stowmarket Joe Cox Half Marathon.

I ran 4 races in 2009 these being the Stowmarket Joe Cox Half Marathon, Breckland 10k, Bury 5 and the Stowmarket 5


Looking at my pace statistics for easy runs a slowest month in August of 9.04 a mile with April being the quickest at 8.23


I only did tempo runs between January and April and just recently in December. April was my quickest month again at 8.05 per mile.

My interval training at the West Suffolk track was patchy with 4 months of the year showing no intervals. June was my fastest month with 6.42 interval miles being recorded. December being the slowest.


As for long runs I didn't achieve any in August and September when I was injured but have long runs for the rest of the year. My slowest month being December at 9.06 a mile, May being the quickest at 8.37 miles.


My quickest race pace was for the Breckland 10k in May which was a 7.36 pace for a 47.19 time.


My running log for 2009 only shows 1 hill session back in July.


Keeping a running diary obviously does enable you to reflect back on your training and consider what went well and what went wrong.


Too much of my runs have been 'filler runs'. By that I mean runs within my comfort zone though they haven't always felt like that! What I mean is that it is clear more of my runs need to be quality runs to include more long distance runs, hills and tempo runs. I also haven't had a set purpose or focus to my running due to a lack of races in my diary.


Now to plan 2010 and set out some objectives!

High Green near Nowton Suffollk

It was just a little to icy this morning for my run .

I ran out of Bury St Edmunds on the Horsecroft Road through Hardwick and Horsecroft. Instead of running across fields to reach Nowton Park  I continued on the road which takes you round to High Green. This is a small hamlet which is familiar to runners who take part in Saint Edmund Pacers Friday 5 as being the high point up a long drag from Nowton Park.

You could never be confident of your footing and consequently I couldn't run to my normally stride and had to pad along at a slower pace.

Lovely sunshine this morning, though the temperature was 0C.

My run was a 6.41 mile effort and I felt tired as this was third consecutive day of running.

1st January 2010 - New Year Day Run in Bury St Edmunds Suffolk

As I set out for my run a heavy snow shower had just begun.This if anything hastened me out of the door not knowing if we would get several inches of snow thus making the pathways too slippery to run on. As it turned out it was just a shower and blue sky arrived 10 minutes later.

My route through Bury St Edmunds is depicted in these photos below . The water meadows along Cullum Road are  still frozen as temperatures continue to hover around freezing.

There was no problems with slipping this morning despite the tiny covering of snow if anything temperatures were a little warmer than of recent.

It was good to get in my first run of the new year. I still haven't got round to planning out a training schedule and haven't yet signed up to any races but I want to do that in the next few days.

Last night I believe more fireworks went off in our area than on the 5th November bonfire night. Eventually these ceased around 1.30am ,so I should have felt a little jaded for this run as theses kept me awake but I didn't have any problems.

I am continuing with my push ups programe and have completed week 2 of the training which finishes with what is called an exhaustion test . Basically you do as many push ups as you can until your arms won't do any more.

It has turned into a bit of a competition with my son who isn't doing the training programme. As he had recently done 35 that was my target and some how I managed to just do 36 to become the champion for all of five minutes. Until that is Tom did 40 oh well it gives me a new target to beat and hopefully I can do this in a week or so.

As I get further into the run the snow continued to melt and I stoped to take this photo of St Johns Church in the centre of Bury St Edmunds - you can just see the spire.

My last photo is taken along Eastgate Street and has a view of St Edmundsbury Cathedral