Forgive me lord for I have sinned. I haven't run on the fells for over a month, I have run a track race and 3 road races in the last few weeks, and worst of all..... I really enjoyed all of them!!
My routine over the last few years has been to race and run the fells from Feburary until October and then hibernate for the winter and get fat! This year though I am going to try something different to spice things up a bit. I will be running the Blackpool marathon on April 7th next year and this means lots of hard road miles for the next few months. Running a marathon has always been in the back of my mind but I could never get motivated for a long winter of road miles that would be needed to ensure I could do the distance justice. Since starting Uni i have been training on the track once or twice a week and I have realised what real training is! I feel like I am only scratching the surface of my potential and over the last few weeks I have been thinking of what I could achieve If I really start training properly and stop dicking around like I have for the last few years.
Going forward I can see myself racing and running on the fells and mountains alot less than I have been doing and really focusing my attention on getting quicker on the road. That said, I think its important not to pigeon hole myself as there are so many differnt things I want to try its good to keep your eyes open.
I think the reason I have started to really enjoy road and track running is that it really lets you know how bad or good you are running. Sometimes on the fells or mountains you can make excuses and hide, not on the road or track. The time never lies!
After running 35:40 at the Leeds Abbey Dash 10k last weekend without really feeling like I was extending myself too much, I think I can safely say this is the fittest I have ever been, and its winter time! Its such a good feeling to be heading into the new year with this kind of fitness and I have never been as excited or optimistic about my running before. Next year will be very exciting!
