HOME AND AWAY

  I made an "away" visit to the Carnegie track in Leeds on Wednesday evening to check out a speed session set for a young female runner of 4 x 1 mile.   Luckily 3 gentlemen from another local club whose session had been cancelled elected to support her in her efforts.   The group was quite well matched and worked hard to bring the best out of each other.  Her last mile reps had been  5.52  5.51 5.52.  So I'd have been happy with similar times having added the fourth.   With group support she averaged 5.44!  Collective power rules!
  Whilst timing for them I was able to observe a session being undertaken by a young man aged 15 who ran 800 metres in 1:54.79 last week.   Doing my track sessions alone I rarely see sprint work like he was doing over the short distances  and the main thing that struck me was the speed of his arm drive.  Phenomenal.   As previously concluded not a major factor for my races above 10K but something to keep working on with more 5Ks being run and to allow me to maintain my sprint finish! 
  So returning to my home  Nelson track today for my short rep speed session I focussed hard on trying to increase my  arm cadence,  especially after the first lethargic rep in 73.   To be honest I'd have been happy
to see the rest around 71/72 the way I've been feeling but........ pumping those arms!........ I managed...........
   70.1    70.2    69.0    69.5    68.9    67.8    66..2.    (38.30 10K pace..........nice one as they say.)
 Only 8 reps but the best set of 300s for a long time.  On a day when it was so cold I nearly kept my warm up gear on altogether!   No need for protective sun gear on this May Thursday.

  Friday...........heavy rain overnight has cleared and there's hardly a cloud in

the sky whilst the breeze still has a chill in it.  If I was racing today I'd be thinking about sun protection.  We know about losing heat through the head but it still amazes me the number of bald or shaven headed runners......they tend to be male (!)....who don't protect their heads with a white mesh cap.   Similarly  it surprises me the number of runners who will race screwing their eyes up in the brightest sunlight or run for miles with an unsect in their eye rather than wear a pair of sunglasses which don't have to be expensive.    A common sight  in longer races particularly in the past was to tie a white "hankie" around the neck to keep the sun off the back of the neck.   Rarely seen now. 

                                        And of course............keep using the cream!