Up another rung!

 The end of week 3 in my period of rest and recovery.  "Downtime December" is not quite a correct description of this current phase as I am actually running every day  but still no runs above 6 miles;  the mileage 25% down on normal and  only 3 miles this week faster than 9 minute mile pace!
 But being positive I did hit the recovery target for the week of 30 miles and enjoyed a run outside  each day with reasonable underfoot conditions; several days enjoying brilliant,  late morning winter sunshine.  So up another rung on the ladder of recovery and a return to normal routine! Last year it was day after day doing short jogs  on the dreadmill,   nursing what turned out to be a piriformis problem  as Wharfedale froze and stayed frozen for days.
 Let's hope for nothing like that again this winter. But not holding my breath.
 I freely admit that much of my motivation and drive involves "chasing numbers"  and  I know many reading this will  class  me as a bit of a pedant. . But tell me how many runners having  completed a 5 mile run today, which brought their 2011 total to 1999.5,  would not have jogged another half mile to round off week 50 with 2000  miles......giving me  a neat weekly average for the year of 40 miles!
 Looking back at January posts I can't find reference to setting a target of mileage for the year as early last January I was just concerned to get back to running any distance pain free;  never mind thinking about the whole year ahead.   All in all  I'll settle for the recovery and consistency achieved  between February and
early December. 
 But again there will be no aims made for 2012 for racing and training until I've returned to the track and managed to put together a decent speed session.  This will then enable me to  judge how the recovery has gone and  go forward.  Hopefully shortly.
 In contrast the ladies listed below,  as revealed this week by VLM,  have a very defined aim for the first few months of next  year;  a place in the Olympic marathon,  based on a successful qualifying run in the London marathon.  If anything it will prove to be a better quality race than the Olympic event  itself.  Certainly some very classy Kenyans  and Ethiopian ladies look destined to miss out with only 3 places to go for.   Then of course there is the battle for the remaining place on the GB team.  Bring it on!

LONDON MARATHON WOMENS ENTRIES

 

Elite Women	PB
Mary Keitany (Kenya)	2:19:19
Irina Mikitenko (Germany)	2:19:19
Florence Kiplagat (Kenya)	2:19:44
Edna Kiplagat (Kenya)	2:20:46
Constantina Dita (Romania)	2:21:30
Atsede Baysa (Ethiopia)	2:22:04
Ejegayehu Dibaba (Ethiopia)	2:22:09
Inga Abitova (Russia)	2:22:19
Korene Jelila (Ethiopia)	2:22:43
Priscah Jeptoo (Kenya)	2:22:51
Bezunesh Bekele (Ethiopia)	2:23:09
Isabellah Andersson (Sweden)	2:23:41
Mariya Konovalova (Russia)	2:23:50
Aberu Kebede (Ethiopia)	2:23:58
Jessica Augusto (Portugal)	2:24:33
Nadia Ejjafini (Italy)	2:26:15
Yuliya Ruban (Ukraine)	2:27:00

Leading British entrants

Women	PB
Liz Yelling	2:28:33
Claire Hallissey	2:29:27
Louise Damen	2:30:00
Susan Partridge	2:34:13
Alyson Dixon	2:34:51
Amy Whitehead	2:35:39
Helen Decker	2:35:43
Rebecca Robinson	2:37:14
Freya Murray	Debut
Sonia Samuels	Debut

AMY WHITEHEAD (Sale Harriers)...a good outside bet  along with
club mate  SONIA SAMUELS?