BINGE ROAD RACING.........1987 STYLE.

 Nowadays I'm quite happy to space out races every 2 or 3 weeks to allow the old body to recover between efforts.  But this date 25 years ago would see me running a 6th race in a 7 week period as the LEEDS SPORTS CENTRE GRAND PRIX continued,  interspersed with others.   
 Of the 6 races in this period none of them take place now.
  Last week we ran the HARRY RAMSDENS 7.5 mile road race, sponsored  by the famous fish'n'chip company.  This pic shows the original Guiseley restaurant of a company which over the years became a national brand. 

Speedy miler SIMON FIELDING  showed us all a clean pair of heels but it was another  very good day for VALLEY STRIDERS  with JOHN CONVERY 5TH,  KEITH CLUDERAY 6TH, MARTIN HOPSON 7TH and myself 8th.
 JO FRICKER,  pictured below winning the Ilkley 8, who has just completed 25 years working with us at Fastrax,  notched up her 3rd win in 3 weeks in local races; having won the Ilkley race  and the Airebourough 10K in the previous weeks.


This date   JULY 5 1987 saw a return to another Leeds Grand Prix event.  The MORLEY 7 mile race.  Yet another race which if run today would be converted to 10K no doubt.   JOHN CONVERY won yet again and continued to lead the race series.  My 4th place kept me in second Grand Prix place as 2nd and 3rd in the race were no Grand Prix entrants. 
  With 7 races of the 9 in the race series now completed John had scored 7 wins and topped the rankings with a maximum  1400  points.   I was placed second with 7 x 199 points for 7 runner up places.  
   There was no way I could win the series unless John missed one or more event as to do so would lose him 200 points.  Question was could both of us stay fit and well for another two months bearing in mind the number of races we were tackling in this very very busy summer of 1987. Time would tell.

 If I was to be racing every week nowadays,  whilst I would continue to run every day,  I wouldn't be inclined to be doing  much in terms of speed work in the week.  
 But during this period the routine pattern of training was  a tad more intense than nowadays............
MONDAY...........2 runs of 4/5 miles morning and evening.
TUESDAY...........morning 4 easy...............evening hill session
WEDNESDAY....morning 4 easy..........track session (e.g. 4 x mile)
THURSDAY........one run of 8/10 miles
FRIDAY..............generally 2 easy runs as Monday
SATURDAY.......3 or 4 miles easy.
SUNDAY ..........RACE.

Total mileage being around the 60 mile point as there were  no marathons on the horizon for once. 
                     THOSE WERE THE DAYS!!