5.4 miles steady

It was too icy to risk running in the Newtons so I ran my usual Monday night route in my Lunar Trainer, consequently a lot slower. Distance came out at 5.35 miles, time 38:31, average pace 7:09/mile. Pace splits: 7:40, 7:25, 7:10, 6:46, 6:52, 6:44.

3.4 miles slow

Went out in the morning for a recovery run around my usual West End route. Knee felt bruised, legs generally stiff. 3.36 miles in 26:01 (7:44/mile), pace splits 8:04, 7:34, 7:34, 7:44. Took the afternoon off to recover a bit more. Weekly total: 20 miles.

Dunbartonshire XC Championships

I would normally try to avoid a cross-country race as long as 6 miles but there was a chance of a team prize so I was talked into taking part, and as it turned out the weather had improved drastically by Saturday. I took along my new Brooks spikes as well as my trail shoes and decided on the spikes. I started near the front and kept up with the lead pack pretty well until I slid down the first significant downhill. It didn't cost me too much time, but there was more trouble on the far side of the course where a very muddy patch on an incline meant I had to run into a tree to stop or I would have fallen. On the way back there was a steep embankment where I couldn't find my footing at all. I tried to pull myself up using some nearby bushes but kept slipping backwards. Some of the other runners were having less trouble and I lost quite a few places. I eventually managed to struggle up at the side of the course and started moving through the field, but I had lost so much time that I was way out of contention. If I hadn't been the fourth counter for the team at that point, I might have thrown in the towel. On the second lap I had more trouble on the embankment, but on the final lap I was starting to get into it. Managed to bang my knee on a gate but picked up one more place before the end. I finished 26th in a pretty dismal 41:01. We were nonetheless second team, although due to an error with the results we were awarded third place on the day. I might have got on better in trail shoes or longer spikes than the 6mm ones which came with the shoes.

5.6 miles steady

As part of a tapering plan before Saturday's race I took a break on Tuesday (helped by terrible weather) and felt better than usual at the start of football on Wednesday, but worse after the game, and didn't go out for a run afterwards (also helped in this decision by terrible weather). I was more or less back to running condition by Thursday evening so went to training. Low numbers overall meant fewer packs than usual. The enlarged fast pack set off at a very slow pace and the two of us who would normally be in the regular fast pack broke away up Drymen Road, without really pushing it, as we all had half an eye on the cross-country - this was also why I left the Newtons at home and ran in my Brooks Racers although the sole started to peel off again in the rain. The route took us over Stockiemuir Avenue and back down Milngavie Road. Distance was 5.64 miles, time 40:31 for a 7:11/mile average. Pace splits: 8:31, 7:31, 7:02, 6:39, 6:40, 6:27.

5.3 miles hard

Both hamstrings were decidedly tight but I ran the same route as last Monday, again in the Newtons. I had some minor hip problems which didn't really improve but didn't get any worse either. Finished the 5.33 miles in a new route PB of 33:29, 6:17/mile. Pace splits: 6:24, 6:27, 6:26, 6:10, 6:05, 5:54.

3.4 miles slow, 8.8 miles steady

Went out before breakfast for the usual 3.37 miles with Natasha. In the afternoon I braved the terrible conditions to tackle the same route as last Sunday. Had no trouble this time at Queen Margaret Drive or Anniesland Cross and 7:00/mile looked just about within reach, but I got stuck for a while trying to cross Great Western Road and then Crow Road on the way back. No significant hip problems this time. Finished the 8.78 miles in 1:02:47, average pace 7:09/mile. Pace splits: 7:30, 6:47, 6:51, 7:34, 7:06, 7:40, 7:16, 6:43, 6:50. Weekly total: 43 miles.

1.3 miles very slow, 6 miles moderate

In the morning I was last runner marshal for a schools cross-country race and after a reasonably brisk start ended up having to walk most of the rest of the way. In the afternoon I didn't feel like doing anything at all but I had started a new stretching regime on Friday evening and wanted to see if there had been any improvement. I also dug out the Brooks Racer ST4 for the first time since I had glued the sole back on. The route I selected took me through Ruchill Park, up Balmore Road, along Skirsa Street, past Summerston Station and back down Maryhill Road. It went OK and I took advantage of the lighter shoes, completing the 6.04 miles in 39:44, 6:35/mile. Pace splits: 6:57, 6:28, 6:26, 6:34, 6:39, 6:26, 6:18.

7 miles steady

Didn't feel up to running with the club and the weather was terrible so I went out before dinner for my usual 7-mile route. The temperature wasn't too bad so I overheated a bit in my waterproof jacket. Distance came out at 6.99 miles, time 52:05, pace 7:27/mile. Pace splits: 7:44, 7:14, 7:01, 7:48, 7:27, 7:28, 7:25.

3.4 miles slow

Recovered well enough to get through a game of football and ran my usual route afterwards, 3.37 miles in 25:07, 7:28/mile. Pace splits: 7:45, 7:21, 7:19, 7:25.

7.6 miles steady

My legs felt a bit tight in the evening but I thought I should be OK for a run so I dodged the fartlek session and ran the same route as the previous Tuesday. Unfortunately this meant passing both packs. It was going particularly well and I thought I might sneak inside 6:45/mile overall until the hip started playing up around St George's Road, by which time I had no choice but to press on, and it wasn't until Anniesland Cross that I started to feel a bit better. 7.60 miles in 52:31, 6:54/mile. Pace splits: 6:49, 6:53, 6:42, 7:00, 7:21, 6:50, 7:05, 6:25.

5.3 miles hard

Ran the same route as last Monday, this time wearing the Newtons. It was tricky in light rain with wet leaves underfoot, although I was well on course for a decent time after the first two miles, mostly uphill. Didn't make up any time on the long downhill due to a headwind which struck up after the rain had gone off. Finished the 5.33 miles in a route PB of 33:58, average pace 6:22/mile. Pace splits: 6:29, 6:27, 6:23, 6:10, 6:22, 6:20.

2.5 miles easy, 8.8 miles steady

Went out before lunch for the Queen Margaret Drive loop just to stretch the legs a bit, 2.49 miles in 19:01. In the afternoon I felt able to tackle a longer run so tried a route that I would ideally complete inside an hour - Great Western Road, Lincoln Avenue, Danes Drive, Clarence Drive and home via Great Western Road. I thought an average of 7:00/mile should get me pretty close but I lost about 20 seconds waiting to cross Queen Margaret Drive and then another 40 seconds at Anniesland Cross when I had been starting to get my act together, so that was that. Otherwise the run went OK until the hip pain returned just inside the last mile, although I was able to run through it. Finished the 8.76 miles in 1:03:07, average pace 7:12/mile. Pace splits: 7:28, 7:19, 7:40, 7:04, 7:03, 7:17, 7:18, 6:46, 6:50. Weekly total: 43 miles.

3.9 miles steady, 5.2 miles steady

Went out before lunch for my usual route extended via Cleveden Drive, 3.89 miles in 27:43 (average 7:08/mile), fairly hard work in places, pace splits 7:36, 6:58, 7:00, 6:56. In the afternoon I ran another familiar route via Dorchester Avenue, 5.17 miles in 36:08 (average 7:00/mile), felt comfortable all the way round. Pace splits: 7:24, 6:56, 6:53, 6:47, 7:01, 6:40.

6.7 miles hard

In anticipation of a faster-than-usual fast pack I took my Newtons to training, and the pack turned out to consist of just me and Joe. We were only sure of the first half of the route so we didn't give the other packs too much of a start, and spotted some distant figures at the top of Cowal Road while we were on our way down the hill. After battling up Cleveden Road we picked it up a bit and caught the next pack on Byres Road. The part of the route we weren't sure of took us down Clarence Drive and up Crow Road, and we managed to overtake the last pack at Anniesland Cross, even though Joe was evidently taking it a bit easier than usual. Finished the 6.7 miles in 43:16 for a 6:27/mile average. Pace splits: 6:58, 6:47, 6:14, 6:18, 6:15, 6:31, 6:00.

3.4 miles slow

Went for my usual run (this time 3.38 miles) around the West End after playing football, average pace just inside 8:30/mile.

7.6 miles steady

Skipped the club's medium reps session for a longer run down Maryhill Road and Garscube Road as far as Phoenix Road, then back via Great Western Road and Crow Road. I was initially aiming to take it easy at 7:30/mile or so but going faster than this didn't take too much effort. The extra distance took the total up to 7.61 miles, finishing time was 52:16 for a 6:52/mile average. Pace splits: 7:19, 7:06, 6:39, 6:39, 6:55, 6:43, 7:06, 6:15.

5.3 miles moderate

I thought about running a few miles in the Newtons in the evening but on account of a comparatively high weekend mileage I opted for a slightly longer distance in the Lunar Trainer, at a steadier pace, and had another go at the route via Milngavie Road, Clober Road, Craigton Road and South Mains Road, starting and finishing at Bearsden Asda. I hovered around 7-minute miles for the first part of the route, feeling quite slow, but it got easier after that. Had some minor hip pain in the last half-mile or so. Finished the 5.33 miles in 35:26, average pace 6:39/mile. Pace splits: 7:05, 6:49, 6:40, 6:18, 6:27, 6:19.

3.3 miles steady, 6.9 miles steady

Went out in the morning for the same run as Saturday afternoon, this time 3.34 miles in 23:50 for a 7:08/mile average. Pace splits: 7:37, 6:53, 6:56, 7:03. In the afternoon I ran my usual 7-mile route which came out at 6.93 miles. Time was 47:55, average pace 6:55/mile. Pace splits: 7:42, 7:05, 6:43, 6:54, 6:44, 6:36, 6:38. Weekly total: 32 miles.

Glasgow University 5 Mile Road Race, 3.4 miles easy

After a bit more stretching I felt able to take part in the race after all, and although I had originally planned to wear my Newtons I opted for the lighter Lunar Racers. On arriving at Garscube Estate I jogged up to the top gate with Ben to see if the organisers had managed to open it, which they hadn't. At this point I was having some doubts about participating at all, on point of principle, but I eventually decided that at least I had some warning to get a fast enough start. Third place for Garscube looked within reach and the age-based sealed handicap might work in my favour for once. I started fast and as luck would have it I was neatly between the leading and trailing packs when we got to the gate, which meant I only had to slow down slightly and was probably delayed for no more than a couple of seconds. Didn't feel too great on the first lap, but I resisted the temptation to bail out when I passed the finish line the first time around. The second lap was even tougher, probably due to Thursday night's efforts, although I did make up a single place about halfway round. After struggling up Dalsholm Road for the last time I noticed a few runners not too far behind, but I held onto my position until the end. Finished in 28:40, 23 seconds down from last year where I had hoped to beat 28 this year, but this wasn't too bad. The distance came out at only 4.92 miles which gives me a 5:50/mile average. Pace splits: 5:40, 5:54, 5:58, 5:49, 5:50.

In the afternoon I decided to get a few more miles in and went out for my usual West End route, 3.35 miles in 24:53 for a 7:25/mile average. Pace splits: 7:45, 7:20, 7:13, 7:16.

5.5 miles moderate

I tried some assorted hamstring stretches on Wednesday night, and by Thursday morning the tightness on the outside had been replaced by a new pain on the inside, although it did seem like the kind of injury I could run through, so at the last minute I decided to go to training after all, prepared to drop out anywhere within the first mile. In any case I was planning to take it fairly easy ahead of Saturday's race. The training session started off a bit earlier than usual to accommodate a presentation later on, and the packs were condensed so the fast pack was quite a bit larger than usual. The route was a simple loop of Maryhill Road, Queen Margaret Drive and Great Western Road. A few of us started to break away after a couple of miles. As the pace started to increase I was pleased enough that I was able to keep up and decided I didn't really care that much about the race. The fourth mile, along Great Western Road, came in just inside 6 minutes, and Joe started to get away as we headed towards Anniesland station. Finished the 5.49 miles in 36:33 for a 6:39/mile average. Pace splits: 7:53, 6:58, 6:26, 5:58, 6:23, 5:55.

4.7 miles slow

Went out with Natasha for our usual loop of Hyndland and Charing Cross. We got stuck for about 40 seconds trying to cross Maryhill Road early on. The distance came out at 4.66 miles, time 39:31.

3.2 miles moderate

I took Monday off to recover and dodged the club's mixed reps session on Tuesday, preferring to try out my new cross-country spikes by running laps of the cricket pitch in Garscube Estate. It was hard to see where I was running in the dark and the ground was very heavy in places. On the third or fourth lap I was getting close to an average pace of 7:00/mile when I noticed a dark figure about 100m ahead and couldn't make out if it was a large dog or somebody in dark clothes. I stopped for a bit to see what was happening and it looked like they were doing the same thing I was, so I got moving again and eventually overtook them. I had only planned to run about 2 miles but continued until I had got my average pace below 7:00 according to the Forerunner, which happened after 3.2 miles, although SportTracks decided my average pace was actually 7:02 when I imported the data later on. Time was 22:30. Pace splits: 7:17, 7:24, 6:33, 6:23.

7.8 miles steady

Went out in the rain for my usual 7-mile route and had trouble trying to maintain a decent pace. However the slower pace seemed OK so I extended the route all the way down Great Western Road and back up Garscube Road, finishing the 7.8 miles in 57:54 for a 7:25/mile average. Pace splits: 7:38, 7:17, 7:17, 7:29, 7:09, 7:36, 7:26, 7:32. Weekly total: 33 miles.