I have been growing my beard. A few reasons. Firstly, the weather outside has been pretty tough, and my having a gnarly beard makes me feel a bit tougher too, and up to the task of going out there and getting my run done.
Also, my beard is abit gingery. And my boy has got ginger hair, and I want to be more like him.
Now my treadmill is gone, I have been forced to do a lot more runs outside, with no pavements. I sometimes forget what the problem is, then some crazy driver comes within 6 inches of killing me and it ruins my day. It is very hard to ‘just let it go’ when something like that happens. So to the lady bombing round Blaenau, in a green Dacia Duster, a little (or alot) more space and consideration please.
On Tuesday nights, for the past 2 years, I have been trying to build a squad of athletes to train with. Sometimes 1 person comes, sometimes 20. I try and instil in them some of the training techniques I learnt from Bro Colm in Kenya. Training in single file, very methodical, never racing etc. If someone is stuggling in our squad, I will always suggest they skip a rep, or shorten it, rather than just fall off the back, lose control and risk injury.
This Tuesday, for the first time, I’m the one falling off the back. I can’t keep with up with our group of 5 strong runners. So I jump in with the next group. They are struggling to reach their goal pace (the track is icy), so I help to pull them back on target. Rather than get emotional and try and fight against my body, I leave the track feeling satisfied that I could help someone else. Giving good advice is the easy part, heeding it is much harder.
Some of the winter days this week have been incredible. Cold, brilliant sun lighting up the snow. I want to take my drone out and get some footage. I discover it won’t take off in sub-zero temperatures. I then find out a trick, where if you heat the battery up and get the thing off the ground immediately, it might fly. I decide to try it in my back garden. It flies! Straight into the side of my house.
| 28/1/2019 | AM | PM |
| Monday | 5 | 5tm |
| Tuesday | 5tm | 1 mile in 5.24. 6 x 1km in 3.15 (3min rest). 8 miles total |
| icy on track | ||
| Wednesday | 5 | 7tm |
| Thursday | 5. With Nina | 7tm |
| chafing pm, have to stop | ||
| Friday | 6 @ 8min miling | 10tm |
| Saturday | 10 @ 7.30min miling | 4 @ 8min miling |
| starving all day. Eat everything in the house | ||
| Sunday | 20. including 10 @ 6min miling | 6 |
| TOTAL: | 103 miles | tm = treadmill |
Non-Running Highlight Of The Week:
Sunday morning, Nina is out running in the snow, I have a coffee and a book on the sofa, while the kids play by the fire.
Best Thing On The Internet This Week:
Scullion Runs
Recommended to me by Chris Greenwood, a massive fan of my blog. Steven Scullion’s podcast is documenting his journey to Olympic marathon. Raw and honest and inspiring. Obviously ‘Scullion Runs’ is nowhere near as catchy as ‘Russell Runner’ though.
Thing I’m Digging This Week:
I have managed to get through the whole day without hearing the result of the Superbowl. There was no radio allowed on site, and my co-workers were under strict instructions not.to.say.a.word. I’m about to watch it right now so don’t you say anything either!
Loving your idea of your Tuesday night training squad. I am currently house hunting in Snowdonia, aiming to move there by the summer. Would love to get involved in something like that. I’ve always trained on my own since I started running a couple of years ago, so it would be great to learn from others. Marathon Eryri was my first proper event and it was a nice change to run and talk with other people.
More than welcome! Both to Snowdonia and track Tues!