Into the season…

Following a pretty mediocre 3000m, 2400m of which was in pitch black darkness, the last three weeks have really brought on some quality training. Sessions on the track with the University group in Oxford have worked nicely and regardless of ability have proved if you are willing to work together with other athletes, it will work. A few sessions I would chase athletes starting efforts earlier or take shorter recoveries in order to make workouts benefit everyone, and I think we found the right balance. Running goal 1500m pace for 4,5 and 600m efforts is a real confidence boost heading into a race period and the importance of doing this alongside others makes running at pace feel far smoother and relaxed, if you can try and not be too competitive. Easier said than done.

I opened up my regular season after moving back to Bristol at the first British Athletics League, with a strong newly promoted Bristol & West team at the hurricane epicentre that is the Cardiff International Stadium. I found out on arrival I was doubling up, 800 and 1500m, but the sole aim was a strong 800 and if the opportunity came, run a decent time. Warming up I was hoping a few lads were going to take the pace on, but 150m in I found myself at the front and tried to stay relaxed and not push on too hard. We got to the bell in 59 seconds, and I just stayed relaxed and tried not to react too much and try steadily to build up the final lap. I felt like I had a decent lead going into the last 150m, with the home straight into a howling gale, so if anyone did attack me I wouldn’t have heard them coming. The clock stopped at 1:54, meaning a 1 second PB and negative splits of 59/55 seconds. This was really reassuring, considering 10 months previously running 1:55 was flat out in a paced race, and hopefully now in a decent paced race in good conditions it can be further lowered again.

Lap One….Settling In

As I was the ‘B’ runner in the 1500m later in the afternoon, it was a case of insincerely going about the race, but making sure I finished 1st B string. The pace was slow to 800m, then slowly built up as I came home in 4:06, comfortably first B runner. A good days work and made even better by Bristol winning the match in dominant fashion to kick start our second successive promotion campaign.

After an easy week last week we headed to the first British Milers Grand Prix in Solihull full of confidence, and in the ‘A’ Elite race for the first time ever. The pace asked for was 58 and 1:56 at 800m, so I was looking forward to tagging onto the back and  just seeing what happens. Sadly from the word go it was apparent nobody wanted to run fast. We crawled to 400 in 64, followed by a 62 and having started on the complete outside I never got onto the kerb and continually got barged about, needlessly wasting energy. This obviously turned the race into a one lap burn up, and I didn’t help myself being in lane three as two athletes pushed inside me and I was on the back foot from the first step. I ended up running 3:52 in 12th place, a time a year ago that was a PB and we were delighted, so nothing to be too worried about, it was just a silly race. I’m not sure what people hoping to go to major global championships this summer are gaining from that race, as they should be beating domestic fields anyway.

Interestingly in the list of ‘What we Expect from Athletes’ published by the BMC, one point is ‘Run at the pace stated for their race and not attempt to slow a race’, so maybe a few words will be exchanged before the next Grand Prix. Hopefully anyway.

This week has a more endurance focus before we start the build up of races towards the National Championships. I’m lucky enough to be linking up with Steve Mitchell throughout the summer, and we seem to work off each other well, with very similar aspirations for the season. Everything is streets ahead of where it was this time last year, off the back of the best winter ever, so the races will come. Well, they better.

“If you can’t run faster than that, get off the track!” British Milers Club Founder Frank Horwill MBE 1927-2012

Training Camp Pt 2 and the Race of Darkness!

With University deadlines finally coming to an abrupt holt following a scramble of random words on paper since returning from training camp, I finally have time to update how my running is proceeding.

The Vilamoura Track along the road from our training base.

The second week in the Algarve sunshine left off where we started halfway through. We travelled over to the Vilamoura track to work again with a group of Berliners that included German double Olympic semi-finalist Carsten Schlangen. And also for the second time their coach was more than happy for his athletes to work to our schedule and training patterns. The session was 800/600/400 x 2 with relatively short recoveries and a distinct differential in pace throughout. On the sixth and final effort I ran controlled to the first 200m then genuinely thought I had a chance of getting one over on Carsten and got onto his shoulder as we turned the final bend. In true German efficiency he coolly went through the gears to a 55, with me trailing in 56 low (we can call it 55 high).  A huge thanks must go to their group for an insight into a world class athletes lifestyle and the opportunity to train with some great athletes.

England vs. Germany. 3-a-side. Probably still be 4-1.

Following the session the remainder of our time was fairly relaxed with an eye on returning home to race the Watford 3000m. We ran 40 minutes steady with some hills afterwards and just before leaving completed 8 x 400′s at 3km pace which felt so controlled and relaxed, a big confidence boost! The training trip definitely underlined the importance of a professional lifestyle for me, and how much this can impact on performance if everything you do is tailored towards how it’s going to affect your running.

After an easy few days, I was confident we could go to Watford and really run a time the last 6 weeks of training has been pointing towards. It was my first experience of a Watford open, which turned out to be a bit of a nightmare. With no clue when you are racing until about 45 minutes before, and about 3,456 800m races going on beforehand, it seemed like we would be racing deep into the night. Surely in today’s technological age you could enter online up until the day before and then decide start lists and race times.

Fellow Oxford distance runner and Bristol member Adam Speake kindly helped out in the opening laps getting the pace rolling, but 600m in we were plunged into complete darkness. Some people stepped off the track, we all kind of stopped for a second or two, but I just carried on running. Cue the few hundred spectators in attendance jumping on the track with phones in lane two lighting the way, I guess the closest thing would be a Robbie Williams finale. It completely hit my rhythm and focus, paying more attention to not tripping on the cones around the bend than anything else. We couldn’t see the lap counter so I never really knew what lap I was on either until I heard the bell. I finished up in 8:32 which was pretty dismal, but there’s no point behind despondent as the races will come this season, the evening was all about getting used to track races again….but maybe next time in the light!

An action shot with about 800m to go.

Since returning to University this week training has again excelled, with another fortnight of sharpening to go before we enter the main body of races for the season.

Training Camp Take One

We are halfway through our pre-season training camp on the stunning Algarve coastline of Portugal, and I write this sat in balmy 20 degree sunshine, sorry!

Since the last two months have been dedicated to the preparation toward the track season, the pressure is off to ‘chase’ any track specific fitness, using the fortnight to just begin to ease the 1500-related quality back into the body to be ready for the start of the season.

The beauty of the sports resort we stay at is everything needed for training is on the doorstep with a track, gym, international cross-country course, ice baths etc. all within a five minute walk away. Not only that but about 90% of the guests at the resort are athletes from across Europe (and China), which makes training twice each day that bit easier. I say easier, but fighting for dinner with a double Olympic discus champion is a proper challenge.  Just this morning out on the cross-country course there must have been over 100 athletes weaving around the field, not sure you can get any better inspiration.

Our resort backs onto the Atlantic ocean. The perfect ice bath.

The first bit of intensity we put in was a simple track session of 600/300 x 4, trying to aim towards 1500m pace. We were lucky enough to get a real quality group working together with fellow Bristol athletes Steve Mitchell (3:41 1500), Mike Wilsmore (3:44 1500) and me sharing the pace throughout the session. With a few injuries affecting my group back in Oxford, it was great to have a group to work off, which I find is pretty vital if you want to practice running at pace, relaxed.

With the emphasis placed on the sessions while we are out here, Thursday’s steady run was done on the easier side, running 5:20′s for 40 minutes and 12 x 30 second hill strides to keep tapping into the speed. Whilst doing hills we met a group of Germans and agreed to train with them this morning.

What we didn’t realise though, was one of them, Carsten Schlangen, is a 3:33 1500m runner and 2-time Olympic semi-finalist. The session this morning was 4 x a lap of the 2k cross-country here, and it was pretty cool to train with (well, follow) a world class athlete; you’ll struggle to find another sport where you get that opportunity!

The 2k cross-country loop that weaves around the trees and mounds over theroad from our place.

It’s been a great weeks training and comparing the start of April 2012 we are light-years ahead, but I think the greatest achievement so far was beating European Medallist Muktar Mohammed pretty comprehensively at crazy golf on yesterdays rest day.

I’d like to thank Great Western Runners Arthur Daggett Memorial Fund and my Elite Sports Scholarship at University for making this training trip happen.

Until next time.

Winter Round-Up

It’s been four whole weeks since I last put pen to paper (or finger to key) and it’s largely been a steady progression of training towards the next phase of training and eventually racing back on the tartan. Armagh (14:29 – 13 second 5K Road PB) really reassured me we’ve done a lot of things right this winter and the development has progressed consistently.

The most important thing for this winter (2012-13) was to build on everything we did in the previous 12 months. Whether this was adding miles here and there, more strength work, stretching, earlier nights, massage etc. to try and become a better all-round athlete. Running is a great sport in the sense that there are always little things to learn and develop on and off the road/grass, so when we sit down post-track to plan the next winter of training, there will no doubt be an extensive list of modifications to the way we function everyday.

University Parks in Oxford – The place to Tempo.

A change of thought process in how we race and train has been integral in how things developed this winter too. By having an understanding of the ‘bigger picture’ of target races, and a neat record of past training places way less pressure on each bit of intensity you do. At the end of the day, you’ll probably only be remembered for one or two really good races/lifetime best’s, so isn’t everything just building up to that day? No pressure.

The clear target towards Christmas was the European Under-23 Cross-Country Trials. Being 20 years old and my first year of senior cross-country racing, I knew the mileage, experience, endurance was a tall order; but we focussed on this race for 16 weeks, of which 15 brought out the best period of training of my life. I wasn’t unlucky by any means that I got a trapped nerve that caused shooting pain down my hamstring just seven days before the race, more bad preparation on my behalf. I was diagnosed with a severely tight lower back, something I should have known or get checked beforehand. Still learning.

I raced the trials off one 5 mile run in the seven prior days and dosed up on painkillers, ending up 10th Under-23, and something like 20 seconds off a spot on the Great Britain team. Not one negative was taken from this day as we’d had a pretty immaculate four months, which naturally will bring out a deserving performance in the near future, no worries.

The second half of this winter period was about maintaining the levels of training, with an eye on preparation towards the outdoor track season. I was lucky enough to gain my second England appearance at the Antrim Cross-Country International in mid-January, which was a nice break from the monotony of training and to get the feel for racing again.

With just a fortnight of ‘quicker’ intensity the Armagh 5km, as I mentioned at the start, was a great indicator of progression, after a training schedule fixated on 10km Cross-Country from August-late January.

The winter period is now almost in the bag, with the eight month schedule most probably tipping over 2000 miles by mid-April. The philosophies and progressions should translate onto the track seamlessly with correct preparation. I won’t speak of any goals/targets/aims, just a period with a heavier race schedule where training progression is the key.

This Saturday i’m taking a break from training to help Bristol & West retain the Midland 12 Stage Road Relays title, before the final month of readiness begins.

“The will to win is worthless without the will to prepare”. Juma Ikangaa, Tanzania

Armagh International Road Race

I always look forward to the Armagh Road Race coming around on the calendar, and my 3^rd year was no different after a really positive fortnight of training following some illness and niggles which stuttered training over Christmas and New Year.

The event is put together by Armagh City Council and provides an international 5k for athletes from a number of countries on the flat and fast ‘mall’ of Armagh, which is roughly an 1000m circuit packed with thousands of spectators and circled with fairy lights to make a real unique race venue. The organisers were also kind enough to let my coach Tom Watson head over for the race too, so I thank them for offering that.

The Mall Under Lights

After flying over the Irish Sea Wednesday evening, we made what is now becoming our traditional visit to the Armagh curry house (get to that place on a Wednesday, 3 courses for £10!) before getting an early night. I spent pretty much all of Thursday bed ridden, sat waiting for the 8pm race which happens just across the road from the athletes hotel. I am beginning to get used to these races abroad and it’s important to have things to do in the hours leading up to competing to keep your mind occupied, even if it was a lacklustre Liverpool performance in Russia.

Conditions were near perfect out on the course with not a breath of wind and a scorching five degrees. I was again representing the Real Runners Company, and many thanks must go to Real Runners founder and ‘the peoples’’ man Kevin Quinn for making that happen. The plan from the outset was to stay as controlled and relaxed as possible to try and build through the race.

Through 1km was in 2:51, probably the fastest 1000m i’ve ran since July, but this felt really smooth and I settled into the lead group of 20. Laps 2 and 3 passed still feeling comfortable as we hit the 3km mark at 8:40, with still nobody taking on the race. The wind-up started with just under two laps left and sadly I couldn’t quite go with it, but according to coaches stats I ran even pace throughout, and found a little sprint in the last 50m to take 15^th place and run 14:29, which was a 13 second PB. I was 2^nd scorer behind Adam Clarke for the Real Runners team, and it was great for us to take 2^nd place behind Leeds City A.C. and earn ourselves a few Brooks vouchers!

A great little highlights video of the event can be seen here -

Full Results are here - http://www.armaghroadrace.com/results/2013/men5K.pdf

It was a great marker of my current fitness, but more than anything outlined the sharpness and strength work needed to progress over the next two months. I’m now heading back into a big training block, culminating in 15 days warm weather training before the track season commences properly.

I have a little cross-country in two weeks as a long tempo run, but until next time, thanks for reading.

Antrim Cross-Country International

So my last blog detailed how the next few months were just going to be used to build back up fitness with consistent training. A change of plan was made though just after Christmas, as I was selected again to represent England at the Antrim Cross-Country International. Luckily it has taken me a matter of weeks to get the steady and threshold running close to the level I was at through October and November. The three week break from University gave me a period to just focus on nothing but training which with the right recovery means you can get back into shape real quick.

As always the hospitality on trips away with England is smooth and gives you the opportunity to just focus on the race and nothing else. After a short flight across to Belfast from Bristol Friday afternoon, I arrived with the rest of the team in the athlete’s hotel. It was great to see so many of the junior athletes getting their very first England vests, something that certainly didn’t feel real my first time in November.

After fighting the Africans for the sparse quantities of pasta the night before we were all ready to take on the third UK Cross-Challenge of the winter in Antrim. The course was apparently shortened from last year with the torrential rainfall of late, so it was simply a 1800m loop following a football pitch, along some woods, and around three golf holes; six times to make up the 10.8km course! The going was actually really good for much of the course but some very boggy patches and a few steep climbs definitely felt steeper and boggier each lap.

The plan was to get off the line controlled and not try and chase the professionals at the front and build through the race. As was different to my first international in Spain, the four Africans hit the front from the word go and set a pretty lethal pace that only the likes of Andy Vernon and Frank  Tickner could keep in contact with. I settled into the top 15 and just tried to keep myself as relaxed as possible on the opening two laps.

With around 3km to go I was settled into 11^th place just behind Euro Junior Trials champion Ian Bailey making his England senior debut. Dropping down into the wooded section was a hairpin bend I managed to catch the foot of an older athlete I was lapping and fell flat on my chest with a Klinsman esq. dive the likes of Gareth Bale would have been proud of! After eating my fair share of Irish mud, I had lost two places and was back on my feet trying to close down the 40 or so metre gap I had lost. Sadly I didn’t have enough time left to make it up and finished in 14^th place and 7^th Brit. Later on that night I found out the top 6 Brits went home with some prize money, so it’s probably best to stay on my feet next time.

With the race incorporating the Northern Ireland National Champs, there were around 200 in the field, but having such small laps meant we were lapping athletes only a few km into the race. But still a fantastically organised weekend, and another huge thanks to England Athletics and Eamonn Martin for giving me the opportunity.

entering the finishing straight with a very neat line of mud and number-less!

It was great we had the evening and Sunday morning with the team to run together before flying back to England. It is always reassuring when you meet lots of like-minded people who make the same sacrifices in the sport, and it simply does show that with a bit of luck if you commit yourself the possibilities are pretty endless.

Sadly I haven’t had much time to recover from the weekend as I moved back to Oxford a day later and am now halfway through a geography fieldtrip on the Mediterranean island of Malta. With lots of physical work each day the plan is to just fit in running when I can and not get too tired. Hopefully I shouldn’t lose too much in seven days.

The plan for the next few weeks is to put in a bit of sharpness towards the Armagh International 5km on the 14^th Feb where I have to keep up my string of PB’s at the superfast road race.

Until next time.

 

2012 Top Five

On the eve of 2013 and my 21st birthday, I thought instead of writing a dead boring and long review of the season, i’d pick out the top five moments of a decent year on the mud, tarmac and tartan.

5th – English U23 1500m Champsionships – JUNE

Being the first time in any age category or schools event I had qualified for a National track championship, it was literally a case of getting stuck in and seeing what happens. I found the very tactical nature of the heats just to my liking and breezed into the final in 3rd place. I knew the final would be a completely different matter and stuck with the pace for as long as possible and came out with 8th place and a PB at the time of 3:51.

4th – Home Countries Cross-Country International – MARCH

Following a 6th place at the Midland Cross-Country and 16th at the National Cross-Country (both highest ever finishes), I got selected for the Home Countries  International in Scotland to represent The Midlands. Sadly due to injury and illness leading up to the race I had a really poor run but to be involved in a representative team at an international race was something i’ll never forget lining up against teams from Scotland, Wales and the North of England for the first time.

3rd – Armagh International 5km – FEBRUARY

I knew going into Armagh off the back of 25th in my first British Universities Championship and 6th at the Midlands XC, I could come out with a big PB. My 5km best going into the race was 15:21, which I knew was in jeopardy of being seriously rewritten, but not by the magnitude it turned out to be! I didn’t really have a clue crossing the line how fast i’d run or any idea of splits, I just raced hard and came out with a PB of 14:42, which sits me 2nd in the UK U-20 5km rankings for 2012, but also 2nd in my own training group. (good job Charlie!)

2nd – 3:46, twice! – JULY

Stretford. Comfortably the fastest track in the world.

For the past two seasons now I’ve moved forward as the track season has progressed and 2012 was no different. The British Grand Prix at Stretford was another one of those ‘running blind’ moments, as I was given a spot in the second fastest race of the night and just held on for dear life and came out with a five second PB of 3:46.9. Two weeks later in the next Grand Prix I scraped a few tenth’s off to finish the season with a 3:46.79 PB, reduced from 3:54 in 2011.

1st – England Cross-Country Debut – NOVEMBER

I don’t think anything can top running for your country, especially for the first time. I was lucky enough to be given this opportunity at the Burgos Cross-Country International in Spain. The race was an all-star cast of World and Olympic medallists who wound and wound the pace to a ferocious 13 minute last half of a 10km cross-country. I managed to stay as sensible as possible and came away as 2nd England Runner (out of 4 of us) in 30th place out of 150 in this IAAF permit meeting. The experience certainly has given me the hunger to go onto represent England and Great Britain in the future!

I’m not sure if I can top 2012, but starting tomorrow i’ll give it a little go! 

The Festive Period

The last month has been pretty quiet on the running front, with the emphasis on making sure I’m healthy and recovered for the next period of training. The 17 week build-up to the European Trials was not without it’s injuries and illnesses, but on the whole was the most consistent period of training i’ve put together, and has given me an awful lot of belief to not have to change much next year; as I aim for the Great Britain Cross-Country team again.

I was lucky actually that my recovery period fell at the same time as academic deadlines and commitments started to creep up, so it was nice to get all of that out of the way by Mid-December.

I am now into the 5th week of my next phase of training, and the mileage and paces of tempo’s and steady running is already exactly where I want it to be, probably even little ahead of what I was expecting. It’s important to utilise this festive period in training terms as I can get myself into good shape without having to worry about fitting around a routine. I’ll no doubt keep up the tradition of training on Christmas Day, and with it unluckily falling on a Tuesday this means a session in the morning and a run later on in the day, so a very light dinner will be on the cards! All the little things I may not have had time to do with a full day of lectures such as afternoon naps, foam rolling and conditioning exercises can be ingrained into the training week again without any time constraints.

I have no immediate plans of racing, certainly not in the next 6-8 weeks, with the emphasis very much on maintaining the winter routine and monotonously hitting 80-85 miles per week. Any races between now and April are simply as part of the training block to keep me sharp and as an alternative to the same training, with the aim firmly focussed on the 2013 track season.

Thanks everyone for reading in 2012, and I hope 2013 bring’s another progression year.

European Trials, Injuries, End of Season

For Under-23 athletes the European Cross Trials is seen as the biggest race of the season for the majority of athletes. It is the only realistic opportunity in the winter months of representing Great Britain, and means that anyone who is anyone in endurance running will turn out to compete for one of six places on the team.

Since making my England debut in Spain two weeks previous I picked up a niggle that slowly culminated in me having to stop numerous times on a run last weekend, just six days out from the trial. Each push through my hamstring for each stride was met with a shooting pain through my hamstring, most notably on inclines. The plan of action before the trial was to just get through the race and worry about repercussions afterwards. Thanks to the team at my University, I had daily physio and two massages in order to give myself the best chance of competing and luckily it worked! I was found to have some very tight muscles in my back which once loosened certainly helped the fluidity of the nerve and the movement through my leg.

Rest and light specific exercises seemed the best cause of action, so in terms of preparation prior to the race, I just had one 30 minute painful jog on Tuesday, and a much better 30 minute jog and strides on Thursday. Probably the lowest weekly mileage since I was 11, but it was very much needed!

Early exchanges of the race

So to race day and after a number of relatively strong painkillers, I was ready to fight for my place on the Great Britain team. After unprecedented rainfall throughout the country, the course was rumoured to be a ‘mudbath’, but luckily good patches of the course remained fast going, but that didn’t mean it has its fair share of deep bog! The race is hard to judge as the trial for Under-23′s is combined with the Senior age group, so in years gone by a top 25 placing is usually good enough to finish in the top six Under-23′s. It is made slightly easier by an U23 being on the back of age group athletes to differentiate out on the course.

I got out hard off the line and for reasons I can’t explain just kept going with the pace right at the front. I don’t know whether I just got too carried away or eager, but I found myself in a position to qualify for the senior team, let alone the U23′s 2km into the race. By the end of the first lap I had faded backwards a touch and was around 50m behind the large leading pack of 20 athletes. Through the muddy sections of the course I tried to hold my form and stick with the athletes around me, but again I was losing the odd place as guys began their ‘charge’ through the field. After the worry and panic of the seven days leading up to the race, I had no issues at all with the hamstring during the race which was definitely reassuring for the future.

I finished up in 38th place, and 11th of the Under-23 athletes which was nothing like what I was aiming for and made even more frustrating having made some silly decisions in the race. On a dryer surface with the correct preparation I think I could have got myself into the top 10, and maybe as a reserve for the team, but there is no point making excuses for myself. What is done is done and I can only learn from it.

Full Results are linked here

Race Video Highlights are linked here

Stepping away from the commotion of the race, I was 34th at Liverpool last year, as a top age Under-20. So to improve by 23 places in an age group I have two more opportunities to contest, I guess you can call that progress. I also gained my first England vest this season, which has been an aim for some time now, it was a big surprise for it to come on the cross-country though! The plan short term is to fully recover from the exertion of the past few months and begin to put in another training block through Jan, Feb and March towards the track season and qualifying for the European Under-23 Championships.

Thanks for reading.

IX Cross Internacional Atapuerca – England Debut

Two years ago I think I would have been told I was stupid to say i’ll be making my England senior debut aged 20, after finishing 273rd in my final English Schools Cross-Country Championships. But there I was heading to London to board a plane for my first international vest on Friday.

The last two years have seen big improvements on the track, which I think was always something I have thought was there, as I have been privileged that speed has come pretty naturally to me, but cross-country is something I can safely say I possess very little natural ability for!

After four hours travelling through Friday rush-hour traffic from Oxford to Stansted, via London, I arrived and met up with the rest of the England team to head to Spain. There were 16 of us competing, a Senior Mens and Womens Team, and same two Under-20 Teams. Flying over France and the Bay of Biscay toward Northern Spain I got to know a couple of the lads on the team. Both Jonny Taylor and Pete Huck hold down full-time jobs whilst competing at international level, which shows if time management is of the highest level there isn’t a lot you can’t achieve with a top job. Of course the ideal scenario would be part-time work keeping you occupied in the rest hours in between training, which is pretty much the set-up I currently have studying for an undergraduate degree.

The races wind around the ancient Atapuerca site

Once we landed in Bilbao, the onward Journey to Burgos was two hours, meaning I was on the road/air/faffing in airports for 12 hours, easily the longest trip for a race! The hotel was full of athletes and it was a bit strange seeing some of the greatest Africans of all time sat beside you in the lobby joking with each other.

Something I didn’t consider was the food we’d be served, as heading to an international competition I assumed the hospitality would be top notch. The food we were served was um…….interesting, and led to huge confusion on what was coming and which course we were on; as not a single person could speak any English. The first course at dinner  was plain  spaghetti, and small bowls of tomato sauce which to me seemed like a main course, so I happily tucked into two plates. Then came the ‘main’ course which was a 20oz. steak of some sort and industrial portions of salad and potatoes. I definitely know for next time to bring my own set of food in case what’s provided will be detrimental to performance the following day.

We had the opportunity Saturday morning to visit the course, where I got in my usual pre-race 15 minutes of jogging in. What we found was a 1.8km loop with a few log jumps and man-made dips adding some spice to the flattest course I have ever seen. It is situated on the outskirts of Burgos in the middle of the Spanish countryside. The reason for this particular field was the archaeological features I believe, and we ran through part of these exhibitions on each lap. The senior men’s course was five laps which mean’t for pace judgement it was much easier to know where you are, compared to courses back in England that usually are 2-3 much larger laps.

Settling in behind the fellow England athletes on the opening lap

Running is a very strange sport in terms of the camaraderie with fellow competitors. Team sports such as football you wouldn’t meet up with your competition eye-to-eye until you stand in the tunnel before play, but with this weekends international you ate together, and the bus to the course I was sat around some of the best Africans in the world, laughing and joking like they were on a school trip! I think this certainly teaches you to appreciate and get on with fellow competitors, and save that competitiveness for when you toe the line.

I was pretty nervous leading up to the race but the final hour’s preparations were no different to a training sessions, and I was really excited as I put on the England colours for the first time and lined up live on Spanish TV against some of the greatest cross-country runners on the planet.

The plan was to get out real hard and just settle into a position around my England teamates. One thing I didn’t expect was the pace to be slow for the opening two laps. I sat in behind the leading Africans in a large group of 30 for the first 2-3kms before the change of pace begun. I knew if running at that pace felt easy for me, the Africans were ambling, and so they were! Within one circuit they’d opened over 200m on me and I found myself in a small group of Spaniards and just tried to keep running even pace and hold back to give myself the best chance of running well on the 5th and final circuit. The pace just kept building and building through to the finish, and I lost a few places on the penultimate and last lap, but ended up in 38th place out of the 170 starters. It was great to finish 2nd of the four English Athletes and 29th European in a field completely dominated by Africans at the front, taking the top seven places. I know times are pretty irrelevant on the country, but if the course was exactly 9.807km, I was pleased to be turning over at 4:55 miling for the 30:00 I covered the course in. My roomate Jonny Taylor had a fine run finishing 12th, and 3rd European and looks set to make the GB Senior Team at the European Trials in 10 days time. Jonny gave me some excellent advice before the race and gave me the belief that I could compete in what was easily the biggest race of my career; I just had to put up with his annoying Geordie accent for four days!

Full Results can be seen here - http://www.crossatapuerca.com/nw/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/ABSOLUTA__MAS.pdf

Full coverage (apologies for the Spanish Commentary) from Spanish TV of the race is here - http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/cross/atletismo-cross-atapuerca-carrera-masculina/1576684/

The other England athletes seemed to have a successful runs, and it was great meeting so many top athletes on the domestic circuit who I’ve never really spoken to before. Being the last event of the day we had a full barmy army of juniors and senior women dotted around the course to keep us going!

I couldn’t have asked for a better learning curve, and I like to think if  I am lucky enough to be selected again, and can apply myself better fully knowing what to expect.

I am now having an easier 4-5 days to fully recover from the long travelling and tough race before putting in some short, sharp sessions to be ready for the big one, the European Cross-Country Trials in Liverpool.