Flashback to Hartlepool Marina 5

   I'm on course to hit this weeks mileage goal of sixty miles which has been quite difficult due to the mid-week speed training session. Seeing as I haven't done any interval training for some time I was still quite shocked with my poor performance, I think I must of got carried away with doing four weeks worth of getting the miles in and thinking for some reason I should naturally go faster for longer. Thinking positively it gives me a good marker to build on and an easy one at that to improve on.
   I was going to try something different this weekend training wise and I am already thinking of attacking my 5k treadmill time from last week to see if I can knock off twenty five seconds to crack the sub eighteen minute barrier.  Twenty five seconds in one week seems to be a big ask but I feel it is worth the risk of failure as I can easily adapt a failed attempt in to a fast tempo training session.
  At the moment I am being driven on and motivated by my last come back in 2014 which I was more than happy with my performances that year. At the moment I'm slightly behind schedule compared to then on the same date and I'm looking forward to trying to rectify that over the next few weeks or so.  If not it's no big deal as I will just end up peaking a couple of weeks later. I say no big deal but it will be if I decide to have another crack at the National Masters 5k Championships in June.
    I have entered the Hartlepool Marina 5 mile race in April which has got to be one of my favourite races of the year. I was the first ever winner of the race, the fastest time record holder,  twice winner, been second and third a couple of times and also proud to say that I was  involved in a  close battle with Ricky Stevenson for the first mile before he blasted away in 2009 to take the course record in an unbelievable 23 minutes 22 seconds which still stands today and which nobody has even got close to. No wonder he beat Mo Farah at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country race.
    Thinking back to 2007 and the York Brass monkey half marathon which was run the other week, I ran my half marathon P.B. there that year in 68 minutes and 49 seconds to take the victory. As good as that was then I have started to rate my 69 minutes time at the Sheffield half marathon which is a much tougher course probably better and I took home a Silver Yorkshire Championship medal which has got to be a decider. It was all about winning and which placed I finished in that was far more important to me than a fast time. Even the Edinburgh marathon where I tried to win that three times and sacrificed a fast time by chasing the victory. I failed each time on winning but by the hell they were my most favourite battles with a 4th, 10th and a 4th.
 As for next weeks weekly  mileage it is looking like I will have to take another cut so I can fit in a much needed rest day.