It Begins!

Sitting comfy in my IKEA chair, writing this blog, having just done the biggest week of training of the winter, having won the England Athletics indoor title this afternoon, makes me feel pretty proud of how the year has started.

Weather has been brutal but it's nearly time for me to head out to Spain and have a few weeks training in the warmer weather, before I come back to Leeds for the British Athletics Sainsburys indoor championships. Another 3k like today's race. 3k is a sprint for me, who specialises in 20k. My PB of 11:31, only the 5th fastest on the all time list. I can't quite push it like I can over 5k, 10k, 20k. Today's time of 11:52, was a bit slow, but I'm happy due to the massive week of training and a bit of a cold hindering my speed. 

These weeks are the key ones for most endurance athletes. I heard a great metaphor for why the winter months are key. Training through the winter is like baking a cake. The winter months are the sponge, no sponge then all the icing falls apart. The Icing represents your races, and they will fall apart if you haven't put the work in (sponge) through the winter. This time last year also included my biggest training block, so It was important to replicate this and tweak the areas of training that needed it. After a great Christmas period with my parents, along with a trip to Glasgow for Sports Personality of the Year, it's back to reality. It can't of gone better. I always worry I will never be able to race fast again, it's like a reacuring nightmare, so getting a solid race done early is reassuring. 

My new racing shoes this year will be Asics DS Racer 10, as it has become more of a racing flat again. I've been using them for a month now and it has a little less ankle support than the old Asics Tarthers which have since been stopped. But there's enough support for me in the sole, along with some flexibility so I can feel all the stride and all the push off in my toes. 

My other new toy for 2015 is my ithlete device. It measures my heart rate variability. Each morning I plug it into my iPad open the app, and for 55seconds it reads my heart rate. Basically it's a finger sensor that tells you how fatigued you are. Great if you are doing sport every day. App is cheap and the device is worth the investment. 

Hopefully the next couple of months will run smoothly and I'll be ready to race come March. I can't wait! 

That's all from me, keep baking that sponge!!