A Record Setting Spanish January

After a Christmas and New year spent with my family in Kent it was time to head back to my house in North and a week of training in Leeds before the England Athletic's Indoor championships in Sheffield, my opening race of the Olympic season. 

I went into that 3k racing knowing id had a great month of training in December but expected I would just have to do enough to hold off the younger walkers who have quite a turn of pace over the shorter distances. What actually happened I did not expect. 

I set off at the pace I'd planned with a 3:46 first kilometre. 

The next kilometre was a 3:47, cruising at this point I'd dropped the younger guys and planned to push on home. I'd no idea I was so comfortably to hit my first target of 2016 in my first race, which was to break the 3k British record. At about 80% of my maximum I pushed home to take gold and a 15 second PB and 8 seconds off the previous British Record to set a new record time of 11:15. 

Even managed a podium selfie with my two Leeds training team mates CallumWilkinson and Cameron Corbishley. 

This year collecting the final British records I don't have already was one aim of mine. This includes the 3k and 20k to complete the set. (I currently don't compete over 50k so am not including this currently). 

If I thought I was going to set the 3k record I'd presumed it would have come at the British indoors next month in February. Not on my opening race of the season on January 10th. Just evidence of the quality work I put in towards the end of 2015. Setting the record so easily gave me a huge boost heading into my warm weather training camp. 

The following day after the race I was on a plane out to one of my favourite places to train in the winter. Torrevieja in Spain. Thanks to British Athletic's for making this possible again, as it is the perfect environment for training.

I joined some of the Finnish Race walking team to get some quality work in through January. I was also joined for a few days by British 50k walker Dominic King, together we got through some key sessions. 

I also set a career PB for weekly mileage whilst I was in Spain, pushing past the mileage record I set out there in 2015. 

After a big day of training me and Dominic went and polished off a good Sunday roast dinner in the local bar, which is of course run by a great English family! 

I also celebrated my Birthday whilst I was away. I've got quite used to celebrating it away from home, however, it was still great to read so many messages sent all over social media, thank you! 

So after another awesome block of work I head to my second race. I am currently writing this on a plane somewhere over Europe. I will be competing for England Athletic's over 5k at the Bratislava indoor meet on Sunday. (31st January). 

The field is world class so it is a great early opportunity to really test my speed, even if 5k is almost a fun sprint distance for senior race walkers. 

Then it's back to Leeds for a slightly colder stint of training as we start preparations for the first 20k race of the season in March. 

Winter has flown by, keep up to date with everything I'm getting up to as we enter this Olympic season via social media and if you wish to back me get involved with my journey see my website. 

#tomwalksfast

@tombosworth 

www.tombosworth.com