For most runners this time of year most training is done after dark.  In Jersey this means that many head for Victoria Avenue.  There’s easy parking, it’s safe (with the exception of the kamikaze cyclists) and it’s reasonably well lit.  West Park to St Aubin and back is about 10k or six miles though Bel Royal and Beaumont are also popular turning points.  However, living on the east side of town, I’ve recently been using the roads on that side for my runs, armed with hi-vis bib and hand-torch.  As always I am astonished to meet fellow runners who loom out of the dark without any lighting or reflection at all.

But I’m also fortunate enough to live close by the athletics track which is floodlit for training on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  As the present coaches are a dedicated bunch I’m usually left free to do my midweek track sessions, skirting the perimeter of the track and doing my best to avoid the ‘proper’ athletes.  A couple of tough sessions this week – Thursday’s in particular was pretty gruelling and drawn-out.  However I’m running by perceived ‘effort level’ rather than by the watch; this at least means that I can measure things so that I complete the session rather than hit specific times and run the real risk of failing to complete.

But my easy runs are far from easy right now.  Perhaps the track sessions are draining my energy more than I would expect.  So on Saturday I started taking planned walk breaks.  Later in the programme (starting next weekend actually) Bakken calls for 70:30 run/walk long ‘runs’.  I’m going to tweak that to 75:25, so 15min/5min.  I guess this is not dissimilar to Galloway’s run/walk training methods.  I wouldn’t want to tackle a race that way but there’s some logic in staying relatively fresh in training rather than dragging oneself through agonies just to keep running.  I’ll let you know how it goes!

Tues – 4 x 880m @ EL 3-4, 440m jog recoveries.  (The programme was 800/400 but I was working in lane 6).
Wed – 45min @ EL1.
Thurs – 18 x 2min @ EL 3-4, 1min recoveries.
Sat – 64mins @ EL1 with walk breaks.

Weeks to Edinburgh Marathon – 14