bits and pieces

I thought it was too goods to last ...

Things were going so well until Monday afternoon when, right at the very end of my strength training session I decided to do some dumbbell Romanian deadlifts.  Well, I guess the weights were too heavy because a few hours later my lower back began aching and by Tuesday morning it was quite painful.

I immediately decided against any cycling weight training for that day and I knew that Wednesday was to be a day free from all training so hopefully a couple of days recovery would see me back to normal.

Today ... everything's back to normal and the back is fine too.

I'm sure the coffee I managed to buy yesterday had a positive effect too.  Coming towards the end of my rehab I decided to celebrate with some of my favourite coffee.  I have long been a fan of coffee from Yemen but in recent years it has been increasingly difficult to find ... but I guess I was lucky because I found some in Leeds at Whittard of Chelsea.  Had a first cup this morning and it is absolutely divine.  Most readers will know that I've never been much good at writing reviews [need more practice I suppose] so I think it best to direct you to the Whittard website where there are a few.

Also bought the new album by Deep Purple which is probably their best for a decade or more.  It's really good and I'm looking forward to seeing them in Manchester in October.  At the Apollo again, been there numerous times over the years - my first visit was to see Rainbow in July 1981.  In the 32 years since then I've also seen Black Sabbath, Evanescence, Iron Maiden, Jethro Tull, Rose Tattoo, Samson and Whitesnake at that venue ... some good shows.

from 5k to 24 hours

Apologies for not posting for a while but I've been a bit busy recently ... and Fay was ill at the start of last week which didn't help (but she seems OK now though).

Yesterday I ran in my first open race of the year.  It was only a local 5k but it was good for speedwork and after running to and from the venue provided another 20 miles or so (32 km) to my weekly total of over 90 (145 km).  I was very pleased to complete the three lap 5k in 9th position with a time of  19:58, especially as the 373 other runners caused a bit of blockage on the second and third laps.

Also pleased with that run because on 28 May last year I did the same race (and also ran to the start) with a time of 20:59 ... so that's an improvement of over a minute in twelve months which bodes well for the ULTRArace 100 which is less than 6 weeks away now.

I've also been experimenting with flapjack.  I've been using homemade flapjack to fuel my long runs for a few months now.  Recently I had a thought that perhaps I could fortify it with added electrolytes and/or extra vitamins and minerals, especially for long ultra races where electrolytes are very important.

Well, I made a batch yesterday afternoon and to the 1000g flapjack mixture I added 16g salt and also some extra B vitamins, vitamin C, iron, zinc, selenium, calcium and magnesium.  I added the quantities needed for my next ultra race after taking into account all the other stuff I plan to eat and drink.  I've had a small piece of the finished product to see if it is palatable ... and it's not too bad (very slightly salty) but I'll have more of an idea about whether it may be suitable after Tuesday's long run when it gets it's first road test.  More details later.

I'll have to get myself a digital camera.

On Friday Fay managed to find some coffee from Thailand.  I've never actually come across any Thailand coffee for sale so that was a big surprise - it's quite good too if a little mild for my taste.

And it's Keir's 18th birthday at the end of this month so that's something he's looking forward too.  Today we booked his accommodation in Belfast for when he starts university there in September.  Yes, I know he hasn't even taken his A levels yet but apparently they want accommodation to be booked first - and a £300 bond paid too !!!

This weekend has also seen the annual Basel 24 hr race in Switzerland in which several UK athletes were attempting to get World Championship qualifying distances before the end of May.  I'm not sure of any distances or results other than John Pares finished first.  Congratulations to him ... it's practically a home town race for John though   :)

headaches ... and other race news

After my last long run (Wednesday) recovery was progressing nicely when, about 7 hours after I got back home, I developed a headache.  Didn't think much about it but it gradually got worse and despite some ibuprofen before going to bed my head still throbbed when I woke the next morning.

I couldn't face a 16 mile (26 km) run in the rain with a pounding head so I cancelled that idea and went straight for the coffee.  Magic ... within half an hour my headache disappeared.  That got me thinking about the cause ...

I have had similar headaches in the past after a long run and my theory is that as the long run was in the morning I didn't have my usual caffeine shot (or three, in my case).  I guess my body was telling me what was wrong and now that I've heard the message I'm going to try taking some caffeine tablets during my next long run.

That is planned for next Wednesday when Hugh and I will be trekking around the Yorkshire Dales for 44 miles (70 km) so we can learn about how best to develop the runner/crew relationship and put into practise what we learn in my next race ... ULTRArace 100.  Only 8 weeks to go.

Which reminds me ... the organisers of that race (Rory Coleman and Jen Salter) have another race on the go at the moment.  A 16 day stage race from John O'Groats to Land's End which saw 11 runners leave northern Scotland last Friday ... there are only two remaining now as the other 9 have succumbed to injury and/or severe wear and tear, etc.  I've not been much interested in stage races before but I must say that I'm enjoying reading the race blog and I'm seriously thinking about giving it a go in the next few years - if I can find the £2000 entry fee.

William Sichel is still running well in New York's bad weather but it looks like he'll have to settle for second place this time although there's still a long time to go in that 6 day race.  He's now into the final 20% of the race though and I wouldn't be too surprised if he does end up winning.

various bits and pieces

Alright that's enough rain ... it's getting a bit boring now.  Every time I venture outside I get sodden and if I'm running for a couple of hours or more ...

With all this wet weather we're getting this month I expect the ULTRArace 100 to be dry this year.  As it takes place in June it should be dry anyway but you never can tell in this country.  Last year it rained solidly for ten hours or more.

It's good to come home to a decent cup of coffee though.  At the moment that's Starbuck's French Roast, and recently there's been either cheese on toast or porridge to go with that.  Recovery for body and mind.

Fay had some good news yesterday, she been nominated for 'customer services employee of the year' by Bradford City Council.  The awards ceremony takes place on 21 May but she thinks that, if previous years are anything to go by, the prizes will be shared and there won't be an overall winner.

It's still possible that, because of the stupid UK government, she may not have a job after September 2013.

Keir's just learned that he's been selected to go on a school visit to Auschwitz in Poland early next month.  Ties in nicely with his massive interest in history - fourteen days is a bit short notice though.

All the best to those racing soon ... the JOGLE race starts tomorrow I believe and on the April 22 William Sichel is in New York for the 6 day race.  And then there's a marathon in London on Sunday which seems to attract ever increasing numbers of people who aren't well enough trained to run 20 miles let alone 26.2.

And finally ... I hope the hunters in The Magic Forest manage to recapture the lion soon.

training ... and other strange goings on

Still very cold over here.  Not much snow but very cold ... and sunny most of the time.

Not doing much training this week as it's a designated 'easy week' in which I only do two thirds of my normal training and only one long run - which is 50% longer than usual.  On Monday that was 14.5 miles (23.4 km) which was my longest training run since 1 September last year.

Felt good though on the moderate hills over towards Leeds.  A few patches of ice here and there but nothing which made me worry about slipping.

Twenty four hours later I tried my first tempo run of the year.  The plan was to run 3 miles (4.8 km) in about 20:50.  Not done a paced run for quite a while so I was a bit unsure how it would feel ... the patches of ice didn't help either.  As it happens I had nothing to worry about and I managed 20:42.  It did feel quite hard but that will definitely get better and that's a good first time effort considering the mid afternoon temperature was only 4.3 C (39.7 F).

Today was 200m repeats.  Not timed, just running hard but trying to maintain my form the whole time.  Hard work but, like the vast majority of my training, it was enjoyable ... and rewarding.

And now for something completely different.  A strange thing happened last night at about half past nine.  Fay and I were watching a TV program called Eternal Law when all of a sudden we both felt somebody kick the back of the sofa.  The room was empty apart from the two of us and we were both quite shocked.  This isn't the first time strange things have happened in this 170 year old house though.  A couple of years ago someone or something pushed past me in the bedroom as I was putting some clothes away (the house was empty apart from me), last year somebody called my name whilst I was passing Keir's bedroom door - he was at school, Fay has reported kicks to the back of the sofa a few times this year already.

Very strange ... last night's TV program was about Angels.   Hmmmm

Found some very good coffee in Leeds yesterday.  A peaberry from the Yergacheffe area of Ethiopia.  Excellent.  All the details are here.

cold weather and planning

Originally meant to post this yesterday but problems with the computer meant I had to wait 36 hours.  So much for modern technology.  Perhaps the computer has a cold like the rest of my family ...

It certainly has been cold in this part of the world for the past week or so.  Below -3 C (27 F) this morning when I was out running.  No snow at that time though (it is snowing quite heavily at the moment - as I type this).  Still, the porridge was wonderful after my shower:

one cup of oats

two cups of milk

one banana

ginger

honey

And some wonderful Yemeni coffee to drink too.

On Thursday I ran with the club for the first time in at least three months. An enjoyably easy 7 mile fartlek led by president Mick Jeffrey.  Thanks to him for organising that.

At the moment my morning pulse is the lowest it's been since September last year showing that I've lost none of my general fitness despite spending thirteen weeks on the sidelines.  I know that my running speed is a bit slower than I would like but that will come back over the next few weeks.  Things are going in the right direction though and that's good.

I've also started to not use the heel pads in my running shoes as often now that the injury is better.  It would be unwise to go directly from using then all the time to using them not at all so I'll gradually phase them out over the next couple of months.

I'm now starting to add a few shorter races to my diary and the first of these is likely to be the North of England 12 stage road relay in Liverpool on Saturday 31 March.  There are quite a few others pencilled in, nothing definite yet, along with lots of possible dates for a quick 5k in Bradford, Leeds or Harrogate (ie parkrun).  All of these are listed on this page.

Need to get an ultra sorted out soon though - I have a few ideas and I'll post stuff here as usual when plans have been made.

unusual week

Following Sunday's painful afternoon and evening I decided that there would be no running on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday but there would be plenty of ice, ibuprofen and rest for the old left foot.  I never planned to run on Wednesday anyway as it was Fay's birthday and also our wedding anniversary.  Yes, I know, we married on her birthday [her 21st actually] ... and we became engaged on her 18th birthday.  Had a good day relaxing, walking and eating out.  And I found some very unusual coffee in Bettys in Ilkley ... this stuff comes from Nepal.  Now I didn't know the stuff grew in the Himalayas and I've certainly never heard it mentioned by anyone.  It tastes good though - well worth a trip to Bettys - and the £7 per 100g

My foot injury seems to be settling down nicely now.  I find it hard to believe that I couldn't walk on Sunday afternoon without a severe limp.  The second half of Thursday's race was quite painful but by Friday morning it had settled down again and now things are now almost back to normal.  And the only training I missed was a long run (24 miles) and a steady 6 miler scheduled for the following day.

Back to Thursday's race.  It was the first event in this year's Harrogate League.  The new route organised by Thirsk & Sowerby Harriers was a flat 9.4 km and to start with I was a bit worried about my foot although all day it had been completely pain free.  In the race itself I probably ran the first half a bit quicker than I should have but overall I was pleased with my time of 37:25 (equivalent to a 39:48 10k) and my position of 57th.

On Friday afternoon I had a session of hill reps planned .  I didn't know how they would turn out as they were less than 24 hours after the race.  As it happened I completed them much faster than usual ... about 15s per mile faster.  With no adverse reaction to my foot.  I'm still using the ball of foot cushion though when running or walking for any length of time.  A very good training session but I'm not sure why it was so good.

Last night Keir took part in the annual Torch Race - a relay race between local scout groups.  The race starts in Otley and finishes at the top of The Chevin ... a climb of about 200m in about 2.4km.

In Keir's age group his team finished first and were presented with the trophy by Richard Nerurkar's mum.  Richard is a local chap or my age who represented Britain in the marathon and 10,000m at Olympic and World Championship level in the early 1990s.  I often ran against him as a schoolboy - but he always beat me.  We didn't race ultras though.

Recently come across various newspaper articles - the links to them are on the media page.  I think there are one or two inaccuracies but we can't have everything.

strange days indeed ...

I'd like to begin this post by thanking everyone for their kind words about my report of the Perth Ultra Fest.  Some people left comments and others sent me an email and I was happy to read your remarks however they got to me.

If you haven't yet read the race report detailing my first win in an England Vest ... you can see it here.

Training has been going well ... took a week off after Perth but last week I ran 30 miles.  I know it's not much but as soon as I choose my next race I can begin training properly.  Next week will be 40 miles and include some weight training.

The World Championships in Brugg, Switzerland (June 2011) is a distinct possibility - if I'm selected.  After that there's the strong possibility of a Commonwealth Championships at the end of September.  I'd also like to do a third long race, probably before Brugg.  Which one though ... any ideas ?

On Tuesday, last week, I was contacted by a reporter from Associated Press who was doing a story about beetroot juice ... yes you did read that correctly ... beetroot juice (stop laughing !!!).  On Wednesday she phoned me and we had a 10 - 15 minute chat about how the purple stuff had helped my performance in Perth.  About an hour or so later a different reporter phoned and we had a similar conversation before he mentioned that he's doing a piece for TV and was wondering if he could send a crew to film me.

Than, a couple of hours later still, a photographer phoned from Associated Press Images to arrange a time when he could come and take some photos of me and the dreaded liquor.

On Friday morning the photographer chap came over from Liverpool and spent about 45 to 50 minutes taking hundreds of photos.  Indoors, outdoors, drinking the stuff, not drinking the stuff, sitting this way, standing that way ...

Before he left he told me that a small selection of the photos would appear on the Associated Press Images website.  I haven't found them yet but maybe I'm looking in the wrong place.  If you want to try and find them I'm wearing the GB kit I was given for the World Championships earlier this year.

(photo by Jim Rogers)

The latest news about this beetroot juice saga is that the TV people are taking longer than anticipated to get everything they need so the original reporter has decided to hold back for a week or two so that it can all be released together.  Further details when I get it.

The day after the Perth Ultra Fest, before I caught the train back to Yorkshire, I went to The Bean Shop.  I came across this little piece of heaven on the afternoon before the race and I was determined to buy something whilst in the town.  The staff were amazingly friendly and knowledgeable ... and tolerant of my with a very large bag and bruised feet, sore legs, etc.  I came away with 250g of a Cuban coffee named Turquino.

That really is a grade rather than a district or area of the country.  Many experts reckon though that the best Cuban coffees are graded Turquino or Extra Turquino - so I knew I was in for a treat.  Especially when the assistant explained that it had been roasted on the premises.  The coffee, of which I had the last cup only a few days ago, was full bodied with a slight smoky flavour and mild acidity.

Although I'd never tasted Cuban coffee, I found the spiciness and long aftertaste very enjoyable and put me in mind of Cuban bars and cafes with the mixed aroma of coffee and cigars.

I'd definitely like some more of their wonderful coffee.  Especially as there isn't anywhere similar within 30 miles of where I live.  Or do you know different ?

coffee ...

Today I just finished a bag of very special coffee I bought in Leeds last week.  This coffee is from Yemen, on the Arabian peninsula and very few places sell coffee from that part of the world.

I've had this one three or four times over the past couple of years and the same thing happens every time.  The first cup, from the freshly opened packet, tastes very strange indeed.  So strange that the second cup tastes rather good.  It's almost as if my taste buds couldn't cope with such an unpredictable coffee at first but then they remember the flavours and tell me it's good stuff.

Definitely my favourite, read about it here.

Perhaps it just suits my personality ...

rain, coffee and the London Marathon

This afternoon there was a rather large thunderstorm accompanied by a very heavy downpour.  Needless to say I was running at the time and arrived home rather wet.  And so were all my clothes.  Lots of them.

In places the rain was so heavy that puddles stretched all the way across the road ... three or four inches deep.  Not an enjoyable fartlek session - character building though.  Made all the worse as I don't have any decent coffee to come home to.  For the next three weeks it's all decaffeinated, I finished some excellent coffee from the Sanani area of Yemen just a few days ago though.  Maybe get some more after the World Championships.

Earlier in the day it was London Marathon time.  Chris Finill (of the UK 24 hour team) ran again.  He's one of a small group of people to have completed every London Marathon.  He ran 2h 52 this time.  Personally I think it's a bit too close to the race in Brive but I know that every runner prepares differently and no two training schedules are alike.

From my fellow members of Otley AC Scott Harrington probably had the best run, he was comfortably under three hours. Neil O'Brien was probably the unluckiest - missing the four hour target by a measly eleven seconds.

An article recently appeared in the Bradford Telegraph & Argus which can be read here.  And if you missed the official team announcement by UK Athletics - here it is.

About that race ... the official website now has started posting team lists - and there are some interesting names NOT appearing.  Two that immediately spring to mind are the top Japanese runners Ryoichi Sekiya (over 263k last year) and Mami Kudo (254.425k last December - new women's world record).  Also missing from Brive will be Martin Fryer who won the Commonwealth Championships last year for Australia.

Following my coffee policy mentioned in a post earlier this month I've been drinking Starbucks French Roast this week.  It seems to be an acquired taste - very dark roasted (burnt almost) and smoky sweet - but I seem to be enjoying it more with each passing day.  Something good from Taylor's Of Harrogate next week, more on that later.  Perhaps.

various things

William Sichel in Greece is doing very well indeed in the 1000 mile race.  So far his plans for pacing, eating, sleeping, etc have held together perfectly and he's in second position ... I hope everything continues to go so well for him.  He's not even half way yet though.

My training has been going well too and this week, for the first time this year, I've been able to run without gloves.  Temperatures are above average for the first time this year too and we've had quite a lot of sunshine over the past week or so.  It is raining at the moment though.

Recently I've been drinking a nice coffee from Malawi.  I'm not a big fan of the fruity coffees from Africa but this one has been rather pleasant.  Over the past twelve months or so I've been trying lots of coffees from different parts of the world but I think that in April and May I'm going to concentrate on my favourites in the build up to the World Championships (and as a personal reward just after).  Not forgetting the decaffeinated stuff in the three weeks before the actual race.

I also feel that in the last few weeks I need to relax as much as possible between training sessions. Tim Noakes points out that "... the more time you can spend in solitude and in personal refection during the last few weeks, the better you will cope with the mental demands of the last 25 to 35 km of the ultramarathon."

Suits me fine.

some thoughts ... and coffee !!!

I didn't really want to explain what I thought the differences were between Britain's selection policy and that of Australia because I think it would be better if I kept out of the politics surrounding these things.

However, since Anth asks, my thoughts - in brief - are:

1. in last September's Commonwealth Championships the Australian men finished first, second and seventh.  UK men were third, fourth and fifth
2. in general the Australian men seem to be running far greater distances than the UK men and do much better in championship events
3. things are slightly different for the Australian women who seem to be of a similar standard to British women
4. therefore it seems strange to me that the Australian athletics authorities have a lower qualifying standard than UK Athletics
5. and to pay your own travel and kit expenses for representing your country seems insane to me ...

Writing about these things reminds me that the UK selectors met two days ago to choose the team for the World 24 hr Championships in Brive.  I wonder what their decision was.

For me, last week was an easy training week.

Day 1 - 50 mins cycling and stretching
Day 2 - 5 miles at 10k pace, strength training and stretching
Day 3 - rest
Day 4 - 23 miles, 50 mins cycling and stretching
Day 5 - strength training and stretching
Day 6 - hill reps (x 16), 50 mins cycling and stretching
Day 7 - 7 miles fartlek, strength training and stretching

During that week I was drinking a wonderful coffee from the Sanani region of Yemen.  Chocolately, spicy, winelike, almost dark roast ... fantastic.

coffee

My love of coffee has been well documented on this blog quite a few times in the past couple of years.  At the moment I'm drinking Starbuck's Christmas Blend ... and enjoying every mouthful of the spicy, sweet, dark roasted brew.

Earlier today, whilst reading the Mud Sweat & Tears website I came across a link to an article about the effects of caffeine on athletic performance. The piece originally appeared in The New York Times back in March this year but you can read it here.

It's good to know that caffeine is helping my ultra distance races although based on personal experience after my most recent three or four races I'll probably try caffeine tablets rather than a caffeine loaded drink. This is because I don't drink enough at any one time to get any significant benefit, ie 200ml drink doesn't contain enough caffeine.

My usual drink, Lucozade Sport with caffeine normally contains about 32mg caffeine per 200ml.  This equates to about 0.57mg per kg of my body weight and from my research I would suggest I need about 3mg per kg body weight.  Which is about 168mg caffeine or 1050ml Lucozade Sport.

It's obviously not practical to drink more than a litre all at once during an ultra race ... so caffeine tablets may be the answer.

running again

Earlier this afternoon I went out for my first run since leaving hospital.  Only 40 minutes at a slow pace but it was good to be out in the fresh air and exercising again.

I now truly feel that I'm on my way back ... to some good performances next year.

Because of my recent illness I've had to change my list of upcoming races - a revised list of stuff I have planned at the moment is here.  Of course, this list is always subject to change.

I'm glad I had a supply of decent coffee to sustain me during my time off.  Recently I've been drinking Italian Roast by Starbucks which is excellent.   I do like the dark roasted stuff, I also seem to like Indonesian coffees and on the whole I like the excessively nutty and/or fruity coffees less.

well prepared

Well, today is the first day since my crash training week that I've not felt tired.  The worst day for tiredness was yesterday ... five days after crash training finished.  I've still been training - about half my normal load, but that's OK as I'm now in tapering mode anyway.  The big race is only two weeks away ...

I've also had a headache for the past couple of days (it is slowly getting better now though) which I reckon is due to my switch from normal to decaffeinated coffee in preparation for the Commonwealth Championships. Caffeine withdrawal sucks.

Now, lets have a look at some statistics.  These figures refer to an 'average' week between 1 Aug 2009 and 28 Aug 2009.  I've included for comparison, in red, figures relating to an 'average' week between 31 Aug 2008 and 28 Sep 2008 which was just before my last 24 hr race (when I set my pb).

miles per week ... 104.34 ... 87.68

running time ... 15h 11:16 ... 12h 54:34
cycling time ... 2h 19:25 ... 2h 05:24
stretching time ... 1h 47:13 ... 1h 25:09
strength/conditioning time ... 1h 15:52 ... 1h 41:42
eccentric achilles stretches time ... 30:01 ... 27:21

total time ... 21h 03:46 ... 18h 34:10

running sessions ... 8 ... 5.75
cycling sessions ... 2.75 ... 2.5
stretching sessions ... 8 ... 6
strength/conditioning sessions ... 2.25 ... 3
eccentric achilles stretches sessions ... 2.25 ... 2.5

resting heart rate ... 43.4 ... 45.5
weight ... 57.2 kg (126.0 lb) ... 57.7 kg (127.1 lb)



The upshot of all this is that I appear to be quite a bit fitter and healthier than I was 12 months ago.  I'm in good shape to do well at the Commonwealth Championships in a couple of weeks time - I'm looking forward to it.  Seven days intensive training inevitably took it's toll but I'm feeling much better now and tapering hard.

Although as a non-driver it isn't going to be easy getting there on public transport, especially as Keir wants £200 to £300 in the next fortnight as a deposit for a school trip to Russia as part of his A level History course. Is anyone out there driving from (or through) West Yorkshire to Keswick on Wednesday 16 September and can give me a lift ?

early morning run

This morning I left home at about 7.25am - and went for a long run, probably about 27 miles.

The route was, from my house in Otley, over the Chevin via West Chevin Road and then into Guiseley from where I took the main road through Rawdon and Horsforth to Kirkstall.  In Kirkstall I joined the Leeds Liverpool Canal and ran to Shipley before taking the main road through Baildon and up Hollins Hill then through Menston back to Otley.

The early morning peacefulness (when not on the main road) was amazing.  Hardly a soul about, I practically had the road/towpath to myself over the Chevin and along the canal - which accounted for about half the distance.

There was a bit of a headwind along the canal, and the occasional shower too, but nothing major.  Other highlights included a bloke taking his pet ferret for a walk and a group of cyclists who obviously had no intention of showing any respect for other towpath users.

I didn't move, one of them almost went in the water, hopefully they changed their minds.

At about 22 miles I arrived at the bottom of Hollins Hill which is a long drag of at least a mile climbing about 90m or so.  No problem ... up and over then down into Otley.

A very enjoyable run, not quick but as I skipped breakfast I burnt a lot of fat - a very good thing in ultra running.  Back home I had a large coffee as usual - Whittard's Breakfast Coffee today.

Four mile club handicap tomorrow evening. I plan to incorporate this into tomorrow's long run.  I'll run about 13.5 miles to the start at The New Inn, Eccup then run the four mile handicap then run almost nine miles back home.

page updates

The following pages have been updated today:

Personal Bests
Future Races
Media
My Races
Sponsorship

Also updated some of the stuff on the left hand side of this page - particularly in relation to coffee.

Recently I've been drinking some coffee which I've bought at Betty's in Ilkley. So far I've tried Bosque Lya (from El Salvador), Ethiopian Mocha Limu, Galapagos Islands, Java Jampit and Sumatra Mandheling.

I've not come across Galapagos Islands coffee before and this is full bodied, rich and caramelly (very enjoyable).  My favourites though have been those from Sumatra and El Salvador - they both have an almost chocolaty taste (Sumatra is dark and El Salvador is milk).

Ice and snow

Because of the icy conditions underfoot I had to slightly alter my training today. I was going to do an acceleration run (where each mile is slightly faster than the previous mile) on the route of the Otley 10. I decided though that narrow country lanes, ice and hills don't mix very well.

For those unfamiliar with the Otley 10 the first four miles are flat. The next four miles involve 680 feet of climbing (210 metres). Mile nine is downhill and the final mile is uphill to complete the loop.

I ran in the other direction instead. The temperature, as yesterday, was -1 degree Celsius (30 degrees Fahrenheit) and I was mildly amused to see other folk out and about without gloves ... I'm running in three pairs and struggling for the first 20 to 30 minutes.

Had a fantastic hot bath when I returned home and a large cup of fresh coffee. Fay had some from Sainsbury's ... Continental Blend. I don't usually drink supermarket's own but I thought I'd give this a try - it was good, I really enjoyed it. Not sure where the beans actually came from but I'd guess there was quite a lot from Indonesia in there.

Also in the bath was some stuff from Lush. They make fantastic bath and shower products, the things with cinnamon and other spices I find particularly good for recovery after long runs (or on a cold day).

I also use chocolate milk to aid recovery. In this case I drank almost a pint whilst making the coffee.

The plan is to run twice tomorrow but we'll see what the weather brings.

Yesterday's Tiredness

Yesterday morning I felt unusually tired so, on looking at my training schedule and diary, I discovered that my previous six days training had been:

Wed: 22 miles and 35 mins of strength exercises
Thu: 22+ miles [quite a bit quicker]
Fri: 11+ miles steady and 50 mins cycling
Sat: 50 mins cycling and 35 mins of strength exercises
Sun: Wetherby 10k
Mon: 23 miles

That's over 85 miles of running ... no wonder I felt a bit tired.

So, instead of my planned quickish 23 miler, I only did 10 miles but included strength exercises and some cycling.

Today is complete rest and tomorrow will be the long run.

Time to start looking for some decent decaffeinated coffee ... has anyone out there got any ideas ? While tapering for the Hull race earlier this year I used mainly Starbucks Decaf House Blend which is now my favourite, but there must be something better. I might try Whittards of Chelsea.

I have heard that decaf Sumatra is really good ... but I've not seen any for sale though.

PS. many thanks to Paul Clifford [and family] for the lift to and from Wetherby on Sunday. He was justifiably pleased with his 40:55 from very little training.

PPS. I've rearranged the stuff down the left hand side and at the bottom - and added a few things too - please take a look.