Saturday stroll

Organised with Nick and Andy to go for an easy run through the woods this morning just to see how the pain was doing in my back/buttock/thigh. The plan was to avoid tdoing anything too strenuous but to try and cover 10 km to assess the situation.

Met Nick and Andy at 8:00am and the weather wasn't exactly ideal. It has been a little warmer lately, but this morning the thermometer was showing a measly 2°C when I headed out of the door. The mist was present too, so visibility was reduced to about 150m. As soon as I left the drive and started running, I could feel the pain returning to my right buttock. To be more precise, to describe it as a pain is slightly exagerated, more of a severe discomfort.

I met up with Nick and Andy and we chatted as we ran along. It was a great feeling to be out running again, but I didn't feel totally comfortable during the whole time we were out. Normally, at this pace, I can relax and feel very easy about the running but today I was conscious of every step and my posture during the strides. The initial pain eased slightly but never totally disappeared.

We ran out to the Cora pond and around this before heading back to Le Mesnil. A nice run and it was good to see Andy again after a while. I could see that he was tired by the end as he's been spending far too much time on the bike and not enough running ;o).

14.5 km all up in 1:14 so an average of just over 5:00 per km.

Went to see osteopath this afternoon and he cracked my back into place. Pelvis was badly aligned. Told me to go easy tomorrow and then to see how I fare on Tuesday. Semi next weekend is not off the cards as yet !!

However, in the mean time, I'll take Andy up on his suggestions for the full body massage. Now where has Lorenza disappeared to ?

Injured and depressed

Well it was worth a try. I thought that I'd have recovered sufficiently by this evening to give the workout an attempt. It wasn't the case and I am now thoroughly depressed by the whole affair.

Everybody asked how I was when I arrived this evening, although when I started telling everyone that I was injured most had already turned off listening already. Runners only want to hear about your performances, not when you're injured despite the fact that this monopolises most of the conversations. The twinge in the knee, the tight achilles, the sore calf, the pain in the thigh: these are all the subject of many conversations in the dressing room and even out training, but runners only talk about their own injuries and don't really listen when it has occured to others. It's a little of the "not made here" syndrome, only that they're happy that they're not affected and that they can carry on training, striving to achieve their own individual objectives.
"Aah, shame. Still a few days rest and you'll be as right as rain"

As you can tell from the above, I didn't feel at all like that tonight. Not feeling right when you run is a burden on the mind as much as on the body. So many questions such as how long will it last, when will I get back to full training, what if it comes back, plague the brain, popping up every painful step you take.

I did the warm-up but could feel the tension in my right buttock and at the top of my inner thigh. As a result, I wasn't running easily, especially at a slow speed and this was beginning to cause pains elsewhere such as in my foot and thigh. By the time that I got to the track, I knew that it wasn't working and that a VMA workout was out of the question. I tried running the first 400m anyway just to see. I struggled at the back, breathing easily enough but knowing that the leg wasn't working properly and that I was just taking more strain. I pulled out on the second interval and let the others continue, watching the remainder of the session from the side of the track, very dejected.

I'll try and organise a session with an osteopath and a physio to resolve the problem quickly so that I can resume the marathon training. Rambouillet semi is in less than 2 weeks and I would like to run that. Wait and see.

Still injured

I didn't go running yesterday in order to try and rest my leg so that I wouldn't have to miss the long run programmed for today.

I got up this morning and although my small of my back and top of the leg was hurting it was bearable. I headed out with the intention of doing a long run, but after running 2km towards St Simon, I decided to call it a day.

The pain was permanent and wouldn't wear off. I wasn't so much running as hobbling quickly. I decided that I would be doing myself no god if I forced things further and so I headed back the same way.

I'm going to rest until Tuesday now and see if I can sort this thing out once and for all. Most disappointed.

Out again

I had a day off yesterday to rest following the pain I was experiencing in my buttock and groin area. But since, the marathon isn't going to wait for me, and there is a schedule to follow, I was back out again this morning to do the training.

The plan for today was 45 minutes easy, followed by 15 minutes threshold, and then another 40 minutes easy to end. To meet this plan, I decided to run around the st Simon course easily yo begin with and then do 5k on the track at 4:00 pace and then do another loop of the St Simon course.

I could feel the top of my leg and the small of my back to begin with as I was still cold. As I ran up the first hills, the pain subsided and I began to enjoy my run. Coming abck from St Simon, I was careful not to push the pace and to take it easy before hitting the track. I ran this section between 4:20 - 4:30 pace.

I wasn't looking forward to the track after my session earlier this week, running the 600m intervals. I set off to run 12.5 laps of the track and the pace was constant and not too exhausting. The intervals went:

3:57, 3:54, 3:55, 3:50, 3:50

I then carried on and re-ran the St Simon route at a comfortable pace. On the way back, I let myself go this time and accelerated the last section running the last 2km in 4:18 and 4:14 - marathon pace.

22.8 km all up in 1:45 or an average of 4:37 per km. Good run. Shame that I'm in agony now writing this up. Top of my leg has seized almost completely and every step is painful. Going to have a long soak and some Doliprane to recover.

Injury

Today was a recovery run and I was supposed to take it easy for an hour.

To celebrate this fact, I chose my favourite route around St Simon which is about 9km and I thought that I would extend this by running through the centre of Aurillac and doing a loop the other side before heading back.

I had a slight niggle in the small of my back, above my right buttock before going out. I started running and I expected this to disappear as I warmed up and sure enough, this is exactly what happened. The first 2.5 km are mostly uphill and so I took these easily. On reaching the main road, heading back towards Aurillac on the far side of St Simon, I strecthed out and just enjoyed the pace and the positive feelings from that high you can sometimes get when the scenery is fabulous, the running's going well and everything smiles at you. The pace quickened to 4:20, 4:16 then 4:10. I still felt very easy and despite running at marathon pace, this didn't feel as though it was any great effort.

Disaster struck as I ran through Aurillac. The little niggle that had worn off initially now returned with far greater force. In fact, so painful that it almost forced me to stop. I slowed down, concentrating now on just finishing the run and getting home.

13.8 km all up in 1:02 so a good run.

The pain didn't disappear and persisted throughout the afternoon. After a night's sleep, it would appear to have abated slightly so I'll skip the run today and do the session tomorrow instead. This is the message that I can't push the pace and the mileage eternally.

Horror reps

This was the session that I'd been dreading, the horror movie of my marathon training sessions, the Nightmare on Elm Street, the Scream, the Hammer House of Horrors.

The Bible stated that today's suffering was programmed as 12x600m and that each rep was to be run in 2:10. I decided to do this off 200m recovery.

I set out for the training early this morning, braving the elements that were, admittedly, decidely more clement than they have been recently. The thermometer had even managed to rise to -2°C. I started off by running up the road to the allotments and then by running a small loop around these gardens 3 times, soaking up the early morning sun as it rose over the hills. This was all very pleasant but I had a job to do, so I headed back down the road to the track in Aurillac.

The track here is very different to the St Germain track. At St Germain, the track is a tartan track with a lovely bounce to it and most enjoyable to pound out a few hard intervals. Aurillac track was made several years earlier from tarmac and with age, cracks have appeared that have never been repaired. To make matters worse, the far corner is hidden from the sunlight by the high conifers and there was a 30 metre section of snow and ice on the back bend. I can't say that I was eager to start, but I thought it was best to get the thing over with.

I set off doing the intervals and managed the first in 2:09. I ran the 200m recovery and tried to improve on this time, as is often the case on the first, I felt that I'd kept a little in reserve. The next few intervals went better but I could feel the tiredness in my legs. This, of course, got worse as I continued and on the second series, I really felt like giving up. I don't often get this way, as once I've started, I enjoy these sessions, especially if I feel that I'm doing well. This wasn't the case today and I don't know if it was down to the skiing yesterday, the altitude, the cold or the track conditions. Whatever it was due to, the series were very hard. I only managed to find the motivation to continue from the marathon and the thought that I wouldn't give up on that.

The reps went as follows:

2:09, 2:05, 2:05, 2:07, 2:07, 2:08, 2:07, 2:08, 2:10, 2:12, 2:10, 2:08

So I was under target except towards the end when there are 3 that were distinctly slower. This was a shame.

17 km all up. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's recovery run.

Sunday run

And the Bible said "Thou shalt run for one hour at an easy pace and then thou shalt put the the turbo on and run for 20 minutes at marathon pace before slowing down again to run the last 10 minutes at an easy pace." That was the message from the good book anyway and so I set off with good intentions in my heart and Mizuno on my feet.

The good intentions didn't last very long. It was -7°C when I set off with Laurence for the Sunday run each intending to do our own thing. My plan was around 20km based on the above whereas Laurence was running for 1h30 at an easy pace. I thought I would do the tour of Aurillac. This is a 20km route around the outskirts of the town and it seemed ideally suited for today's schedule.

It got off to a bad start. As I left the road by the stadium after 500m, there is a steep section up a little path between the fields. I had run 5m when all of a sudden I found myself flat on my belly with my gloved hands in the middle of a stream. I had slipped on the ice and put my hands through the ice into the stream beneath. I was wondering how long I had at -7°C before the water froze in my gloves causing frostbite necessitating amputation of the fingers. Luckily this didn't happen as my hands were sufficently warm to stop the water from freezing but it wasn't a good start.

After this things improved and I ran the next few kilometres at about 4:30 pace through the streets of Aurillac. At around half way, there is a long slope uphill and the second half of the course is much tougher. Sod the marathon pace stretches, my lungs were almost bursting with the effort of the uphills, trying to maintain a pace faster than 5:00 per km. I failed over 2 kilometres at 13km up a long hill (5:05) and at 16km up a really long, steep, bastard of a hill (5:08). Relief to have managed to run up both of those without resorting to a walking pace.

Total distance of 20.75km in 1:39:32 or an average of 4:48. Pleased considering the uphill involved over the course. Good session which will stand me in good stead for the speed training this week.

Snow trail

No time to run yesterday as I was too tied up at work and then we left in the evening to go on holiday for a week (this is why you won't be able to call us at home bros over the next 10 days).

We are in Aurillac for a few days and as we arrived in the car late last night it was to a wintry scene with a good 15 cm of snow in the fields and 5-10 cm of snow on the roads. I got up this morning and thought about where I would run for 75 minutes for my marathon training today. I settled on heading up the old road to St Simon and then up the hill past this village and onto the mountain bike trail that contours around the valley to Rouffiac before coming back on the main road. I had a rough idea of the mileage but was relying on the Garmin to help me.

I set out slowly to begin with and felt the tiredness in my legs. I put this down to the altitude and the fatigue from the trip. Garmin didn't pick up the satellite reception immediately and missed the first 400m, so first km in 8:02 ! Uphill after so 2nd in 5:12. Afterwards a nice downhill to speed up and then more uphill. I left the road then and followed the trail with some steep uphills and ankle deep in snow. This slowed me down further, completing a kilometre in 7:01. Back down to Rouffiac and finally back onto the main road back to St Simon and Aurillac.

I felt great now, the scenery was fantastic with virgin snow everywhere and the sky was bright blue. The temperature was around 2°C but I'd warmed up nicely and the road was easy compared to the fields and snow before. I stretched out and completed the next kilometres in 4:38, 4:25, 4:22, 4:18, 4:25, 4:12, 4:02, 4:16. I was flying, loving every minute of it and not feeling tired in the slightest. Absolutely fantastic.

Great way to forget the stress and fatigue from work. Vive les vacances!

Thursday VMA

I arrived a bit late for the session tonight and interupted the president in his speech to the runners prior to warm-up. Laurence told me afterwards that I received comments as to how elegant I was, which is always good for the ego.

The ego took a bit of a battering afterwards when having got changed and chased the others down over the warm-up, we finally arrived back at the track. The marathon session for tonight was 10x500m as a VMA (VO2 max) interval session. In the absence of our trainer, Miguel, it was Thierry who was calling the shots and he declared that it was a threshold session instead.

I decided that there was no way that, having prepared myself mentally for VO2 intervals, I would be doing threshold pace instead. I decided to run the 500m with José and Thierry. Luckily for me, Thierry was running 20 x 500m and I only had half to do. I set off with José and we ran ahead of Thierry for the full session. José did a couple more with Thierry after the 10 and then dropped out.

The intervals went as follows:

1:46, 1:49, 1:46, 1:46, 1:45, 1:44, 1:43, 1:43, 1:43, 1:42

I was pleased with the increase in speed as we went through them. On the last 4, I was by myself as José pushed the pace to under 1:40 and I couldn't follow. I checked in the training plan to see what speed was expected over 500m and for the 3 hour marathon it stated 1:45 intervals so I was well under this by the end. Felt good but tired on the last 3.

Good session.

Dawn run

Early start for this morning's run as I was out of the house at 6:30 am. I hadn't fully recovered from last night's efforts so I took the start of the run easy in order to regain a good feeling in my legs and to enjoy the workout.

The good feeling never really happened. I exagerate a little as by 7 km I was feeling fine and picked up the pace slightly from the 12 km/h I had set over the first kilometre.

I could feel all sorts of aches and pains in my legs as I ran this morning and it was a reminder not to overdo things. I just took it steadily and my mind drifted to other things.

13.3 km in 1:02:24 or 12.7 km/h for the total run. 4:42 per km so a good endurance run. I sped up at the end and did the last 2 kilometres in 4:30 and 4:19.

Not looking forward to the VO2 max session tomorrow.

Tuesday session

I arrived at the club all psyched up to do my 10 x 600m VO2 max session tonight. On the club training calendar, nothing special had been planned, just a simple 45 minute endurance session. However, all of the other marathon runners were following the club's marathon training plan which involved 2x 2000m + 3x 1000m. I decided to switch sessions and run with the others, putting off the VO2 max session until Thursday.

25 minutes warm-up and we were back at the track. 5 of us were going to do the session at my pace (around 4:00 / km) while Nick and Philippe were going to do it just a little slower. The 5 of us were: Régis, Fabrice, José, Me and another guy that I didn't recognise.

96 second 400's were called and they asked me to set the pace. I set off, glad to be in front as this is where I'm happiest. I like the sound of the others just behind me and being able to push the pace slightly just when they get too close. We did the first lap in 94 and this set the tone for the evening.

The intervals went as follows:

7:39, 7:42, 3:47, 3:49, 3:46

So very regular and I was feeling great. Oh yeah, and the others dropped off after the first 1000m interval saying that they'd had enough for the night. So much for running with others.

The other factor that made the performance more impressive was that the track began to freeze after the first 2000m interval and so the bends on the track were as slippery as hell after that. This made you expend even more energy than was necessary on a dry surface.

14km all up for the evening. An early night now to recover.

Cross de Franconville

I didn't want to do this. I knew I didn't want to do this. And I can't say that I'm glad I did it now it's over.

I am not a cross-country runner. Some people like spending their afternoons traipsing around in mud sudden fields, getting their feet soaking wet and slogging up slopes. I am not one of them. Give me a nice road anytime, where you can find a rhythm, obtain a sense of speed, and just go for it.

The afternoon set off pleasantly enough as I watched Laurence running in the women's race. It was a 6.6 km course for them, one small lap and two medium laps (see attached photo for the laps - prize awarded to anyone who can work out what was going on!). Laurence ran steadily and set off at a more sensible pace for this race, in comparison to Montesson, and this paid off as she was within spitting distance of Aude until close to the end when Aude found a sprint finish. I wasn't able to see the end of the race as I was already lining up for the start of the veterans.

Our race was longer as we had one small, one medium and two large loops for our race for a total of 10.2 km. It had snowed heavily yesterday and despite the rise in temperature there was still a fair amount of snow lying around. Of course, all the snow that had melted had turned the previously grassy areas into mudbaths and then there were the hard forest paths that meant that spikes were most uncomfortable top wear. Well that's the excuses out of the way then so what actually happened ?

The usual suspects were lined up for the start: Eric (who I only ever see at races and is a class above), Thierry, Francisco, Bruno, Nick, Régis, Gérard, Patrick and myself. We got all of our excuses out of the way before the race started: Bruno was still suffering from his achilles, Régis hadn't been training much having returned from skiing, I had been marathon training and not tapering, etc. etc. The sun finally came out and the afternooon began to warm up a little. So shorts (borrowed from Jean-Marc as I only brought tights) and runnig top it was. We lined up, the gun went and we were off.

I set off at a steadier pace than at Montesson too. I wanted to be able to handle the extra distance and keep something in reserve for the end of the race. The Garmin clocked me at 19.8 km/h for the start so I managed this really well. Not.

Nevertheless, I felt good for the first kilometre. The path was tough but not excessively and there were stretches were I was able to lengthen my stride a little and push on. There's something about the mud though that just saps your energy. I slowed slightly and the kilometre times dropped to 4:28 at my nadir around 4km. On the first big loop, in the forest section, Régis pulled alongside me. This took me by surprise as I felt that my speed was improving now (which the Garmin confirmed). I tried to stay with him but he inched ahead and by the end of the third lap and into the last, he had 20 metres on me by now.

I was running in a group of around 6 runners and I concentrated on leading them. I feel so much more comfortable leading a group than tracking others. I tried to pull in the group ahead and was pleased since I wad passing runners in the latter part of the race compared to the last cross-country where I went backwards. Régis refused to come back though and he was stronger and stronger towards the end. I pulled off a sprint finish, just to keep the guy behind me from overtaking and ended in 43:08 in 131st position out of a total field of 224. I turned to congratulate the guy just behind me at the end and he thanked me for the pace-making I'd done throughout the race. Just a nice touch that made me feel a little better about the race. Not enough to make me want to do another though.

So 4th finisher from the club as Francisco pulled out with a sore hamstring on the second lap. Finishing positions were:

Eric (39:41), Thierry (42:14), Régis (42:33), Me (43:08), Bruno (43:44), Gérard (44:50), Nick (45:27) and Patrick (46:23)

I was pleased to be within a minute of Thierry, sorry not to have been able to stay with Régis, happy to have beaten Bruno (again) and surprised to have beaten Nick by over 2 minutes (not normal).

Good training but glad it's all over.

A few photos of my suffering:

Laurence running her race Photo of the St Germain veterans with Miguel

Me suffering

Régis beating me soundly Laurence and Christelle

Just why is Miguel pinching Eric's bum ?

Map of the course courtesy of Google Earth

Snowstorm

Had a lie-in this morning and the promise I made to myself to go for an easy run this morning almost flew out the window when I saw the weather outside. It started hailing first thing and I lay in bed for a while listening to the hail hit the Velux window in the bathroom. It was only through a sheer sense of duty and commitment to my marathon training schedule that I managed to force myself to get up and look at the conditions more closely.

This, of course, didn't improve the situation in the slightest. Laurence was determined to go for her run and we tried to convince Henry to come with us. Henry was having none of it and Laurence wasn't in the mood for a fight with him so we left him and set out just the two of us.

We set off very easily, heading off around the Chateau du Val route. The snow was falling ever faster, leaving a thick white blanket that covered our tracks within 5 minutes of our passing. It was wonderfully silent in the forest with the snow muffling all of the sounds and the cold discouraging all but the most insane from leaving the warmth of their houses.

A lovely easy run that makes you appreciate the sport. 7.2 km in 40:45 or a leisurely 5:44 per km. This'll make up for tomorrow's efforts.

Lunchtime run/swim

I went out with François-Xavier for a lunchtime run. The instructions were very simple: 45 minutes not too fast, aiming for an average speed of around 13km/h.

We set off from the swimming pool in Osny and the sun had come out for a change. I had been expecting the worst and was wrapped up with 3 layers on top plus my fleece hat. Obviously as soon as we started running, I realised that I had gone over the top and that half of the layers I was wearing were unnecessary. The hat came off and went in the pocket but the 3 layers on top stayed on, meaning that I lost a couple of kilos in weight in sweat during the session.

We set off to Grouchy Castle and ran around the grounds 3 times. Despite the easy pace that we had set ourselves as a target, the going felt tough and my legs were still heavy from the previous night's training. We ran fairly steadily with the only variations in pace coming from the steep hill at the far end of the grounds that has to be climbed steadily.

We managed the course and I was thinking about the marathon and the pace that will be necessary for the 42 km. This began to daunt me. 9.3 km all up in 42:34 so an average of 4:36 per km. The pace was spot on target but the legs were feeling it today.

Threshold session

Thursday night with the club. I was able to escape early from work and get to the session with enough time to get into my running kit for a change. The bible stated that the plan this evening was to do 3 x 5 minutes threshold off 1:30 rest. The club was taking it easy due to the cross country championships on Sunday, in which I'm taking part too, so I was on my own.

Well actually, there are quite a few runners training for the marathon at the moment, but since they were running other distances and schedules, I decided that I would run 3 x 1600m off 200m recovery. I was aiming for a 3:45 / km pace which meant 6:00 minutes for each interval.

I set off steadily at a sustained pace just to see what time this would give per kilometre. I had forgotten to take off autolap on the Garmin so it was a little tricky calculating my split times as I was running round the track but they went something like:

6:04, 6:08, 6:06

So not quite the 6:00 minute pace I had envisaged but I felt good at this speed and not too exhausted. Very happy with the session and feeling that I'm progressing well and coming back into form. I haven't felt this good since September / October time last year in fact.

12.4 km all up.

Brass monkeys

I've been reading Tom's blog a lot recently and wondering about how he manages to run in the heat. Well, at the moment here in France, the problem is quite the opposite as it's almost 40°C cooler.

I didn't realise how cold it was to begin with. I set out my running kit the night before and this entails at least 3 layers for the top, my fleece skiing hat and some long running tights or tracksuit bottoms. Today this was capped off with the frontal headlap so I must have looked very fetching as I set off in the dark for my 1 hour endurance session.

I was aiming for 4:43 pace or thereabouts as this corresponds to 70% of my max HR. So basically, 13 km in an hour before going to work. I managed the first few kilometres with difficulty as my legs were still tired from last night's session. This and the cold, as I learnt that it was -5°C when I got back to the house, meant that I did the first 2 km in 4:45 then 4:40 despite the fact that it was downhill to the Seine. Once I warmed up a little with the effort, I was much better and by the end I was able to push the pace slightly finishing the last 2 km in 4:25 and 4:23.

13.3 km all up in 1:01 or an average of 4:37 per km. So still on target and happy with my progress. Roll on Springtime and some warmer weather.

VMA session

This is the hardest session of the week, no doubt about it. I begin to get tense even before I start running hard over the intervals. Mentally, it is just about as tiring as it is physically. But it might be the toughest session of the week, but it sure as hell does you good.

An easy warm-up with the club around St Germain. There were a good few participants tonight but Bruno and Jean-Marc were missing notably. Nick and I had a good chat on the warm up especially about Mo Farah and the return to form of some British athletes. He mentioned the Steve Cram write-up in the Guardian, which I've just read. Most disappointing though as it's more of a rant against Dwain Chambers than an interesting piece on Farah's run.

Anyway, once the warm-up came to its end, far too soon of course, it was time to face the track. The planned session tonight in the marathon training schedule (hereafter known as the Bible) was 10x500m in 2 series. Each 500m was to be run in 1:45 for a 3 hour marathon objective. Unfortunately, the club session was 10x400m, so I was on my own.

I set off and found the first interval relatively easy and finished it in 1:42. This was looking promising and in my mind, I had set my objective on 1:40 intervals. This never happened.

They went as follows:

1:42, 1:43, 1:45, 1:44, 1:45, 1:44, 1:44, 1:44, 1:43, 1:43

What was worse, was being overtaken by a runner on 400m intervals running each one in 64 seconds. I felt a real loser !

I had a nice warm down and ran 15km all up. 1163 calories burnt so I deserved my chocolate this evening.

Long Sunday run

The bible said: "Thou shalt run for 1 hour at a steady pace and then thou shalt speed up a little to marathon pace before slowing down again to run for a total of 1hour 40 minutes". James did as God did command and he saw that this was good.

Well, in actual fact, it didn't feel quite as good as the above would have you believe. I ran the first loop of the usual Sunday course with Nick and Philippe. Nick was complaining of having nothing left in his legs (all down to the beer I think, but don't tell Anne as it was a bone of contention between them already when we met up first thing) and Philippe was champing at the bit, asking what pace we were running at. I just took it comfortably for the first lap going around the course at a 4:40 pace on average. We sped up a little towards the end, to keep Philippe happy mainly, but it was a pleasant run, if a little cold when the wind picked up in places.

The second lap, I was supposed to put in the famous marathon pace effort for 3 kilometres. I set off after 14 kilometres and then managed to push the pace to 4:07, 4:14 and 4:11 for the next 3. My target marathon pace is 4:16 in order to achieve a 3 hour marathon, but I'm aiming at 4:10 pace just to maintain a small safety margin. Those 3 kilometres today were hard to achieve and I fully appreciated the effort that will be involved on race day. The following 2 were managed in 5:04 and 4:50 as I recovered and then I was back down to 4:35 where I feel comfortable.

All up 24 km in 1:52 so an average of around 4:42. I was pleased and it ends a good week of training where I have managed to cover 84 kilometres. I am convinced that the objective is achievable and that the training programme is appropriate. Time will tell.