Bis repetita X-country training

Second week of cross-country training this morning and Nick and Anne very kindly picked me up to take me to Marly for the session. Nick has been suffering from a bad back lately with both neck pains and lumbago causing him pain and to ease off on the running recently. I know just how frustrating this type of injury can be and the tension that it causes within the family. When Laurence and I have been injured, after a week of not being able to run, the partner just avoids confrontation totally as any disagreement turns into a row within instants.

So I was intrigued by how Nick had been managing this week to treat the problem and his explanations were a real eye-opener for me. Firstly, treatment by the osteopath (nothing too unusual here), then massages and electrode treatment on the buttocks (now we're getting kinky!), followed by an in-house yoga session with a class of females only and a female instructor. Apparently, the instructor (a young, dark, foreign beauty by all accounts) was not satisfied at Nick's attempts at suppleness and proceded to force him to the floor by pushing with her hands then treading on his back. It was only Nick's male pride (and the fact that he was overwhelmed by the instructor) that stopped him from crying out in pain at the treatment. Anyway, this might not have done the trick to heal him completely, but he seemed determined enough to want to return for more punishment next week. He was ready to come to training at least.

A far larger crowd at the training session this week with the runners from last Saturday joined by Bruno, Jérémie, Mireille and Delphine amongst others. Nico turned up on time for once and even looked as though he'd managed to have a decent night's sleep; so either his poker friends were away for the weekend; or, more likely, he'd burnt through his pay-packet again and was waiting for next month's salary. Whatever the reason, it had done him some good and he was fresh and eager to start the session. Delphine was back from Les 4 Chateaux race, flushed with success and the fact that she'd been chased around the course by 2000 men.

Miguel had planned the same session as last week (3 blocks of 3x3') and after a warm-up lap, dictated by the trail runners who insisted on finding the muddiest, steepest tracks in Marly park, we set off on the session proper. Nico and I started the first flat session and I stayed with him, closely followed by Jérémie until the first slight uphill when I fell back slightly and Jérémie came past. The second interval was uphill and Jérémie showed both Nico and I the power he has, leaving us for dead up the steep hill as we finished our interval about 2/3 of the way up. He paid for this from then on though as he hadn't realised that there were 3 blocks to do and he was already in the red. We then attacked the next hill where I stayed with Nico until about 3/4 of the way up and he pulled slowly away from me again.

This was the pattern for the rest of the session but I was a lot closer to Nico than last week and I felt far more regular in my effort. We finished the session with a warm-down around Marly park, chatting about the session and how we both did better than the previous week's efforts. I could feel the improvement already and I am convinced that a few more sessions like this and I'll be able to maintain far higher speeds up the hills. The flat sections are not a problem and I can hold my own with Nico and Jérémie but as soon as we hit the hills - I'm useless.

15km all up so a good long session in the cold. Snow/heavy frost/hail on the ground and the park was absolutely beautiful to run around. A real pleasure this morning. My only regret: that the kind runner who brought along the Thermos with the tea for the stretching at the end of the session didn't do the warm-down and so ther was none left by the time we finished!