That was cross country at it’s best. Glastonbury on spikes – a true mud-fest. And i was simply not up for it. Not on that day and not in those conditions. I dont want to come up with excuses. It was just a bad day for me.

It was raining since days and the course beside the airport was in pieces. Without weelies you were lost in deep mud. Our race was the last one of the day and the course was rough. I dragged along for 3 loops and never found a rhythm or grip or anything. As i was passing the startline my head was telling my legs “Stop”. I stopped and stepped of the course. I was not exhausted or anything. I just decided not to continue.

Now, a couple of hours after the race, i am well pissed off not to finish the bloody thing.

Another year – Another Raheny 5.

I don’t think there is another road race which I ran more often than the 5 Miles through Raheny. And without a doubt the Raheny 5 is worth every visit. Irish road racing in perfection.

To hype me up for the race I was listening yet another time to the brilliant Competitor podcast with the legendary Eamonn Coghlan. If you haven’t listen to it – go and grab it. What a gent!

The Sun was up and it was cold. No rain in sight and no wind. Perfect for running!

Raheny town was busy as always when the races are on. With junior and walk races combined with the main event there is a good crowd and a nice atmosphere around the place. I warmed up in St.Anne’s Park and made it exactly on time for the start. I wanted to run a controlled race this time.

Usually I do not use a watch but changed that this time. The Garmin was set for 1K split times and it worked pretty well. I settled in with my pace and it worked out very well. The big advantage was that I knew the course. Raheny is tricky as it starts of nicely and then has a long uphill stretch followed by a long downhill stretch towards the Howth road. Cruise control was on as I was hitting the miles in exactly the pace I wanted to. The race flew by and I was holding back as I knew that the hill back up to the finish is the “make or break” point of the race. This time I had enough left to “make it”.

“You’ll never be happy with a race…” Darren was saying after the run. And sure, there is always more to aim for, especially in running. I’m happy with the race as I was running controlled and not on another suicide mission. 27:56 was on the clock. Time for the after race Pizza at “Steps of Rome”.

Rosso di sera bel tempo si spera. Nog 70 dagen te rotterdam…

Two weeks after watching the KCB Cross Country in Iten I am back in Dublin and racing myself. 2.400 meter deeper the air is thicker and the weather colder. Rain and clouds are the exception in Kenya, not so in Ireland.

A dark January day saw my first race of the new season in Cherryfield Park in Dublin. As usual the BHAA organized a very good race in frosty conditions. The ground was slightly frozen but was perfect for running after the first of 3 loops.

5 Miles were on the agenda and I just wanted to test the legs. Due to the height I did not do much speed work while staying in Kenya the last few weeks. Like the last time over there it took me long to adjust to the thinner air up there. As my mate Jason, who came over with me, did not had much trouble adjusting to the height I guess it is just talent. In Iten I was talking to Siniša Marčetić, Bosnian National Coach, and he was telling me that it took his athletes 20 days to fully adjust.

A Pyramid (1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1, 2 minutes rest) and a hill session was on the training plan during the week. Both went fine and also the other runs felt very easy and smooth. Today’s race was far off that “smoothness”. My usual mistake is going out to fast and I sticked to that in best fashion.

At the end the result showed 29:40 and 25th place. Not really what I wanted. Next Sunday I have the chance to prove myself wrong as I change from mud to tarmac – Raheny 5 is on the calendar.

After running Rotterdam in 2009 i decided to run it again this year.

Why? The answer is pretty simple. I really liked it the last time. This race has style!

The Netherlands are easy to travel, people are friendly and the race itself has everything i expect from a marathon. It is not big, it is not small, the course is flat, the weather mostly mild, good runners in my range and a motivating vibe throughout the city.

81 days to go!

I try to read every running book I can get my hands on. The last one was a special one. Originally it was released in 2009 but unfortunately i just got it a couple of weeks ago.

Biographies or training books is what you usually find when searching for running related books. Charlie Spedding combines both genres in his very own direct way.

Outsiders to the running sport will ask themselves where the beauty of a running book lies. If there is one book that can transfer the feeling and pain of a race or training than you do not have to look further than “From last to first”. Charlie describes everything that the life of a distance runner in the eighties involved and gives ideas to runners nowadays. A step back could be a stride forward for some athletes. As he asks after analyzing nowadays performances with the provided possibilities of U.K athletes coming up to the 2012 Olympics “…So why, why, why, are today’s best British runners running slower times then we did twenty or thirty years ago?”

Beside wining the Houston and London Marathons, Charlie himself won a bronze medal at the Los Angeles Olympic Marathon and fulfilled his childhood dream. The book starts with his biggest achievement (L.A. Olympics) and catches the reader straight away with a “on point” writing style. The physical and mental intense of a important championship race has never been better described. The first chapter glues the book to your hands and the next 13 chapters (e.g. Chapter 6 – “The Beer Drinker’s Guide to Sports Psychology”) do not disappoint you in any way.

Training and racing stories of old-school running greats , personal setbacks, thoughts, perspectives and injuries– this book covers everything that the “blue collar” runner needs to know and wants to read.

Thank you Charlie Spedding – Great book!

The book is available at www.charliespedding.com

There was a buzz around Iten yesterday. First XC race of the new year.

Lots of excitement on the course and beside.