Brinsley runner

I actually enjoy hill reps, strange it may seem but I do feel that I improve more doing them than I seem to with speed work, it's not scientifically proven but it's how I feel after I've been regularly training. Hills are as such my best friend in a race as its where I tend to over take people, mainly on the ascent as its the stronger of the two disaplines. When I'm over taken I tend to find its on the fiat and sprint finishes, on the flat I seem to get to a reasonable speed but never seem to gave it in me to hold that speed. When I'm entering a finish I've already put everything into it so people will fly by and I think you should have pushed harder earlier if you've got that much energy. Back to the hill reps I did. These were two lots of five over two different gradients but both on boggy wet grass. The first five were quick up slow steady run down, the second set was the reverse and I actually find this harder as trying to let your legs go but with s...

A drive over to Heage to meet a friend for a run, weather forecast couldn't have been more wrong. Yesterday it said we could get sleet showers, this morning no sleet, it would be dry rain in the afternoon, like I said they couldn't be more wrong . It actually snowed all morning and now it's sleeting. I've got to the point where you really can't trust the forecast. However it did make for a great run, a few people out enjoying the snow on bikes and walking their dogs, for us this was a couple of hours run heading from Heage over to the back of Belper before heading on to Milford and on to the Chevins. I'd never been on this particular route or in fact area. I can image it has good views in the summer, but all we could see were snow flakes, not a bad thing. Heading along the Chevin was nice after the long climb up, before heading down to the opposite side of Belper by the side of the River Derwent. I knew some of this route as it was part of the Belper Ri...

Its the start if the weekend, and that finish from work for a few days, and every now and then I'll catch the bus to work and run home.Firstly it's time productive as I'd otherwise travel home then go out. Secondly I'm traveling on tired legs from standing up all day so I have yo work that but harder. Thirdly I can't cut the run short as it men's I won't get home. Fourthly I don't get home and think I can't be bothered or its raining I'll wait then not go at all. So running away from work is actually a good productive use of my time. Sets me up for the weekend. It helps that I can travel along either the Erewash or Nottingham canals or head totally of rd.  Tonight's route was along the Nottingham canal, it's disused and some parts are now filled in, but even in the twilight I could pick out the Old Bennerly viaduct that the trains passed over, and the more recent instlation of Winston the wind turbine. the bennerly vi...

Tonight's run was the first of the year for me, motivation has been low and feeling tired a lot to, but tonight I felt like getting out. Firstly it was a sloshing and glooping field trek out of the village. It's a long while since I've been out in conditions like that underfoot, after the first two fields my feet were numb and my hat had to be put on to protect my tabs. This was going to be a fun run. After three more fields where the water was running down like streams I crossed the road section to enter the downhill fields, sliding to a stop to go through the gates it was actually harder to stay upright going down than going uphill. By this time I suspected the river Erewash was going to be high, it was,  the bridge was covered, possibly passable but one side of the rail was lost so I wasn't going to risk it. Also I wasn't sure that the bridge I needed to cross over further down wouldn't also be under water. Closure notice and the bridge covered with...