Another great run

It was a joy to watch Mo Farah in Birmingham on Sat. he ran another brilliant race and won going away from the field. It is really satisfying when you see a runner who is able to judge pace like that and know that when the button is pressed for the final burst, a good win is assured.
A bit different from that was the Cross Country racing I attended briefly in my home town on Sat. no great or particularly famous names there, but the object was the same - to run well and do the best you can. The runners had a tough course which was well cut up with the weather but that did not deter them too much and I'm sure they all enjoyed it....
For myself, I am enjoying building my distance up again, albeit slowly. Today I enjoyed a 2 miler which was slightly longer than my last 1.5 miles - easy does it. I hope to be at the 5k distance by mid March.

Tips from the Top Runners

Enjoyed watching the Cross Country Races in Edinburgh last weekend. It was good to see how the top performers started their new year debuts. When watching the main race, two things became evident that resulted in a good win for Mo Farah. Firstly, he paced himself really well, he sat in the pack near the front runners and then gradually worked himself into position so that when the really hilly part of the course came up he was ready to make his move to the front. Secondly, when tackling the steep hill - they did it three times in the race - he really attacked it and also kept going really strong over it. This gave him a great advantage and he went on to win the race easily. As runners, these 2 points are very important - Pace yourself correctly and attack hills both up and over them.

Pacing it out

Everyone has seen the 'pacemaker' do their job in competitive races. They go out and run at a particular speed which enables the race favourites to judge their races to the point that when the pacemaker drops out, they can then take over knowing that the pace has been right for them to have a chance of winning the race. It's a little different for the 'normal' road runner where pace takes on a different meaning. If you start a race at too fast a pace, then you will suffer later on in the race. Also, set off too slow and when the time comes to quicken up its too late to finish in a good time. This is where an understanding of correct pacing is vital to enable any aspiring runner to do well in their races. The pace should be constant with what the runner knows he can maintain. Keep this in mind when running and your results will increasingly be more satisfying.