14th December 2006

Heanor Running Club

Speed Work - 16x300m ‘Repeats’

Date: 14th December 2006

Conditions: Mild, Wet

When I joined Heanor Running Club, Rob (Club Chairman) told me that if we do not have a race on the Sunday that we do speed work on the Thursday. If we do have a race we simply go for a gentle five to six mile run. Having the Bolsover 10k on Sunday meant that I prepared for the latter. How wrong could I have been? The majority of our club is not taking part in the race so speed work it was.
We left Heanor Leisure Centre for the one mile warm up run to Heanor Gate Industrial Estate. On arrival Rob informed me that we will be doing relay runs in pairs. I was paired up with a young lad of thirteen called Joe. Now I knew his fitness would be superior to mine as his body is still fresh, unlike the ten years of corruption mine has had to endure.
The relay works like this. Imagine a three hundred meter horse shoe. I start one side and Joe the other. I was running up hill and Joe down hill (I had the choice and I thought running up hill first had to be the safest option). Joe started and ran the three hundred meter’s to me. As he tags me and I begin the three hundred meter’s up to where he started, Joe has to jog up a path (around one hundred meters) ready for me to tag him again, and of course once I tag him I have to run down the path ready for him to tag me again. Sounds pretty simple, but try doing this eight times. Then try a three minute rest before changing over and doing another eight the opposite way.
After around six laps on the first set I honestly thought I would not complete the course but every time I was near the finish, Joe would be spurring me on and this kept me going. I also thought that the second set (down hill) would be far easier. This was true but the run back up the path killed me each time and from leg three I had chronic stitch which never shifted until I finished.
The main thing is I finished and once I had I was so glad I didn’t quit. Running with the team really kept me going and on the slow jog back to base I was really proud that I had completed this. I would like to take the Football team to do this just to see how they compare. I thought I was fit. I was wrong but I didn’t lose my fitness overnight so I don’t expect it to come back that quick either. I now have two days rest until the race, and boy am I going to need it.


Positive: I finished the course which at one point I thought I never would.
Negative: I realized that compared to these guys my fitness is severely lacking.



"Don't take anyone else's definition of success as your own."