Back in the saddle

Well the week is almost up and I am feeling back to where I should be once again and have been enjoying some great runs during the last couple of weeks. I also managed to break the 1,000 mile mark for this year and although not a big number I am pleased that I have reached this total so far and it's still going upwards.

Although weekly mileage has been low compared to pre July I will be looking to take the mileage back to where it was (50+ miles) by the end of September and see whether this can be pushed further up.I definitely was stuck in a rut shortly after Grimsthorpe but things are looking good now and the running express train is moving forward with ever increasing speed. I have also added some great core and upper body exercises involving abs, lower back, glutes, hamstrings, hips, etc. Definitely feel I can improve in this an area I didn't do too much work on during the first half of this year and this should definitely help my overall strength and running posture over the course of the long term.

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On the racing side of things I haven't booked anything yet for the remainder of this year however I have had a few running buddies ask me if I fancied another race before the year is out and I might just do that. However the only half-solid plan at the moment is to go to the Lake District at the end of October to enjoy a whole day running up there with a couple of running buddies. This is something I missed out on during the summer when I pulled out of the Lakeland 50 event so I cannot wait to get the opportunity to do this.

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Despite the year not being over yet my 2011 plans however are really shaping up already and I can now confirm that I will be attempting the Bob Graham Round in June next year plus a whole host of other races / challenges. Although a long time away I am not underestimating the challenge involved here as the BGR really is one tough cookie, 42 summits, 27,000 ft climbing, self-navigated and all to be completed within 24 hrs. I will cover this in a future post but it thrills me to think I will be getting the opportunity to do this next year. If you are not familiar with this then check out this great website - Bob Graham Round. More on this and the 2011 schedule later.

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My goal for this week is to finish up with around 40 miles or so and gradually increase that to around 50-55 over the next two weeks. The main focus is to keep getting those quality running sessions and see where it takes me. At the moment I am really enjoying the running.

Keep rocking guys!