Hello and thanks to all who read and commented on my last post . It is also great to see the increase in the blogging just lately . There has been some fine performances and training runs already this year , and it feels like there is a real buzz around the running community - did you see what I did there ? Ahem .

Moving on , what has Leighton Sean been up to ? Well , I have completed my training plan for the Reading half on Sunday and my honest assesment is that this plan has been really good for me as it put me just a little bit out of my comfort zone with the increase in the fast sessions . Also I was a little apprehensive about running a pace session on Saturday and a long run on Sunday as it is not something I have done on a regular basis but in the end i found I was able to cope with this without any issues . I also think that running at least 5 times a week works better for me . I did try a plan where you run only 3 times a week but I feel better when my legs are turning over more regularly and i like the routine , if i have too many days off I get lazy thoughts and find it harder to get motivated. I have also paid more attention to cross training than I have in the past year , and cut down on the junk ! I think you can get away with it when marathon training but for half marathon you are just not burning off enough calories . Having said that the extra weight I had been carrying is falling off at last and I feel closer to my quicker self if you know what I mean . I also feel good about the fact that i don't need to consume any gels or drinks for the distance , just relying solely on what my body has stored. On Sunday they will be providing water pouches but I normally only take a small glug or two half way round , thats enough for me unless it is hot . 

Sunday weather wise is not ideal as strong winds are predicted , i just hope that the wind is on my back on the drag up to the Madjeski stadium . I really am excited about Sunday as I am sure you can tell from my recent blogs , I am just happy to be training like I did in the past before all the injury last year and I need to know if i can still get a PB at this distance , or if I have reached my peak . Either way I just know I am going to be closer than last time . Be positive folks , it is the only way to be :) 

So I am putting my feet up tonight after cooking the curry , and I will just tinker about the house tommorow AND get myself two good nights of sleep . Oh last tip for all you new runners who might be reading this , if you are going to clip your toenails make sure you do it at least a week or more before a race . I did mine last week and I hurt my big toe by cutting into the nail too much , yow . It was sore for a few days but luckily I was wise and left plenty of time . You do the same ok ? 

Have a great weekend everyone