I haven't got anything much exciting to report as yet as i am still eagerly awaiting my first race of the year at reading in two weeks time , but i can tell you now I can't wait ! After all the issues with my achilles ( both ) and the odd ankle strain last summer it is great to report that this has so far been my most consistent training plan since spring 2015 . The plan I am following is from Hal Higdon and incoporates quite a lot of fast work . It has been one of the most 'full on ' plans I have ever followed and at times i have wondered if i could keep up but the last two weeks have shown me that if I try hard I CAN do it . Part of me thinks that if I just went for it and stopped being so cautious I could get a lot more out of my running but there is always that niggling doubt that if I push it the injuries will come back . For now all is good , 5 runs a week with one interval , a tempo , an easy , a pace run on staurday and long run on Sunday . I had to get up seriously early today and donned hat and jacket in readiness for a proper drenching but as it turned out I got the majority done before the rain came . My pace is just where it needs to be and i am really hopeful of getting closer to my half marathon PB , which I wasn't saying 12 weeks ago . 

The run today was quite interesting as there was a lot of debris on the towpath following last weeks storms . I could see that quite a few old trees had come down and been chopped up but there were still plenty of obstacles . The towpath had flooded near Stoke Hammond and i had to tip toe through the mud and the return home was against the wind and uphill so a real workout for me . I find when the going gets hard I try to switch off and think of something else other than running and just let it flow . It really does work for me and it is something i must take into future events. Mind over matter !

As I turned for home I noticed some big yellow signs had gone up for the Leighton 10k . The road that runs past my house is part of the route and closed for the event . Sadly it is the same day as the Reading half marathon so I won't be able to run it . In fact I have never run this race as there always seems to be another event to go to . 

Well thats all for now , one more week of full training and then I can step back a bit :)

Have a good week .