Starting Slow

The draw for places in the CCC takes place this Wednesday and i’m obviously starting to get excited and apprehensive about it. In part the apprehension is to do with doubting my own ability to complete the race and my instincts are telling me to start bagging some big runs early. I am however resisting the urge knowing that August is a long way off. Putting in too much distance work too early is more likely to leave me overtrained and fatigued later in the year than deliver results.

No! Much better is to start the year slow and draw a straight line between now an August. Now is the time to build a base of strength and to get mentally prepared, the endurance will come later and take care of itself. So 3 or 4 core stability sessions a week and 40 to 50km running each week is more than enough at this stage. I’m also eating and drinking what I want – being disciplined with diet can be mentally draining and so preparing for it now and building up fat stores will pay dividends later.

The best years are always the ones that start slow. Where you don’t know if a goal is attainable or from current levels of fitness and endurance they seem impossible. I remember this time last year I couldn’t run 10km at the pace that I commpleted Berlin in September, but the speed built up gradually through the year to deliver a great result. It’s important not to panic, to have faith, be patient and start slow at this time of year regardless of what distance you are training for.