End of year report

Total distance run : 1011 miles / 1619km
Total time on feet :148.2 hours
Average pace : 8.21 min miles / 5.11 mim km

New personal bests achieved in the year :
10km - 41:16 - Falu Marknad Loppet
Marathon - 4.42:10 - Stockholm Marathon

As another year draws to a close a little reflection on the years running cannot be a bad thing. All in all it has been a pretty sucessful year and one to be pleased with. While there is still plenty of room for inprovement this has been my most commimitted year to date with my total mileage increasing by a whopping 49 percent on 2003.

Opportunities to race have been limited, I have only stood on the start line 4 occasions this year. Quality over quanity maybe? In any case each race brought with it a new personal best. The first race of the season was a local 10km cross country race came at the start of May. A year earlier it had taken 47:23 with a slight flury of snowflakes falling all round. This year it couldnt have been more different, shorts and t-shirt being the order of the day. The course isnt the easiest with tree routes protroding all over the pace and the track down to single file in maybe places make it an interesting race to run. Pace judgement also pays a big part with no distnace markers but I came away with a time of 45:30

At about the same time I found new employment at a supermarket distribution center. With no car public transport was the order of the day which added an extra 2 and a half extra hours to a full days physical labour. Training had to take a back seat. It wasnt a choice I made, I simply didnt have the energy for more than a sleep travel work repeat routine.
A shame since the Stockholm Marathon was fast approaching. Long runs were lost and I was to pay for it later. I had been hoping for a time under 4 hours 15 minuites but it wasnt to be. I was on track at 30kms crossing the timing mat at 3hours 25 seconds but shortly after it all fell apart very quickly. I bit the provable wall at the same time as the course reached the only real climb on the whole route over the west bridge. Which came first the wall or the bridge I cannot say but the rest of the route was a walk run waddle struggle. At least I managed to find enough energy to run the final 300 meteres around the track in the omplyic stadium to bring a memeroable event to an end. Of course the finish line is never really the end in a marathon, I then had the joys of being bent over double wanting to be sick but having nothing to bring up and the desperate hunt for a tolet but not being able to find one anywhere.



To be continued...