Running in the genes

Last weekend I went home and got talking to the family about running. My immediate family has no runners in it but apparently there may be running genes in the family.

One of my uncles did the London Marathon a few times and ran the first Berlin Marathon after the wall came down. Another uncle told a story about how he had won the local schools 40-mile run once.

I know that elite athletes (which I know I will never be) have a genetic predisposition to being good distance runners and that hard training alone won't get you an Olympic medal - you have to also have it in your genes.

This made me wonder whether there is an 'average runner' gene. One that makes your body able to run crazy distances without too much risk of injury and get through races without giving up. From now on I'm telling myself that there is and that I have it. Genetics are on my side - now all I need is to do the training.

Atchoo

I knew it would happen sooner or later, and I'm glad in a way that it happened sooner - yep, I've got a cold which has seriously hampered my efforts to stick to the training plan.

I managed a grand total of 2 miles in week one of my training. This was on Tuesday in the gym and I was pleased that running felt like it did before the 10k - not too much effort and not too painful.

This week I read that after a race you should have a day's rest for every mile you ran in the race. So I should have had six day's rest rather than carrying on as usual after the 10k, which is why I found it so hard and dispiriting getting back on the move.

Wednesday I woke up with a bunged-up nose and an aching face and since then I think I've produced more than my body weight in snotty tissues. I've read that it's OK to train with a cold as long as it hasn't affected your chest. As I coughed about four hours ago I think it's best to avoid pounding the streets until next week. I wouldn't be quite so put of if it wasn't so cold and damp outside.

Hopefully normal function will be restored on Monday and week 2 of the training plan can commence with the usual gusto.

Biting the bullet

I'm going public in the hope that it will spur me on to honour my place and run in the Silverstone half marathon. Training starts this week - all 16 weeks of it. The big day is Sunday 15 March. Do I look excited?

I do have major concerns, not just about my ability to complete the course but also about getting bored. If I were running round London, say, there lot's of things to keep my eyes and my mind occupied with. Silverstone does have the novelty of being a motor racing circuit  but will this wear off pretty quickly and leave me with nothing but mile after mile of tarmac to stare at?

Who knows. The plus points to this race, and why I chose it, are that it should be pretty flat, it's close to back home and it's close enough in time to keep me motivated. Oooh and the goodie bag is supposed to be really good at the finish.

So I've downloaded a 16-week training plan. The race is 19 weeks away but I'm on holiday for two weeks and need a week's grace for slacking. The good thing about the schedule I'm on is that the first week consists of three runs of 2 miles. Hooray! Should be no problem.

I went out for a run yesterday and managed 2.5 miles. I probably could have done more but my legs were complaining. Really don't think they've fully recovered from the 10K - surely I can't be getting worse at running? Maybe I've already passed my peak.