With 7 weeks til Nottingham I realised I needed to start training more seriously.

Last Saturday I went out for 65 minutes at about 8min mile pace.

Monday was an incredibly slow 3 miles running home from Upper Warlingham station

Tuesday was the Striders 5 x 4 mins speed session with 1 min rest interval. Then a slow jog home from the station again.

Wednesday three pints of San Miguel at Bradleys with a couple of ex Virgin Net employees. A regular haunt of ours. Doug thought the pub had become more chavvy. I think it’s just because he’s moved out of town. It was always quite scuzzy but that’s why I like it.

Thursday I lost it again after a busy day. Some pints at the George before being persuaded to go to Ladies Night at the Camel. A few remnants from Goodwood in big hats, some girls dancing to Funky Town with Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas (with subtitles) muted on the plasma screens. John managed to tell the DJ that the tunes he was playing were sh*t, before promptly leaving. I doubt we’ll be returning.

Friday Lunch at the Belgravia which is better than the reviews posted here. Cheap eats and Flowers & Bombardier on hand pump.

Today – Another hour around the trails near to home. Took in Selsdon Nature Reserve and passed All Saints Church, which I’d never seen before.

Want some running partners to keep you motivated? If you live in the Croydon area then get along to Striders of Croydon. The Striders train four times weekly. The main club runs are on Sundays at 8.30am and Wednesdays at 7.30pm starting from the Clubhouse . All standards are catered for and in order to encourage runners of all abilities, the club has had a long standing policy of frequently ‘turning back’ to pick up those running at the back of the pack. On Wednesdays there’s the option of running for 40 minutes or an hour, while on Sundays the choices are usually for 60 or 90 minutes.

In addition the Striders also have a Friday night Social Run, which starts at 7.30pm and lasts for about 40 minutes at a leisurely pace. These runs begin from the clubhouse and are perfect if you’re thinking of joining.

If you have a thirst for speed and want to get your times down then there are also two speed sessions on a Tuesday night. One aimed at runners up to 10,000m at Croydon Arena or one from the Clubhouse. Just turn up – more details from the Striders’ website.