Wow, I just received a call from my coach, the great MdS 11-timer Rory Coleman, that makes me feel really important! 😉

Look at coach Rory Coleman’s stern face, wouldn’t you just do everything he says? He just rang me to make sure I am! And say well done, isn’t he lovely? 🙂

He was phoning partly to make sure I don’t run myself into the ground wanting to do the Power Hour of hill reps on Thurs as per my training plan and also a 1 hour 7 mile Fartlek session with my beloved running club on Fri. He reminded me of the 10 and 20 (eek!!!) mile Long Steady Runs that await me this weekend. And that I need to give him my remote control and trust him, not do whatever I fancy in training. We worked out that if I walk to the club Fartlek session and take photos I can still catch up with my friends and be involved in the evening while still having a rest before the weekend.

Then he brought up Energy Vampires. “What?” I said. “At the club, work out who drains you of energy, an Energy Vampire, and who makes you feel really motivated, an Energy Giver.” Ooh, that is a tough one, as I’m very positive and pretty immune to other people’s gloominess, tending to (very annoyingly!) enjoy geeing them up or just forget their gloom the moment they’ve finished speaking and re-focus back on ‘Amazing World of Claire’. So self-centred ;). I honestly can’t think of anyone in the club who is an Energy Vampire, everyone I talk to is so positive and happy. I think my Energy Vampires will be things rather than people, like having a cluttered desk, not eating enough before running, and any annoying extra work I have to do, oh and PMT. 😉

So think about your Energy Vampires and avoid them if you can. Surround yourself with positive Energy Givers that will help you train for any challenge. And REST when your training plan tells you to. Simples.