On Thursday evenings I engage in running training at Palmer Park. On Thursday nights, I train with Keith whereas on Wednesdays I train with Ibrahim who is my coach and my friend Saleh who is my classmate.

“I could hear breathing down my neck”

The training session this week was :

1 x 1200m

3 x 300m

I was training on a running track, which is surrounded by a velodrome (a tilted track for cycle racing). We lined up at our starting positions for the 300m repeats, I was in lane 1. Keith blew his whistle and we set off, I discovered that in shorter distances it is better to start on the outer lanes because you can curve in and overtake those in lane 1. However when starting in lane 1, the other runners curve in on you and the effect of that is that you slow down. 

1200m distance is longer, and my personal strategy is to start in lane 1, because I can let the more experienced runners go ahead, so I can run with space in front and behind me. Again Keith blew his whistle and we were off! 

After 100m I could hear another runner breathing down my neck. At 400m I could hear him getting closer, but I kept my lead against him. At 800m he is still close to me, but not able to overtake. 

At the last 100m, the home straight, he tried to put a sprint in and overtake me, but I had a faster sprint.