As I announced at the start of the year, I’ll be publishing a reoccurring article for my chosen ‘athlete of the month’. For August the athlete of the month is... Mike Barrett!
Mike is in red hot form and seems to be getting stronger and stronger each month. He has been able to continuously break his PBs and this is down to two simple things: firstly, following and trusting in the plan and secondly executing it consistently!
Within his most recent 5km time trial he knocked off a whopping 1 minute and 20 seconds off his previous PB, finishing it in 19:15. Shattering that sub 20-minute barrier in style! Something that he had been aiming to achieve for quite some time.
I’ve progressed his plan each month and it seems as though as hard as I’ve made it, he keeps nailing his sessions. When you are in such good form, you need to enjoy it. Running is a rewarding sport but it’s also a sport that can throw a curve ball at any point in time.
Mike is under no illusions that there’ll come a point in his running career where the PBs will start drying up. But for now we are FAR away from this point and there is still a whole lot more to come from this talented runner. I’m very keen to unlock this potential and see just where his limitations lie.
A few weeks ago Mike went on holiday and took a few days off, with very little to no running. 3 weeks later and he was running quicker times than he ever has before. Just goes to show once again that you can’t really lose fitness in a week. In fact, these small breaks within your training can do you the world of good both from a physical and mental side. Physically it allows you to recovery, mentally it brings the hunger and desire to improve back.
Mike, I’m looking forward to having you along on training camp in a few weeks’ time. Perfect timing for a few tougher sessions before we both take on the marathon at Battersea park on the 4th of October. Well done once again and let’s keep the good times rolling!
Onwards
Upwards
Progress!
Who will be the athlete of the month for September??
