Last Wednesday I drove to the track with my spikes in my bag; they are about 5 years old, but this was to be their first outing.

I was joining in Matt Shores ‘midsummer madness session’ which is taking place over the next four weeks at different venues and on different surfaces each time. Where we meet is only announced in the week and the session hinted at, but not firmed up. It has a slightly mysterious, secret squirrel air to it…

This was fun for me. I liked not planning the session and finding out on arrival. Matt had indicated that we would be running 200s and 400s which I haven’t done a lot of reps recently! But with my bid for a faster 5k, all seemed good!

The date was July 4^th, a very significant anniversary for me. In 1974, I made my way after school to Haslemere Border Athletics Club, on the exact same date, to run on the track with the boys.

I wanted to ‘get faster’ at running, and I already dreamed of running for England; so joining an Athletics Club seemed the natural next step. The only club I could get to from school was an all boys one, and so this is how it came to pass that I was the first female member of HBAC.

Little did I ever dream that, nearly 40 years later, I would be travelling to a track session with the same feeling of anticipation on a sunny July evening.

Matt had gathered ten of us and after a warm up of a few laps around the track and some stretching he announced the session 2x 800, 4 x 400 and 3x 200

I laced my spikes and lined up for the first 800. The feeling of running in spikes again was very joyous indeed; or spikes on the track – I wore my X country spikes over hill and dale in the winter; but the feeling of the tartan and my feet feeling like they were ‘flying on land’, was amazing.

As was my surprise at the time of the first interval 2.49 – its been about 6 -7 years since I’ve seen a time under 2.50 something for an 800m rep

The session continued in this vein, me running faster than I was expecting and faster than in some years. Once again running gave me a sense of limitless possibility, a surge of inner power, and with it came a sense of ‘if I can do this I can do anything’!

More from Juliaa
Interval Sessions, Long Runs and Kettlebells		The Tao of Running		I Just Love to Run		A Brilliant Weekend in Horwich
My speed work is feeling fast and my strength is building with the kettle bell work.		The miles are flowing out of me again, seemingly effortlessly.		On Sunday as we ran along the seafront having completed 19 of our 20 mile run.		I had a brilliant weekend in Horwich; I had as much fun in the rainy wet of a coldish June weekend.