Chasing Stars, Not Just PBs
It feels like a while since I mentioned the 100% Club. Prior to the new platform launch I'd spend hours calculating your points and compiling the list. Almost guaranteed I would miss at least one of you off the list, normally our leader to be fair, sorry Lou.
I want to make sure we continue to celebrate our achievements in training. Race results are great and obviously I'll share them on social media, but we as a team know that whatever that clock says when we cross the finish line, is a consequence of the hard work we put into training.
Please do check the leaderboard and if your stats or your points look off, let me know. Automatic updates are great, but even they are not 100% reliable. The targets are the same, 95-110% of your weekly target will see you in the exclusive club for the week. 5 in a row, and you earn yourself a shiny star.
I have to go back 40 years for the last time I was awarded a star for my good work.
So how are we looking right now? Well Lou W has just broken the record. In fact she continues to set a new record every week, as her incredible streak continues. 45 weeks on the spin now. Just process that for a minute. 45 weeks of her training target hit, in a row, without missing one.
It's no wonder Lou is running at her peak right now, but it brings up the question, what is the greater achievement, her race results or this 45 week streak. For me, it's not even a contest, the training wins hands down.
It's inspiring. I'm up to 33 weeks, and sitting here today, tired after my exploits around the beautiful ancient trails of Rye on Sunday, I'm already planning how I can hit my target. And whilst I would love to sit at my desk all day spouting nonsense like this and telling you on the team how amazing you are, the gym, or a run, cannot be missed.
Kirsty M isn't far behind in truth. 43 weeks on the spin, 8 stars in the bag. Kirsty ran a blinder at BBB10k a few weekends back, beating her target by over 3 minutes. Hardly surprising given the effort she's put into her training. Can either reach a whole year of not missing a week? Surely not! They're getting close.
Glenn ran a PB at Battle as well — he's on a 42-week streak, 8 stars in the bank, as he continues to improve across all distances.
Ben, Sue M and Jax all sit on 7 stars, all running strong times in recent weeks. Chrissie, Lou H, Emily, myself, Lucy P, James and Mark, all on 6!! That's over 30 weeks in a row. So this isn't just a select few on the team training well, it's contagious.
Shout outs to Su, Dan, Karl, Jan, Sally and Laura, all 20 weeks or more of hitting their targets.
Process, process, process. It's what it's all about. If you focus on the training, hitting those targets, results will take care of themselves. Sometimes you need a bit of patience, but improvement is inevitable if you put the work in.
Even if you don't quite see the gains on race day, that feeling of being fitter, stronger and faster when you head out for your training runs is priceless.
Honestly, super proud of all the team for the work you put in. Keep inspiring each other, and keep inspiring me.
If you're reading this and not on the Team, please get involved. It's not even about the training plan or the sessions I set, it's about being part of something bigger, a team that supports each other and pushes you to become a better all round person.