I ran the Finsbury Park 5km race last Saturday. It’s a great training tempo run but I hate it. It’s too fast for me and there are hills but I know it’s good for training and it’s over and done with quickly. One of my main problems with it is I only really get over my nerves once I’m nearly finished. I think this is why longer races suit me better – it takes me about half an hour to find my rhythm and settle in to a run. A 5km race gets me jittery. My legs feel like jelly and I can’t control my breathing. So I wimped out of running it this week and instead did my own interval training from Crouch End to Finsbury Park along the parkland walk.

The Parkland Walk is a wonderful thing. Four and a half miles of old railway track that has been transformed into a green walk, cycle and runway for North Londoners.Two seconds from leaving urban surburbia down some steps brings you to a disused platform and the feeling of being in the countryside surrounded by trees and greenery. It’s only when you run over a bridge do you remember that you are still in the middle of England’s capital city! It’s really quite magical. I particularly like October when you can stop off along the way to pick blackberries. One of the best things about the Parkland Walk for runners is the section from Crouch End to Finsbury Park is dead on a mile (or near enough – its 1594m) which makes it perfect for interval sessions.

On this occasion I ran some intervals. Untimed and unmarked. Just ran hard until I couldn’t run anymore. Then walked until I got my breath back, and repeated and so on. I often feel a bit demoralised with interval runs as I get worn out so quickly as you are pushing your boundaries to the limits but I know intervals are the best way to improve times. No pain no gain.