Kosmin

Skipping, hopping and a variety of other gaits too complex to describe were on the menu in the first of the year's "Drills" sessions with coach Bobby McGee.

Although there wasn't a trace of snow on the track, there was a nip in the air, and runners tempted into tee-shirt and shorts by yesterday's 70 degrees plus temperatures were soon shivering in the early-morning chill, despite the exertions.

Drills -- a combination of neuromuscular activations and re-wirings plus very specific strengthening and mobility exercises -- are designed to help develop the co-ordination and strength necessary to run fast with ease. It's a once-a-week session that really helps my running, so I try never to miss it, even though it involves getting up in the middle of the night to be ready to be not just awake, but capable of independent movement, at 7.30am.