Thomas Pattichis wrote in with regards to suffering a slump in training. We've had to edit his letter for space, but the gist of it is this: In the last couple of weeks I seem to have gone backwards for no apparent reason. This time two weeks ago I did 20 minutes at a 1:57 average and felt fine. The next day I attempted it again but died before the 15 minute mark. I completed the 20 minutes but it felt unusually hard. The next day I tried again and this time died completely and did not complete the 20 minutes…I was wondering if you could shed any light on what you might think to be the problem. I am a 20 year old lightweight Terry O'Neill: There are several possibilities. If it is a result of over training this could be identified by a blood test and you did not mention whether your doctor carried out one before giving you the all clear. The second possibility could be that at your age you could be going through some final growth period that is demanding a lot of energy. I think, although, that you have put your finger on the most likely problem, and that is that you have created a mental block.From the sketch of your training routine it would appear there is not enough of a wave pattern and if you want to push up your PB, the attempt needs to be built up to, rather than just keep banging away at the same level.It could also be that 1:57-58 is your limit at your current basic strength level and to step up you would need to leave the 20 minutes alone for about 4-6 weeks and work on developing your basic strength. At the end of this strength period use this increased strength to develop your endurance at a higher intensity.The thing is, if it is a mental thing, the more you worry the more difficult it will become. You need to step back and get things into proportion. If you consider a scale where on a good day you find a tenner and a bad day on which you get trapped into making incriminating remarks on tape by a journalist dressed up as an Arab sheik, your problems are nearer the first than the latter.