Mental running

Preparing for the toughest footrace on the planet makes you do things that people thing is mental. Last weekend I ran with the ultra runners but at 17 miles ran on without them as I found walking up the hills was making me too cold. Their pace was slower than I'd ever run before but at the same time they are extremely experienced and I will learn lots from them over the winter. But yesterday I decided to run the same route at Whitelees Windfarm which is an 11 mile out and back making 22 miles, but on my own. I did this for several reason; to see if I could pace myself & to practice the lonleyness and boredon that you experience in a long distance run. The weather wasn't great so that makes it even tougher to get out there. I dressed appropriately and got my music on and managed he first 11 miles in 1hr 36 mins. Half way is never half way in a long run and although I had a tail wind the pace of the first half began to tell. I was 7 minutes slower on the way back but I did walk two of the hills. My legs were tired and I had a large blister on on of my toes. My pace was a minute per mile quicker than last week and considering that was too fast I am really going to have to work at slowing down. It would be fine if I was just doing 1 marathon, but 5.5 marathons in 6 days carrying 10kg on my back while running on sand is a different "ball game"! The story of the tortoise and hare comes to mind!

2 days to go

I've stuck with the September challenge which is running 6 days a week throughout the month with a minimum run of 20 mins and a max of 1 hour. Well I've ignored the max as I needed to step up the mileage but the regular running certainly has helped. Today I went out in the dark and the rain and took out one of the swimmers for his first run. Triathlon is interesting because you can have people who are good at one discipline but struggle at another. My colleague did really well and I think he may be a runner as well as a swimmer. I am looking forward to two more runs over the weekend including a big one and then next week return to more cross training with the bike and the swim. Certainly the window for training during the week is shortening due to the light so I'll need to dig out my head lamp to run with. Oh well, summer was good when it was here!

London fitness

I headed out into the west end of London for my morning run. It's a vibrant city with many cyclists but when you go into the parks it's full of people running and groups taking part in fitness classes. It's fantastic to seeing so many people exercising and a bit unreal where the otherside of the fence is the hussle and bussle associated with London. As I ran around a small park I kept looking over the fence to see the stress in the drivers faces as they sat in their cars going nowhere quick. Quite a contrast. So now I am heading into the city and will have to put up with the "squeeze" on the tube where everyone will be "zoned out" listening to their music and avoiding eye contact or nose to armpit contact which is not nice! Although exciting I am looking forward to my early morning run tomorrow back home wrapped up for the winter conditions!

Tropical weather

It was an early start at 5am as I was flying to London. What a difference in 400 miles! The increase in temperature is incredible. I've just walked through Covant Gardens and people are sitting outside eating. Back home we'd be indoors with the heating on! But today is a rest day so I can enjoy wandering around town without wearing lycra - that comes tomorrow. I have a full day conference to attend so I'll be up very early and running round the streets and parks in London after my yoga session of course. I think it will be a lot warmer than I'm used to and I wish I'd brought running shorts rather than tights! I'll just put it down as a heat training session!

Pain free running

Since the age of 1 I haven't been able to touch my toes - stiff as a board I am but that doesn't stop me taking on daft challenges like running 152 miles across the Sahara Desert in April 2013. So when I pulled out of the Aberfeldy half Ironman (my first even DNF) due to severe cramp and a hamstring that was about to blow, I decided it was time to take action. I found a yoga teacher who took on "lost causes". 3 weeks later, having practised every day, I have pain free running for the first time in my life. It's only a 15 minute daily session with a 1 hour 1-2-1 session. The proof came when I ran 25.2 miles on Sunday and on Monday not only could I walk down stairs but went running, after my yoga warm up,and felt great afterwards. This is a revolution and as I approach 51, if anyone can get me touching my toes and running injury free then I'm sold. Check out http://www.pamelayoung.co.uk/. Namaste.

Local holiday

I woke at 8am and only because for some stupid reason I'd set an alarm. But this was a major sleep in for me. The weather forecast for today was windy leading to rain and then heavy rain and gale force winds. So I decided it was best to get up and finish my training early. I knew my legs had done some heavy mileage the day before, 25.5 miles, but they were in good shape. My yoga session had them feeling even better before I went out for a short and reasonably fast 3.26 miles. When you run long distance your average pace slows so it's important to mix it up with shorter faster runs. The wind was strong and I could feel it hold me back but it was the threatening rain that concerned me. Fortunately I got in before it started but I felt fantastic. Being on holiday is allowing me to rest so I'll be fit for the weeks work and training ahead. Batten down the hatches as the weather is building into a storm tonight!

Going long

Following last weeks training camp in the Trossachs I went out with a group of ultra runners for a 22 mile run today. They included Scotland's number 1 woman Rosie Bell and 2 West Highland Way vets (95 miles in 1 day). We did an 11 mile out and back (22 total)in an undulating track through Whitelees Wind Farm (the largest in Europe). We got plenty of strange looks from walkers and cyclists as it is really wild out there. I learned very quickly that the pace was slower than anything I had done before as this lets you go on and on. However on the way back they explained that I needed to walk some of the hills as an important part of my training. Starting to run after the walk wasn't easy but I started to cool down too quickly so agreed with them I'd run on and keep running back to town and they would pick me up. So it was a total of 25.5 miles for me in 4 hours and 7 minutes. It's not about the pace but about the miles on your feet. I'm extremely pleased with my performance as this means I've reached my marathon fitness 1 month early. So I'll continue with my yoga, swimming & cycling but these long runs will become very important. I'm excited already and have so much to learn from my "new found ultra running friends"!

Benefits of hill training

Yesterday I put in a short but intense hill training session. They are always tough but now that I am practising yoga every day my hamstrings don't cramp up and make me walk like a cripple afterwards. Mentally I don't look forward to hill reps but when I ran today it was easier and faster than normal - that's the pay off! But tomorrow I am hoping to run a long distance with some ultra runners. I'll keep you posted on the progress tomorrow. But now to enjoy the rest of this beautiful day.

Summers back!

Woke up to be beautiful morning. There hasn't been one like this in a long time especially on a holiday weekend! So practising yoga as the sun streamed in the windows was uplifting! Then out for some hill reps where each climb repeated had to be faster. I think this may become a regular routine and as there is a 2 metre wide grass verge I can run on that to prevent injury from too much road running. I'll increase the number of reps each time. Last night I had a "bike fit" where I was wired up and filmed on a 3D camera. It allows you to check all the angles to improve your efficiency. Some important adjustments were required and later on today I'll take the bike out to test it. The adjustments might explain the severe cramp in my last race. One more lesson learned.

Maggie's Cancer Caring Centres

Today I was visited by Elizabeth, a community fundraiser for Maggie's just to catch up and see how I was getting on. It's easy to forget that Maggie's is not funded and requires hundreds of thousands of pounds each year just to keep it's doors open so that anyone suffering from cancer can walk in and receive support and advice. If you haven't visited a Maggie's Centre before then you should as you'd instantly understand why they deserve our support. It also makes it easier for me to step out into the pouring rain today to run because at the front of my mind is the bigger picture - raising funds for Maggie's. The Marathon des Sables is going to take a huge effort on my part but the journey will be amazing. Linking that to Maggie's just increases the pleasure and in today's tough economic climate I feel an even greater need to raise funds. Elizabeth and I came up with a few ideas and I'll let you know what these are in due course. In the meantime, check out Maggie's http://www.maggiescentres.org/about/what_is_maggies.html or pay them a visit. It could be life changing!

Shattered

As expected I had a fantastic nights sleep but by 6am I was on the yoga mat. 6.30am I was on the road for a 10k run dressed as though it was winter. Hat, gloves and running tights were required as the temperature was marginally above freezing. The sky was clear blue and the sun was rising so it was a privilege to be out. I meet lots of people who think I'm mad doing what I do but you'd understand it better if you went out for a walk / run before getting on with life in the morning. By 8.15 I was dropping the kids off at school and heading off to Perthshire for some client meetings. However I felt drowsy and had to stop and get a can of Red Bull to keep me awake - not my usual brew! I was shattered so also had a 15 minute power nap at lunchtime. The intensity of the training since Friday has caught up and my body is struggling to keep up. Well it better get used to it as it's only going to get worse. So early night again and I can start all over again in the morning.

Building the base

Now the serious training starts. The weekend was about getting the mileage up in my running legs. Today I had my 1-2-1 yoga lesson and for 1 hour I worked myself into a pool of sweat. I'm loving it and it is so intense which is right up my street. I love learning new things especially when I can see the benefits. After a busy day at work I needed to fit in a short run before my swimming session. The September run challenge involves running 6 days a week for the month with the minimum run time being 20 minutes. So being time pressed I did the minimum and then went for my swim training. There won't be any swimming in the desert but it keeps my legs from stiffing up after the running. This is a coached session so we were worked hard and looking at my times, my swimming has slipped. But I'll pick it back up in the coming weeks. I think I'll sleep tonight!

Recovery is essential

After a big training weekend it is important to recovery properly. So with every glass of wine to ease the aches and pains I drank an equivalent galss of water! I slept like a baby but woke with legs as stiff as a board. So I went downstairs at 6am and did my 15 minute yoga practice and realised my legs felt fantastic! With hamstrings like mine this was a real surprise and it makes me realise how important that early morning yoga session is. So no more exercise for the remainder of the day and plenty of good food and hydration, without the wine! Tomorrow morning my yoga teacher will be putting me through my paces in a 1-2-1 session which will set me up for my return to swimming training in the evening.

Endurance training

What a fantastic weekend of playing at being an athlete. It's amazing what you can do when you "park life" and concentrate on running. After our morning session yesterday we went out for "efforts". That involved a 2 mile run out and back with 12 minutes of hill climbing in the middle. This was followed by a wonderful hour of yoga. That would be a wonderfully difficult or relaxing hour depending in whether or not you are "bendy". I'm nt so it was tough but hugely beneficial - thank Mark. This morning we woke up to horrible weather. 18 miles across beautiful countryside. That's double the distance I had ran this year. But it was brilliant. Day off tomorrow and a well earned rest.

Honesty

Generally speaking people either say I'm mad, daft or wish me well when they find out I am training for the Marathon des Sables. However when talking to a bunch of runners at the training camp last night one of them was brutally honest. "You won't finish it" he said - there was a pause in the conversation as the others looked at him. DK is known for his frank views but this one seemed too honest. People may think I won't make it but nobody, until last night, had actually expressed it. So a bet of £10 was made and I am looking forward to collecting it. Apparently my "continual positivity" annoys some people but that's not my problem. If people want to limit themselves then that is their choice. We didn't fall out over it as everyone is entitled to their opinion. So yesterday we did a wee 5 mile warm up and this morning a 9 miler with a very big hill! It's brilliant. I also started the morning with my yoga and will have another yoga session today after we have completed another run this afternoon. This is quality training and it will take me closer to removing £10 from a "doubting Thomas"!

How do you eat an elephant?

Taking on the marathon Des Sables is a bit like eating an elephant, or at least I think it should be althouth I have done neither. The point I am getting to is that rather than be overwhelmed by the magnitude of the event you need to break it down into smaller parts. So today was a simple run as part of my run every day in September challenge. However the man flu (aka a common cold) was lurking around so I decided to work from home and see how I felt. My wife who is definately suffering from the cold, sneezed all day so staying at home may backfire on me. At 5pm and lacking energy I decided it was now or never. I completed a very short 3.28 miles and although felt hellish all the way round, by the time i got out the shower I could feel my energy coming back to normal levels. These "small victories" help condition your mind to "man up...". There are people really suffering out there so I should count myself lucky - I do. Tomorrow I am off to a three day intensive run camp and I think the phrase "man up" will come to mind more than once. But if I am going to succeed in the Sahara Desert in 7 months time I can't miss out the small steps on the way.

Man flu?

Man flu is a lot more serious than most women give credit. However seen as this "bug" has been passed on by my wife she can't say it's not real! It's at an early stage and I feel tired and sore but this could also be due to the yoga and running session this morning - the later in the rain. It's bad timing as on Friday I am off to a three day running camp which is always tough. So I am resting for the remainder of the day and hope it will pass. Man down!

Andy Murray's belief

Can you believe it? Britain has it's first Grand Slam winner in 76 years - Andy Murray. As a nation there are mixed feelings about Andy with many doubting he "had what I took" to win a Grand Slam. But last night Andy took control and achieved what no other Brit had done in 76 years. It didn't happen over night, this victory has taken a lifetime to achieve. But most importantly, Andy ignored all the noise made by the press, all the doubters and kept his focus on the prize. I had the privilege of meeting him in 2008 when he was no. 11 in the world. Even then you could see his determination but he wasn't ready for greatness although he got to no. 4 by at year end. He has put up with so much rubbish in the press. I worked with him on three occasions with a group of kids and he gave them his full attention - he's a good guy. But my admiration is for how he has kept believing when it would have been easier to be the runner-up all the time. It will be interesting to watch his career develop now his belief has been rewarded, and his peers realise he's broken his "duck". Well done Andy.

The risk of learning

The best part of the day for me is early morning. I love getting up around 5.30 - 6am and getting started. Today was a 6am start and on my yoga mat (or should I say my wife's yoga mat - I haven't accessorised yet!)for 10 sun salutations (Sura Namaskar). It's an interesting experience starting something new and once again the success comes down to mind set and determination to continue no matter how uncomfortable it may feel at times. I then went off to the pool and I haven't been doing a lot of swimming recently so I struggled with my technique and therefore times were slower. I was offered some friendly advice from a seasoned swimmer and I gave it a try - nothing to lose. Immediately I could feel a difference and will get back in the pool to build on this later on this week. Implementing change doesn't just relate to yoga and swimming as my last telephone conversation with a potential client will illustrate. We were looking a a team building session (in a safe indoor environment) using well proven methodology but the group I was speaking to had never done this before. They were all highly intelligent people but perhaps they thought this would take them out of their comfort zone and didn't want to expose any weaknesses. It's a shame really because if the group aren't prepared to expose themselves to learning then they won't "grow". Why not learn a new skill and see how it brings excitement and new people into your life?

Yoga training

As you know I started yoga on Friday and have been set the task of 10 sun salutations a day before my next lesson on Tuesday. I know it's only the beginning but I am taking this seriously as a key element to my core strength and flexibility training. However my body is telling me it's been working muscles that haven't been worked for a while as I'm a bit tender. This morning I ran 5 miles to my son's football match to continue my running challenge in September. I am building up the mileage this week as I'm heading off to an intensive running camp on Fri/Sat/Sun which will be tough. As for Ali's match a 2-2 draw with last years league and cup winners, where he was involved in both goals. Sometimes the stress as a spectating parent is worse than the toughest training!

Time for rest

Even although I am not training at a high intensity level currently, I still need a day of rest in a week and today is the day. It tied in nicely with our staff night out on Friday with more beer than normal and a late night. So I got the chance to have a long lie till 9.30 - unheard off but necessary. The September challenge of running 6 days a week means taking today off is part of the schedule as you don't want to cause an injury. But before having breakfast I decided to do my short yoga routine I had learned on Friday as I am meant to do this 6 days a week. It's always tough learning something new and it surprises me how much you sweat in yoga. I considered going out on my bike but think it worth taking the rest and my training will benefit next week.

Every breath you take

Today has been a mixed day for me with highs and lows. Starting with the highs I had my first 1-2-1 yoga lesson with Pamela Young and what a fantastic experience that was. It was like nothing I'd imagined before with so much concentration on "the breath" - loved it. I left the session relaxed although my body had gone through a good workout. I continued the theme of Breathing with my run today where I had to work hard at only using my nose to breath. While it does feel like a strain I had no aches or pains in my limbs afterwards. This of course could be due to the more oxygen getting round the system. Then for the temporary low in the day. I attended the funeral of a friend who within 4 weeks of being diagnosed with cancer had died. I watch his children and grandchildren during the celebration of his life and my heart went out to them. How can you sum up 82 years in 30 minutes? They managed it and brought a smile to everyones face - after all it was a celebration of life. It was only a temporary low as I let the church uplifted by the stories I had heard. But my thoughts returned to my breath as I thought we don't give it any consideration until we're short of it. We should appreciate it more as it won't always be there.

50 shades of grey

Tomorrow I will be starting yoga as previous mentioned but my teacher had asked me to try a few things before turning up at 6.30am tomorrow. The first was to try breathing through my nose while running. She even suggested taping my mouth up but I didn't think I'd manage with that and after the first run, I'm pleased I didn't. Trying to change the habit of 50 years wasn't easy and by the top of the first hill I was doubled over and must have looked 50 shades of grey. However I persevered and drew some strange looks from passers by while I tried to suck as much air through my nose as possible while keeping my mouth shut. I will spare you the other details re my nose except to say it's not easy getting air in when there is stuff coming in the other direction. I had another go this morning in a shorter run and the result was similar but I'll persevere as getting more oxeygen into those muscles is fundamental. I was also asked to keep a food diary as she wants to see what I am filling myself with. Not that I have a weight problem, far from it, but she wants to see what is fuelling my system. That went really well until after dinner when for some strange reason 5 glasses of wine were consumed! This is rare but doesn't look good on my first day of keeping a food diary!

Confessions of a driving instructor

Ok, so the title gives away my age as there were a series of books back in the 70's, confessions of...they were serious rubbish, so I'm told as I was too young to read them. However at 6.15am this morning I gave my son his first driving lesson (he's had £600 worth of professional ones but 2 failed tests!)which was a bit of a shock to the system for both of us. You forget what it's like to be learning again and how reckless "white van drivers" can be, but he did great. That was the start to my morning followed by a fast 3.5 mile run and a 2km swim. I felt brilliant afterwards having felt lethargic for the last week; I think I have my mojo back! Busy day today as I am meeting a yoga teacher later to find out how we can get my stiff legs into shape for my running training. The stiffness is nothing new but if I don't get this sorted I'll suffer with the training and the Sahara in April. I spent 11 years struggling at karate trying to be more flexible but I think the problem is structural and pushing through the pain barrier did me more harm than good back then. Tonight I am speaking to Strathaven Rottary Club about Mission Ironman so that should be fun. Finally the sun is shining and that always helps. Have a fantastic day!

Paralympics

When talking to people about the goals, what they would like to do with their life or just life in general, we tend to have a "but". I'd like to ...."but". We can't help ourselves. However, how inspirational is the paralympics? I'm watching the 1,500m final while writing my blog the Irishman has just completed it in 4:08.11! Even the back marker is 4:29 - these are very special people. Most able bodied people couldn't match these times unless they were serious athletes. But they have a "can do" mindset. I am going to have to call on that side come April for my MDS challenge as I am no where near fit enough at this stage. In fairness I shouldn't be but when I read what some of my fellow competitors are doing currently I shudder. But I've been there before with Ironman and it's that experience that reassures me that I have 7 months to get into the best shape of my life to allow me to "push the envelop" i.e. take my physical and mental strength beyond any limit I know. I just need to take my time, not become impatient and know that as long as I believe in myself and commit to my training plan then I'll succeed. No if's, certainly no buts and definately no maybes. That I am sure is how the paralympians think and they overcome greater obsticles than me.

Gate crashing a race

Multitasking helps with my time management so after I dropped my son off at his football match I went for a run. Is would allow me to get a workout and be at the sideline for the start of his match. I ran into Strathclyde Park and immediately realised I had gate crashed a triathlon. However as a public park you can still run, walk your dog etc even in the middle of a race. So I had people cheering me on, thanks for that, offering me drinks and eventually argueing with me as to the right direction! The fact I was in the race made me run harder so when I checked my stats at the end it was the fastest I have run in over a month. So the balance of my training has shifted to running but I will continue swimming to relax my legs and cycling / turbo training for my stamina. Now to put my feet up to watch the Grand Prix!

Barriers to success

Today is the first day in a 30 run challenge that I have taken up. Run a minimum of 20 minutes a day for 30 days. The theory is that at the end of the month your running will have improved significantly. However in this part of my fitness cycle, coming back from having peaked 4 months ago, it will be hard work. This morning I was out in the wind and fine rain covering 6.2 miles around a hilly course. My heart rate is too high but I don't want to slow down as it's only a short run so you just feel awful as you climb the hills. At this point you could easily walk or just give up as nobody knows you are out there - but I do. Despite feeling sick I push on because I know every step is a step closer to my goal and every run is "miles in the bank". I know that on the Marathon des Sables I will probably overdraw that bank account but the more I have in it at the start, the less the debt if you get my drift. So my current lack of fitness is a potential barrier to success but only if I allow my mind to believe that and that is not going to happen. As I said to my daughter this morning "it's the things you work hard for that you appreciate the most".