Rest & recovery

This morning I noticed my throat was a bit "croaky". This has developed as the day went on but in the past when you take a rest this tends to happen. One of my fellow "Great Glen" runners has also come down with flu like symptoms so I guess the near hypothermic experience is taking it's toll. Looking at it positively taking a rest this week is essential to ensure my tired limbs and muscles don't get injured but I need to balance that against doing nothing. So I'll restrict myself to some light yoga and light spinning sessions. I will also use the time to make my preparations for the food, nutrition and equipment I will be taking which is a huge task. Let's see what tomorrow morning brings and hopefully it won't be "man flu"!

Team work gets you there

I've been reflecting over the last few days about our epic 76 (or 79 if you take the officials measurement) Great Glen run. During the two days there were points that were very tough both physically and mentally. In the end I concluded that it was the mental side that took more out of you - having that voice in your head telling you how difficult it was is a real pain in the arse and serves no purpose! But it was my team mates that came to my rescue and visa versa when you saw someone suffering. On numerous occassions one of them would slow down, start a conversation to distract you from the pain and help you back to "a good place". On no occassion did anyone say "this sub-zero temperature is killing me so I think I'll stop". We were all feeling it, all going through the turmoil but instead of moaning (which would achieve nothing other than finding yourself running on your own) we all helped each other out. Even the super fit ones would enjoy helping someone else because it distracted them from any aches and pains they had. This experience will be the making of "The Tartan Army" in the Marathon des Sables as we will need to support each other over 6 days of gruelling physical and mental challenges. At 6.15am my yoga teacher treated me wisely taking account of what I'd been through. There were some physical signs and after an hour I felt great. Then off for a sports massage but not with the normal pressure being applied - wise move again! The weekend has taken it's toll on my body but with "my team" of experts around me, they can rebuild me! It's just great to be surrounded by so many "can do" people who are all pushing their own barriers and inspiring others. Thanks team.

The morning after the weekend before

I eased myself out of bed this morning checking my aches and paines. Achilles were tight, quads felt like they had been beaten up, scabs on my back were crusty and cracking - ouch! But I was able to walk down stairs so that was a good start, but not without some discomfort. A huge plate of porridge set me up for the day as I was in calorie deficit from the weekend back to back ultras. If I sat at my desk for too long and tried to get up it was comical - for anyone watching. A massive lunch followed by a massive dinner. Tomorrow I know it will be worse so I am tackling it with a 1:1 session with my yoga teacher at 6.15am followed by a sports massage. Neither of these will be particularly pleasant but they are essential. So is it worth it? When I think about what I (and my pals) achieved at the weekend, running 76 miles in 2 day with a racksack I have a satisfied grin on my face. It's amazing how quickly you forget the pain...until the morning.

Back to back Ultras

As I sit with my feet up, icing my achilles tendons, having scrubbed the dirt of in a hot bath, treated the massive blister which I picked up at mile 12, and down my pain killers with a chilled glass of wine - I now reflect on the last 2 days doing back to back ultras. I broke the rules. In running you are not meant to increase your distance by more than 10%.. Last weekend I ran 15 miles. On Saturday I left Inverness with 9 pals (6 of them doing MdS - The Tartan Army) to run the 79 mile Great Glen. Snow lay on the ground as we ran 41 beautiful miles buy unfortunately after 12 miles I picked up a blister which I treated straight away. 1 mile later, protecting the blister, I went over on my ankle and took a heavy fall - close call as it could have finished me. We continued and passed the marathon 26.2 mile mark; I was now into new territory. The group worked well together as we tried to get the pace right. When we finished I realised I was chaffed under the arms and my rucksack had rubbed me raw on my lower back - ouch. Unfortunately my blister was now 4 times the size and by mistake I ripped it off - double ouch. I was surprised to be able to run the next day but 8 miles in the weather turned, cold rain so I has to run without glasses which wasn't easy. My blister, chaffed armpit and raw back continually remined me I was doing back to back ultras and it was good practise for MdS. We ground out the run as we were cold and wet. The route was reasonably flat compared to the 4,500 ft (I will verify this once I've downloaded my garmin) the following day but this meant more running and the cold made that difficult. We were surprised when we learned we only had 12 miles to go. 12 miles, piece of cake. That was fine till the weather turned, the wind picked up and the rain came down. My core body temperature dropped and I started to struggle. The wind was so strong you couldn't run. I lost all feeling in my fingers but we trugged on. When we got to the end we went to a pub with a real fire and that's when the shakes started. I ordered a hot chocolate and almost threw it over the barman! 2 cups later, a bowl of soup and a change of clothes and I started to recover. But when I went outside to pick up my car the shakes started again. The 79 miles, the wind, rain, sleet and sub zero temperature had taken their toll. This has been an incredible experience. I have gone beyond the rules of running, beyond whatever I imagined possible but for a reason. This has given me the experience and the confidence I require to complete MdS. I entered the "hurt locker". I went to some very dark places but always believed I come out the other side, which I did. You need to do this if you are going to push the boundaries and not only am I proud of my achievement but also that of my new found friends that I will spend 2 weeks in the desert with learning a lot about what is achievable if you really want it. Another glass of wine I think then off to bed!

Rush, rush, rush

This is meant to be an easy week but all I seem to be doing is rushing every where! 6am and on the turbo for a spin followed by yoga this morning. I am so glad I silenced the voice in the head telling me to stay in bed as I felt great afterwards. Then for a hectic day at work and I'm now about to shovel some food down before going out to my sons careers night. As soon as I get back I need to clear the car boot out to be ready to take my gear for the weekend and my pals mountain bike on the way back down the road from Fort William after we've finished The Great Glen run. I've still got to pack my rucksack tonight for the run and draw up a list of itens (food) I neet to take up with me on Friday. However I also need to pack for London and am off on the "red eye" in the morning for wall to wall meetings till 9.30pm. Then up at 5am for an early flight back to Glasgow before heading up the road to Fort William where I will leave my car and take a bus to Inverness for a 6am start on Saturday morning. I'm beginning to think the 79 mile, two day run might give me the chance of a rest!

Planning phase

Yesterday I climbed back on the turbo trainer for a sweaty workout. It really is a great way to start your day and I followed this with a yoga session. This week I am easing down on the training but keeping active at the same time so my body doesn't shut down. Today I'm resting but 5.5 hours in the car seemed like a workout. I'll be back on the turbo 1st thing in the morning as going out in -2 degrees and risking running in the dark on snow covered roads is not worth the risk. I met with 2 x MdS vet Tony to go over my food and nutrition plan for the MdS. It's invaluable getting his input and tips as if you get this aspect wrong you won't be finishing. He also advised me to wear my gallses when you leave the tent in the middle of the night for a pee as when you turn back and see 100 identical tents it could cause a problem! As I said, invaluable.

Feeling guilty

It's always the same when I take an unscheduled rest day. I feel guilty especially as the weather conditions are ideal for a run. But I know this will prevent injury and my body needs to rest this week with next weekends monumental effort. I've iced my calf muscle today and it's feeling good so that's a relief. I won't waste the time as I need to prepare my equipment and food list as I am meeting my pal on Tuesday night to go over my MdS plan. He's done it twice before so will be able to keep me right. Tomorrow I will start my yoga and core work but today I am going to out my feet up and rest. I'll just have to shove the guilty feeling to the back of my head as the mistake most people make is over training and not enough time resting. So back to the footie on the telly!

11 weeks to go

With 11 weeks to go I'm preparing for the biggest test yet next weekend with The Great Glen. 79 miles in 2 days. So 15 miles of trail running in freezing conditions has set me up nicely. After all I just have to more than double it and then repeat it the following day. My calf muscle is a bit tight so I've decided against running tomorrow. I will have minimal running next week but will concentrate on my yoga and core exercises with some spinning on the bike. Tapering is an important part of preparing for major events. I'm looking forward to a change of training next week. I'll report back later.

Turbo to the rescue

My calf didn't feel too bad when I woke this morning but listening to the howling wind and looking at the temperature made me think, today wasn't worth the risk or the pain of venturing out. My calf could do with an extra days rest. Fortunately a good sweaty turbo session brings you to life so I jumped on my bike for the first time in a few weeks. 10 minutes in and I thought I'd lost all my fitness as it seemed harder than I remebered. Then I checked the resistance guage and it had been cranked up - those meddling kids (quote from Scooby doo)! Got the setting back to normal and my wee legs were spinning to their hearts content. 45 minutes later I slid off the saddle and headed for the shower. It had certainly helped with getting my heart rate up and the temperature in the room was hot which is good practise. But tomorrow, subject to not being snowed in, I'm off for a longish run and an even longer one on Sunday. I just hope I don't freeze to death in the process. Have a good and safe weekend folks. Wrap up warm and don't be going out unless you need to!

Extreme temperatures

Global warming - it's bloody freezing out there. Fortunatley today I took an extra rest day as my calf muscle was feeling sorry for itself. I managed to get a sports massage this afternoon and now feel much better if a little sore and tired. A sports massage is a bit like a work out but the good news is my calf muscle is just strained from the high mileage last week. So as the forecast is gale force winds and snow tomorrow I think I'll switch to the turbo trainer to give my calf some more recovery time. It's still a good workout and will keep my fitness up. This means I will have two back to back long runs at the weekend assuming I don't have to strap tennis rackets onto my feet! The last piece of news is my high tech running shorts arrived (mega bucks!). However to test them I have to run with nothing under or over them. This wouldn't normally be a problem but at -3 degrees this might not have the desired result. I'll try and get access to an indoor track where the temperature will be more like the Sahara Desert!

Running man

The plan this week is to repeat 5 days running adding between 60-70 miles. So as the sun came up lighting the sky red I headed out for 17 miles. My ruck sack was slightly heavier than last week so I paced myself nice and easy. By running on my own there was no competitive pressure to speed up. By half way I felt great but I started getting a niggle in my calf. Towards the end it really was starting to hurt so I've changed my plans and I won't be running tomorrow. I'm trying to arrange a sports massage as these niggles need sorted before they develop into anything worse. I don't want to miss my big weekend 79 mile run so I need to take it easy. Listening to your body is essential, especially when putting in this kind of mileage. Here's hoping.

Yoga Nidra - mental training

At 6.15am this morning I turned up for a yoga session with a difference. No bending, no sweating and no breathing out my bum! All I had to do was lie down, be wrapped in blankets, close my eyes and not speak - me not speak! Can't be that hard can it? However you are not allowed to move as my yoga teacher talked me through the exercise. It was all internally focused around my breathing and awareness of my body. A pain started at the back of my head after a while caused by the weight of my head staying in the one spot; but I wasn't allowed to move. I had to be unconsciously conscious and make sure I didn't fall asleep, something that happens regularly apparently. At the end of the exercise she asked me to open my eyes and sit up. Easier said than done. All of a sudden I felt my physical weight of my body and seemed very heavy. What I didn't realise was I had been lying in this position for 1 hour, without moving! This workout was to get me more in touch with my inner being rather than my physical body which is what all my training is consentrating on at the moment. It will be essential when I reach the dark corners on my training or the up coming endurance events. I will then use the techniques I learned today in the Yoga Nidra. It's nice to experience something different and get a better understanding of your body - yoga is fantastic in so many different ways.

We all know the end of this movie.......

I woke this morning and thought, it's good to be alive. At the weekend I had received terrible news about a friend who'd been in an accident and in a blink of an eye, his life had changed. Between him and his wife they will have to rebuild their lives. But at least he's alive. On arriving in the office I learned that a long standing client had died - sad news. Not a good start to the week but then I thought, this is a reminder about what's important in life. I love the quotation "we all know the end of this movie and no one gets out alive. So we might as well enjoy it". I couldn't agree more. So it may be a Monday morning and I've received crap news but I'm alive, healthy and have lots to be grateful for. So while I am on this journey I am going to take time to smell the roses. I hope you do to.

Running mission accomplished

This morning started with Ali completing an 800m at the new Emirates Stadium in Glasgow. He equalled his PB of 2:12 before heading off to the toilet for his customer call down the "big White telephone" to quote Billy Connelly from the '70s. Then home for my turn at a slightly different pace. I went out with 2 pals and we completed 2 laps of Chatelherault - about 10 miles at my pace. When your running with 50 miles in your legs from the last 4 days, it's tiring which is what it is meant to be. That was the mission - running 5 days in a row with tired legs. So I am looking forward to a couple of days off running and yoga on Tuesday. I'll build it up again this week before tapering in the week before my meg running weekend!

"you're a machine"

Lovely sunny but cold morning so I headed out, Derek no mates, for 3 laps of Chatelherault trails which is 15 miles. It's got some "nice" undulations with 2 tasty climbs so it's not easy. You meet dog walkers, hand holding couples, mountain bikers and today for the fist time 2 women on horseback. When I lapped them for the third time one of them shouted "you're a machine". I'm going to take that as a compliment rather than a reference to being rusty and past it! Behaving like a machine is exactly what I am trying to do. Repeating every move as smoothly and efficiently as possible. In the longer run this mentality of being a machine will help especially when it gets tough. When I got home and got cleaned up I made myself the biggest plateful of rice, meat, beans and veg - hardly touched the sides as I had worked up an appetite and burned of 1,700 calories. This was washed down with nuts, raisins and a banana. I'm now going out with my wife for coffee and a huge piece of cake. Life is good. :-)

Red sky at night

The shift working continued which allowed me to get in 13.5 miles bringing my total over the last 3 days to 35.5 miles. I'd like to have put a couple of extra miles on but the sun was setting providing a magnificent skyline but dangerous conditions to run in. I had my music on which makes the time pass quicker but in the desert I will be "unplugged" so I can absorb the sounds and sights of the Sahara Desert. My game plan at the moment is to have two high mileage weeks and then have an easy week to let my body recover before the 79 miles in two days of the Great Glen. I'll definitely need a few days off after that before I build the regular back to back miles up. To those that say "I don't know how you can do that" I say, this is an example of how you eat an elephant, in small slices!

Increasing the mileage

This week I am stepping up the mileage. At the same time I am arranging back to back runs to deliberately not give my legs a break. So yesterday was 11 miles, today was 11 miles and tomorrow will be at least 11 but possibly 15 depending on time. At the weekend I will be adding in the hill climbing so by Sunday night I should have completed between 50 - 60 miles in 5 days. It's amazing how used to the mileage you become. Even with a 5kg rucksack it seemed relatively easy and my legs are pain free. I tested two pieces of equipment as well. My desert glasses were used with the orange lenses which enhances the light. They were fine in the dark however when car headlights approached I had to look away. So they will be fine as I am not expecting traffic in the Sahara when doing the double marathon during the night. I also tried out the recommended water bottles which have short tubes meaning you don't have to remove the bottle from the holder to drink. This is essential as in the heat of the desert you have to drink frequently so the tubes make it easier. Every thing I take with me will needs to be tested before going so The Great Glen will be the first real test.

Shift working

As my mileage increases during the week I am managing this through shift working. Let me explain. My favourite time to train is 5.30 / 6am in the morning but it's too dangerous to go running, even with a head torch as I live out in the countryside with no street lights. I've had a few nasty falls with potholes and can't afford to take the risk now. The evening is the same so I have come up with a plan. I take work home which I complete in the evening or very early morning. Then I go out for a run as it is starting to get light around 8.15am. Today I managed 11 miles in daylight and loved watching the sun rise above the fog that was in the fields and on the hills. I then made my first meeting at 11am and the work done earlier was being dealt with by my team back at the office. I actually think this makes me more effective and allows me to increase my mileage during the week. Weekends are for the long runs and I manage them in daylight. So I'm now working split shifts to achieve my objective. As my Granny used to say, "where there's a will there's a way". How true.

...and breathe

I've been very tired and sore for the last few days. So much so I went to bed very early last night not sure if I'd make my yoga in the morning. 5.45am and the alarm went off, I was surprised how awake I felt. However half way through my intense yoga workout my teacher could tell I was struggling. So she adapted the session and I spent the rest of it focusing on my breathing. Wow - I walked out the door like a "new man"! Incredible the benefit I felt from that session and she has recommended we do more of it next week as I need it. The theory is I am concentrating all my efforts and energy on the physical being and not enough on my internal being. Don't worry I'm not going all "hippy" on you but the results were proof enough for me. I'm taking the rest of the day off training but will be back on the road tomorrow building up the miles before the weekend push. Why not take 10 minutes out of your day and concentrate on your breath - enjoy.

Boxing memories

I feel like I've just gone 3 rounds of boxing. Tired and sore. If you've followed my journey over the last 4 years you may remember it started in a boxing ring raising money in a white collar boxing event. 3 x 1.5 minutes was extremely tough despite having trained 10 hours a week for 3 months. I remember the feeling a couple of days later of the punches I hadn't felt at the time - well I felt them that day. On Friday I had my sports massage and Grant gave my back a good going over. He said I might feel it for the next couple of days and he's usually right. Add to that to runs both involving 1,000ft of climbing and a rucksack and my back brings back memories of 4 years ago! So today was a rest day except for the fact I was working. Tomorrow is a 5.45am start for my 1:1 yoga session. I know I'll feel amazing afterwards but she'll need to work miracles to get this body bending! So tonight a nice pasta meal is in order and whilst I'd like to enjoy a couple glasses of red to help with the digestion, it's not an option. Well, perhaps one for been a good boy!

Hills, hills and more hills

Yesterdays feedback from my Garmin showed I had climed over 1,000 ft in 11 miles so today I went 16 miles with another 1,00ft climb. The hills are important in preparation for MdS. All the feedback I have had is that you can't climb enough hills before you go to the desert. Obviously it's not the same, running on tarmac and in 10 degrees but in the UK there aren't any other options. My main focus is on running 2 back to back ultra marathons in 3 weeks time but staying injury free in the meantime. The following month I will be in Morocco for 4 days training which will give me some heat exposure but come April it will be a lot warmer. So more hills on the horizon but a couple of days off running to let my legs recover.

Soaring with the eagles

Today I was soaring with eagles. Let me explain. Brian Tracey is a motivational speaker who coined the phrase "would you rather scratch with the turkeys or soar with the eagles". I'm sure you get the point and today I was out with three elite ultra runners for an 11 mile trail run. Not a huge distance however when the first 2.2 miles is straight up hill it takes your breath away. Literally. Two of the runners increased their speed on the inclines and the third one kept going despite suffering from a cold. I hung on. These guys set very high standards which always pushes me on. They impart their knowledge and are always encouraging. They discuss "mental" challenges that they are taking on which makes me think the MdS is almost normal! Soaring with eagles certainly lifts my horizon. You should try it some time. Now off for a big lunch with my wife so we can catch up on normal life plus replacing the lost calories, and a few more! Big run tomorrow.

Avoiding injury

When I started getting into endurance events 4 years ago I was advised that the first objective was to get to the start line, fit and injury free. Throughout ironman training I went for a sports massage every month and more regular as the training built up and this got me to the start line. However the MdS training is different. The one aspect that will get you injured is running and I am piling on the miles. So I need to be careful. Tonight I went for an overdue sports massage which involved my legs and back. I hadn't run for three days and deliberately had a spin / turbo session followed by yoga this morning to ease my legs but aaaaahhhhhh did it hurt! My glutes felt like a red hot poker was being stuck into me. Afterwards I felt great and I immediately booked in for the same again every 2 weeks until I head off to the Sahara Desert. I realised I had neglected an important part of my training regime and as the mileage increases, it becomes even more important. So if my 51 year old legs are going to manage The Great Glen (79 miles) in 3 weeks time, I'd better stay injury free!

13 weeks and counting

Yesterday there was a window of good weather for a few hours so although it was going to be a rest day, I pulled on my running kit and went out for 13 miles. It was brilliant to run in the dry for a change but the temperature was certainly cooler and I was glad I'd wrapped up. I met loads of people on their "hangover walk" following the festivities and I am sure like lots of people they will have made a New Year resolution. I've not made one but I have a number of goals in place for the next 13 weeks. Every week I have targets set which will get me closer to being ready for MdS. It's going to be busy and tough. In 3 weeks time I am taking on the biggest run of my life and then repeating it the following day. Mentally I am prepared for it and if I get the pace right then I should be physically ready however there is a lot of planning to do before then. Exciting stuff and I hope you will follow my journey.