It's been a strange week for my heart rate variance. I started of with a score of 69 and green which was one of my highest scores ever however with a very busy and long week at work the score dropped to 44 and red meaning I didn't train. I've gone against the score before and ended up out of action for a week so I rested even although I was due to be training. It paid off this morning I went for a 10 mile trail run and felt good.
I reminded myself that I'm in for the long game. I have 6 months to go before my 70.3 Ironman and the priority is building up my base fitness. I'm not a full time athlete and there will be times when work or just life affects my ability to train. The heart rate variance keeps me in check and I will persevere with it for the next few months although it can be very frustrating.
It's my mind, the inner chimp, I have to keep in order. I can't stop thinking about when I was training for MdS and did 4 laps (20 miles) with an 8kg rucksack on my back and then repeated it the following day. Now I'm restricting myself to 2 laps with no weighted rucksack. But I'm 6 months out from my event so I need to give myself a break, even if it frustrates me.
Even a professional athlete has peaks and troughs in their training and I need to come to terms with rebuilding my base fitness and not to compare myself to others who are working towards different goals. I'm so lucky to be able to run around Chatelherault with my pals and am looking forward to building the mileage!
Sunday, 30 November 2014
Sunday, 23 November 2014
Lazy(ish) week
It's been a lazy week for a number of reasons. My main training was restricted to the Tuesday morning yoga, Tuesday night swim, Golf on Friday (5 mile walk,) Saturday morning 10 mile trail run and yoga on Sunday. This was due to being in London for 2 days and this weekend seeing my son flying off to Vancouver for 6 months - the adventure of a lifetime! Life isn't all about training although as events approach it does seem to take over.
Having done little running over the last few weeks, the 10 mile trail run on Saturday was an effort. But I went out with a fellow ATHelite Gav and his two dogs Rosie and Duke and they set the pace. Their energy meant the first lap was faster than was comfortable so at the end of it I was considering packing it in. But as we were having a quick drink two other runners came along and started chatting about various ultra races. This short break and the enthusiasm of the runners changed my mind so I headed off for a second lap. I think Rosie & Duke got the message and were happy to double back to make sure I was ok. So the second lap was slower but it's time on my feet that counts.
Last night I had the weirdest dream about the WHW race and turning up unprepared. The panic as I realised I didn't have my food organised or my blister kit! Can you believe it? I'm not in the race yet ( will know 2nd week in December) and I am already dreaming about it. This will become a regular occurrence if I get in.
Today I was meant to be off to run part of the WHW but instead I was off to the airport for an emotional farewell. As I am typing the flight is boarding at Heathrow. It was a nice cold, sunny day but my legs were suggesting a yoga session would be more beneficial. If I was nearer an event I'd have done both but at the moment there is no need for that intensity of training - that will start in January.
So I took my time and had a wonderful yoga session. I worked on my breathing and took my time in the stretches. I sweated buckets and by the end felt refreshed and relaxed. Mission accomplished. Next week I'll pick up the training. As we head towards the festive season the training schedule will need to be flexible. The 70.3 Ironman in May will get me focused followed by the WHW in June (hopefully).
Having done little running over the last few weeks, the 10 mile trail run on Saturday was an effort. But I went out with a fellow ATHelite Gav and his two dogs Rosie and Duke and they set the pace. Their energy meant the first lap was faster than was comfortable so at the end of it I was considering packing it in. But as we were having a quick drink two other runners came along and started chatting about various ultra races. This short break and the enthusiasm of the runners changed my mind so I headed off for a second lap. I think Rosie & Duke got the message and were happy to double back to make sure I was ok. So the second lap was slower but it's time on my feet that counts.
Last night I had the weirdest dream about the WHW race and turning up unprepared. The panic as I realised I didn't have my food organised or my blister kit! Can you believe it? I'm not in the race yet ( will know 2nd week in December) and I am already dreaming about it. This will become a regular occurrence if I get in.
Today I was meant to be off to run part of the WHW but instead I was off to the airport for an emotional farewell. As I am typing the flight is boarding at Heathrow. It was a nice cold, sunny day but my legs were suggesting a yoga session would be more beneficial. If I was nearer an event I'd have done both but at the moment there is no need for that intensity of training - that will start in January.
So I took my time and had a wonderful yoga session. I worked on my breathing and took my time in the stretches. I sweated buckets and by the end felt refreshed and relaxed. Mission accomplished. Next week I'll pick up the training. As we head towards the festive season the training schedule will need to be flexible. The 70.3 Ironman in May will get me focused followed by the WHW in June (hopefully).
Sunday, 16 November 2014
Listening to my body
It's been an interesting week. Following last weeks struggle with my Tuesday swimming training I enjoyed this weeks much more. That's probably because we did longer sets rather than short faster sets as we had done the week before. It allowed me to get into a rhythm and although I slowed down towards the end I came away feeling that I had achieved my goal for the night. But I had noticed my left calf was extremely tight so I booked a sports massage as the yoga hadn't managed to loosen it off.
You can get rollers that help stretch off your muscles but you can never go deep enough yourself so you have to pay someone else to inflict the pain. I almost needed a rubber stick to bite down on but was reassured that it would ease off within a few days which it did.
My right foot has been giving me problems and my fantastic chiropractor Gill Dingwall wanted to check the structure of my foot. So on Friday she set about it. More extreme pain but I got some answers and was told it would settle down. But the following morning walking was painful so I decided to listen to my body and take a rest day. Gutted as I really was wanting to go out running with my pals.
Saturday night involved a heavy session (carb loading!) with friends and a very late night. I had budgeted for that which is why I was disappointed I couldn't run that day. But my master plan was to leave my car and return the following day by bike. This gave me a good reason to get back on my bike which is long overdue and essential now that I've entered a 70.3 Ironman in May at Loch Lomond. I'm really excited about that as it's been a long time since I've entered an event with my ATHelite Triathlon Club mates -11 of us have entered so it will be fun!
Today's bike ride was just an hour but it was foggy so I was lit up so the car drivers could avoid me and most of them did. My glasses kept misting up so I ended up taking them off and squinting my eyes to avoid the pothole. I was good to be back on the bike.
The good news is the rest did my foot some good as today it's much better. I really do listen to my body and considering the training miles I will be putting in over the winter, I need to be make sure I don't aggravate any injuries. Next week I'll be checking out part of the West Highland Way - can't wait!
You can get rollers that help stretch off your muscles but you can never go deep enough yourself so you have to pay someone else to inflict the pain. I almost needed a rubber stick to bite down on but was reassured that it would ease off within a few days which it did.
My right foot has been giving me problems and my fantastic chiropractor Gill Dingwall wanted to check the structure of my foot. So on Friday she set about it. More extreme pain but I got some answers and was told it would settle down. But the following morning walking was painful so I decided to listen to my body and take a rest day. Gutted as I really was wanting to go out running with my pals.
Saturday night involved a heavy session (carb loading!) with friends and a very late night. I had budgeted for that which is why I was disappointed I couldn't run that day. But my master plan was to leave my car and return the following day by bike. This gave me a good reason to get back on my bike which is long overdue and essential now that I've entered a 70.3 Ironman in May at Loch Lomond. I'm really excited about that as it's been a long time since I've entered an event with my ATHelite Triathlon Club mates -11 of us have entered so it will be fun!
Today's bike ride was just an hour but it was foggy so I was lit up so the car drivers could avoid me and most of them did. My glasses kept misting up so I ended up taking them off and squinting my eyes to avoid the pothole. I was good to be back on the bike.
The good news is the rest did my foot some good as today it's much better. I really do listen to my body and considering the training miles I will be putting in over the winter, I need to be make sure I don't aggravate any injuries. Next week I'll be checking out part of the West Highland Way - can't wait!
Sunday, 9 November 2014
Setting your "high bar"
When I was a kid we'd play football in a field, kicking the ball up and down but eventually it got boring as we had no aim. Then we'd put down a couple of jerseys and all of a sudden the game got interesting. We had something to aim for and we knew when the ball went between the jerseys we'd scored a goal. Bit of a coincidence, not, that goals are what we aim for and training is what gets us there.
This week I have been persevering with my night splint which I am wearing for an hour a day. It's unpleasant but I know it will help me achieve my goals by going through this discomfort. On Tuesdays swim session I got out 2/3rds of the way through the main set as I felt tired and my stroke was getting worse with every length. However on Friday I slowed down and concentrated on technique and felt a lot better. A good reminder that winter training allows you to build your strength and improve your technique.
For over a month I have been getting low HRV scores and my fitness, or lack of it, has been backing them up. But this week my HRV scores improved and my 10 mile trail run on Saturday felt good. Today it was a bit slower but I would have been tired from the day before as I also fitted in a 30 minute session on a Watt Bike riding beside the legend Mark Beaumont who was cycling for 24 hours raining money for charity. The watt bike analyses the smoothness of your pedalling action and it turns out mine isn't! That gives me the opportunity of working on that over the winter. But speaking to Mark was inspiring and talk about setting the bar high, he's off any scale you care to mention. Such a nice guy. I asked him what was the hardest part of cycling round the world. He replied a 3,300 mile stretch in Australia where for 32 days he cycled into a head wind!
We can all stretch our goals, push the barrier, get out of our comfort zone but first you need to put the jerseys down to measure your progress. The winter is the time to put in the hard work and I am slowly beginning to feel the benefit of mine although I need to make a massive improvement if I am to reach my goals in 2015. Thank you Mark Beaumont for reminding me just how far we can all go.
This week I have been persevering with my night splint which I am wearing for an hour a day. It's unpleasant but I know it will help me achieve my goals by going through this discomfort. On Tuesdays swim session I got out 2/3rds of the way through the main set as I felt tired and my stroke was getting worse with every length. However on Friday I slowed down and concentrated on technique and felt a lot better. A good reminder that winter training allows you to build your strength and improve your technique.
For over a month I have been getting low HRV scores and my fitness, or lack of it, has been backing them up. But this week my HRV scores improved and my 10 mile trail run on Saturday felt good. Today it was a bit slower but I would have been tired from the day before as I also fitted in a 30 minute session on a Watt Bike riding beside the legend Mark Beaumont who was cycling for 24 hours raining money for charity. The watt bike analyses the smoothness of your pedalling action and it turns out mine isn't! That gives me the opportunity of working on that over the winter. But speaking to Mark was inspiring and talk about setting the bar high, he's off any scale you care to mention. Such a nice guy. I asked him what was the hardest part of cycling round the world. He replied a 3,300 mile stretch in Australia where for 32 days he cycled into a head wind!
We can all stretch our goals, push the barrier, get out of our comfort zone but first you need to put the jerseys down to measure your progress. The winter is the time to put in the hard work and I am slowly beginning to feel the benefit of mine although I need to make a massive improvement if I am to reach my goals in 2015. Thank you Mark Beaumont for reminding me just how far we can all go.
Sunday, 2 November 2014
Amazing friends & family
I've said before that I keep bad company. Friends who know no limits. To them me running the Marathon des Sables was normal. All the big (in my terms) achievements I have made in the last three years they have exceeded. Don't get me wrong, they think what I have done is fantastic and have encouraged me all the way. I train with them and have the utmost respect for their speed, endurance, determination and "can do attitude". So when Rosie Bell decided to run 100 miles to raise money for the meningitis and was looking for some company I volunteered to do an early session.
So I got up at 4am and at 5am ran an 8 mile "leg" with her. We chatted away and her speed was just amazing considering the difficulty of the course - I've cycled it (Strathaven 50 race) and it's tough - running it twice is unthinkable.
She managed the run in under 19 hours raising thousands for her chosen charity. The weather conditions at the end were horrendous but she battled on. That is the kind of friends I have the privilege of training with and perhaps that gives you an insight into the "mindset and expectations" of my friends and this influences my goals.
So this morning I went out for my ten mile training on the trails. I ran with three of my friends who are all fit athletes with tough goals set for 2015. They are working away quietly on there winter training plan knowing that every session is a step closer to what they want to achieve.
Afterwards I quickly headed out to see my son Ali to finish his first 10k. The Strathaven 10k is a great race and Ali came home 26th out of 355, and 1st Junior! He came in on 37:59 - a brilliant time and one I hope he builds on. But he trains hard and it's good to see him get the results he deserves. I hope he keeps the same "bad company" as me and that it rubs off on him!
When I got home I strapped on my "boot" which is designed to help my foot problem. The next two weeks will tell me if it's worked and then we can move on to sort the problem on the top of my foot! So more yoga and back to swimming to improve my fitness during the week.
Tonight I will be submitting my entry for the West Highland Way and I should know if I've been successful within 5 weeks. Fingers crossed. Let me leave you with this thought; to quote Brian Tracey - "would you rather scratch with turkeys or soar with eagles?" Keeping bad company with amazing people is good for you!
So I got up at 4am and at 5am ran an 8 mile "leg" with her. We chatted away and her speed was just amazing considering the difficulty of the course - I've cycled it (Strathaven 50 race) and it's tough - running it twice is unthinkable.
She managed the run in under 19 hours raising thousands for her chosen charity. The weather conditions at the end were horrendous but she battled on. That is the kind of friends I have the privilege of training with and perhaps that gives you an insight into the "mindset and expectations" of my friends and this influences my goals.
So this morning I went out for my ten mile training on the trails. I ran with three of my friends who are all fit athletes with tough goals set for 2015. They are working away quietly on there winter training plan knowing that every session is a step closer to what they want to achieve.
Afterwards I quickly headed out to see my son Ali to finish his first 10k. The Strathaven 10k is a great race and Ali came home 26th out of 355, and 1st Junior! He came in on 37:59 - a brilliant time and one I hope he builds on. But he trains hard and it's good to see him get the results he deserves. I hope he keeps the same "bad company" as me and that it rubs off on him!
When I got home I strapped on my "boot" which is designed to help my foot problem. The next two weeks will tell me if it's worked and then we can move on to sort the problem on the top of my foot! So more yoga and back to swimming to improve my fitness during the week.
Tonight I will be submitting my entry for the West Highland Way and I should know if I've been successful within 5 weeks. Fingers crossed. Let me leave you with this thought; to quote Brian Tracey - "would you rather scratch with turkeys or soar with eagles?" Keeping bad company with amazing people is good for you!
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