Against all odds

Life and work goes on outside of training but so much of my thinking is about what my training schedule looks like for the next week.  It's usually my last thought at night and 1st thought in the morning.  This weeks challenge, other than a lot of early runs before work, was that I was attending the Scotland v England rugby on Saturday.  That meant I'd need another early morning run before travelling through to Edinburgh and on Sunday I may be a "bit delicate".  But we worked around those challenges.
A good weeks training was had with the stats starting to show that training on heart rate zones is paying off.  I'm hitting all my targets and starting to feel good which is a good place to be.  While running on Saturday I was treated to the sound of a wood pecker drilling away as I was running past. That's definitely one of the benefits of running with no music - you tune in to your surroundings and your body.
But the highlight of the week has to be the rugby result.  Scotland hadn't won against England in 10 years.  England are the number 2 team in the world and heavier than Scotland.  Everything pointed to an England win but against all odds, Scotland pulled off a miraculous result.  What I took from that was if you believe in yourself, no matter what others are saying, you can achieve unbelievable results.    I was discussing this with rugby legend Scott Hastings after the match and he was in agreement that if you have a "purpose" you can achieve amazing results.  As you know Maggie's Cancer Centres are my purpose and it keeps me going.
At this stage in my training, running 90 mins is OK but in 131 days Ill be running/walking/crawling 71 miles in under 22 hours.  The maths is simple, just do 3.22 mph for 22 hours and mission accomplished - what's the big deal?  Having completed a 20 hour run/walk/crawl in the Grand Canyon I know what it's like.  You need to get your pace right, hydration spot on and fuel properly throughout the day or you will fail.  So I'm going to continue on this structured training plan and block out any thoughts that will get in the way of the result I want.  I'll take a leaf out of Scotland's book and give it my full commitment.
This morning I headed out early, I wasn't too delicate, and walked up Tinto twice and ran down twice.  I didn't fancy the 2nd attempt but thought about the commitment the Scotland players had shown yesterday against all odds yet they came away with the silverware.  I made sure I completed my session and felt good afterwards for remaining committed.  It's the only way to achieve tough targets but having them written down and being continually held accountable means there's no room for complacency.  I may have achieved things in the past, but they are just that - history.  I need to be ready to deliver again so the journey continues.

Happy bunny

It's been a good week's training and I'm very happy with the results which shows the structured training plan is working.  At the moment I'm training using heart rate zones which can be frustrating but it's very effective.  On Monday I had to try a Zone 1 run.  It was described to me as an embarrassingly slow pace, not one you'd want anyone to see you running/shuffling!  Within 200m of the start I was fast heading through Zone 2 never mind zone 1.  The freezing temperature may have played it's part but I decided to walk to get my heart rate down but it just continued to climb.  After 8 minutes I was in zone 3 and bloody cold so I turned round and ran back to warm up - heart rate stayed the same!
The rest of my running sessions went better and all heart rate and pace targets were met so I'm feeling good physically and mentally.  These targets make the training much easier.  Knowing that I'm working towards a target on each training session.  Each session has a purpose, no junk miles.  I've also been working on my posture while running which isn't easy - trying to sort out 56 years of bad posture while running tired is a challenge.
On Tuesday I stepped back into the pool.  My shoulder was a bit "grindy" and I felt every stroke.  I took it easy as I didn't want to aggravate it.  I didn't have any more discomfort for the rest of the week and have been doing shoulder stretches.  Perhaps it was my shoulder telling me it had been a while since I'd been in the pool and it wasn't used to that movement.  So we'll see what happens when I go back this week.  It's funny to think that in the summer of 2016 I achieved my PB in an Ironman race of 69 minutes for 3.8k and now I'm struggling with 0.8k! Based on my goals swimming is a way of helping ease the strain on my legs while working the heart and lungs hard.
You need to enjoy the good weeks because they aren't all good.  Then again I'd rather have a bad weeks training than be injured and not able to do anything.  I hope your training is going well as you the season is now upon us.  Happy bunny signing off.

Accountability leads to results

On Tuesday my structured training plan started off with a threshold fitness session to establish a baseline.  It was tough as I'm not used to picking up the pace every five minutes but because I knew my results would be evaluated, I got on with it.  I also measured my resting heart rate first thing every morning for a week.  Now the numbers are plugged in I will be training in the right heart rate zones for each session.
Two other sessions had me running above my normal pace but I knew what targets had to be hit, and I hit them.  I wonder what sessions I would have selected if I'd nobody looking over my shoulder?  I can assure you they would have been easier.
On Saturday I was going to run first thing for an hour.  I had stayed overnight in Aberdeen and the weather was "filthy".  I check the weather forecast back home and decided to postpone the session till I got home.  After a 3 and a half hour drive all I wanted to do was have a cup of tea and a snooze but I forced myself out the door for my fastest run in a long time, and faster than my target.  The weather forecast had lied so it was a wet run but it had to be done.
Today's run was a slow one concentrating on my heart rate.  With the freezing cold and hills it was all  over the place and as I was finishing the snow started but I got in before it got too bad.  What I love about running in the countryside, other than the scenery, is the lack of cars and therefore exhaust fumes.  My mid-day week runs in Uddingston are flatter runs but I really feel the difference in my breathing.  But as soon as the lighter mornings arrive, most of my running will be in the clean fresh air in the countryside.
Tomorrow I have a extremely slow recovery run in HR zone 1 which is going to be difficult and embarrassing.  It will be at best a shuffle to keep my heart rate down so I'll try and do it somewhere quiet where nobody will see me.  And on Tuesday I'm back in the pool!  It's great to have a well thought out plan.  All I've got to do is follow it!  Have a great week folks whatever you're training for.

Mind games

Another week disappears and the "A race" is now 152 days away when I will be running 71 miles in under 22 hours.  At the moment I'm running 10 miles in 90 minutes so that seems to be a significant increase.  I'm not breaking the mileage down into "marathons" because that starts the mind games.  Whether or not you want to play them there are always times when your mind starts conversations between your ears which are usually of a negative nature, creating doubt.  It's easy to say but this always creates doubt which turns into worry which can be very disruptive.  I've said before, I find January a tough month with the weather and the darkness - I'm an early morning trainer.  So I've got through January and did the minimal amount of training to just "tick over".   But last week I made a decision which gave a huge boost to my motivation and started mind games of a positive nature.  I agreed to start a structured training plan with my coach Genevieve so from Tuesday next week, there will be no hiding, no excuses, just focused training and I know that every sessions will be designed with my progression to this years A race.
As soon as I saw my training plan go up on Training Peaks my attitude changed from "ticking over" to "I can't wait to get started and be held accountable to this plan".  Even this week I was at a conference which meant long days and a few extra liquid carbs, I did a few treadmill runs to make sure I turn up next week in reasonable shape.
On Saturday I was shattered after a hard week so listened to my body and didn't train - I slept for 90 minutes in the afternoon.  As a result my 2 laps at Chatelherault today were faster than normal and I felt great whereas a month ago I was dying running less distance around the same trail.
Mind games can work against you if you let them.  But if you are total focused on your goal and have a plan as to how you are going to get there, it can make a massive, positive difference.  I'm so excited about working with my coach again and being measured and held accountable - bring it on.