Ice station zebra!

There has been a distinct change in temperature this week.  From wet and windy to traffic reports that the snow gates were closed in the highlands.  Winter has definitely arrived and that means changing what I wear and how I recover from a run.
It’s always difficult to know how many layers to wear as you do become hot when running.  But depending on where you are running, whether you will be sheltered from the wind or not will determine the number of layers and the types of layers.
Following my hard week of running I had Monday off so went for a massage.  Ouch, ouch, ouch.  My quads were in bits and while they were left to last, eventually I was told they weren’t for relaxing!  Better luck this week when I won’t be going after 3 tough days of running.  My Tuesday run I thought would be a recovery run but I should have known better - a tempo run where after 15 minutes you increase the pace every 10 minute until you’ve completed an hour.  To my surprise, I shouldn’t really be surprise as my coach knows what she is doing, my legs felt a lot better after that run.  Then the weather got all wintery!
On Saturday I had 2hrs 40 minutes to complete and did an extended Chatelherault run.  2 friends joined me on the run to Chatelherault and three more joined in at Chatelherault.  Everyone stayed for 1 lap and the banter was good - you need to be thick skinned around this lot! With everyone at different stages in their training it was down to 2 of us for the last lap.  It’s great having company as it makes the time pass quicker.  However it left me with 50 minutes to complete on my own.  I was a lonely 50 minutes but I was determined to make sure the quality of the run continued.  I mentioned at the beginning about the recovery after the run.  Here’s how not to do it.
You’re tired, cold and your sweat makes you uncomfortable.  You get a call to “swing by Sainsbury’s” and pick up shopping on the way home.  Hobbling round Sainsbury’s as you’ve stiffened up wishing I’d got a trolley instead of a basket which was heavy and bulging.  I get back to the house and now I’m shivering - it’s been almost an hour since my run and I need food, a shower and dry clothes.  Lesson learned.
Today I ran up and down Tinto Hill twice.  It was bitterly cold with snow on the ground.  The wind was light but as you get higher the cold really starts to get to you.  No hanging around at the summit other than a quick FB live broadcast to show I have a view - a very rare occasion for me as was the case the week before.  As soon as we were finished it was into the cafe next to the hill and some cafine and hot soup.  What a difference that makes.  The period immediately after a training session is critical especially in “ice station zebra” conditions.  As soon as I got home, without shopping, it was into the shower and then food - lots of food and some rest.  I felt a lot better.
I’m at my lightest weight as expected with this amount of training which will peak next weekend.  Then my tapering will start and hopefully I’ll put on a couple of pounds to give me something to burn off on 18 Nov!

The voice in my head

Four weeks today, I will have completed the Tweed Valley Ultra and be starting my recovery with lots of food.  It has been great having a late season event as I think it unlikely I’d be training this hard if it wasn’t in the calendar.
This week has been a big week for hills as I prepare my body for the 40 mile/65 km race which has 5,164 feet of climbing.  My coach is making sure I’ll be ready and not only increasing the mileage but also the ascent.
With the weather forecast allegedly better on Saturday than Sunday, I switched my planned runs.  I’m not sure if following a 90 minute run on Friday, a 4 hr 20min run on Saturday would be better as I still had 2hr 20 mins to run on Sunday or the other way round - but it had to be done.
I was either going to climb up Ben Lomond twice or Tinto 4 times.  The voice in my head was debating which would be better - certainly Ben Lomond would be more interesting.  But the weather forecast made the decision.  Tinto would be gray, dry and 15 mph winds  so that made the decision easy as I didn’t feel like getting wet on Ben Lomond.  I arrived at the car park at 8.30am to find myself in cloud base!  And it was raining with a high wind meaning up the climb was into wind. Knowing that I was repeating this four times I paced myself. I run the first 5-7 minutes then power walk up the rest and run down.  The voice in my head was telling me how boring this was however it’s a bit tricky underfoot so you have to concentrate or you could be getting carried off the hill.  The way down was fun but with the wind blowing so strong I had to use the brakes more than normal.  I was pleased with the effort put in having climbed 6,197 feet in a lot less distance than the Tweed Valley. Unfortunately I was wet and never saw a view from the summit - happens to me all the time!
Today the voice in my head was saying “this is going to hurt” but I had a conversation with it to say, behave.  In 4 weeks time I’ll be going through a much tougher test so MTFU!  Half an through my run I realised I had a blister on my big toe but I didn’t stop and sort it.  I just pressed on.  Looking at my stats afterwards it showed that I favoured my right foot and this was a reminder that if I get a blister I should stop and treat it immediately.  Again I had to convince the voice in my head that this was bareable and that I should concentrate on my run.  Three consecutive days of tough runs with plenty of hills means it was a fantastic week for me and takes me closer to my goal.  I think we all have a voice in our head and the trick is either blocking it out or convincing the voice that you are perfectly capable of what you are trying to achieve so “jog on”!
The compression tights are on and I’m away for a slap up late lunch with the family.  I may even partake in a few libations as a treat.  Next week is meant to be an easier training week but it will still be intense. Every session counts.

Six degrees of separation

For 10 years I have been on a journey.  A journey of discovering just what is possible when I operate out of my comfort zone with a focused plan.  Starting with a 10km and moving onto ultra marathons and multi-staged races I couldn’t possibly of have imagined at the beginning.  But other than the satisfaction of raising money for Maggies Cancer Caring Centres (which was as much a benefit for me as it is for them) and the feeling of getting as fit as I’ve ever been in my life, I have met some unbelievable people along the way who are now great friends.  People from all around the world, from all backgrounds who have something in common.  They love life.
With my race just under 5 weeks away and every training session vitally important as I’m 3 weeks behind, due to illness and holidays, I was away this weekend (not good for training) visiting a friend that I’d met on MdS in 2013.  The chances of me meeting one of the UK’s leading chefs was highly unlikely, six degrees of separation, but I had the great pleasure of sharing a tent with him even although he couldn’t do anything with my boil in the bag food!  Why am I talking about this?  Simple.  It’s to do with having a why, having laser focus and  exceptionally high professional standards.  Steve Drake opened a new restaurant 1 year ago and last week was voted the top restaurant in England and also a Mitchelin Star!  We ate at his restaurant and it was world class - Sorrell in Dorking is amazing but good luck in trying to get a table.
But aside from the fine food and wine, I needed to train.  The Surrey Hills were calling and on Saturday I was running through a vine yard on a very steep hill in beautiful sunshine.  This was perfect and it got some miles in.  Sunday was a day off after a stunning meal and too much wine but these opportunities don’t come up too often.
This morning I headed off with Steve to what was supposed to be amazing views from the Surrey Hills however the curse I have with “hills with a view” followed me to Surrey - the mist meant no view - I thought I was back at Ben Lomond!  Steve and I ran through the most beautiful countryside with some nasty hills but although there was no view, it was great.
So although people question my sanity from time to time for all this running, the adventure I am on means I get to meet wonderful people from interesting backgrounds that I’d gladly spent days with them running through deserts or glens.  It’s amazing who you meet when you pull on a pair of running shoes.  Go enjoy your own adventure.

Lung busting

Balancing training with work isn’t easy at the moment and two days in Birmingham this week didn’t help but once again we worked my training schedule around it.  The running sessions are all different.  A negative split session, a tempo run and a hill run.  Friday was 90 minutes, Saturday was 2 hours and Sunday 1 hour 35 minutes.  That’s a good block of training especially the hill climb on Saturday. Tinto hill is the biggest hills in easy reach of my house.  So being time short it’s ideal.  Up and down two times is 974 metres and I manage to run up the first kilometre both times but it’s a lung buster - my heart rate reached 173!  I was flying on the downhill sections - total run 14km.  I know I’m getting fitter because there are no signs of DOMS today and no signs of fatigue when completing another hard 16.5km at Chatelherault.  It was good to have company on both runs as it helps with a little competitive edge where we push ourselves.
Today a few pals are competing in Ironman Barcelona.  They have both trained really hard and were expecting good results.  Unfortunately one of them didn’t complete the swim and DNF’d.  It happens occasionally and reminds us of the importance of “enjoying the journey”.  When you train 6 days a week you’ve got to enjoy it as DNF’s happen.  The race should be the icing on the cake because so many things can go wrong.  A kick in the face in the swim, a mechanical on the bike or an ankle twist on the run.  But at least he wasn’t hurt and will live to fight another day.  In the meantime Wilson Kane is flying on the bike as I type this blog and I’m hoping he’s in for a PB - he’s sure worked for it.
As I was struggling with another lung busting run today I remembered a phrase I’d picked up along the way: “life begins outside the comfort zone”.  The only way for me to achieve the goals I’ve set is to train outside the comfort zone - this is where the improvement happens.  So another week over, another week closer to the race and the results are starting to show.  I’m loving the journey.