Having been in the hurt locker, Monday & Tuesday weren’t fun as I was visited but DOMS! Walking like John Wayne my legs didn’t like me and my body wasn’t too pleased either. But coming home to champagne and good food after the race and a hot bath was the start of my recover - I had a lot of hot baths last week!
With no training planned I was out celebrating on Tuesday night and come Thursday I was able to handle a massage and the message was that my legs were on the mend. I’ve been eating “like a horse” all week and am constantly craving food. Probably because I was 148 Lbs after the race and after a momentous effort I’m up to 152! Other than a dreadful sleep after the race I’ve been like “rip van winkle” taking every opportunity to nap.
Back out celebrating on Friday with a couple of hours of disco dancing, yes that’s what I said - disco dancing! Had a ball and no lycra or Garmin in sight. But of course I knew this rest period would be short lived.
Today I had a social 5km jog around the murals of Glasgow with friends which was great fun - no Garmin or heart rate monitor! I also received my training plan as I prepare for my first race of 2019 - The Highland Fling, a 53 mile ultra. I did the race 4 years ago and my coach has already set me a very ambitious target. This is all in the build up to my “A race” the Tahoe 200 in September.
I’m back to swimming on Tuesday and for this I may need armbands it’s been that long! After writing this blog I’m away to prepare / clean out my gym as my coach is coming round to sort out my strength training on Thursday - there may be tears and tantrums! My initial running will restricted to 5km which seems ridiculous when a week ago I ran 13 times that. However although I feel good I need to give my body the best chance to recover so we are building on a fresh rather than fatigued body.
The new training plan is exciting and as I’ve said so often, you have to enjoy the journey and the race is the “icing on to of the cake” as you don’t always get to eat the “cake”. A new chapter starts and I’ll be mixing my training with a social life over the next 5 weeks which in itself is a challenge but it’s the season to be jolly....la la la la la la la la la!
Sunday, 25 November 2018
Monday, 19 November 2018
The hurt locker
The Tweed Valley 65km ultra is done. It’s over and for a “B race” it provided me with huge rewards. After the success of the GGU this summer I had nothing else to train for except Tahoe 200 but that was 15 months away. The winter was approaching and I needed something to motivate me to build on my training in preparation for Tahoe. My coach put together an amazing plan considering the short time before the race which wasn’t helped by 3 weeks off due to a cruise and then catching a cold. But she delivered me to the start line in the best possible condition although we knew it was going to be tough.
One of the lessons I have learned along the way is that the distance, is the distance. Where ever that finish line is you pace yourself accordingly and as there were two races going on at the same time (50 km and 65km) you could see everyone going through the same challenges.
I had decided to race this race rather than just complete the race. I had nothing to lose as I know I can run further than 65km (GGU was 115 km). My coach set a pace plan which was ambitious but after all, I was racing. There were 4 climbs totalling 5,000 ft. The race starts with a reasonable climb and I ran to the top without stopping to walk. Flew down the other side and knew my quads wouldn’t be thanking me for that later - I wasn’t wrong. My biggest pre-race decision was whether to wear shorts or running tights. It was cold and I’m so glad I went for tights or I don’t think I’d have finished the race if I hadn’t. It was blue sky’s everywhere, except the race course. All the climbs were surrounded in fog so the promised views didn’t materialise - nothing knew for me there!
At the bottom of my second climb my support team were there screaming like daftys ! Genevieve my coach was shouting encouragement as was Colin and Michael who was there capturing it on camera - he’s an incredible photographer.
My only disappointment was that at CP3 my 1st drop bag should have been there with my custard and flat coke but it wasn’t. I didn’t let it bother me as I had spare nutrition and the organisers had coke but it was a valuable lesson - come prepared.
As happens on these runs you end up around a group of people who are about the same pace. I ran over half the race with Laura MacDonald, who ended up second woman, and chatting away passed the time but we were going at a great pace. The third hill was a big climb and the enevitable walking took over but we were still flying down the hills. In between the hills there is a lot of flat running and sadly much of this was on tarmac which is never pleasant in trail shoes but the off-road running was spectacular - I’ll be back on those hills over the winter.
Around 45km I was starting to feel the effect of the downhill running and my lack of hill training. The tarmac was taking it’s toll. When we got to the last CP I told Laura to head on as she was obviously stronger than me and I didn’t want to hold her back.
By this time I was in a lot of pain. My quads and hammies are screaming at me and I’m just trying not to injure myself and DNF. There was 15 km to go and 10km of that was on tarmac. My coach is telling me “no walking” so I was shuffling along at 6.30 pace. Running that slow is difficult when you are out for a training run, almost impossible but not when you have the distance and the hills in your legs.
As I slowed down I started to get cold and was now on my own. My running tops were damp with sweat and the temperature was dropping. I was overtaking the walkers most of whom were doing the 50km race and were struggling. I really felt for them as it meant they’d be facing the Glentress hill through the forrest in the dark. But I kept telling myself to run until I reached the hill. Then I had to walk. My legs were in bits but there was worse to come. The downhill! I couldn’t run downhill, much as I wanted. I rationalised that my time didn’t matter. What mattered was not pulling a muscle so I tenderly walked my way down the hill. The support team were at the bottom screaming encouragement and I did my best to smile and jog the last 300 m. The sharp right turn with a steep uphill 50 m finish was a relief to my quads. Crossed the line in 7hrs 21 mins. 40th overall out of 105 runners and most importantly 4th male over 50. I’d like to have been closer to 7 hours but I’ve gained so much from the race.
Your mind set is different when your racing as aposed to training no matter how hard you try in training because you really visit the hurt locker. This occurs when you are pushing yourself over a prolonged period of time. You’re hurting and having to dig deep to put one foot in front of another. You question why you are doing this and doubt you’ll ever do it again - even though the next event is booked! When you’re racing you just get it done - you can recover over the coming weeks.
But let me finish with the point about your distance being your distance. This race pushed me to my limits based on my current fitness yet in the summer I ran an extra 50km (115km total) so it can be done. And as for my 2019 “A race”, compared to yesterday it’s an extra 11.25 miles per day for 4 days non stop with 10,000 ft of climbing, not 5,000ft, and sleep deprivation. That’s a big step up but on 29th Nov my strength training starts and this will be designed around sorting out the weaknesses that keep creeping in when the going gets tough. This will be my biggest challenge to date but with the right approach and mind set I will get there. Why do I do it people ask - apart from how great I feel and how healthy I am, I want to make a difference and supporting Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres is important to me. In the meantime I’m on day 1 of my recovery, eating for Britain, aching all over but I’ll be fine by the end of the week. I’ll be taking a couple of weeks off from the blog until I’m back training and juggling that with a social life in the run up to Christmas!
One of the lessons I have learned along the way is that the distance, is the distance. Where ever that finish line is you pace yourself accordingly and as there were two races going on at the same time (50 km and 65km) you could see everyone going through the same challenges.
I had decided to race this race rather than just complete the race. I had nothing to lose as I know I can run further than 65km (GGU was 115 km). My coach set a pace plan which was ambitious but after all, I was racing. There were 4 climbs totalling 5,000 ft. The race starts with a reasonable climb and I ran to the top without stopping to walk. Flew down the other side and knew my quads wouldn’t be thanking me for that later - I wasn’t wrong. My biggest pre-race decision was whether to wear shorts or running tights. It was cold and I’m so glad I went for tights or I don’t think I’d have finished the race if I hadn’t. It was blue sky’s everywhere, except the race course. All the climbs were surrounded in fog so the promised views didn’t materialise - nothing knew for me there!
At the bottom of my second climb my support team were there screaming like daftys ! Genevieve my coach was shouting encouragement as was Colin and Michael who was there capturing it on camera - he’s an incredible photographer.
My only disappointment was that at CP3 my 1st drop bag should have been there with my custard and flat coke but it wasn’t. I didn’t let it bother me as I had spare nutrition and the organisers had coke but it was a valuable lesson - come prepared.
As happens on these runs you end up around a group of people who are about the same pace. I ran over half the race with Laura MacDonald, who ended up second woman, and chatting away passed the time but we were going at a great pace. The third hill was a big climb and the enevitable walking took over but we were still flying down the hills. In between the hills there is a lot of flat running and sadly much of this was on tarmac which is never pleasant in trail shoes but the off-road running was spectacular - I’ll be back on those hills over the winter.
Around 45km I was starting to feel the effect of the downhill running and my lack of hill training. The tarmac was taking it’s toll. When we got to the last CP I told Laura to head on as she was obviously stronger than me and I didn’t want to hold her back.
By this time I was in a lot of pain. My quads and hammies are screaming at me and I’m just trying not to injure myself and DNF. There was 15 km to go and 10km of that was on tarmac. My coach is telling me “no walking” so I was shuffling along at 6.30 pace. Running that slow is difficult when you are out for a training run, almost impossible but not when you have the distance and the hills in your legs.
As I slowed down I started to get cold and was now on my own. My running tops were damp with sweat and the temperature was dropping. I was overtaking the walkers most of whom were doing the 50km race and were struggling. I really felt for them as it meant they’d be facing the Glentress hill through the forrest in the dark. But I kept telling myself to run until I reached the hill. Then I had to walk. My legs were in bits but there was worse to come. The downhill! I couldn’t run downhill, much as I wanted. I rationalised that my time didn’t matter. What mattered was not pulling a muscle so I tenderly walked my way down the hill. The support team were at the bottom screaming encouragement and I did my best to smile and jog the last 300 m. The sharp right turn with a steep uphill 50 m finish was a relief to my quads. Crossed the line in 7hrs 21 mins. 40th overall out of 105 runners and most importantly 4th male over 50. I’d like to have been closer to 7 hours but I’ve gained so much from the race.
Your mind set is different when your racing as aposed to training no matter how hard you try in training because you really visit the hurt locker. This occurs when you are pushing yourself over a prolonged period of time. You’re hurting and having to dig deep to put one foot in front of another. You question why you are doing this and doubt you’ll ever do it again - even though the next event is booked! When you’re racing you just get it done - you can recover over the coming weeks.
But let me finish with the point about your distance being your distance. This race pushed me to my limits based on my current fitness yet in the summer I ran an extra 50km (115km total) so it can be done. And as for my 2019 “A race”, compared to yesterday it’s an extra 11.25 miles per day for 4 days non stop with 10,000 ft of climbing, not 5,000ft, and sleep deprivation. That’s a big step up but on 29th Nov my strength training starts and this will be designed around sorting out the weaknesses that keep creeping in when the going gets tough. This will be my biggest challenge to date but with the right approach and mind set I will get there. Why do I do it people ask - apart from how great I feel and how healthy I am, I want to make a difference and supporting Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres is important to me. In the meantime I’m on day 1 of my recovery, eating for Britain, aching all over but I’ll be fine by the end of the week. I’ll be taking a couple of weeks off from the blog until I’m back training and juggling that with a social life in the run up to Christmas!
Sunday, 11 November 2018
Long shadows
This week I was two days in Belfast with no ability to run, so every remaining day was running; steady run, tempo run and a hill run. And of course this weekend was back to back runs but only 90 minutes each. I’ve met with my coach and we’ve gone over most of the route - unfortunately the O/S map didn’t cover about 10 km of the race but the race plan is in place. I’m in good condition but not as fit as I was for the GGU but that’s fine as this race was to give me a focus to train hard in the run up to winter - it certainly has.
On Saturday Stuart came out for a recovery run following his successful 33 mile ultra the week before and we got a lap of Chatelherault in before the others arrived - 43 minutes was faster than anticipated. The second lap had me “digging in” as my coach had taken position behind me just to make sure I kept my running form as the run went on. When I needed to dig in I could see her long shadow behind me formed by the winter sun. It’s given me a good image for when it get tough in the race to think she will be there, in spirit at least, encouraging me to ignore the pain and get on with it. We ended up completing the 2nd lap in 42 mins! This is a good indicator of where my running is.
Today I was hoping to avoid the rain as I went out for another 90 minute run. I know this might sound daft, but 90 minutes feels like a warm up based on the training I’ve been doing and today was a nice steady run - I did 17.5 km and 16km of it was the 2nd fastest of the year. As I ran back into town on my way home in the rain I heard the sound of bagpipes as the band warmed up for the 100 year commemoration of WW1. It made me think of the long shadows of the graves where our war heroes are buried. I salute you all. I’m reminded of the song that I walked onto the boxing ring on 10 years ago which started this crazy journey, Edwin Star and War - “...what is it good for, absolutely nothing” - says it all really.
The rest of today will be spent planning my race logistics, getting my kit together because it will be here before I know it. Next weeks tapering means running 4 days Tue - Fri but not for too long. Just keeping the body ticking over. I have a massage to look forward to on Thursday as my final “tune up”. The start line is almost in sight and when I have my toe on it, then I will have completed the first goal - it’s been hard work but great fun getting here.
One last update which I will go into more detail on a later blog, need to keep the focus on next Sunday’s race, Tahoe 200 is booked www.tahoe200.com - 305 days to go.
On Saturday Stuart came out for a recovery run following his successful 33 mile ultra the week before and we got a lap of Chatelherault in before the others arrived - 43 minutes was faster than anticipated. The second lap had me “digging in” as my coach had taken position behind me just to make sure I kept my running form as the run went on. When I needed to dig in I could see her long shadow behind me formed by the winter sun. It’s given me a good image for when it get tough in the race to think she will be there, in spirit at least, encouraging me to ignore the pain and get on with it. We ended up completing the 2nd lap in 42 mins! This is a good indicator of where my running is.
Today I was hoping to avoid the rain as I went out for another 90 minute run. I know this might sound daft, but 90 minutes feels like a warm up based on the training I’ve been doing and today was a nice steady run - I did 17.5 km and 16km of it was the 2nd fastest of the year. As I ran back into town on my way home in the rain I heard the sound of bagpipes as the band warmed up for the 100 year commemoration of WW1. It made me think of the long shadows of the graves where our war heroes are buried. I salute you all. I’m reminded of the song that I walked onto the boxing ring on 10 years ago which started this crazy journey, Edwin Star and War - “...what is it good for, absolutely nothing” - says it all really.
The rest of today will be spent planning my race logistics, getting my kit together because it will be here before I know it. Next weeks tapering means running 4 days Tue - Fri but not for too long. Just keeping the body ticking over. I have a massage to look forward to on Thursday as my final “tune up”. The start line is almost in sight and when I have my toe on it, then I will have completed the first goal - it’s been hard work but great fun getting here.
One last update which I will go into more detail on a later blog, need to keep the focus on next Sunday’s race, Tahoe 200 is booked www.tahoe200.com - 305 days to go.
Sunday, 4 November 2018
Zombie running
Last week was a great weeks training despite missing an easy slow run as work made it impossible, even with my planning. But I got a surprise on Thursday when I headed out early from my office for my hill run. My coach was running past so joined me for a few hill reps before heading off. Surprisingly it turned out to be my fastest hill rep session ever! Thanks coach.
In two weeks time I’ll be typing this post having completed my 65km Ultra. My training is at an interesting stage as it’s reaching its peak with back to back runs this weekend. Saturday the weather forecast was horrendous. 45 mph winds with rain and I had 3 hours and 10mins to run. My coach said to wear my running gear that I’d be wearing in the race so I did. Unfortunately the temperature despite the wind and rain was 13 degrees - not ideal as I overheated.
I met with Callum at David Lloyd at Hamilton and we ran the 25 mins to Chatelherault where a group of fellow athletes including my coach were going to join me for a lap. But remember, that was a lap. I had three to do and then run back to Hamilton so I was always going to be pacing myself. My coach stayed with me as the other, 1lapers, sped off. My legs felt heavy as I headed round and if I knew that, I knew my coach knew it. She stayed at my pace and we finished the first lap and met up with the rest. It wasn’t a slow lap but it wasn’t fast. But I knew I had 2 more laps to go and then head back, all on my own. And that’s where the inner voice comes in. We had a good chat but I made sure that he knew we were finishing this come what may. When I got to the car, I dried off and got into new clothes. Headed home quickly and stuffed my face with food before taking a snooze. Good recovery as I felt busted. I had run like a zombie from the 1st lap. Staring into the space in front and barely acknowledging anything around me - in the end it was a 3hr 17minute run. In my experience that’s the place I get to when I’m getting close to tapering. I’m knackered but have miles still to run so “man up” and get on with it I tell myself.
But the secret is back to back long runs so today I had a 2hr run. Despite the curry I had last night which was “sorted” before I departed, fortunately, I felt great. Heart rate was steady and I ran on feel. Two good back to back runs and tomorrow I have another 1hr 12 min Run and on Tuesday a 1hr and 1 min - this is tapering. Not a rest but less stress on my body. I love this stage because I know where it’s heading, the startline where I’ll be raring to go. But to get there you need to get through the zombie phase and that was accomplished this weekend! Good times.
In two weeks time I’ll be typing this post having completed my 65km Ultra. My training is at an interesting stage as it’s reaching its peak with back to back runs this weekend. Saturday the weather forecast was horrendous. 45 mph winds with rain and I had 3 hours and 10mins to run. My coach said to wear my running gear that I’d be wearing in the race so I did. Unfortunately the temperature despite the wind and rain was 13 degrees - not ideal as I overheated.
I met with Callum at David Lloyd at Hamilton and we ran the 25 mins to Chatelherault where a group of fellow athletes including my coach were going to join me for a lap. But remember, that was a lap. I had three to do and then run back to Hamilton so I was always going to be pacing myself. My coach stayed with me as the other, 1lapers, sped off. My legs felt heavy as I headed round and if I knew that, I knew my coach knew it. She stayed at my pace and we finished the first lap and met up with the rest. It wasn’t a slow lap but it wasn’t fast. But I knew I had 2 more laps to go and then head back, all on my own. And that’s where the inner voice comes in. We had a good chat but I made sure that he knew we were finishing this come what may. When I got to the car, I dried off and got into new clothes. Headed home quickly and stuffed my face with food before taking a snooze. Good recovery as I felt busted. I had run like a zombie from the 1st lap. Staring into the space in front and barely acknowledging anything around me - in the end it was a 3hr 17minute run. In my experience that’s the place I get to when I’m getting close to tapering. I’m knackered but have miles still to run so “man up” and get on with it I tell myself.
But the secret is back to back long runs so today I had a 2hr run. Despite the curry I had last night which was “sorted” before I departed, fortunately, I felt great. Heart rate was steady and I ran on feel. Two good back to back runs and tomorrow I have another 1hr 12 min Run and on Tuesday a 1hr and 1 min - this is tapering. Not a rest but less stress on my body. I love this stage because I know where it’s heading, the startline where I’ll be raring to go. But to get there you need to get through the zombie phase and that was accomplished this weekend! Good times.
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