A phrase made famous by Nike and one that carries so much emotion. There are times when you don't feel like training or you're in the middle of a session and some negative thoughts enter your head. On Monday I was due to meet my coach for an early morning run. My longest run to date, 18 km. I was starting at my office and my car was sliding around on the roads due to the extreme cold conditions so I knew it would be slippy underfoot - I wasn't wrong. I headed off like Bamby on Ice and on a steep hill heading towards my meeting point I was almost sliding all the way down. I met Genevieve and she'd had a terrible time coming down a similar hill and as we headed round Strathclyde Park we slipped all over the place. We could have quit for safety reasons but we kept going and I'm glad we did. It was our "just do it" attitude and we would have regretted it if we'd given up.
My sports therapist worked on my foot later that day and taped my leg - what a difference that made for the rest of the week. I'm back seeing her tomorrow and hope that will keep my foot quiet for a while and my VMO has also been behaving itself.
On Friday I had a tripple session and the challenge was how to fit this into the day. The answer was to get up at 5am and do my core session, drive to the swimming but head out for a run before the swim. By 8.30 I was having my breakfast and at my desk by 9am - just do it!
Saturday was a tough run at Chatelherault. We upped the distance to 12 km and I was hanging off the back the whole way round. I had to work hard the whole way round and not let the fact I was at the back get to me. It's my training session set to meet my requirements for my race - nothing else. What everyone else is doing is not relevant to my plan. When I finished I checked my pace and it was under 6 min per KM which for Chatelherault is good so I was pleased. I jumped in the car, got home and had some food before driving up to Aberdeen with my wife to see my daughter and some friends.
When I got home at 3 pm on Sunday I had a core session to do plus a 45 min turbo session and I could really have done without it. I had some food (fuel) and did the core sessions. Then had a power nap before making dinner (more fuel) and very unusually for me I did my turbo session at 8pm. I'd much rather have sat and recovered from the weekend - just do it. I surprised myself with a great training session and now, after I've finished my blog, I'll relax before heading to bed. I've another early start as I have an 18 km run with a Fartlek section as I work on "fast legs". My bags are packed and I've already programmed my mind for the morning to "just do it". Sometimes your best sessions are the ones you were least looking forward to. Have a great week.
Sunday, 19 January 2020
Sunday, 12 January 2020
Managing injuries
As I'm typing today's blog the rain is hammering down outside and a runner has just past my window. His head is down, the wind and rain are driving into him and he's just approaching the big hill - he's hard core. Yesterday the wind was blowing 50 mph and the rain was tipping down but despite being up to my knees in water at Chatelherault, I was having fun because I was running with my team mates at ATHelite. We were soaked and filthy with the mud but had a great laugh as we went round. Whilst I like the solitude you get from running on your own, running in a crowd or with a pal definitely pushes you harder and makes the kilometers pass quicker.
There were a few new members in the group and as happens the chat turns to what races you have lined up for the year and it's a diverse set of athletes so the range of races is huge. As we were running up hill I didn't take part in the conversation as I was trying to save my breath. I had to chuckle at one conversation which went on behind me when someone replied "I'm just doing an ultra". The person who'd asked the question said with some incredulity, "just an ultra"!! It made me laugh because if the questioner hangs around with us long enough, he'll be signing up for an ultra. It's just what happens when you keep bad company!
It's less than 12 weeks before my first race of the year which is a 50 km trail ultra. But my longest run since coming back has been 15 km so there's a lot of work to be done and while I'm increasing the distance of my runs, I have to be careful to avoid injury or manage and the injuries I have.
This week I ran 15 km and it was a great run. I averaged 5:04 per km which was the fastest sustained pace I have ran since coming back. Perhaps last week's "speed session" had reminded my legs, and brain, that they can move faster. In addition this week's speed session had me averaging 4:30 per km for the drills which shows improvement. But I have a couple of niggles to take into account.
I referred to a knee niggle in last weeks blog so on Monday I went to Pamela, my sports therapist, who spent a full hour working on my VMO - the teardrop muscle above my knee, had me in tears that's for sure! It doesn't hurt when I run, but walking up stairs it sometimes grumbles. Having a niggle like this needs to be managed so on Thursday I had a sports massage from Rhondda and she was surprised how tight my VMO was. The good news was my back was in good condition and this is partly due to having had a couple of weeks off work. Maybe one day when I retire from "driving a desk", but not retire from work, I'll find training much easier which certainly was the case during the festive break.
Today I'll test my VMO with a 45 turbo session followed by a core session. At least they are indoor sessions so I'll get my music on loud and have a sweat fest!
One last injury to report on is my foot which has caused me issues over the years. It's grumbling again but not enough to stop me running. I only mention this to give hope to athletes of all standards, shapes and sizes who get injured. A large percentage of us are carrying a niggle but get it seen to, don't ignore it, follow the advice given and keep on going. You may have to adapt your training for a while but keep your "engine" ticking over. Have a great week and keep focusing on your goals realising that every training session is a step closer to achieving them.
There were a few new members in the group and as happens the chat turns to what races you have lined up for the year and it's a diverse set of athletes so the range of races is huge. As we were running up hill I didn't take part in the conversation as I was trying to save my breath. I had to chuckle at one conversation which went on behind me when someone replied "I'm just doing an ultra". The person who'd asked the question said with some incredulity, "just an ultra"!! It made me laugh because if the questioner hangs around with us long enough, he'll be signing up for an ultra. It's just what happens when you keep bad company!
It's less than 12 weeks before my first race of the year which is a 50 km trail ultra. But my longest run since coming back has been 15 km so there's a lot of work to be done and while I'm increasing the distance of my runs, I have to be careful to avoid injury or manage and the injuries I have.
This week I ran 15 km and it was a great run. I averaged 5:04 per km which was the fastest sustained pace I have ran since coming back. Perhaps last week's "speed session" had reminded my legs, and brain, that they can move faster. In addition this week's speed session had me averaging 4:30 per km for the drills which shows improvement. But I have a couple of niggles to take into account.
I referred to a knee niggle in last weeks blog so on Monday I went to Pamela, my sports therapist, who spent a full hour working on my VMO - the teardrop muscle above my knee, had me in tears that's for sure! It doesn't hurt when I run, but walking up stairs it sometimes grumbles. Having a niggle like this needs to be managed so on Thursday I had a sports massage from Rhondda and she was surprised how tight my VMO was. The good news was my back was in good condition and this is partly due to having had a couple of weeks off work. Maybe one day when I retire from "driving a desk", but not retire from work, I'll find training much easier which certainly was the case during the festive break.
Today I'll test my VMO with a 45 turbo session followed by a core session. At least they are indoor sessions so I'll get my music on loud and have a sweat fest!
One last injury to report on is my foot which has caused me issues over the years. It's grumbling again but not enough to stop me running. I only mention this to give hope to athletes of all standards, shapes and sizes who get injured. A large percentage of us are carrying a niggle but get it seen to, don't ignore it, follow the advice given and keep on going. You may have to adapt your training for a while but keep your "engine" ticking over. Have a great week and keep focusing on your goals realising that every training session is a step closer to achieving them.
Sunday, 5 January 2020
It's going to hurt!
I've now been back training almost 6 weeks and the careful planning of each session has meant I've been getting stronger and fitter with every session. My cold has been with me for 3 weeks and it's restricted to an annoying cough and that's held me back but it hasn't ruled me out of any sessions. It seems everyone I'm training with is trying to shake this cough off.
My training is 6 days a week with a number of double sessions which is our standard approach for getting back to a reasonable level of fitness. On Friday I swam with my coach and her husband and increased my distance from 1,300m to 1,900m. This isn't a big distance but when you've been away from the pool for almost 6 months, it's hard coming back. My swimming is only there for cross training benefits which is the same as my turbo training. They do benefit me but as my running pick up in distance and time it will be harder to fit them in as I'll need to get back to the gym. So far I've been working on my core but squats etc aren't far away now that my operation is 12 weeks ago. I need to be stronger, especially my back, as I'll be carrying my weeks food and equipment in Romania.
But as I discovered on Saturday, the increase in running required to be ready for the 50 km Keilder Ultra in 12 weeks time is going to hurt! The ATHelite group met at Chatelherault and started faster than normal. I knew within a few km that hanging onto this pace was going to hurt and I wasn't wrong. I was struggling towards the end and dropped back from the pack. When I reviewed my time later I discovered that this was the fastest pace round Chatelherault since my return.
My coach said everyone was hurting in that session and a lot of it is to do with where we all are in the training cycle. But there's much more of this discomfort to go through as I'll be upping my distance and pace over the coming weeks. I also need to get my mind used to my body feeling like this as it's the only way to get better - no pain no gain comes to mind!
This morning I had a set back on the turbo. I'd noticed a niggle when walking up stairs in my knee - it's happened before. I feel like I can't put my full weight on it or it gives way. My core training session had gone well but 5 mins into my turbo session and I gave up. I felt like I was pedaling with one leg and the power out put certainly wasn't good. Fortunately I am seeing my sports therapist tomorrow and and sure she will sort it out. It may be I need to check my set up on my bike - we'll see.
My training is really going to need to step up with the races coming up and I just found out that my A race in Romania has ascent of 12,000 m (they kept that quiet!). So I'll be back on the mountains as soon as the weather allows me. Can't wait - bring it on.
My training is 6 days a week with a number of double sessions which is our standard approach for getting back to a reasonable level of fitness. On Friday I swam with my coach and her husband and increased my distance from 1,300m to 1,900m. This isn't a big distance but when you've been away from the pool for almost 6 months, it's hard coming back. My swimming is only there for cross training benefits which is the same as my turbo training. They do benefit me but as my running pick up in distance and time it will be harder to fit them in as I'll need to get back to the gym. So far I've been working on my core but squats etc aren't far away now that my operation is 12 weeks ago. I need to be stronger, especially my back, as I'll be carrying my weeks food and equipment in Romania.
But as I discovered on Saturday, the increase in running required to be ready for the 50 km Keilder Ultra in 12 weeks time is going to hurt! The ATHelite group met at Chatelherault and started faster than normal. I knew within a few km that hanging onto this pace was going to hurt and I wasn't wrong. I was struggling towards the end and dropped back from the pack. When I reviewed my time later I discovered that this was the fastest pace round Chatelherault since my return.
My coach said everyone was hurting in that session and a lot of it is to do with where we all are in the training cycle. But there's much more of this discomfort to go through as I'll be upping my distance and pace over the coming weeks. I also need to get my mind used to my body feeling like this as it's the only way to get better - no pain no gain comes to mind!
This morning I had a set back on the turbo. I'd noticed a niggle when walking up stairs in my knee - it's happened before. I feel like I can't put my full weight on it or it gives way. My core training session had gone well but 5 mins into my turbo session and I gave up. I felt like I was pedaling with one leg and the power out put certainly wasn't good. Fortunately I am seeing my sports therapist tomorrow and and sure she will sort it out. It may be I need to check my set up on my bike - we'll see.
My training is really going to need to step up with the races coming up and I just found out that my A race in Romania has ascent of 12,000 m (they kept that quiet!). So I'll be back on the mountains as soon as the weather allows me. Can't wait - bring it on.
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