Winter is the time to prepare yourself for the season
ahead. I set my goals following my epic
adventure in Tahoe so I new what I was in for.
My coach Genevieve designed a plan that would push me, but not to the
extent it would injure me although one or two of my injuries like to
revisit. I certainly need to strengthen
my back for carrying my food during the week long race in Romania and with it
being 22 weeks away, there is still work to be done.
My immediate focus is on the Keilder Ultra which is 26 days
away. For various reasons I haven’t managed as many long runs as I’d have
liked, the main one being this horrendous weather. The wettest February since records began – I
feel like I’ve got webbed feet and throw in the gale force winds, nice time to
be building a house and trying to put a roof on! But the miles (or KMs) still need to be done.
It’s been an eventful week starting with my calf and planter
getting taped on Monday – a weekly occurrence to make sure I can run and walk –
back tomorrow for an hour of joy (only kidding!). But this then means I can’t swim as I want
the tape to remain on for as long as possible.
Hill efforts on Wednesday were tough but Friday really was a shit storm
– literally! 16 mins into a 1 hour tempo
run and an emergency stop in the bushes at 6am was required. Sad to say there was sufficient evidence on
my running tights etc but I still had 44 mins to go, so I finished the
session. The stats were good but I still
had a gym and swim session to do. For
public safety reasons I didn’t enter the building and drove to my office where
I could get a shower and clean up – followed by wiping down any surface I’d
touched – I think you get my drift. Crap
start to the day.
Saturday was a 2 hr 46 min run at Chatelherault and I
decided to go early so I would have company for the second lap. Fortunately I had company on the 1st
part as Johnny and Mark were looking for a slower pace. I’m glad they were there because I fell,
again, and cut my knee, hip and elbow.
They made sure I finished the lap.
The rest of my pals were there ready to go but I wasn’t going to be
keeping up with them so headed out on a solo lap to finish. Bored, tired, cold, hurting and wishing I was
wrapped up in bed are not good thoughts to have going through your head. I also had a head cold so was sniffling away
feeling sorry for myself and time was going by very slowly. Then I thought to myself, these are the
perfect conditions to be training in because this is what it can be like in a
race. I’ve said it before but you’ve got
to be comfortable being uncomfortable, so this was a bonus.
Today was the long run and the weather looked sub-optimal
around Strathaven. I’d said to my
“partner in crime” Michael if he was up for taking a 55 min train journey and
then running back. The logic was that
the weather was better and the route flatter and more even for my foot so as we
both needed the miles, we headed out.
Choosing clothes is always tricky and when we first started running
there was a strong cold wind blowing and I was regretting not wearing my
running tights – everyone that knows me knows how “bright” they are and I get
complaints all the time but they are brilliant – X-bionic. But I did have my mitts and that took the edge
off the cold. Turns out my running attire
was perfect for the day and I was so glad I had chosen my waterproof top which
kept the wind out – I struggle in the cold.
We ran 36 km which is the longest I have run since last
year. We made sure the pace was OK, not
too fast as it was more about time on our feet.
We hydrated and took on fuel regularly and even stopped for a coke near
the end which was a life saver – that stuff is rocket fuel. But during the run my mind was saying, how
come in September last year you were able to go for 20 hours between aid
stations and you’re finding it hard to do 3.5 hours? I knew this session was a key one in the training
plan because you are “training tired”, trying to simulate what it’s like in a
long race. The only way to do this is
back to back long runs. These are the
hard miles (KMs) and there are no short cuts so accept the discomfort and get
on with it. It may not look pretty, the
speed may not be fast but if I set difficult challenges then I need to put in
the work. Without Michael I certainly
would have found it much tougher and probably got lost along the way so thank
you for sticking with that pace.
This week has provided so real mental and physical
challenges and I am sure in your week it’s been no different whether it be
training for an event, work or even just life.
But you have to take charge of the conversation in your head otherwise
it can bring you down. If you’re pushing
the boundaries, then expect them to push back.
Don’t be surprised if that takes an extra effort to get past them and in
the end, it will be worth it – that’s my experience anyway. Have a great week.
