Blown over

This was a mixed week of different types of training, taking my hamstring into account, and treatment from my sports therapist and my chiropractor.  Therefore I was back in the gym on the elliptical machine and the stair master to get a workout without loading my hammy.  Boy oh boy are those machines boring!
On Tuesday my sports therapist went to work on my hammy.  She was concerned about the tightness of the muscles and did her best" cleaning out" the hammy.  But she wasn't convinced it had worked and I was sure there was an alignment problem which is why I was seeing the chiropractor.  Turned out I was right and my sacrum was causing all the tension. Gill gave it a good "seeing to" (technical term!) and I walked out with my hammy happy.
The following day I ran 10km and had no hammy issues so back into the mountains on the weekend.
I headed off on my own for Ben More.  It has exceptionally steep elevation and a decent path almost to the top.  I'm also familiar with it although my last two visits have been in cloud base.  I checked the weather forecast and got different results so decided to go up early and take my chances.  As I left the car the rain started.  It was advertised as showers.  Well this one lasted for over an hour and the wind was so strong the rain drops felt like hailstones.  Three times before I have climbed this mountain with the goal being to go on and climb the one next to it but I've been defeated by the weather. 
When I got to 100 feet below the summit the wind was so strong I took my glasses off as I felt they might blow off.  Then a gust came through and knocked me off my feet.  I was lying on the path gripping onto the grass trying to work out what had just happened.  It was now completely clagged in and although I knew the route to the top, the path becomes less defined and you are more exposed to the elements.  I was also the first climber up the hill so I didn't know when someone else would come through.  I made my mind up to come down without summiting which was obviously a disappointment as I was meant to be out for 6 hours.  When I turned to come back down the wind was even stronger and was now pushing me down the mountain.  The big stones that make up the path were wet which on the way up was fine, but now so nice on the way down.  I wanted off this mountain quickly but had to be very careful with my footing while the wind kept pushing me down.
I had lost all feeling in the fingers in my left hand despite wearing gloves and a water proof mitten.  Fortunately I had a hat to keep my head warm with the rain smacking me in the face.  I warned the climbers behind me and some took my advice and others went on. Total time 1hr 47 mins.
When I got back to the car the sun had come out, typical.  However the trees at road level we swaying wildly with the wind so at the top of the mountain it would have been dangerous.  Sometimes you need to take these decisions even if it goes against your training plan.  To make up for the lack of climbing I went to the gym and did a long elliptical and stair master session followed by a leg session.
Today, Sunday, I was short of time with it being Father's Day and we had plans.  So I headed out early to Tinto and power walked up and ran down the hill 3 times taking 3hrs 30 mins - with a 6km weighted rucksack.  Because you repeat the hill you pass the same people a number of times and the comments they make are encouraging from; didn't you pass us before?  How many times are you doing it?  On one occasion I said 3 and the woman said you mean this week! What age are you? One young guy shouted out "are you some kind of ironman?"  These comments are all very encouraging and while repeating the climb 3 times seems impossible to some people, the fact that most of them are out and about and eventually getting to the top is a great achievement for them and I salute them all.  I also thank them for the comments because it does give you a lift.  One elderly gentleman about 70 said to me, son I'd love to have your battery.  He's doing bloody well at his age and was faster than the youngsters.  When I told him that it made him smile!
Now the hammy/sacrum is sorted it's business as usual although I've lost some vital training time.  I'll meet with my coach soon as she'll be busy adjusting the schedule.  I just need to keep injury free, get plenty of time in the mountains with my weighted rucksack, get stronger in the gym and my heat chamber work should be starting soon.  It's an exciting time ahead and all because I have a race booked in the calendar that I have unfinished business with.  Bring it on.

Things happen for a reason

I'm not a believer in coincidences.  Things happen for a reason.  I've been struggling this week with my hamstring injury which is a hang over from the Ultra X 125.  Every time I try and run on it it starts to hurt and I back off before doing anymore damage.
This weekend was meant to be two long back to back days in the mountains but with my hammy and a terrible weather forecast on Saturday, I decided to find a lower route which would be safer as I'd be solo and it wouldn't put too much strain on my hammy.
Michael Martin suggested I go east where at least it would be dry so I headed to the Pentland hills where I'd been before and with the aid of a new app, I had a 21 km route market out.  The route started with a road and after 1km my hammy was hurting and I was restricting the length of my stride, not a good start.  Then I realised I was wearing road shoes not trail shoes so depending on the terrain, I may have an issue. It turned out I had picked the wrong route on the app and it was a route that walked through the mountains, not over the mountains.  This was good for two reasons; 1 - I was in road shoes; 2 - my hammy would not have enjoyed the descent.  How fortunate was I?
The route I selected turned out to be excellent if I wanted to run so I'll definitely come back and run this route in the future.  However it gave me a good workout as I power walked it and am sure my hammy was grateful for the break.  Things happen for a reason.
I'll be spending a lot of time on the eliptical trainer and the stair master while building my upper body strength in the gym in the coming weeks while my medical team sort my hammy.  Today I did 20 mins on each and 20 mins on the weights and felt like I'd worked hard at the end.
It's always the biggest challenge in preparing for a race, staying injury free, so you can stick to your training plan.  So my coach is making adjustments to the training plan to optimise the 59 days remaining before the race.
You have to take the positive out of every set back and whilst I may not get the miles of running that was planned, I can spend more time in the gym getting my body ready for the challenge of a 7 day race carrying 10 kilo's on my back.  The mountain power walking is essential as the terrain and gradient in Romania dictates that it's almost impossible to run up the hills.

How time flies

Ultra Race Romania 2021 doesn't seem that long ago.  The disappointment of not finishing the race hurt, it still does, but it also made me more determined to come back stronger.  My progress on the physical strength front has been hampered by numerous injuries, neck, shoulder, elbow, calf & hammy but I still going.  There's 66 days till the race and I really need to get stronger.  Today was my first day running with a weighted rucksack (5 kg).  That was after a tough day in the mountains yesterday. 4.5 hours and the conditions were hot, not a cloud in the sky - beautiful.  So beautiful I took time to take pictures, broadcast a couple of FB live videos and even just lie down and listen to..............nothing.  A very different experience from the week before in the Lake District which was beautiful but not my idea of fun with queue's of people walking up the mountain.
But with 66 days to go, every training session is important as I build my strength enabling me to carry my rucksack which will weigh around 10kg.  I will also be preparing the logistics.  My equipment, my food and try desperately to get the weight down from last years 12.5kg which was too heavy.
I'm also preparing my feet which could make or break your race - top tip coming up for anyone running a multi staged ultra race.  My foot preparation is making sure I file off the hard skin that has built up as my runs get longer.  Then I apply Eucerine to my feet before I go to bed.  This cream has 10% Urea and this is the secret ingredient in my opinion to smooth, waxy skin which is less likely to crack and blister.  You should do this all the time but if you haven't started then do so straight away so your feet are in the best shape possible for the race.
I should also be starting my heat chamber training soon so the university can work out my sweat rate and therefore how I should hydrate which the professor thinks was the problem that caused my stomach to shut down last year.
There's a lot of hard work ahead  but I'm looking forward to it.  This is what pushes me beyond my comfort zone.  Yesterday was ok in the mountains but there was an 11 km run out from the mountain and I kept my focus on my pace and ignored the heat.  When I finished I ran straight into the loch fully clothed to cool down.  It was refreshing and I stayed in the water to cool my legs down.  I remember doing the same in Romania on the first two days and it felt fantastic.  Today I ran 17km with tired legs but added the 5km rucksack which was a shock to my system.  The hills took on a whole new challenge and in the 66 days remaining, I have to double the weight.  Fortunately my running partners Beth & Stu were happy with a slower pace today to accommodate me and motivated me to keep going.  I had to stop less than 2km from the finish to take a gel as I was running on empty and wouldn't have made the finish without more fuel.
When I got home I had a massive healthy lunch which is what my body craved.  That was 2 hours ago and I'm hungry again.  So I'll finish by saying what a wonderful weekend of running in the best weather this year.  My dodgy hammy was sorted by my "medical team" and taking it easy during the week.  But I'm now back on it.  In no time I'll be packing my bag for Romania but in the meantime, I'm away to raid the fridge, again!