Party like it's 1999

If the last week was to be summed up in one word it would be "speed".  Now don't get ahead of yourselves mixing that with the blog title, it's a different type of speed.
The first type is the speed of fast runs while tapering for my 80 km trail race on 12 June.  The big long slow miles are done, or at least as many done in the circumstances as possible.  Now it's shorter faster runs with a few speedy runs.  It's so good to get my speed per km down below 5km per min but this will bare no relevance on race day.  But it is keeping me fit and giving my legs, lungs, heart and mind some variety.  It's been a good weeks training and my HR is exactly where I want it.
However I've been partying since Friday and today, Monday, will involve some more celebrations.  My daughter finished university on Friday and it was her birthday on Thursday so she came home and it's been party time ever since.  I look at the way those youngsters "go for it" and the next day they are back on it again - true ultra athletes, of a different sort.  And during all of this I still had to train in the heat.
I'm glad to say I was able to pace myself after years of experience but never attained the levels the young ones today seem to reach!
Other than my training the time between now and the race will be preparation.  Checking out the course online, choosing the right shoes as it's a mixture of trail, tarmac and sand, and arranging my food and a drop bag.  Getting a massage to make sure the muscles are ready - went to the chiropractor on Tuesday following my couple of falls.  She sorted me out as always but said that "there was a lot going on" - code for wrecked!
I'm going to watch the videos of the course so I have some idea of what to expect.  Starting to get excited and look forward to "cashing in all those credits built up in the winter months of training in the snow and ice".  After the race I might get my party gear on again but the 1999 dance moves don't go down so well with the young ones!  Back then we certainly didn't call it "dad dancing"!  Enjoy the warmer weather and remember your sun cream....christ I sound like a dad!

Drama, drama, drama!

We'll come onto the drama in a minute but this has been a big week for my training with my 80km ultra race looking likely to go ahead in 20 days time.  The build up hasn't been ideal with effectively two weeks off due recently to injuries.  Last weekend I was "bust" on a 42km mountain adventure and that knocked onto this weeks training with me having 2 days off to recover.  I was reminded by my coach Genevieve that sticking to my plan and not exceeding the targets was important - take that as a the nearest I've had to a reprimand over the 10 years we've worked together, but she does know what she's doing.  Nobody knows my limits better than she does so I was back with the plan by Monday.
In the 5 days I ran this week I covered 104kms.  A few smaller runs to get the fatigue out of my system early on followed by 20km Friday, 38km Saturday and 24 km today.  These back to back runs, running on tired legs are crucial.  What was important was the pace and I worked hard at running slowly which will be required to complete 80km in a day.
The drama came on Saturday.  My pal Gav is  running a 70 mile race the week after me so I knew he'd be doing big slow miles so we met up to run a relatively flat 38 km trail along the Clyde Valley.  Gav hadn't been so far along the valley and I was excited to show him the route through the trees.  "Watch out for the dodgy board walks which are covered in mesh" I said.  10 minutes later we crossed a boardwalk where a piece of mesh was raised and caught the aggressive lugs on my shoe - BANG head first down!  I was seeing stars as Gav helped me up and I could feel the blood coming from the wound above my eye and my knee was cut, bruised and bleeding.  It's ridiculous as the previous weekend I was in the Scottish mountains on two technically difficult Munros and came off unscathed but put me on a level trail and I end up cut and bruised. At this point were 16km into a 38km run but this wasn't going to stop me completing the task.  Even if I'd turned back it would still have been 32km but not the target of 38km.  So we pressed on.  Gav got the pace right so while we hardly spoke for the last 10km, we got it done.  It's funny when out on long runs that there comes a point that the chat stops and you retreat inside your own head telling yourself it will be over soon.
I got home and came to the conclusion stiches weren't required but food certainly was.  Fed and cleaned up I started the recovery as I knew I had another important run today - but first some wine to go with a lovely dinner.  Early night and slept like a log.
Today my chaperone was Stuart.  We could get lost in a car park and managed to do it in a route I knew at least 95% of.  Again Stu set a steady pace and in two of the big hills we walked them because we're experience to know how tough the closing kms would be on a 20km run after a heavy weeks training.  I'm glad we did.  We took a diversion from the normal route to add some kms on so we wouldn't be running round the park at the end.  When heading back we took a couple of wrong turns and had to find a new way back to the main trail. The "new route" was amazing and because we had climbed too high, we got the reward of a long downhill through a bluebell forest - it was stunning.
Again the last few Kms required us to dig in deep and I was pleased when it was over.  I was so hungry on the way home I had to stop for a Burger King just to keep me going.
My coach has reported that's epic distances over as we taper for the Moray Coastal Ultra Trail.  I'm waiting to hear from the organisers as last week they were in level 3 and if that remained we wouldn't have been able to travel to Moray.  That's been changed to level 2 so I'm awaiting an email telling me it's now on so fingers crossed.  While it would be disappointing if the race was cancelled, having that focus has got me into great shape for URR which is my "A race" in August.  A lot of hard work to be done between now and then with many epic runs and adventures ahead.  Hopefully they can be carried out without the drama but my pals will be looking out for me!

With a little help from my friends

Sorry I missed my blog last week but I was on holiday.  A well earned staycation touring the highlands of Scotland.  It was well timed because the week before I injured my ribs and couldn't run.  It didn't help that I also fell down the stairs on holiday and injured my lower back as well so it's fair to say any form of training was out of the question as I hobbled around.
On Tuesday I came back with a fast 8km walk.  Wednesday an 8km fast walk with a 2 km run at the end.  Thursday was a gentle 9km run and a pacier 10km run on Friday.   This was all preparation for the Mountains on Saturday and what a day that was.
A 4.30am start, my wingman Michael and I headed off to complete "two Munro's that nobody seems to link together" he said - that should have been the warning!  I was expecting a 30km distance in total but the map apps don't take account the zig zagging when going up vertical climbs so that proved a bit of an under estimation.  
The first munro was Ben Vorlich at Loch Lomond.  OMG that was really tough.  After a 3km run on a track we climbed a smaller hill traversed across the top and then followed a forest track for quite some distance before descending to the bottom of Ben Vorlich.  Thereafter it was straight up - there was 1 km that took 28 minutes!  It advertises a "track" but it's like no track I've ever gone up.  Very difficult under foot, it's like a step machine in a gym except you are walking on loose and sharp stones.  It just keeps on going on and on and just over half way up we found ourselves at cloud base so now view to reward us for a very tough climb.  As I was getting my breath back at the top I realised that we were going back the same way we came up.  Well if the ascent was tough, the descent was horrendous as we slipped and slid down the loose rocks.  I don't know how anyone could ascend and descent this mountain without poles.  They saved me on numerous occasions.  On reaching the bottom we climbed another smaller hill, traversed across the top and down to a forest track.  At one stage Michael said, "there should be a bridge here" - well there used to be a bridge and the best we could do was walk across a metal support which had a reasonable drop should we miss our step - more adventure than I wanted!
The final munro was Ben Bhunidhe.  I was now struggling as I hadn't brought enough food as I was expecting a 5 hour trip not 8.5 hours.  I ran out of water due to a failure of one of my bottles but we were able to get some from a fast flowing mountain stream - it was nectar!  The climb was relentless and again difficult under foot.  Michael powered ahead in "beast mode" and I managed to put one foot in front of the other.  Michael would wait for me at either scrambling spots or when the route had a choice of direction and put his time to good use taking amazing photographs.  A five minute rest at the top and I really could have done with some food other than the gel and protein bar I ate.  The descent for the first third was really technical and difficult.  Then you are on a land rover track with rocks and there were some steep sections that were difficult to run.  To complete the agony less than a kilometer from my car we ran past a brewery which was open and people were sitting outside having a pint!  We didn't have time to stop as the planned 30km adventure turned into 42.4km.  I was bust but this is exactly the type of training I need to complete the goals I have set.  Did I enjoy it, no but any day with a pal on the hills has got to be good and without him I'd have called it a day after the first munro.
I got home and ate my body weight in food.  My quads knew they had had a workout and I had a 14 km recover run planned for Sunday.  I'd know idea how I'd feel in the morning.
Sunday morning I got up, ate a huge breakfast and was picked up by Stuart.  We headed off for a flat trail run at a slow pace.  Again I wouldn't have completed it without him dragging me along.  My Garmin gives a "training effort" score and yesterdays was 4.2/5 but today was 4.8!  Obviously the fatigue from yesterday impacted but back to back efforts like this is the best way to get ready for long ultras or a multi-day staged event like those I have lined up.  This will prove to have been a key weekend in my preparation for my races.
The good news is my quads feel fine which is the benefit of running down hill on a regular basis.  The first couple of efforts really hurt then your legs get used to it.  I can build from here.
Tomorrow is a well earned day off training and once my ribs and back are 100% I can go back to my core training.  My gym has been built in the back garden so I have no excuse not to train.
I entitled this blog "with a little help from my friends" and this weekend Michael and Stuart both got me through a tough time, challenged my limits and didn't let me give up.  You can't always have a training partner and some times need to train on your own but this weekend I really appreciated the support as I return from a couple of weeks of due to injury.  Thanks guys.

Saturday legs session

 What a week.  I'll keep it short as it's more like a medical report.  Having been going so well up to last week, things changed:
- Monday went swimming for the first time in 18 months.  Bashed ribs on the edge of the pool - no more running for a while
- No control over legs after the shredding the previous week and fell down the stairs while tenderely walking down them. Cut and bruised wrist!
-Sports massage on Tuesday - agony but it certainly helped flush out my quads.
- Sports therapist visit on Wednesday and she gave my shoulder and calf a good seeing to! Ouchy.
- Power walked Thursday & Friday, felt like it was cheating.
But then came Saturday.  I weighed up the risk of heading to the mountains as I couldn't run and any jarring was going to hurt my ribs.  But I've missed them so much that I headed off with Michael at 5am.  We summited 3 mountains, although I'm claiming 4 as to get off the hill we had to go UP!!! We covered 30km with 1,933m of climbing.  One arse clenching moment of scrambling where I found myself sliding down a wet rock towards a sharp drop but Michael was able to grab me in time - it certainlty didn't help my ribs, shoulder or pants!  We experienced glorious sun and snow showers, again amazing pictures.  What a day out.  Parts of the climb were almost vertical and it felt like a never ending step machine in the gym.  A great leg workout and as of Sunday morning, my legs aren't protesting which is exactly what I was hoping for.  My ribs are another matter - they need a rest.
So active rest is what I am going to do this week.  More power walking and hopefully my ribs will recover to allow me to get back to running.  But I need to take this time out or else the injury will be prolonged.  Take care out there and appreciate when you are fit with no injuries!