Active recovery

After an endurance event there are effects.  By covering almost 40 miles running at the weekend my legs would normally be sore but having stepped up to this mileage from almost no running in the last 6 weeks, something was going to protest big style!  It was my quads and calf muscles which meant I had to walk down stairs side ways and ease myself out of chairs.  Like a Thunderbird puppet!
It was similar after Ironman last year so I knew what to expect and more importantly what to do.  So tonight after work and domestic taxi duties, I went on my turbo trainer and did 30 minutes of high cadence spinning.  This helps "flush" out the lactic acid that has built up and should speed up the recovery.
Tomorrow will be difficult as I am spending 8 hours in the car so I will probably need to stretch when I get home.  A swim in Wednesday morning and I should be as good as new.  I am still technically "resting" before I start my Ironman programme on 1 October but need to tick over until then.

Trossachs training camp

As predicted - it hurt!  On Friday we did a wee warm up run in the rain - 6 miles including cross country up mountain tracks.  On Saturday morning, in the rain, we ran 9 miles and in the afternoon, in the rain, we did "efforts" over 6.5 miles.  I was feeling stiff and sore but doing all the right things to make sure I'd be able to walk by Sunday when we did our main run.  It was scheduled for 16 miles (yes 16!) but a wrong turn meant it was 17.88 miles!  The scenery was unbelievable and it stayed dry although our feet did get wet as again a lot of it was cross country going up and down hills on mountain tracks or paths.  I finished strong on the last run and was delighted with my performance as I had only run 3 times in the last month, as the focus was on the bike, and the runs were short distances.
I am now walking like a Thunderbird puppet and it will take me a few days to manage walking downstairs without going side ways.  However it just goes to show what the body can do if you can control the "negative voice" in your head - some may say the voice of reason (why are you running when it hurts it kept saying?).
Tomorrow I'll spin my legs on the turbo trainer for 30 minutes to help get rid of the lactic acid.  In the meantime a couple of glasses of wine are in order after my 3 pints of water to make sure I remained hydrated!

Busy day

Yesterday was an 18 hour day.  I had organised a client lunch at the Riverside Museum and had a guest speaker fly up from London.  We were also doing some filming for our website so the pressure was on to make sure everything went on schedule - which it did.  Afterwards Fiona & I went out for dinner with some of our clients but it was a very relaxed evening with good food, fine wine and good company.  It's nice to show off Glasgow and all it has to offer and today they are travelling to Loch Lomond so lets hope it keeps dry!
My punishment for over loading on the liquid carbs will come later today when I have my first run in a three day running camp in the Trossachs. The forecast doesn't look too clever and staying in a hostel in dorms could be interesting - more noisy and smelly than interesting actually.  I'll report back on Sunday but, other than the dehydration I'm feeling, think this is going to hurt!

The 5 P's

Poor preparation precipitates poor performance.  After work I was going out for an hours run but when I got home various domestic arrangements (kids) meant the run had to be reduced to 30 minutes.  Flustered at all the last minute rejigging I didn't notice that my computer/watch that gives me all the measurements I need, had a flat battery.  So 200 yards into the run the screen was blank and as I was short of time I ran without any info.
It's like flying blind.  I have no idea whether or not it was a good run as I have nothing to measure.  This might not seem important but it was for me as on Friday I go off to a run training camp for 3 days and I wanted a benchmark to know how I was doing before I started.  My previous run had been the first in a week and was slow.  So I won't be making that mistake again as I now realise my new computer which has GPS needs juice on a regular basis.
So many things in life are better if we have feedback and this can only come from having milestones.  In business we call them targets which some people are put off by but if you break them down they do offer you a good measure of how you are performing.  So I'm off to bed slightly later than normal and have an extremely busy day tomorrow.  But before I go I'll charge my computer so no more silly errors.

Back to the pool

The word "should" is an interesting one.  When I typed it last night on my blog saying I "should" do a turbo session I knew than meant I probably wouldn't be doing it - and I was right!  I couldn't be bothered as I am in a rest phase.  However it's not mean to be complete rest as if it was then I'd be slow to get started in October when my Ironman training starts.
I also said I "may" go for a swim and as I was consumed with guilt over staying I "should" do a turbo session and didn't, I made sure the "may" swim became a reality.  So early to bed and up at 5.30 for porage and coffee to kick start the engine.  It's been at least 6 weeks since I have done that and it's now very dark at that time in the morning.
I wasn't surprised to find my swim fitness had gone completely.  So I worked on technical drills and would be lucky if I managed 1,200 metres.  It was extremely tough even though I was taking it easy.  This is an area where I want to improve my technique to ensure I get out of the water after 3.8km in the sea (152 lengths of an ordinary 25 metre pool) feeling fresh and ready for  180 km on the bike followed by a marathon.  So I will sneak in a few more sessions on my own before swimming with the club otherwise I will "die" trying to survive!

Calm before the storm

That statement refers to my training.  I was going to run yesterday but the weather was terrible.  Now wish I had because going out today isn't possible due to the gale force winds - I almost got blow away tethering my daughters trampoline to stop it going cross country!
I should go on my turbo later as tomorrow looks like it will be blown out.  On Friday I am away to a 3 day running camp which will probably be very tough - especially if I haven't trained!  First though I'm off to make dinner for the family and once that's settled down get on the turbo and work up a sweat.
Tomorrow I may venture into the pool and learn to swim again as it's been a while.  This "down time" will be ending at the end of the month.

Hurricane coming

The weather today is best described as "filthy". I was filming this morning so was going to go out running this afternoon but in this weather I wouldn't be doing myself any favours. As I drove back from filming I was listening to the radio which of course was replaying 9/11 ten years ago. Some of the stories were heartbreaking and it brought back the memories of that tragic day 10 years ago. It also made me reflect on life and what's important. My blog is based around achieving stretching goals, motivating others and raising money for charity. But certain events remind you how precious life is and how wars solves nothing. In the words of the late Edwin Star; "war, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing, say it again"! How true.
Tomorrow I'll get out for a run but the tail end of the hurricane may change my plans. On Friday I am away to a three day running camp and that should be fun / tough! No matter what, life must go on.