The plan begins

I may be out of action in that I am recovering from man flu, did I mention that before, but tonight I sat down with a two time MDS veteran and discussed my training plan detail. I was delighted to hear that what I've been doing to date has me on track. He has informed me of the mileage I will need to be running in Dec, Jan, Feb & March and the hard work is about to begin. We went over the core work in addition to my yoga as I need to have the strength to carry and run with 20 kilos on my back. I was given a great insight to the nutrition required and tips on hygene which are essential seen as there are no washing facilities or water, over and above your 9 litres a day. Now I've been armed with this info I will build my training plan. In two weeks time I am going to a workshop on MDS and then I will decide on my equipment as it will need to be tried and tested before I step into the "sandpit". Thanks Tony for imparting your knowledge.

Supporting role

One week into my "man flu" and still not well enough to train. So today i decided to support my team mates who were running in a local 10k race. I picked the half way point because that is where a tough climb comes in and there is nobody out there supporting in the wilderness. I always liked getting support from the croud and remember the boost you get by a call out from a friend. It was inspiring watching runners of all standards, shapes and diverse running styles giving their best. No matter what time the athletes took, as they crossed the 5k mark they all looked at their watches. They needed to know how they were doing in relatation to the target they had set themselves. There was a pace maker for anyone wanting to get in in 58 minutes and there were a large group of runners in that group. By the time they reached the finishline they had spread out but I think their real target was to get under 1 hour - many did. Afterwards I talked to the athletes about their training, their journey, the race and how they felt. There was a great deal of pride in their accomplishment whether they managed it in sub 35 mins or sub 1hr. The target is relative. I felt inspired watching and listening to the athletes and am looking forward to getting my running shoes back on but I will need to be careful as to when and how I come back.

160 days and counting

When I applied to enter the MDS in May 2011, it seemed a long way away. There are now only 160 days to go and I have spent the last 5 recovering from "man flu" - I'm not happy about that. But worry about what you can control and not what you can't has always been my motto. So I've taken the opportunity to rest although I don't feel very rested. Over the weekend I hope, depending on my ability to breath, to start my yoga again. I'll take it easy just gently getting my body used to some exercise and my lungs used to filling with oxeygen. I'd like to think I could run but it's probably too big a risk. At best i might manage to spin my legs on the turbo trainer. It's only when you are forced not to exercise that you realise the benefit of it. Other than the "man flu" I feel sluggish, still and lathargic. Roll on next week when hopefully I will return to my old self and back in my lycra pounding the streets and the trail around Scotland. Have a good weekend folks.

Time out

When you are well you generally don't realise it. Life goes on and you take it for granted. This was how I felt until a few days ago and then was "struck down" with "man flu". I know, it's pathetic but when you are swallowing broken glass all day, popping pills, sipping lemslips by the dozen, gargling salt, sucking stepsils, drinking lemon tea ginger and honey.... you get the message. I have swollen glands in my kneck and a viral infection according to the doctor. As a result I can't train and have had to pull out of a 16 mile race I had lined up on Sunday - it would be unwise to race with a virus. I'll have to take the rest and make the best use I can of the time. I'll pick up the training when I recover. I also reflect on people who are really ill and have months or years of discomfort and realise how luck I am - man flu or no man flu! So I'll just have to accept "rule 5" as they say in cycling - man the frig up!

Swallowing broken glass

I've been dodging a cold for a couple of weeks now with family members and work colleagues all suffering. So it was inevitable that I'd catch something. I woke at 4am with a feeling of swallowing broken glass and had to eat some ice to help my throat and allow me to get back to sleep. Today I've been substituting tea for lemsip and feel this has a few days to go - hopefully it won't turn into anything like my sons which has been two weeks of hell. So I've skipped training today and I'll treat that as my one day off per week. I am scheduled for my tough yoga session with my teacher at 6.30am tomorrow and will do everthing possible to be there. I may have to adapt me training to "tick-over" mode with indoor turbo training (easy sessions) and yoga for the rest of the week. On Sunday I have a 16 mile race and based on yesterdays run I was in good shape. Time will tell but when your body starts to "break down" I've found the quickest way to recover is to back off the intense training. It's fortunate I have this now and not in March/April!

Sir Chris Hoy Veladrome Glasgow

What a fantastic weekend. It started with my early morning yoga to get the stiffness out of my legs. Then out for a fast 6.25 mile run. It felt great but had to be short because I had tickets for the Thunderdrome at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow - what an unbelievable facility, worldclass. The racing was brilliant and the drop on the banked corners frightening - I'd be scared to ski down it. Now my cycling pals have all been trying to persuade me to get accreditation so I can ride on the track but I've been refusing. There was a raffle and guess what I won? You guessed it, free accredditation! Must be a signal. The we went off to the Braveheart Cycling Charity dinner and mixed with the cycling elite including Sir Chris - it was wall to wall fit athletes. I met Roddie Riddle, ex Commonwealth cyclist, who is doing MDS and we planned a long running excursion. Good to actually meet someone of that calibre and know we will be sharing a tent in the "sandpit" - with 6 others! I paced myself so that at 9am the next morning I could go running. It was chucking it down with rain so we went for a trail run. I was hoping to do more that 15 miles but circumstances kept it to that although I felt I could have run all day. The mileage will have to increase next week though and soon I'll be running with a rucksack. Bring it on.

Cross training

I have come to the conclusion that Triathlon training is brilliant for fitness and keeping relatively injury free. Whenever you feel a niggle, you just switch the emphasis to reduce the pressure in that area - this week I didn't run for 3 days to give my ankles a rest but kept training. In addition swimming, cycling and running are all good for you but combining them gives you an all round fitness. Why am I telling you this? Perhaps just to reassure myself that while all my newly found MDS pals who will be in the sand pit in 2013 are murdering themselves on long runs, ultra races and even starting to run with back packs, I'm swimming! Apart from the fantasic cardiovascular workout it eases off my legs and helps with my current ankle niggles. This means over the weekend I can put in some decent mileage running with my ultra pals knowing I'm not causing a problem with tired legs. I'm building up so that I peak just at the right time for the event. Right now I am just building the base fitness which I can then build on.