Yoga Nidra - mental training

At 6.15am this morning I turned up for a yoga session with a difference. No bending, no sweating and no breathing out my bum! All I had to do was lie down, be wrapped in blankets, close my eyes and not speak - me not speak! Can't be that hard can it? However you are not allowed to move as my yoga teacher talked me through the exercise. It was all internally focused around my breathing and awareness of my body. A pain started at the back of my head after a while caused by the weight of my head staying in the one spot; but I wasn't allowed to move. I had to be unconsciously conscious and make sure I didn't fall asleep, something that happens regularly apparently. At the end of the exercise she asked me to open my eyes and sit up. Easier said than done. All of a sudden I felt my physical weight of my body and seemed very heavy. What I didn't realise was I had been lying in this position for 1 hour, without moving! This workout was to get me more in touch with my inner being rather than my physical body which is what all my training is consentrating on at the moment. It will be essential when I reach the dark corners on my training or the up coming endurance events. I will then use the techniques I learned today in the Yoga Nidra. It's nice to experience something different and get a better understanding of your body - yoga is fantastic in so many different ways.

We all know the end of this movie.......

I woke this morning and thought, it's good to be alive. At the weekend I had received terrible news about a friend who'd been in an accident and in a blink of an eye, his life had changed. Between him and his wife they will have to rebuild their lives. But at least he's alive. On arriving in the office I learned that a long standing client had died - sad news. Not a good start to the week but then I thought, this is a reminder about what's important in life. I love the quotation "we all know the end of this movie and no one gets out alive. So we might as well enjoy it". I couldn't agree more. So it may be a Monday morning and I've received crap news but I'm alive, healthy and have lots to be grateful for. So while I am on this journey I am going to take time to smell the roses. I hope you do to.

Running mission accomplished

This morning started with Ali completing an 800m at the new Emirates Stadium in Glasgow. He equalled his PB of 2:12 before heading off to the toilet for his customer call down the "big White telephone" to quote Billy Connelly from the '70s. Then home for my turn at a slightly different pace. I went out with 2 pals and we completed 2 laps of Chatelherault - about 10 miles at my pace. When your running with 50 miles in your legs from the last 4 days, it's tiring which is what it is meant to be. That was the mission - running 5 days in a row with tired legs. So I am looking forward to a couple of days off running and yoga on Tuesday. I'll build it up again this week before tapering in the week before my meg running weekend!

"you're a machine"

Lovely sunny but cold morning so I headed out, Derek no mates, for 3 laps of Chatelherault trails which is 15 miles. It's got some "nice" undulations with 2 tasty climbs so it's not easy. You meet dog walkers, hand holding couples, mountain bikers and today for the fist time 2 women on horseback. When I lapped them for the third time one of them shouted "you're a machine". I'm going to take that as a compliment rather than a reference to being rusty and past it! Behaving like a machine is exactly what I am trying to do. Repeating every move as smoothly and efficiently as possible. In the longer run this mentality of being a machine will help especially when it gets tough. When I got home and got cleaned up I made myself the biggest plateful of rice, meat, beans and veg - hardly touched the sides as I had worked up an appetite and burned of 1,700 calories. This was washed down with nuts, raisins and a banana. I'm now going out with my wife for coffee and a huge piece of cake. Life is good. :-)

Red sky at night

The shift working continued which allowed me to get in 13.5 miles bringing my total over the last 3 days to 35.5 miles. I'd like to have put a couple of extra miles on but the sun was setting providing a magnificent skyline but dangerous conditions to run in. I had my music on which makes the time pass quicker but in the desert I will be "unplugged" so I can absorb the sounds and sights of the Sahara Desert. My game plan at the moment is to have two high mileage weeks and then have an easy week to let my body recover before the 79 miles in two days of the Great Glen. I'll definitely need a few days off after that before I build the regular back to back miles up. To those that say "I don't know how you can do that" I say, this is an example of how you eat an elephant, in small slices!

Increasing the mileage

This week I am stepping up the mileage. At the same time I am arranging back to back runs to deliberately not give my legs a break. So yesterday was 11 miles, today was 11 miles and tomorrow will be at least 11 but possibly 15 depending on time. At the weekend I will be adding in the hill climbing so by Sunday night I should have completed between 50 - 60 miles in 5 days. It's amazing how used to the mileage you become. Even with a 5kg rucksack it seemed relatively easy and my legs are pain free. I tested two pieces of equipment as well. My desert glasses were used with the orange lenses which enhances the light. They were fine in the dark however when car headlights approached I had to look away. So they will be fine as I am not expecting traffic in the Sahara when doing the double marathon during the night. I also tried out the recommended water bottles which have short tubes meaning you don't have to remove the bottle from the holder to drink. This is essential as in the heat of the desert you have to drink frequently so the tubes make it easier. Every thing I take with me will needs to be tested before going so The Great Glen will be the first real test.

Shift working

As my mileage increases during the week I am managing this through shift working. Let me explain. My favourite time to train is 5.30 / 6am in the morning but it's too dangerous to go running, even with a head torch as I live out in the countryside with no street lights. I've had a few nasty falls with potholes and can't afford to take the risk now. The evening is the same so I have come up with a plan. I take work home which I complete in the evening or very early morning. Then I go out for a run as it is starting to get light around 8.15am. Today I managed 11 miles in daylight and loved watching the sun rise above the fog that was in the fields and on the hills. I then made my first meeting at 11am and the work done earlier was being dealt with by my team back at the office. I actually think this makes me more effective and allows me to increase my mileage during the week. Weekends are for the long runs and I manage them in daylight. So I'm now working split shifts to achieve my objective. As my Granny used to say, "where there's a will there's a way". How true.