Being in touch with your body

I am totally amazed by the transformation my body is going through with yoga. Only yesterday I reported struggling to touch my knees after some running at the weekend. However today in my yoga class I got to touch my toes! This might not sound much but it's a major break through for me and it came about because I was able to tilt my pelvis by engaging my core muscles. I have always had good stomach muscles but your core is so much more than that. I also realised yesterday that my bum was higher in the water when swimming therefore improving my effeciency which again was down to engaging my core. The workout is hard and I am sweating buckets but with the support of my teacher Pamela Young (check out www.pamelayoung.co.uk) I am in touch with my body. I feel energised and haven't felt any of my usual hamstring or calf muscle twinges since I started. I've a long way to go but with this kind of progress and feeling so good it's not exactly a task - more of a pleasure.

Stiff as a board

My legs didn't feel too bad when I go up at 5.45am for my yoga session, but when I tried the second move in the 1st sun salutation my hands reached my knee caps and no further - ouch! Most people I know can get close to touching their toes but for me that is a goal. Normally I can get a good six inches past my knees but it didn't start that way this morning. However by the end of the session I had improved and felt a lot looser but it just goes to show how important the yoga is going to be with the running mileage increasing. Then I headed off to the pool for part 2 of loosing up my legs. I have worked really hard at my swimming over the last 4 years to become reasonable at it but I have hardly swam in the last few months so I knew this was going to be tough. My times were all dramatically down but I reminded myself there is no swimming in the desert and the only reason I am doing it is for fitness and something to help my legs recover which it does. As for my times they should improve with some hard sessions over the coming month and this will give me a focus in the pool. Having scoffed a "heart attack roll" (black pudding, bacon & egg) and a coffee I feel brand new!

Building up the miles

Last weekend I ran 22 miles on the Sunday and It feels like I spent the rest of the week recovering. So this weekend I decided to have 2 medium runs to allow my body to recover fully. Yesterday it was an 11 mile run but I could feel the difference running on Tarmac makes. I'm pleased that my running will involve more off road as it certainly has less impact on my body. I was at a wedding last night so took it easy with the liquid carbs (beer) because I was meant to be out with the ultra runners in the morning. However no run details came through, I suspect they were hungover, so I ran around a football pitch while my son played his match. I managed 13 miles and running on soft grass is tiring so good practice for the desert. No for some proper recovery. Feet up watching the grand Prix then the football. Life is good.

Failing to plan is planning to fail

When preparing for Ironman I had a daily, weekly, monthly plan which I followed to the letter as on a weekly basis I had to go over my results with my coach. Having this "control mechanism" in place helped me stick to the plan and push myself through the tough sessions. For Marathon des Sables I have no coach (as yet) and am making the plan up as I go. Part of my reasoning is that in the desert it is down to me so I'd better get used to disciplining myself in training. However the downside is weeks like this one. Having finished the run challenge which lasted the month of September and had me posting my results daily to the rest of the team (a control mechanism)my motivation has failed. I did a hard yoga session on Tuesday morning followed by a tough swim session in the evening. I took Wednesday off to rest (I only normally train 6 days a week) but yesterday only managed my morning yoga. Today I was going to practice my yoga before swimming but didn't manage to get out of bed. Had I a coach there would have been no doubt I would have got up, even though I am feeling very tired. Guilt is a normal part of this journey and I've analysed my week and realise I am tired - too many very early starts and two late nights which is not normal for me. But on Wednesday I will be travelling on a train all day so I am going to set out my plan. That way I won't be like a rudderless ship and get back on track as there are only 25 weeks to go and a lot of hard work to be done before then.

Making improvements

The September running challenge is now finished. As a result I can get back to cross training in the build up to Marathon des Sables. The benefit of cross training is that it reduces the likelyhood of an injury, especially if I'm putting in high mileage on my feet running. So tonight I returned to the pool for a group training session. We spend the beginning of the session on drills to improve our technique. Then the main set is fitness based and because you are part of a group that are all aiming to improve, you put the effort in. You don't want to be dropped in the lane so you hang on and do what ever is required - even if your lungs are screeming to stop and your feet are cramping. All the hard work is done in the winter months and will pay off next season. Bring on the winter!

Seve's legacy

Sporting climaxes such as last nights Ryder Cup don't get any better. The mental toughness of those players under such duress was incredible. Even Lee Westwood was shaking over a critical 1 foot put. Great players crumbled on the greens that must of been like putting on a coffee table - super fast. But in the end, their belief in themselves, their pride in their team mates, the wanting to win for their team and their respect for their hero Seve Ballesteros pulled them through. We can all learn from these acts of courage in the sporting field but the one lesson I take from it is no matter what the score is you must fight on because it's "not over until the fate lady sings" to use a non-PC phrase which we all understand. The thousands of hours of physical practice in the end came down to the mental side and didn't they do well. Congratulations Team Europe - I'm sure Seve will be smiling down on you.

Mental running

Preparing for the toughest footrace on the planet makes you do things that people thing is mental. Last weekend I ran with the ultra runners but at 17 miles ran on without them as I found walking up the hills was making me too cold. Their pace was slower than I'd ever run before but at the same time they are extremely experienced and I will learn lots from them over the winter. But yesterday I decided to run the same route at Whitelees Windfarm which is an 11 mile out and back making 22 miles, but on my own. I did this for several reason; to see if I could pace myself & to practice the lonleyness and boredon that you experience in a long distance run. The weather wasn't great so that makes it even tougher to get out there. I dressed appropriately and got my music on and managed he first 11 miles in 1hr 36 mins. Half way is never half way in a long run and although I had a tail wind the pace of the first half began to tell. I was 7 minutes slower on the way back but I did walk two of the hills. My legs were tired and I had a large blister on on of my toes. My pace was a minute per mile quicker than last week and considering that was too fast I am really going to have to work at slowing down. It would be fine if I was just doing 1 marathon, but 5.5 marathons in 6 days carrying 10kg on my back while running on sand is a different "ball game"! The story of the tortoise and hare comes to mind!