11 weeks to go

With 11 weeks to go I'm preparing for the biggest test yet next weekend with The Great Glen. 79 miles in 2 days. So 15 miles of trail running in freezing conditions has set me up nicely. After all I just have to more than double it and then repeat it the following day. My calf muscle is a bit tight so I've decided against running tomorrow. I will have minimal running next week but will concentrate on my yoga and core exercises with some spinning on the bike. Tapering is an important part of preparing for major events. I'm looking forward to a change of training next week. I'll report back later.

Turbo to the rescue

My calf didn't feel too bad when I woke this morning but listening to the howling wind and looking at the temperature made me think, today wasn't worth the risk or the pain of venturing out. My calf could do with an extra days rest. Fortunately a good sweaty turbo session brings you to life so I jumped on my bike for the first time in a few weeks. 10 minutes in and I thought I'd lost all my fitness as it seemed harder than I remebered. Then I checked the resistance guage and it had been cranked up - those meddling kids (quote from Scooby doo)! Got the setting back to normal and my wee legs were spinning to their hearts content. 45 minutes later I slid off the saddle and headed for the shower. It had certainly helped with getting my heart rate up and the temperature in the room was hot which is good practise. But tomorrow, subject to not being snowed in, I'm off for a longish run and an even longer one on Sunday. I just hope I don't freeze to death in the process. Have a good and safe weekend folks. Wrap up warm and don't be going out unless you need to!

Extreme temperatures

Global warming - it's bloody freezing out there. Fortunatley today I took an extra rest day as my calf muscle was feeling sorry for itself. I managed to get a sports massage this afternoon and now feel much better if a little sore and tired. A sports massage is a bit like a work out but the good news is my calf muscle is just strained from the high mileage last week. So as the forecast is gale force winds and snow tomorrow I think I'll switch to the turbo trainer to give my calf some more recovery time. It's still a good workout and will keep my fitness up. This means I will have two back to back long runs at the weekend assuming I don't have to strap tennis rackets onto my feet! The last piece of news is my high tech running shorts arrived (mega bucks!). However to test them I have to run with nothing under or over them. This wouldn't normally be a problem but at -3 degrees this might not have the desired result. I'll try and get access to an indoor track where the temperature will be more like the Sahara Desert!

Running man

The plan this week is to repeat 5 days running adding between 60-70 miles. So as the sun came up lighting the sky red I headed out for 17 miles. My ruck sack was slightly heavier than last week so I paced myself nice and easy. By running on my own there was no competitive pressure to speed up. By half way I felt great but I started getting a niggle in my calf. Towards the end it really was starting to hurt so I've changed my plans and I won't be running tomorrow. I'm trying to arrange a sports massage as these niggles need sorted before they develop into anything worse. I don't want to miss my big weekend 79 mile run so I need to take it easy. Listening to your body is essential, especially when putting in this kind of mileage. Here's hoping.

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!