Life is about balance. There are 52 weeks in a year and most of us work between 45-48 weeks with the time off referred to as holidays. But if I am a good example I normally turn up at my holiday so tired that it takes a few days to de stress as the week prior to going is usually frantic as I try and cram everything in before going away.
Leaving work aside, which was manic as always, I still had to squeeze my training in as the 18th November will come around quick enough and I want to give the 65km ultra my best shot - finish the season on a high. So knowing I was going to be on holiday my coach gave me some serious back to back running before I went off and combined with work and trying to pack a suit case, it meant early morning runs.
While I have no training scheduled when away, I can’t just let my fitness slide as I try and avoid coming off this cruise ship as cargo! This is a serious endurance event, I’m not looking for sympathy. Your daily routine is planned around food, the quality of which is staggering. Then there’s the fine wine that accompanies it - be rude not to. So I’m trying to be a good boy and choose my food every carefully, drink the wine in moderation, hydrate with water, take the stairs every time (there are a serious amount of stairs) and run 30 minutes most days with yoga every other day.
But running on a cruise ship isn’t easy. There is a running track on it but it’s also a walk way full of people meandering all over the place. 1 lap takes 50 seconds so it gets boring. The treadmill is ok except for when the sea is rough. At first I thought I was drunk staggering to the front of the treadmill then almost falling off the back. In 30 minutes without using elevation on the treadmill my Garmin reported I had ascended 20 metres - big waves!
So between the lobster, steak, puddings to die for (literally) and fine wine I’m treating my body with plenty of rest, sleep and a few massages. I think I’ll be lucky to get away with 7 added pounds when I step on the scales but I know it will be back to beans on toast and my coach will ramp up the training again. It’s good to get a break away from the routine and stress but this cruise could be described as a new endurance event. Got to go, dinner beckons!
Wednesday, 5 September 2018
Sunday, 26 August 2018
Real trail running!
There’s trail running and there is real trail running as I discovered yesterday. We all know what road running is, that’s easily defined. But the GGU was more tarmac than trails which was my only disappointment about what I thought was a fantastic race. As you know I do my trail running at Chatelherault but recently the trail have been “sanitised” and it’s really disappointing.
Nearer to home there’s is a tough trail known as Dungavel and with a two mile uphill start it’s not one I particularly enjoy but I know it’s good for me. It’s a mix of forrest fire tracks which I regard as better than tarmac but not ideal. But yesterday a local runner Donald MacLean (who is on a 1,700 day running streak!) decided to show me the real trails around Dungavel. I lost count of the number of times I was up to my knees in water crossing a river and as for running through heather that’s up to your knees - that’s tiring. My economical running style isn’t suited to getting your feet off the ground and knees up so I was knackered. The sun illuminated the massive spiders webs that glistened and there were hundreds of them but I didn’t see any spiders.
Going through forrests was like something from the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. A completely different trail experience and one I will return to, but only with my trusted guide. Local knowledge is important re the conditions underfoot and it was boggy in places so you had to be careful. I also don’t think I could find the trail as a lot of it is covered with heather with no clear path.
Today I was back to Chatelherault for a very wet and cold run on my own. It’s been a good weekends training and I was inspired by 4 ATHelite members who were taking part in Vichy IM 70.3. 3 speedy results and 1 super speedy result - my coach Genevieve was 2nd in her age category and qualifies for the World Championships! I am so pleased for her as she has worked so hard to get into shape for this race. Results like this don’t just happen, they require dedication and perseverance and those 4 results are just the boost I need when I’m tired and it’s wet and cold like today. Thanks guys.
Nearer to home there’s is a tough trail known as Dungavel and with a two mile uphill start it’s not one I particularly enjoy but I know it’s good for me. It’s a mix of forrest fire tracks which I regard as better than tarmac but not ideal. But yesterday a local runner Donald MacLean (who is on a 1,700 day running streak!) decided to show me the real trails around Dungavel. I lost count of the number of times I was up to my knees in water crossing a river and as for running through heather that’s up to your knees - that’s tiring. My economical running style isn’t suited to getting your feet off the ground and knees up so I was knackered. The sun illuminated the massive spiders webs that glistened and there were hundreds of them but I didn’t see any spiders.
Going through forrests was like something from the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. A completely different trail experience and one I will return to, but only with my trusted guide. Local knowledge is important re the conditions underfoot and it was boggy in places so you had to be careful. I also don’t think I could find the trail as a lot of it is covered with heather with no clear path.
Today I was back to Chatelherault for a very wet and cold run on my own. It’s been a good weekends training and I was inspired by 4 ATHelite members who were taking part in Vichy IM 70.3. 3 speedy results and 1 super speedy result - my coach Genevieve was 2nd in her age category and qualifies for the World Championships! I am so pleased for her as she has worked so hard to get into shape for this race. Results like this don’t just happen, they require dedication and perseverance and those 4 results are just the boost I need when I’m tired and it’s wet and cold like today. Thanks guys.
Sunday, 19 August 2018
Scientific experiment
I’ve been on a journey for the last 10 years. It all started with a charity white collar boxing match and the rest is history. But as I’ve taken on new challenges, each with it’s own unique difficulty, my body has adapted and got stronger. I’m treating it almost like a scientific experiment. During the journey I have monitored my heart rate during every training session except when swimming and core workouts. It’s a good indicator, amongst others, as to how I’m feeling at any particular time and many of my sessions have a target heart rate range. But when I’m pushing it hard it just a case of let’s see where it goes.
I mention this because as I’ve been getting faster recently, I’m able to hold a higher heart rate for longer and maintain the fast pace. While that might be an obvious sign of improving fitness it’s fascinating to watch and also requires me to mentally adjust. 2 years ago while running with my coach my heart rate was all over the place - no consistency. We noticed that when it reached 163 my performance fell and I either had to slow down or even walk to get it back under control. Yesterday my heart rate was 165 for 10 mins, 163 for 20 mins and 160 for 60mins and during those periods my performance didn’t fall - but I was working bloody hard. Today on the mountains I topped out at 179 bpm for 5 seconds. Sure I was tired but I kept going and finished strong.
This “experiment” will continue and my coach keeps a very close eye on every training sessions results so I’m not taking unnecessary risks. At the same time I am enjoying my training and what lies ahead. I don’t want to limit my potential but at the same time realise I am doing this for fun. But I also believe “we are all capable of so much more” so hopefully my story may persuade you to push the boundaries. Have fun.
I mention this because as I’ve been getting faster recently, I’m able to hold a higher heart rate for longer and maintain the fast pace. While that might be an obvious sign of improving fitness it’s fascinating to watch and also requires me to mentally adjust. 2 years ago while running with my coach my heart rate was all over the place - no consistency. We noticed that when it reached 163 my performance fell and I either had to slow down or even walk to get it back under control. Yesterday my heart rate was 165 for 10 mins, 163 for 20 mins and 160 for 60mins and during those periods my performance didn’t fall - but I was working bloody hard. Today on the mountains I topped out at 179 bpm for 5 seconds. Sure I was tired but I kept going and finished strong.
This “experiment” will continue and my coach keeps a very close eye on every training sessions results so I’m not taking unnecessary risks. At the same time I am enjoying my training and what lies ahead. I don’t want to limit my potential but at the same time realise I am doing this for fun. But I also believe “we are all capable of so much more” so hopefully my story may persuade you to push the boundaries. Have fun.
Sunday, 12 August 2018
Returning to the core
As someone who doesn’t enjoy the gym or weight lifting, when I return to core training it isn’t with an expression of joy, especially at the beginning but I know it needs to be done. It’s only a 30 minute session but those side planks are tough. My coach has also added in an additional 15 minutes of Swiss ball exercises which has me falling off the ball on a regular basis. Every part of my core is screaming at me and I feel like I’ve been in the boxing ring doing 12 rounds! But I know the importance of it as next year if I am going to have a successful season with my biggest ever challenge, I’ll need to have greater core strength that I do currently. So rule 5 is being applied!
My aches and pains last week were attended to and a painful hour on the physio table where she worked my achillies and groin were anything but pleasant. Although sensitive to the touch I’ve had another good weekends training and once again fast!
On Saturday I was given a target pace of 5:10ks and without looking at my watch I ran 4:55ks and didn’t feel I’d pushed it. That was followed up today with a longer run on target and no aches or pains from my achillies or groin. Result!
Today was also the Strathaven 50 run and I passed a number of runners at the 20 mile stage. It was raining hard and their stare told me everything I needed to know. They were completely focused on the race and running in their “bubble” where they were ignoring everything other than the road ahead. That’s a great place to be and it inspired me to work harder and get on with my core training with a smile rather than grimace on my face. My 65km Ultra on 18 November is fast approaching and I’m really wanting to finish the season on a high and then build my core strength for 2019. How’s your training going? I hope you are formulating your plans for next year.
My aches and pains last week were attended to and a painful hour on the physio table where she worked my achillies and groin were anything but pleasant. Although sensitive to the touch I’ve had another good weekends training and once again fast!
On Saturday I was given a target pace of 5:10ks and without looking at my watch I ran 4:55ks and didn’t feel I’d pushed it. That was followed up today with a longer run on target and no aches or pains from my achillies or groin. Result!
Today was also the Strathaven 50 run and I passed a number of runners at the 20 mile stage. It was raining hard and their stare told me everything I needed to know. They were completely focused on the race and running in their “bubble” where they were ignoring everything other than the road ahead. That’s a great place to be and it inspired me to work harder and get on with my core training with a smile rather than grimace on my face. My 65km Ultra on 18 November is fast approaching and I’m really wanting to finish the season on a high and then build my core strength for 2019. How’s your training going? I hope you are formulating your plans for next year.
Sunday, 5 August 2018
Back to basics
This is my first week on my training plan as I prepare for a 65km ultra on November 18th. My coaches instructions were simple - run on feel. 36 mins on Tuesday, 56 mins on Thursday, 1hr 24 min on Saturday and 51 minutes today. On Thursday’s run I decided to push myself to see how my recovery was going - I got 3 peak performances related to my heart rate over 5/10 and 20 mins on that run. That’s a good start I thought.
On Saturday I was running on my own at Chatelherault and decided again to see what would happen if I pushed the pace. Normally I aim to get around in 45 mins which is a reasonable pace if doing 2 laps. I finished the first lap in 42 minutes, my quickest time ever so as I started the second lap thinking this was going to be tough. Much to my surprise I repeated the 42 min lap. For me that’s a big achievement especially as I am “recovering from the exertion of my ultra.
I had a massage during the week and my Achilles on both legs are tight as is my groin. It’s vital that I make sure this doesn’t get worse so I have a massage tomorrow and when I can get booked in, will have my physio check me out. Running faster means I have increased my stride length by 7 cm so perhaps this is causing the groin problem or it may be the fatigue from 4 weeks ago.
Today I had a 10km to run and the target time set was challenging. I didn’t look at my Garmin for the first 7km and then checked to see how I was doing. I needed to pick the pace up slightly which I did and got in just under the target setting a new threshold target. It will be interesting to see how this continues. If I can stay injury free and keep up this consistent training I might surprise myself on Nov 18th.
On Saturday I was running on my own at Chatelherault and decided again to see what would happen if I pushed the pace. Normally I aim to get around in 45 mins which is a reasonable pace if doing 2 laps. I finished the first lap in 42 minutes, my quickest time ever so as I started the second lap thinking this was going to be tough. Much to my surprise I repeated the 42 min lap. For me that’s a big achievement especially as I am “recovering from the exertion of my ultra.
I had a massage during the week and my Achilles on both legs are tight as is my groin. It’s vital that I make sure this doesn’t get worse so I have a massage tomorrow and when I can get booked in, will have my physio check me out. Running faster means I have increased my stride length by 7 cm so perhaps this is causing the groin problem or it may be the fatigue from 4 weeks ago.
Today I had a 10km to run and the target time set was challenging. I didn’t look at my Garmin for the first 7km and then checked to see how I was doing. I needed to pick the pace up slightly which I did and got in just under the target setting a new threshold target. It will be interesting to see how this continues. If I can stay injury free and keep up this consistent training I might surprise myself on Nov 18th.
Sunday, 29 July 2018
One more ultra for 2018
A very busy week as I returned from holiday on Monday and played catch up before heading off to London for 3 days. The weather was extremely hot topping 34 degrees so I made sure I got a couple of gentle runs in first thing in the morning. Friday was a day off as I headed for Elie to spend time with friends and I got my first game of golf of the season. My foot hasn’t always enjoyed golf and forgetting my orthotics wasn’t a good start but unbelievably I had no pain - an added bonus was I came second!
On Friday my friend Kay took me out for a 8 km run around the beautiful costal town of Elie. Lovely trails though forests, past a loch, through countryside and down the beach. It was great,
Today was an early Chatelherault run, a couple of laps. I went out with a fellow ironman, Derek, for company and it was relatively leisurely. Instead of rays of sun which we have been basking in all summer, I was enjoying the cooler “liquid sunshine”. Think I might have to get used to this change in climate.
I said last week that I’d be announcing another race. On Sunday 18th November I will be taking part in the Tweed Valley Ultra. 65km through some beautiful countryside with 5,164 ft of climbing. My formal training starts this week with Genevieve putting together a 16 week plan to build on my form from the GGU. What will be interesting is to see my fitness level that I arrive at the startline with and how I can build on my pace on the GGU. I’m really excited about this race and it will keep my focus as I enter into winter training. All of this is part of a bigger plan as I contemplate my biggest race ever for 2019. But more of that when it’s finalised. In the meantime, back to training!
On Friday my friend Kay took me out for a 8 km run around the beautiful costal town of Elie. Lovely trails though forests, past a loch, through countryside and down the beach. It was great,
Today was an early Chatelherault run, a couple of laps. I went out with a fellow ironman, Derek, for company and it was relatively leisurely. Instead of rays of sun which we have been basking in all summer, I was enjoying the cooler “liquid sunshine”. Think I might have to get used to this change in climate.
I said last week that I’d be announcing another race. On Sunday 18th November I will be taking part in the Tweed Valley Ultra. 65km through some beautiful countryside with 5,164 ft of climbing. My formal training starts this week with Genevieve putting together a 16 week plan to build on my form from the GGU. What will be interesting is to see my fitness level that I arrive at the startline with and how I can build on my pace on the GGU. I’m really excited about this race and it will keep my focus as I enter into winter training. All of this is part of a bigger plan as I contemplate my biggest race ever for 2019. But more of that when it’s finalised. In the meantime, back to training!
Sunday, 22 July 2018
Free running
Two weeks ago I had just finished running the Great Glen Ultra. A 73 mile unsupported race from Fort William to Inverness. The race is detailed in the previous two blogs however I am still trying to understand how when I was aiming for a target time of 18 hours I managed 14 hours and 40 minutes. Obviously it was because I ran faster and I put lots of “time in the bank” before I hit the big climbs around half way but the mystery continues.
Normally after any race you are in discomfort after the race and it gets worse for the next two days. It’s know as DOMS - delayed onset muscle soreness. The day after the race I was in discomfort as expected. The next day it was gone! And it never resurfaced which is a mystery. Having run much faster than anticipated I really expected the DOMS to last a minimum of 3 days. When I completed my fastest every 10km race a few years ago I had DOMS for 5 days and it wasn’t nice. The problem was I was heading off to Philadelphia and I wasn’t looking forward to sitting in “cattle class” (it was American Airlines after all). But despite the discomfort of the seats in cattle class I suffered no pain - result.
The timing of my holiday was perfect as it gave my body a proper chance to recover without the stress of work or training. Long lies, no deadlines, good weather and lots of food to help put some weight back on went down well - along with the odd glass/bottle of wine. My wife and I attended a wedding of our friends daughter and that was a wonderful occasion where the Scots were present in numbers in our kilts - a bit of a sweat fest in those temperatures but I had a hydration strategy!
The later part of the holiday was at Stone Harbour at Jersey Shore so having had a week off running I had 3 runs along the stunning beach. It was amazing. I had no targets to reach, wasn’t wearing my Garmin or heart rate monitor and if I wanted to stop and take a picture, then I did. It was liberating and I felt complete freedom as I listened to the waves crashing into the shore. It had to be early as it was very warm but the surfers were already out so I had some company.
Now I’m back home I headed off to Chatelherault for one lap and again it was very enjoyable. At this stage I haven’t sat down with my coach yet and worked out what happened in the race. We also have to look at my future events for 2019 and what the training schedule will look like. I’ve got a couple of niggles to sort out with my physio before the training builds again - best to be sure and not turn a niggle into a problem. My last 7 months of training has been consistent which is probably the biggest reason behind my fast time but during that period whenever I had a niggle, I got it attended to immediately. I’ve never forgotten one of the best tips I received when I started this journey and it was to “listen to your body”. I’ll continue to do that while I enjoy my “free running” before the new training schedule is in place. Next week I’ll confirm another race this year to keep me focused!
Normally after any race you are in discomfort after the race and it gets worse for the next two days. It’s know as DOMS - delayed onset muscle soreness. The day after the race I was in discomfort as expected. The next day it was gone! And it never resurfaced which is a mystery. Having run much faster than anticipated I really expected the DOMS to last a minimum of 3 days. When I completed my fastest every 10km race a few years ago I had DOMS for 5 days and it wasn’t nice. The problem was I was heading off to Philadelphia and I wasn’t looking forward to sitting in “cattle class” (it was American Airlines after all). But despite the discomfort of the seats in cattle class I suffered no pain - result.
The timing of my holiday was perfect as it gave my body a proper chance to recover without the stress of work or training. Long lies, no deadlines, good weather and lots of food to help put some weight back on went down well - along with the odd glass/bottle of wine. My wife and I attended a wedding of our friends daughter and that was a wonderful occasion where the Scots were present in numbers in our kilts - a bit of a sweat fest in those temperatures but I had a hydration strategy!
The later part of the holiday was at Stone Harbour at Jersey Shore so having had a week off running I had 3 runs along the stunning beach. It was amazing. I had no targets to reach, wasn’t wearing my Garmin or heart rate monitor and if I wanted to stop and take a picture, then I did. It was liberating and I felt complete freedom as I listened to the waves crashing into the shore. It had to be early as it was very warm but the surfers were already out so I had some company.
Now I’m back home I headed off to Chatelherault for one lap and again it was very enjoyable. At this stage I haven’t sat down with my coach yet and worked out what happened in the race. We also have to look at my future events for 2019 and what the training schedule will look like. I’ve got a couple of niggles to sort out with my physio before the training builds again - best to be sure and not turn a niggle into a problem. My last 7 months of training has been consistent which is probably the biggest reason behind my fast time but during that period whenever I had a niggle, I got it attended to immediately. I’ve never forgotten one of the best tips I received when I started this journey and it was to “listen to your body”. I’ll continue to do that while I enjoy my “free running” before the new training schedule is in place. Next week I’ll confirm another race this year to keep me focused!
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