Hurt locker - revisited

Like many people, on Monday I returned to work refreshed and ready to go following the festive period.  It was a busy week and by the end of it I was exhausted and looking forward to the weekend. My training was good although I’ll share an amusing mishap with you from Thursday.  As all runners will know it’s better to “loose some weight” ,if you get my drift, before heading out as gravity can cause issues.  Let’s just say that I didn’t lose all the “weight” required and on turning for home it became obvious that a “pit stop” was required.  It was foggy and pitch black on a country road as I nipped behind a wall.  My head torch was helping me find some grass but most of it felt like straw except for something poisonous I managed to pick up.  I thought it was a nettle sting but grateful I didn’t use it to clean up or that might have brought on a PB for the last mile!  A trip to the chemist sorted the discomfort but its another reminder to get your preparation right before heading out!
Friday was a hard 2k swim and I enjoyed the session with no pain from my golfers elbow which is getting weekly treatment.
Saturday however was a completely different proposition.  It was meant to be a heart rate run and due to the weather I headed to Chatelherault to get some shelter from the elements - with the hills it’s difficult to keep your heart rate low.  Mark and Alan joined me for the first big lap but very quickly I realised the pace, which wasn’t fast, was going to put my heart rate above target, probably due to a tough week at work.  I should have made my excuses and dropped back but I was enjoying the company.  By the end of the lap I was ready for giving up but the problem was there was a fresh group of runners ready to go out for a big lap which I was meant to be doing as well.  Anyone who saw me to see I wasn’t in a good place either physically or mentally and I was just about to say to my coach that I’d swap tomorrow’s session for today and head home.  But then I though visiting the hurt locker was needed because it’s the nearest you get to the way you can feel in a race.
I headed out for the second lap but made it clear I’d be slow.  I knew my heart rate wouldn’t drop but I had to dig deep.  Michael & Wilson came to my rescue and dropped back with me to encourage me to continue while at the same time dishing out some abuse to keep me on my toes.  We ran at a very slow pace and I got round the second lap, their 1st, but by the end I was shattered.  I headed home and spent the rest of the afternoon eating, resting & sleeping.  The “take away” for me is that visiting the hurt locker makes you mentally stronger and next time it happens I’ll remember this run and take strength from it.
But what a difference 24 hours makes.  Today I had another heart rate run and had selected a flat course which would make it easier to achieve but the weather meant we were back at Chatelherault.  I made my intentions clear to my pals and within a few minutes I settled in with Genevieve (my coach) and Gareth.  I managed the vast majority run within my target heart rate - only on two occasions did it go 1 and then 2 heart beats above target.  The run was 50% of the previous days run however at all points today I felt strong and could easily have done another lap.  It shows the importance of rest, taking account of the impact of a working week, the benefit of plenty of quality food and running at the pace you need for your goal.  Comparing the pace of both runs they were identical however yesterday’s first lap was faster, where the damage was done, and second lap much slower - a definite lesson on pacing.
Whilst yesterday’s run hurt, it was one of those sessions that will pay dividends in the future.  I will draw strength from that experience of visiting the hurt locker.  Finally I reviewed my running in 2018 and it turns out I’d run 2,595 KM.  I’ve never paid any attention to this before so it will be interesting to see what distance I cover this year.  The adventure continues.

Muffin tops

I’ve survived the festive period!  What a couple of weeks that was catching up with family and friends with lots of good food, laughter and a fair few glasses of wine.  I’ve caught up on sleep, read an excellent book and really not thought about work which is good as it means I head back tomorrow refreshed - well almost.  I woke this morning with a sore throat and my internal thermostat not working - typical.
Up till today my training has continued to build and on Friday I swam 2km in the pool which is my longest swim In 9 months and it felt good despite my last 3 weeks off swimming.  However as we were all heading out of the pool our coach mentioned our “muffin tops”!  She wasn’t wrong.  The festive period was showing on our waistlines and there’s no point in carrying excess baggage.  The muffin top tends to be alcohol related so rest assured the intake will be reduced and with the increase in mileage it should be gone in due course.  But when my weight is 150 lbs or 68kilos I need to build muscle mass at the same time as loosing the muffin top or else I’’ll be underweight.  Currently my BMI is 21.6 which is healthy.
Yesterday I repeated the run from the previous week, 18.7km around Chatelherault and I managed it 5 minutes quicker.  My fitness is coming back and the mileage will build over the next fews but that will be subject to how my sore throat progresses.  I was looking forward to running and a gym session today but I’ve listened to my body and spent the day resting.
Back to work tomorrow so back to the juggling of work/life/training.  I’m looking forward to an exciting 2019.  Hope you achieve the goals you have set.

New Year resolutions

New Year Resolutions -don’t bother.  No seriously don’t bother as you’ll only end beating yourself up especially if you only last a few weeks before ditching them.  Let’s replace the word resolution, which has a negative connotation, with the word goal(s) and if you are going to set a goal - set the bar high.  There’s nothing more disappointing than seeing someone set a low bar, and then achieving it!  It just encourages mediocrity.
Set a goal you are passionate about.  Write it down.  Put a plan around it and have someone check your progress on a regular basis - someone you’re accountable to.  Put it on Facebook.  Link it to a charity so when the going gets tough you don’t want to let them down.  Tell your friends and Blog about it - I promise it works and I’ve a 9 year track record to prove it.
If you keep your goals to yourself it’s easy to let them drop and may gyms will see this when they are packed in January and start to empty in February and back to the regulars by March.  This approach can be life changing.
With my daily and weekly goals being monitored by my coach, I make sure I arrange my day / life around getting the session done and making it meaningful.  It doesn’t always work but I’d say 97% of the time it does.  Sometimes Tollcross Swimming let me down like yesterday when they didn’t open till 12 and I was standing outside at 11 (not shown on their website!). I didn’t have time in my schedule to wait as I was going to a family event which involved a few glasses of wine and food.  I carefully paced myself so that the following day I was fit to run 1 hr 55 mins at Chatelherault in the morning.  It would have been easy to have had a “session” yesterday and not be able to get out of my bed in the morning and to skip the run but reporting after every training session to my coach doesn’t give me that option.
This approach works for me so if you really want to achieve something special in 2019, you might want to consider it.  Or you could let another year go by and find yourself heading up to the next year end thinking about New Year Resolutions.  The power is in your hands - go on.  You know you want to.  All the best for 2019.

It’s the season to be jolly

Where has the year gone?  Blink and you’d have missed it.  You plan a goal and before you know it you’re at the startline.  My first startline next year will be the Highland Fling in 17 weeks time and there’s a lot of work to be done.  Going from 5 miles to 53 miles in that timeframe won’t be easy, but it will happen as it’s only the warm up for the main event where I’ll repeat this mileage another 3 days and 40,000ft of climbing.  As Muhammad Ali said, “if your goals don’t scare you then you haven’t set them high enough”.
This week my running mileage took a hike and it felt great.  My heart rate is a bit high but that will be sorted in the next month as the consistent running starts to show in the results.  The temperature certainly has an effect and today I was running in -3 degrees and trying to stay upright on the icy country roads.  My heart was working hard but not hard enough to stop the pain with the cold in my fingers despite wearing gloves - it will be ski gloves next time!
But it’s not all hard training.  On Saturday a large group of triathletes met at Chatelherault in fancy dress and to the amusement of the other walkers we did a slightly slower lap than normal.  The highlight had to be our T-Rex who had dogs either attacking him or running for their lives.  While we all work and train hard during the year, this is the season to be jolly so make the most of the time off if you are lucky enough to have some.  I’m enjoying two weeks off and while I will continue training I’m looking forward to some wonderful food, plenty of rest, the odd glass of wine and time with the family.  I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and thank you for following my journey.  Merry Christmas.

Maybe I, maybe naw

Maybe I, maybe naw won’t mean much to my friends from afar but its this time of year when a comedy show comes on telly and a “football character” uses the phrase when trying to make a decision (in Edinburgh they’d say “possibly darling, possibly not”!).  Sadly the maybe I, maybe naw phrase has been over used this year with all the political talk of Brexit.  I’ve heard there’s a significant vote taking place on Tuesday but maybe I, maybe naw - it’s doing my head in!
The solution however is simple.  Pull on a pair of trainers and go out for a run.  Ignore all the noise and hot air being spouted and go and enjoy the wonderful surrounding in your own back yard.  My return to training has been gentle with runs restricted to between 5-8km.  I’ve quickly built up my swimming to 1,500m but this is following drills or specific sets.  I’m on week two of my strength training however some golfers elbow has restricted certain exercises.  Going for some sports therapy tomorrow so hopefully that will get sorted.
And despite all my experience, yesterday I got caught up in a fast, was meant to be social, Chatelherault run.  The first half was good but I realised the second half was going to hurt - and it did.  My heart rate and breathing were out of sorts which continued today even though the pace was much more controlled.  It’s either a lack of running or I’m coming down with something.
But it’s the “off season”.  The sessions should continue to have a purpose but with a bit more chatting and a slower pace.  We’ll get through December without having lost too much fitness so we can hit the ground running in January because it’s less than 4 months to the 53 mile Highland Fling Ultra!
Maybe I, maybe naw is not a phrased used when training - if it’s on the schedule, get it done.  The only time I’ll be using that phrase in the coming weeks will be deciding if I want more sticky toffee pudding and undoubtably the answer will be I!  Enjoy your offseason training folks....and the mince pies!

Rest, recover and return

Having been in the hurt locker, Monday & Tuesday weren’t fun as I was visited but DOMS!  Walking like John Wayne my legs didn’t like me and my body wasn’t too pleased either.  But coming home to champagne and good food after the race and a hot bath was the start of my recover - I had a lot of hot baths last week!
With no training planned I was out celebrating on Tuesday night and come Thursday I was able to handle a massage and the message was that my legs were on the mend.  I’ve been eating “like a horse” all week and am constantly craving food.  Probably because I was 148 Lbs after the race and after a momentous effort I’m up to 152!  Other than a dreadful sleep after the race I’ve been like “rip van winkle” taking every opportunity to nap.
Back out celebrating on Friday with a couple of hours of disco dancing, yes that’s what I said - disco dancing!  Had a ball and no lycra or Garmin in sight.  But of course I knew this rest period would be short lived.
Today I had a social 5km jog around the murals of Glasgow with friends which was great fun - no Garmin or heart rate monitor!  I also received my training plan as I prepare for my first race of 2019 - The Highland Fling, a 53 mile ultra.  I did the race 4 years ago and my coach has already set me a very ambitious target.  This is all in the build up to my “A race” the Tahoe 200 in September.
I’m back to swimming on Tuesday and for this I may need armbands it’s been that long!  After writing this blog I’m away to prepare / clean out my gym as my coach is coming round to sort out my strength training on Thursday - there may be tears and tantrums!  My initial running will restricted to 5km which seems ridiculous when a week ago I ran 13 times that.  However although I feel good I need to give my body the best chance to recover so we are building on a fresh rather than fatigued body.
The new training plan is exciting and as I’ve said so often, you have to enjoy the journey and the race is the “icing on to of the cake” as you don’t always get to eat the “cake”.  A new chapter starts and I’ll be mixing my training with a social life over the next 5 weeks which in itself is a challenge but it’s the season to be jolly....la la la la la la la la la!

The hurt locker

The Tweed Valley 65km ultra is done.  It’s over and for a “B race” it provided me with huge rewards. After the success of the GGU this summer I had nothing else to train for except Tahoe 200 but that was 15 months away.  The winter was approaching and I needed something to motivate me to build on my training in preparation for Tahoe.  My coach put together an amazing plan considering the short time before the race which wasn’t helped by 3 weeks off due to a cruise and then catching a cold.  But she delivered me to the start line in the best possible condition although we knew it was going to be tough.
One of the lessons I have learned along the way is that the distance, is the distance.  Where ever that finish line is you pace yourself accordingly and as there were two races going on at the same time (50 km and 65km) you could see everyone going through the same challenges.
I had decided to race this race rather than just complete the race.  I had nothing to lose as I know I can run further than 65km (GGU was 115 km).  My coach set a pace plan which was ambitious but after all, I was racing.  There were 4 climbs totalling 5,000 ft.  The race starts with a reasonable climb and I ran to the top without stopping to walk.  Flew down the other side and knew my quads wouldn’t be thanking me for that later - I wasn’t wrong.  My biggest pre-race decision was whether to wear shorts or running tights.  It was cold and I’m so glad I went for tights or I don’t think I’d have finished the race if I hadn’t.  It was blue sky’s everywhere, except the race course.  All the climbs were surrounded in fog so the promised views didn’t materialise - nothing knew for me there!
At the bottom of my second climb my support team were there screaming like daftys !  Genevieve my coach was shouting encouragement as was Colin and Michael who was there capturing it on camera - he’s an incredible photographer.
My only disappointment was that at CP3 my 1st drop bag should have been there with my custard and flat coke but it wasn’t.  I didn’t let it bother me as I had spare nutrition and the organisers had coke but it was a valuable lesson - come prepared.
As happens on these runs you end up around a group of people who are about the same pace.  I ran over half the race with Laura MacDonald, who ended up second woman, and chatting away passed the time but we were going at a great pace.  The third hill was a big climb and the enevitable walking took over but we were still flying down the hills.  In between the hills there is a lot of flat running and sadly much of this was on tarmac which is never pleasant in trail shoes but the off-road running was spectacular - I’ll be back on those hills over the winter.
Around 45km I was starting to feel the effect of the downhill running and my lack of hill training.  The tarmac was taking it’s toll. When we got to the last CP I told Laura to head on as she was obviously stronger than me and I didn’t want to hold her back.
By this time I was in a lot of pain.  My quads and hammies are screaming at me and I’m just trying not to injure myself and DNF.  There was 15 km to go and 10km of that was on tarmac.  My coach is telling me “no walking” so I was shuffling along at 6.30 pace. Running that slow is difficult when you are out for a training run, almost impossible but not when you have the distance and the hills in your legs.
As I slowed down I started to get cold and was now on my own.  My running tops were damp with sweat and the temperature was dropping.  I was overtaking the walkers most of whom were doing the 50km race and were struggling.  I really felt for them as it meant they’d be facing the Glentress hill through the forrest in the dark.  But I kept telling myself to run until I reached the hill.  Then I had to walk.  My legs were in bits but there was worse to come.  The downhill! I couldn’t run downhill, much as I wanted.  I rationalised that my time didn’t matter.  What mattered was not pulling a muscle so I tenderly walked my way down the hill.  The support team were at the bottom screaming encouragement and I did my best to smile and jog the last 300 m.  The sharp right turn with a steep uphill 50 m finish was a relief to my quads.  Crossed the line in 7hrs 21 mins.  40th overall out of 105 runners and most importantly 4th male over 50.  I’d like to have been closer to 7 hours but I’ve gained so much from the race.
Your mind set is different when your racing as aposed to training no matter how hard you try in training because you really visit the hurt locker.  This occurs when you are pushing yourself over a prolonged period of time.  You’re hurting and having to dig deep to put one foot in front of another.  You question why you are doing this and doubt you’ll ever do it again - even though the next event is booked!  When you’re racing you just get it done - you can recover over the coming weeks.
But let me finish with the point about your distance being your distance.  This race pushed me to my limits based on my current fitness yet in the summer I ran an extra 50km (115km total) so it can be done.  And as for my 2019 “A race”, compared to yesterday it’s an extra 11.25 miles per day for 4 days non stop with 10,000 ft of climbing, not 5,000ft, and sleep deprivation.  That’s a big step up but on 29th Nov my strength training starts and this will be designed around sorting out the weaknesses that keep creeping in when the going gets tough.  This will be my biggest challenge to date but with the right approach and mind set I will get there.  Why do I do it people ask - apart from how great I feel and how healthy I am, I want to make a difference and supporting Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres is important to me.  In the meantime I’m on day 1 of my recovery, eating for Britain, aching all over but I’ll be fine by the end of the week.  I’ll be taking a couple of weeks off from the blog until I’m back training and juggling that with a social life in the run up to Christmas!