Enforced rest

It seems things aren’t going so well currently. After struggling through the last 3 weeks (which in itself included a week of non-running to rest my hip) I’ve now been advised to rest some more. I’ve been to see the physio about my knee and been working on some exercises to remedy a biomechanical imbalance which seems to be working. However, she’s now more concerned about my right hip (as am I) which is now painful to run on and uncomfortable to walk on resulting in a slight limp. So I have more exercises to do to try to stretch out the hip joint and see if it frees up.

I’ve got another appointment next Wednesday, but I’m thinking that if it’s no better (which after a week of more or less no running (I did a few miles to work on Tuesday and it was really quite painful) it doesn’t seem to be) I may go to the GP to see about some other form of remedy.

Either way, my running is not going quite to plan at present which is annoying as I feel like I approached the build up nice and steadily and have been rewarded with a succession of niggles and injuries. I’m rather looking forward to being able to go on a long run and not be worried about which bit is going to be sore for the whole run. Maybe at my age I’m asking too much, but I hope not.

The long and the short of it

This week saw a return to running although without having completely sorted the hip/groin issue. It's stopped being a pain around the joint and has moved more into the groin which therefore, whilst still a niggly pain, becomes more manageable through stretching and gritting teeth.

Tuesday's 8 miles was uncomfortable which left me somewhat dreading Thursday's 18 miles - the longest run on the programme to date. In actual fact I only needed to dread the first 10 miles of it. After that it all seemed to get a lot better. It may be because there was a lot more downhill from there on, or just that the remaining distance seemed 'doable' in my head at that point but whatever the reason I was pleased that it ended better than it began. Actually I was just pleased that it ended. By the afternoon at work I was in need of strong coffee to support my body's energy levels but no real ill effects.

At the weekend, in keeping with the plans to reduce the number of longer runs to prevent overtraining and to inject some speed into the proceedings I decided not to run the Long Tour of Bradwell (31 miles) and instead did the Endcliffe Park 5km TimeTrial. It's a low key, free to enter event with 67 runners this week over a measured, and flat 5km course. Only 48 hours after doing the 18 miler I was quite pleased with a performance of 22 mins 50 secs - 7 mins 22 seconds/mile and exactly mid way through the field. I also managed a 1,500m swim on Friday evening in 27 mins 54 secs, a 45 second improvement on the previous week.

I'm still most pleased with my Injinji socks and Mizuno Wave Ascend trainers which have brought me no foot issues whatsoever so far. Currently less impressed with the quality of my Raidlight pack which after only 4 months' use has had to be returned due to a broken shoulder strap. See what the repair/replacement comes back like but I'm starting to lean towards the OMM pack which has a top reputation for withstanding all manner of abuse.

Rest week next week so hopefully more time for the groin to repair and the rest of my body to recover.

A change is as good as a rest, almost.

My hip last week was really painful, even on walking so I decided to ditch the running for a week and cross train instead. I had a physio appointment last week too, following up on my knee injury so I picked up some exercises to try to help my hip as well – it feels like I’m falling apart a bit. Hopefully the rest and getting my knee back in alignment will sort it out – after a week of no running it does feel a lot better, and so next week it’s back to the trainers and hills.

I ended up going out on my bike twice last week – once to do 25 miles on the way to work on Thursday and again on Saturday morning. The Saturday trip wasn’t exactly planned, until mid-way through 6 pints of Moonshine on Friday night when I agreed to join a group of regular cyclists for their usual 50 mile trip through the Peak District at 8am the following morning.
Despite stinking of ale as I arrived and introduced myself, I put in a reasonable performance all things considered – like not having ridden more than about 5km in almost a year, and then bashing out 25 miles just 48 hours before. At the end of it I was completely out of fuel and spent a lot of Saturday afternoon recuperating.

Other good news is that I managed a pretty respectable 1,500m swim on Friday afternoon too in 28 mins 40 secs, again having not swum for ages, which I was pleased with. I just have to contend with aching in muscles I’m not used to aching in.

From the success of this week I’m keen to include more cross training into the programme, if only to maintain interest. It’s just a case of finding the time to fit it in.

Is it time for a re-think? - week 13

Back into training properly this week and I really struggled. Both the 8 miles on Tuesday and Thursday’s 14 miles were just grim. I felt like I had nothing in me in terms of energy and really didn’t enjoy either of them.

In addition my right hip was really sore – it started a bit in Dorset the previous week, but was much more pronounced this week and was actually painful just walking. I think it is most likely to be as a result of compensating my gait to counter the effects of my dodgy left knee which has started to be more pronounced as I’m running tired and for longer distances.

So, a bit of a revaluation has been applied to the training programme. Fearful of overtraining and injury at such an early stage in the proceedings, and conscious of limited progress in terms of times, I’ve decided to drop the 10 mile run on Sundays in favour of a fast speed session of either fartlek or just all out speed work over around 3 miles/5km time trial. I may increase Tuesday’s 8 mile run to 10 miles, but will play it by ear and see how my body responds.

This week’s benchmark 3 miler was covered in a sedate (though it didn’t feel it) 24 mins 28 secs, or 8 mins 12 secs/mile. To put that in perspective, that’s marginally quicker per mile than the average speed I did when I achieved my personal best marathon time in 1999!

When is a rest not a rest?

Answer, when it’s spent on holiday in Dorset with masses of kids causing havoc. On the plus side, reduced running distances this week meant that there was a chance for tired muscles to recover.

Running in the Dorset countryside proved to be a bigger challenge than anticipated however. I’d planned out a range of routes to be used throughout the week which all looked scenic and easy to follow on mapmyride.com but when we arrived it soon became apparent that the local farmers did not share my passion of getting out and running on footpaths and bridleways. Almost all of the paths were overgrown, not maintained or simply not there. Gates were chained shut across the paths that could be followed and progress was very slow and hard going as a result.

So at the end of a week that was supposed to see me rested, refreshed and raring to go, I returned home still tired and, as it turned out on Sunday, with a mild dose of the upset stomach that had been doing the rounds whilst on holiday and so even my 8 miles planned turned out to be a 3 mile struggle to keep my insides from being outside.

Feeling Tired - week 11

This week was a full on monster – 4 sessions covering hills (Monday), 8 miles (Tuesday), 16 miles (Thursday) and 10 miles on Sunday. And it showed. I was exhausted at the end of all that and the holiday was most welcome

The long run was very draining and at many points I was tempted by short cuts and heading back early. Bloody mindedness won out however and I got around albeit in not particularly good form.

A long drive to Dorset on Saturday morning heralded the start of a week’s holiday with friends, including 10 kids aged 4 and under and the next rest week in the on-going cycles of training.

Two for the price of one

Training has been progressing well, which is great for me, but not so exciting for the blog, hence last week's entry failed to materialise.

Two more weeks of consistent running, no mishaps, and all going to plan. Managed to improve the 10 mile time around Derwent Reservoir by a couple of minutes which is welcome proof that I'm getting fitter. Also managed to feel in top form for this week's 14 mile long run and 10 mile Sunday jolly which is as important as the times at this stage.

This coming week sees the longest run to date - 16 miles on Thursday and then I'm off on holiday the following week.

Taking it easy

Last week was a (welcome) rest week with distances reduced and my legs given a chance to recover a bit. Only did 3 runs – 4 miles and 8 miles to work on Tuesday and Thursday, both of which were relatively fast, and around 6 miles on Friday round Hyde Park in London as I was down there for a meeting with work.

It was nice to have some variety, good to find a decent bit of greenery in central London and a relief not to be running on hills for a change. I did the run in my 5-finger shoes which is always a bit different. I also had a pretty heavy pack with my laptop and overnight gear in it. A novel way of cooling off after the run was provided by a dip in the Serpentine Lido, putting in around a kilometre of swimming.

I had anticipated a run on Sunday morning as I was away with Angie and no kids but both Friday and Saturday nights were somewhat fuelled by beer and so on Sunday morning my bed seemed a far better option. As I keep telling myself, it’s when you’re resting that you get stronger!

Proper British summer

After a long spell of dry weather, or at least dry weather whenever I’ve been running, this week was a proper washout. This week’s long run (14 miles) was entertaining, mainly as a result of the weather. As I climbed out of the Limb Valley into thick, wet cloud visibility reduced to less than 50 yards which was fine whilst I was on trails that I’m pretty familiar with, however my planned route took me across some moors off the back of Stanage Pole on access land with an indistinct path marked by wooden posts several hundred metres apart – certainly not visible in the fog. I took a couple of wrong turns and backtracked once or twice but managed to find my way across.

Other than that, the week was pretty much as expected. I brought Sunday’s 10 miler forward in order to enjoy a beer or 3 whilst watching England’s opening match at the World Cup on Saturday night so my legs weren’t fully recovered from the long run on Thursday. I also have to confess to missing one of my short runs this week, but hey, no-one’s perfect. And next week brings another “rest” week with only around 20 miles planned, and nothing over 8 miles.

Week 6

A good week last week – all the sessions were completed, though not necessarily in the planned order. Thursday’s 12 miler was actually Friday’s 12 miler and was glorious. Blue sky, bright sunshine, hardly anyone else around; lovely. Sunday’s 10 miler was one of those runs which would be really easy to miss, but after which you get a lovely sense of self-righteous satisfaction. I had loads to do at home before taking the kids to Jess’ 4th birthday party, I was tired and it was raining. All the ingredients for 10 more minutes under the duvet and sacrificing the running. But I forced myself out and had a great run. Yes it was wet, but my legs felt good, I met another ultra-runner en-route (I say another ultra-runner, I’m more of a wannabe currently) and running through streams of rainwater run-off around the Burbage rim with the thunder clapping overhead was quite spectacular.

Knee verdict & minor mishap

I had the diagnosis on my knee last week. The good news is there’s no visible damage or deterioration to the inner workings so no need for an operation. That’s actually really good news as there’s a family history of arthritis, especially in knees. The not so good news is that it’s “anterior knee pain” – a non-specific pain which is very common, but for which practical treatments are largely unknown. The knee specialist’s advice? “Live with the pain!” Brilliant. Apparently running on it will not do it any more harm, but may hurt. Currently it’s manageable, but I may be looking at purchasing shares in Nurofen as time goes by……

Following that gem on Monday, last week broadly went to plan. My legs are still feeling heavy on the uphills, but then once it flattens off or goes downhill slightly I feel I could run forever (more or less). If it goes downhill too steeply, my knee starts playing up so I’m even slower doing those sections.

It seems I got a bit carried away doing man jobs in the house last weekend though and missed my Sunday 10 miler. Very slack indeed. Though I’d like to think that 3 days over the bank holiday weekend working hard at building, plumbing, tiling, painting and decorating make up for missing a run. But then, if that was the case, surely all the Olympians would be builders, plumbers, tillers and decorators.

I even managed some cross training with a 1km swim and a bit of a cycle to and from work.

Enjoying the rest

The end of the first meso-cycle brought a welcome reduction in mileage last week. Unfortunately it also coincided with an increase in discomfort from my left knee again so the miles were reduced even more than originally planned as I felt that resting my knee would bring me greater long-term benefits at this stage of the training than an extra 8 mile run.

I’m off to the hospital next week to see about the results of my MRI scan on the knee which hopefully will determine whether there’s a real problem, and more importantly how best to deal with it. For the time being though, I’ve been enjoying the rest and the improvements in the weather.

Tired

Week three of the programme brought greater distances totalling 33 this week, with 12 miles being the longest. That was run with my pack on the way to work on Thursday giving me a feeling for what lies ahead as those runs get inexorably longer.

I had a sports massage on my legs this week too which was good and seemingly needed as it hurt. A lot. There were many knots in my quads and calf muscles, though my hamstrings and Achilles’ were remarkably fine. I think this is as a result of all the hill climbing. Post massage the 12 miler to work and subsequently the 10 mile early morning jolly round Derwent & Howden Reservoirs were far more tolerable so I think I’ll be signing up for more rub downs in the future, however painful they are at the time.

Biggest downside to this week was my knee starting to feel sore again. Not sure if this is down to new shoes, tired legs, increasing mileage or recurrence of the original injury from February.

So far, so good

Well, all appears to be going well. I've increased the mileage to 31 this week, included a hill training session and the long run is up to 10 miles. The knee is not protesting too much either which is good.

My birthday this week resulted in a shiny new pair of trainers, a new backpack (a popular model amongst MdS veterans) and some funky Injinji socks which fit your feet like gloves with little toe pockets. The claim is that they reduce blisters by stopping your toes rubbing together. Two 10 mile runs in them (and the new trainers) have resulted in no blisters, so maybe there's something in it.

Was also up in Edinburgh overnight at the weekend for a friend's 40th so I had to do some shuffling of the training programme to ensure I wasn't trying to run 10 miles with a potentially large hangover. Fortunately, I was able to run on Saturday morning before we left Sheffield, and even better luck; the hangover never materialised. All in all, a good week.

It's the final countdown. Well, nearly.

99 weeks to go and the end of the first full week of "proper" training.

The half marathon was, as expected, hard work. I managed the race rather badly and went off too fast trying to keep up with my wife Angie, but conceded defeat at 10 miles and limped home in 1 hour 56 mins. Still it was under 2 hours which was the target so I can't really complain I guess.

This week has been the first week of properly following a programme of sorts. Cobbled together over a curry and a pint with Richard, we've got ourselves a plan - it's fairly flexible and may change as we progress, but we have something to work to. And so far so good. The week culminated in a fantastic 10 miler round the Derwent Reservoir feeling good and enjoying being out in the early morning fresh air.

No knee problems to report, one or two blisters which are a hangover from the half marathon and legs that are a bit shocked by the distances increasing a little, but all good so far. Let's hope it lasts another 99 weeks.

First Race of 2010

It’s been touch and go whether I’d make it to this Sunday’s Sheffield Half Marathon but it’s looking like I’ll be lining up with 5,499 others for the 13.1 miles through Sheffield’s streets.

My last post before Christmas promised more effort, more focus, more training. In the immortal words of Meatloaf, two out of three ain’t bad. I’ve certainly been pretty focused, and it’s seemed like a lot of effort but as for more training, well……..

It all started so well with regular runs to and from work in January, despite the snow. I took it nice and steady, with a good slow build up, and then in early Feb something happened inside my knee which meant I was unable to run for a month. Trips to physio, GP and knee specialist determined it’s most likely a meniscal tear. I’m awaiting the results of a recent MRI scan on it to determine the next steps (excuse the pun).

Despite this, a long weekend of snowboarding, a bout of tonsillitis and further winter ailments, I’m back running and hoping for the best. There’s no pain as such now when I run (not in the knee at least) but it feels a bit odd, kind of tight and a bit tender. I gave it a real wallop when snowboarding too which hasn’t helped so I’m not sure if it’s the aftermath of that, or something linked to the original injury. I’ve only stretched the training runs to 75 mins max so far so the half marathon should be an interesting test – I’m certainly not aiming for a PB.