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.